When it comes to over-saturated genres in the TV medium, no other really comes close to crime dramas. Whether it be a police procedural, gang warfare or cat-and-mouse police investigations, there continues to be a flurry of crime-related content released every year. With this in mind, Netflix Original Undercover is a Belgium crime drama that ticks all the boxes you’d expect from this sort of show. While it does well to layer its story with some good twists along the way, Undercover ultimately fails to sidestep the trope-filled pot holes so prevalent in this genre.
The story predominantly revolves around Ferry, a prolific drug boss running a smooth operation in Belgium. Looking to tackle this behemoth and take him down are undercover police duo, Kim and Bob. Together, they work with the police to try and take him down, intent on building his trust to get closer to the operation and work toward an eventual bust. Of course, things aren’t quite that simple and between crooked cops, double crosses and the danger of Bob and Kim being found out, Undercover injects a fair amount of tension throughout its episodes, leading up to the exciting finale.
For the most part, Undercover’s story sticks close to the tried-and-tested formula seen in other shows depicting undercover agents. A lot of the ensuing tension comes from Ferry and his crew’s suspicions around Bob and it’s here where the story works quite well, even if it is a little formulaic and by-the-book at times. With each episode clocking in at a little over 45 minutes, there’s a fair amount of content to chew through here and despite a relatively decent pace to begin with, things do soon slow down.