Furious ITV viewers issued the same complaint minutes into the new season, as it returned after three years.07:41, 03 Aug 2026Updated 07:42, 03 Aug 2026Furious ITV viewers have been left saying the same thing, minutes into a new series of Van der Valk.‌The detective drama, starring Marc Warren and Maimie McCoy, returned to screens on Sunday, August 2, with a fourth season.‌Van der Valk premiered on ITV in 2020, and fans were left patiently waiting for a new series after the third landed in 2023.‌Based on Nicolas Freeling’s crime thriller novels, and following the original series that aired from 1972 to 1992, Van der Valk follows Marc as detective Piet Van der Valk, solving a series of homicide cases.Set in and around Amsterdam, the new season began with the death of a whistleblower under police protection before a court hearing, with Van der Valk and his team called in to make sure the second witness arrives at court.‌His work is complicated when he discovers the protection officer in charge of the first victim is his former flame.“Fair to say there is no love lost between the two, especially when he suggests she might have been involved in the killing…” the synopsis goes on to tease.Viewers were left hailing Van der Valk’s return, with one person calling it “excellent” while another said it was “a good watch”.‌Someone else wrote: “Very good. Welcome back Van der Valk.”“Thoroughly enjoyed that,” another echoed.However, several issued the same complaint about advertisement breaks, as one person wrote: “I mean really it's only 115 really rest f****n adverts.”‌Another blasted: “Jesus I thought the ad breaks on the world Cup were a p**s take.”Someone else fumed: "Watching‘Van de Valk’ - ITVX asks if I want to watch from the beginning? Yes. But when News At 10 comes on ITVX quits Van der Valk and I can not get it back. Unless, I go back to the beginning and watch all the commercials.”Article continues belowAnother slammed: “WTF really 10 blooming adverts at 21.05 during Van Der Valk, come on that’s overkill surely!!!!!”Ahead of the new series airing, writer Chris Murray vowed it would be the best yet, saying: “We are 100% series that this is the best series of Van Der Valk we’ve done so far. Three strong, contrasting, resolving films flooded with our distinctive team dynamic but this time with the added spice of Piet’s combative ex-girlfriend turning up at the same time as one of our team has to confront their own mortality.”Van der Valk is available to watch on ITVX.