Amsterdam Empire: Netflix delves into the secret world of Dutch coffeeshops

Netflix has unveiled Amsterdam Empire, a new series that immerses viewers in the power struggles and betrayals behind the’world of coffeeshops in Amsterdam.

Broadcast worldwide from October 30, 2025, the series was created by Nico Moolenaar, Bart Uytdenhouwen and Piet Matthys, the creative minds behind Undercover and Ferry. Directed by Jonas Govaerts and Max Porcelijn, the seven-episode series is already attracting attention for its gripping depiction of a world where glamour, legality and ambition meet.

At the heart of the story is Jack van Doorn, played by Jacob Derwig, the powerful founder of the Jackal coffeeshop empire. His meticulously constructed world begins to crumble when an affair with a journalist comes to light. His wife Betty, played by Dutch actress Famke Janssen, a former pop star with a keen sense of revenge, turns against him. What follows is a fierce battle for control of a cannabis empire, and the revelation of secrets that threaten to destroy them both.

A House of Cards in the world of cannabis

Described as a mixture of marital drama and corporate thriller, Amsterdam Empire explores how far people will go to protect their power. The tone is reminiscent of series like House of Cards and Undercover, using the cannabis trade as a backdrop for ambition, betrayal and revenge.

«I'm beyond excited to be returning to the Netherlands for my very first Dutch role!» said Famke Janssen. «It's an honor to have the opportunity to work with Nico Moolenaar and this talented team... and to be part of this captivating story set in the beautiful city of Amsterdam. The city that has captured my heart.»

Moolenaar, who has previously collaborated with Netflix on other hits, admitted that the character of Betty was written specifically for Janssen. «It has long been our dream to bring our national treasure, Famke Janssen, back to the Netherlands,» he said at the series announcement. «Betty was written with Famke in mind, and I'm delighted that she's ready to embark on this adventure with us.»

In addition to Janssen and Derwig, the cast includes Jade Olieberg, Yannick van de Velde and Jesse Mensah, who bring depth to the Van Doorn family dynamic and the ruthless business world that surrounds them.

Coffeeshops: a mirror of Dutch paradoxes

Although the series is fictional, its description of a «coffeeshop tycoon» navigating between the absurd laws in the Netherlands echoes the real-life characters who have shaped the unique cannabis culture of the Netherlands. As the Cannaweed forum, Amsterdam Empire «plunges viewers into the heart of a world often fantasized about, but rarely explored with such dramatic intensity».

The fictional character of Jack van Doorn recalls pioneers such as Ben Dronkers, founder of Sensi Seeds and the Hash, Marijuana & Hemp Museum, and Arjan Roskam, the flamboyant founder of Green House Seed Company. Both men have built their reputations on a combination of entrepreneurial spirit and defiance of legal gray areas, much like van Doorn's struggle to maintain his empire.

The series also echoes the legacy of Wernard Bruining, who opened the Mellow Yellow, Bruining, the first Dutch coffeeshop, in 1973, and went on to campaign for medical cannabis through the Medi-Wiet Foundation. Bruining's fight for the acceptance of therapeutic use echoes van Doorn's fictional struggle against a rigid legal system.

A reflection on power, morality and heritage

By exploring the private life of a coffeeshop magnate, Amsterdam Empire offers more than just a detective story. It's a reflection on how power and morality intertwine in an industry born of tolerance and contradiction.

Behind the red-brick facades of Amsterdam's coffeeshops, the series suggests, lies a world of ambition, deceit and resilience.

It's a world where entrepreneurs not only have to deal with commercial rivals, but also navigate between legality and illegality, a reality familiar to anyone familiar with the Dutch cannabis industry.

With Amsterdam Empire, Netflix transforms the myth of Amsterdam coffeeshops into a gripping social and psychological drama. Between love and betrayal, activism and ambition, the series captures the essence of an industry that continues to fascinate the world: the Dutch cannabis empire itself.