# The Swell (2016)

> When a massive storm threatens to flood the low-lying Netherlands and Belgium, the prime minister must decide whether four million people can be evacuated in time.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/60187

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 55 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, thriller
- Created by: Johan Nijenhuis
- Network: EO
- Cast: Roos Dickmann, Joppe Degrijse, Lene Lanckriet, Sadettin Kirmiziyuz, Jamelia Sanda Nana, Tom Audenaert, Susan Visser, Janni Goslinga
- TMDB rating: 6.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4662890/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: tense, sober, anxious, bleak, propulsive

## Synopsis

The Swell (2016) is a Dutch-language disaster drama miniseries created by Johan Nijenhuis for EO. Across six hour-long episodes, it follows prime minister Hans Kreuger (Gijs Scholten van Aschat) as he confronts a storm that threatens to flood the low-lying Netherlands and Belgium. His central problem is brutally practical: can authorities evacuate four million people, along with hospitals and prisons, in the few days before the water arrives? Episodes cut between government chambers and ordinary households, including the Wienesse family, with Frank Lammers as Willem Wienesse and Susan Visser as Marion Wienesse, and the Van Daele family, with Joppe Degrijse as Kevin Van Daele and Lene Lanckriet as Femke Van Daele. Each strand adds its own pressure, from logistics to personal fear, so the drama grows through many small decisions rather than one hero's action. The tone is tense and sober, with a steady sense of dread and civic anxiety, and the emotional weight rests on families separated by the countdown. Fans of Chernobyl and Contagion will find resonance in its procedural seriousness and ensemble structure. The show is a single self-contained season, making it a complete limited-run watch for viewers who enjoy disaster stories grounded in realistic government response.

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