Picture Credit: Netflix NL
After crowd-pleasing comedies like Roosters (Haantjes) and Football Parents (Voetbalouders), Netflix is diving headfirst into much darker territory with The Perfect Lie (previously known as The Dinner Club), a glossy mystery packed with secrets, lies, and a group of friends who may not know each other nearly as well as they think.
Netflix has released the first images from the upcoming Dutch drama series, which is based on Saskia Noort’s bestselling novel, The Dinner Club (De Eetclub), under which the show has been developed until its new English title was announced today. The streamer also confirmed that the series will launch worldwide on September 10, 2026, which is a bit of a delay considering that it was at one point scheduled to drop in 2025.
What is The Perfect Lie about?
At the center of the story is Karen, who moves to the wealthy town of Bergen with her family in search of a fresh start. Before long, they are welcomed into the Dinner Club, an exclusive circle of friends who seem to be living the dream. Think beautiful villas, successful careers, expensive dinners, and picture-perfect families. Of course, things aren’t quite as perfect as they look.
When one of the villas goes up in flames and their friend Evert dies in the fire, the cracks begin to show. His wife and children barely make it out alive, and Karen soon discovers that the group’s seemingly unbreakable friendships are built on secrets, half-truths, and hidden resentments. The deeper she digs, the more she realizes that everyone has something to hide.
As Karen gets pulled further into the mystery, she finds herself caught in a dangerous game of suspicion and manipulation. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more she risks losing herself along the way.
Who stars in The Perfect Lie?
Leading the ensemble are Loes Haverkort (Moordvrouw), Teun Luijkx (Ares), Remko Vrijdag (The Year of Fortuyn), Rifka Lodeizen (Overspel), Charlie Chan Dagelet (Mocro Maffia), Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen (The Golden Hour), Noortje Herlaar (Klem), and Edwin Jonker (Costa!!).
Behind the scenes, the series comes from writer Dorien Goertzen (Oogappels), who developed the adaptation together with Jop Esmeijer (Dirty Lines). The episodes are directed by Dana Nechushtan (Hollands Hoop) and Margien Rogaar (De Z van Zus), while production is handled by Fiction Valley, the studio behind major Dutch hits such as Mocro Maffia and The Golden Hour.
Goertzen clearly relished the challenge of bringing Noort’s novel to the screen:
“It was an incredible challenge to reimagine the well-known story of The Dinner Club together with Jop Esmeijer and adapt it into a series format where suspense remains at the heart of every episode. We chose a different narrative structure and gave both the story and its characters a contemporary update. Our dream cast brought these characters to life in ways that exceeded all our expectations.”
Fans of Dutch cinema may remember that The Dinner Club was already adapted into a feature film back in 2010. But a television series feels like a much better fit for this kind of story. Noort herself is thrilled to see the story getting a second life. In an earlier statement, she said: “I am incredibly proud that my story is getting a new life on Netflix. The Dinner Club is one of my most beloved novels, and seeing it brought to life as a series is a dream come true. I can’t wait to see how the characters and stories are brought to the screen.”
Could this become Netflix’s next Dutch franchise?
There’s another reason why Netflix may have its eye on The Dinner Club for an adaptation. The novel is actually the first book in a trilogy. Noort later continued the story in Debet (2013) and De Nazaten (2023), meaning there’s already plenty of material available if viewers embrace the series.
For now, though, the focus is on the first chapter of the story. Netflix has already shared a selection of first-look images, which can be seen below.
Here’s a few more of the new first looks that dropped today:
The Dinner Club premieres worldwide on Netflix on September 10, 2026.
