'Van der Valk' Season 4 Does Exist, Debuts in September

Masterpiece's Van der Valk, ITV's remake of the 1970s era original starring Barry Foster, has never been a significant headliner series. The initial Dutch series was itself an oddity; it was one of the few non-BBC shows from the 1970s that hit big. (The theme song went to Number One on the radio charts and everything.) It only ran two seasons, but its overseas devotees got it brought back twice, both times with entirely new casts, save for Foster. The second time, in the 1990s, brand new American cable channel A&E picked it up, landing the show a cult following in the U.S. as well.

The new version is basically Masterpiece's version of a cult hit, not a big title like Wolf Hall or Unforgotten, but one that has very devoted fans, who will be happy to know, despite absolutely zero news about filming, or any announcements from ITV, there is a Season 4, and it will debut precisely where it always does, in September. Like last season, the show will not air as a three-episode stand-alone but paired with two other mystery series, the Adrian Dunbar-starrer Ridley Season 2 and the highly anticipated return of Lesley Manville to the detective scene in Moonflower Murders.

While Masterpiece did not provide much information with the date announcement, the trailer does raise some fairly significant questions, including the glaring absence of one team member and the mysterious addition of a new one. Check it out: