Cliches abound in US army base comedy show “Going Dutch”
An American TV comedy show, Going Dutch, set on a US Army base in the fictitious Dutch village of Stroopdorf, has raised a few eyebrows in the Netherlands for its odd portrayal of the country.
“No cliché about the Netherlands has been spared,” said NOS, referring to what it calls the liberal use of “tulips, windmills, cheese, loose sexual morals, lots of drugs, and korfball.”
The show features Denis Leary as Colonel Patrick Quinn, who is reassigned to lead Garrison Stroopdorf after going on an offensive rant. The location is the “least important army base in the world,” with no strategic purpose or weapons, and Quinn’s role is to restore discipline, which is very much lacking.
The show, which premiered on Fox on January 2, has been given an 82% rating by the website Rotten Tomatoes, which describes it as “a vehicle for Denis Leary’s cranky charm that generously spreads the wealth amongst its likable ensemble.”
Variety’s Alison Herman said that the early episodes generate enough goodwill to buy the time needed to figure itself out. “Going Dutch takes the scenic route through the tulip fields on the way to a more focused, emotionally grounded show,” she wrote.
In fact, any tulip fields that feature are likely to be in Ireland, as the show was filmed entirely on location there. Dutch commentators have highlighted numerous gaffes—Stroopdorf, for example, is German, not Dutch, and German folk costumes get an outing at a tulip festival.
“There was no Dutch involvement at all in the production, and even the most prominent Dutch character, of course named Jan, is played by an Icelandic actor,” NOS points out.
A second series is apparently already being mooted.
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.
We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.
Make a donation