Trailer ‘Peace and Joy’ (Rust en Vreugd) now available.

A new drama series about everything that happens behind the hedges of the allotment gardens.

AMSTERDAM – February 2026

In the new eight-part drama series Rust en Vreugd, Emma (Annet Malherbe) takes viewers to a seemingly idyllic allotment garden complex, where she makes an unexpected new start after the death of her husband. The series, based on the novel Rust en Vreugd by Hendrik Groen, premieres on Sunday 8 March 2026 at 8:25 p.m. on MAX on NPO 1 and will be available in full for free on NPO Start.

In Rust en Vreugd we follow the city-dwelling Emma (Annet Malherbe), who, after the sudden loss of her husband Thomas, discovers that he had been granted a garden plot at the Rust & Vreugd allotment complex after years on a waiting list. Although she dislikes gardening, she decides to accept the plot in order to fulfill Thomas’s dream and delay letting go of him just a little longer.

Once behind the hedges, Emma enters a world that proves to be anything but peaceful. The allotment garden turns out to be a bustling microcosm full of rules, gossip, and rivalry. She becomes entangled in an unexpected power struggle over hedge heights, garden bingo nights, and snail policies. A society in miniature, where human relationships are sharply (and often humorously) exposed.

Cast

The leading roles are played by Annet Malherbe (Gooische Vrouwen), Jaap Spijkers (Oogappels), Nazanin Taheri (The Balloonist), Rein Hofman (Maud & Babs), Frans van Deursen (Homefront), and Arjan Ederveen (30 MINUTEN).

The series is directed by Tim Oliehoek (The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, The Menten Affair, Arcadia). The screenplay is written by Tamara Bos (Kapsalon Romy, Rocco & Sjuul).

Rust en Vreugd is a co-production of Omroep MAX and Lemming Film and is based on the novel Rust en Vreugd by Hendrik Groen.