Marc Warren says there is still no indication that Van der Valk will return for season 5, even after the show came back to ITV1 on Sunday 2 August for its fourth outing. He says he wants to do more, but the future of the crime drama is still unresolved.
Sunday 2 August returns
Van der Valk arrived back on ITV1 after more than three years away, and season 4 had already aired in the States 22 months earlier. That gap leaves the next step important for anyone following the series: there is still no season 5 decision to work from, so the show’s return has not yet translated into a fresh run.
Marc Warren and the co-production
Warren said, "The show has always been a co-production. It has some money from America and Germany and the Netherlands and ITV, and each broadcaster broadcasts when they broadcast." He also said, "It's always had good viewing figures, it's always been very well received... and I'd love to do more of it because it's a treat."
That matters because Van der Valk is not being carried by a single broadcaster’s schedule. With money coming from America, Germany, the Netherlands and ITV, the show’s next move depends on whether those backers line up again. Warren’s comments point to support from the creative side; they do not point to a green light from the business side.
Season 5 still open
Warren did not soften the point. "I can't imagine another job like this coming along. So when it's gone, it's gone – and I'm not ready for it to go," he said, adding, "But the will and the passion are certainly there, and why wouldn't they be?" He also argued that viewers will want a payoff after the latest episodes: "And I think people, when they finish this series, will want to know what's going on because there is something quite obviously going on. They'll want a resolution to it, which is why we need to do season 5."
The clean reading is simple: season 4 is back, the audience has an active show to watch, and the lead actor wants another run, but no season 5 has been set in motion. For now, the series has returned without a next chapter attached, and that leaves the renewal decision as the only development that really changes the picture.
