Will there be a season 5 of Van der Valk?

Van der Valk finally returned to ITV1 for its fourth season earlier this month, more than three years after its previous outing on UK screens.

With the series now available to stream in the UK, attention has naturally turned to whether Dutch detective Piet van der Valk will be back for a fifth instalment.

Here is everything we know about the show's future.

As things stand, there has been no official announcement about a fifth season of Van der Valk. ITV has neither renewed nor cancelled the crime drama, leaving its future uncertain.

The lack of clarity is partly down to how the show is put together. As lead Marc Warren explained to Radio Times: "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."

That funding model helps explain the long gaps between seasons, with season 4 reaching UK screens roughly two years after it aired in the US on PBS Masterpiece.

Everything certainly seems up in the air right now and at the time of writing, there has been no indication that Van der Valk will return.

Could Van der Valk return for season 5?

The absence of a renewal is not the same as a cancellation, and there are reasons for cautious optimism. The show has consistently drawn solid audiences and warm reviews, and the creative team have made clear they are keen to continue.

Warren has also hinted that season 4 was left deliberately open, teasing an unresolved thread that could carry into a further run.

"I think people, when they finish this series, will want to know what's going on because there is something quite obviously going on," he said. "They'll want a resolution to it, which is why we need to do season 5".

Given the co-production structure, any decision is likely to hinge on the various international partners aligning again rather than on ITV alone, so fans may face a wait before the position becomes clear.

What have the cast and creators of Van der Valk said?

Warren has been open about his desire to keep playing Van der Valk. "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," he told Radio Times. "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 acknowledged the decision is not his to make, adding: "These things are out of our control, you just go with however it is. But the will and the passion are certainly there, and why wouldn't they be? It's a joy to do, and I think it's a joy to watch. People who are fans of the show just love it. There's something about it, so it'd be a real shame not to do it again".

Warren has also described season 4 as the best run so far. "It just felt like a bigger show, like a more expensive show," Warren said. "We were doing huge car scenes with these incredible vehicles and explosions... It just felt like a bigger world, but also it felt more intimate with the family unit."

Maimie McCoy, who plays van der Valk's partner Inspector Lucienne Hassell, described the team as "increasingly under threat" in season 4. "Us having to pull together, the jeopardy and implications of what happens within the group and from the outside... it just feels like the stakes have really lifted. There's a sense of time running out".

How to watch Van der Valk's previous seasons

The current incarnation of Van der Valk, a loose reworking of the classic 1970s ITV detective series, premiered in 2020 and has run for four seasons of three feature-length episodes apiece. Season 4 aired on ITV1 on Sunday 2 August 2026 at 8pm, having previously debuted in the US on PBS Masterpiece in September 2024.

All four seasons are available to stream on ITVX in the UK, while US viewers can find the series via PBS Masterpiece.

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Van der Valk is available to stream on ITVX.

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