Netflix Sets January Premiere for ‘Blind Sherlock’, Dutch Crime Series Inspired by a Real Blind Police Investigator

Picture: Netflix

Following the Amsterdam Empire with Famke Janssen, Netflix brings its next big Dutch series, Blind Sherlock, confirmed for release on January 23. The streamer announced the release date today along with the first teaser. The series will feature six episodes, each running fifty-two minutes.

Blind Sherlock features Frank Lammers, known from Undercover and Ferry, alongside newcomer Bart Kelchtermans in the lead role. The cast also includes Ayşegül Karaca, Sigrid ten Napel and Charlie Chan Dagelet. The project is led by showrunner Kristof Hoefkens (Geldwolven). Production is handled by De Mensen in collaboration with Studio TF1, the team previously behind Rough Diamonds. The script is written by Hoefkens and Maarten Goffin and direction is in the hands of Joost Wynant, who earlier worked on Under Fire.

Hoefkens explained to Broadcastnow how the idea for Blind Sherlock came to life. It started with a newspaper article he could not shake for years. “Many years ago, I worked as a journalist when a colleague wrote a story about Sacha Van Loo, a blind civilian who was working for the wiretapping unit of the police,” he said. “It stuck with me. My co-writer Maarten Goffin and I decided to go talk to him. Sacha turned out to be intriguing, intelligent, talented and funny. Having a blind lead character in a police investigation was exactly the creative twist we were looking for in a cop show.”

Van Loo himself worked for more than ten years in the wiretapping service and helped solve hundreds of cases. His remarkable work drew international attention and now forms the foundation of the series.

Picture: Netflix

What is Blind Sherlock about?

The story opens in a Rotterdam plagued by drug crime, where rival gangs escalate in violence. The police set up a dedicated wiretapping unit to gain control of the situation. Roman Mertens, who is blind, decides to join the unit despite doubts within the force. It quickly becomes clear that his blindness is an unexpected asset. Roman picks up details others miss. He recognizes patterns in conversations, connects clues his colleagues overlook and manages to break cases that seemed completely stuck.

Studio TF1 stresses that this perspective is intentional. Executive vice president Camille Dupeuble explains: “His disability is not treated as a limitation. On the contrary, his blindness allows for an original approach that focuses on his other senses and heightens the viewer’s engagement. We feel even more immersed in the action when we vicariously experience what the hero hears, smells and touches, rather than only what is being said or shown.”

According to Dupeuble, Blind Sherlock rises above standard police drama. “It is a fresh and modern take on well-known IP, with a main character at the crossroads of Sherlock Holmes and Daredevil. We discover a positive portrayal of disability, where the hero turns blindness into a superpower.”

Hoefkens emphasizes that the series is not a direct reconstruction of Van Loo’s life. The creators spoke with him extensively but used his experiences mainly as inspiration. “We had many conversations with Sacha and took bits of his life and work, dramatised them and mixed them with fictional storylines,” he said. This gives the show credibility while leaving space for tension and drama.

Netflix describes the series as follows: “Thanks to his exceptional hearing, the blind Roman Mertens lands his dream job in the police wiretapping unit. But the work turns out to be far more dangerous than he imagined.”

Blind Sherlock will arrive January 23 on Netflix. Watch the first teaser below.