"Going Dutch": American show about Dutch army base anything but flattering
The American channel Fox has released a new comedy series based in the Netherlands and it is anything but flattering. Going Dutch, a show about an American army commander in a Dutch army base relies heavily on the “level-headed American gets stuck in the laconic Europe” trope and features just about every American cliché about the Netherlands, NOS reported.
Patrick Quinn, played by Denis Leary, is the main character in the series. The tough army commander gets transferred to “the world’s least important base” as punishment. The first episode features tulips, windmills, cheese, loose sexual morals, frequent drug use, and korfball. It also includes the line: “Luckily I don’t come from a country that betrayed Anne Frank.”
Quinn’s mission is to whip his fellow countrymen back into shape, because the American soldiers have degenerated into undisciplined, cycling wimps who are better dancers than marchers - undoubtedly influenced by the “clog sniffers.”
According to NOS, the makers put no effort into fact-checking their cliches and, therefore, present a completely distorted image of the Netherlands. For example, the army base is named “Stroopsdorf,” apparently after the stroopwafel - the most well-known Dutch delicacy abroad - but combined with German. The series is largely filmed in Ireland and the most the most prominent Dutchman is played by an Icelandic actor.
Watch a preview here:
