Hidden Assets is an Irish/Canadian/Belgian crime drama developed by Peter McKenna and directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan and Kadir Ferati Balci. The series premiered on RTÉ on May 10, 2022. The second season premiered on RTÉ on September 3, 2023.[1] The series is a spinoff of Acceptable Risk.[2]
| Hidden Assets | |
|---|---|
| Developed by | Peter McKenna |
| Directed by | Thaddeus O'Sullivan Kadir Ferati Balci |
| Starring |
|
| Composer | Michel Corriveau |
| Country of origin | Ireland |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | James Mitchell, Stephen Greenberg, Peter De Maegd, Shane Murphy, Tom Hameeuw Peter McKenna, Donna Walsh, Andrew Byrne, David Crean, Catherine Mackin, Bea Tammer, Nicky Davies Williams |
| Producers | Siobhán Bourke, Anna-Sue Greenberg, Kathryn Lennon, Catherine O'Flaherty |
| Cinematography | Diego Dezuttere, Richard Kendrick, Dries Delputte, Tim Fleming, Simon Walsh |
| Editors | David Di Francesco, Chantal Lussier |
| Original release | |
| Network | RTÉ |
| Release | May 10, 2022 – present |
| Related | |
| Acceptable Risk | |
Premise
The first series is set in present day Shannon, County Clare, Ireland, its Free Zone and airport, and the port of Antwerp, Belgium. It focuses on the Irish Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and the Belgian Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU).
The second series of Hidden Assets is also set between Antwerp and County Clare (Limerick, specifically). Following Angeline Ball's departure from the cast, Nora-Jane Noone joined as DS Clare Wallace.[3]
Cast
Main
- Angeline Ball as Emer Berry (season 1)
- Wouter Hendrickx as Christian De Jong
- Peter Coonan as Fionn Brannigan (season 1)
- Charlie Carrick as James Melnick
- Cathy Belton as Norah Dillon
- Aaron Monaghan as Sean Prendergast
- Sophie Jo Wasson as Siobhan Brannigan (season 1)
- Kwaku Fortune as Josh Ola
- Gilles De Schryver as Vincent Thys
- Jane Brennan as Eileen Gately
- Simone Kirby as Bibi Melnick
- Michael Ironside as Richard Melnick (season 1)
- Nora-Jane Noone as Claire Wallace (season 2)
- Maya Albert as Mila Albert (recurring season 1, main season 2)
- Bert Kettermans as Aubrey Cline (recurring season 1, main season 2)
- Steve Geerts as Viktor Maes (recurring season 1, main season 2)
- Eva Kamanda as Passent Hussein (season 2)
- Karine Vanasse as Frances Swann (season 2)
Recurring
- Caroline Stas as DSU Leader
- Rover de Hauwere (season 1) and Davin McElherron (season 2) as Arthur Melnick
- Birgit Herteleer as Belgian News Anchor
- Dr. Marianne Baert as Ariane Van Vliet
- Sari-Lynn Kerkhofs as Chessa
- Burak Balci as Zev (season 1)
- Matthieu Sys as David (season 1)
- Natali Broods as Isobel Delvey (season 2)
- Teli Jalloh as CTU Julien (season 2)
- Natalya Strutsenko as Tedora Babic (season 2)
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 6 | May 10, 2022 | June 14, 2022 | |
| 2 | 6 | September 3, 2023 | October 8, 2023 | |
Season 1
| No. overall | No. in season | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Thaddeus O'Sullivan | Peter McKenna | May 10, 2022 |
| 2 | 2 | Thaddeus O'Sullivan | Peter McKenna | May 17, 2022 |
| 3 | 3 | Thaddeus O'Sullivan | Morna Regan | May 17, 2022 |
| 4 | 4 | Kadir Ferati Balci | Morna Regan | May 31, 2022 |
| 5 | 5 | Kadir Ferati Balci | Morna Regan | June 7, 2022 |
| 6 | 6 | Kadir Ferati Balci | Peter McKenna | June 14, 2022 |
Season 2
| No. overall | No. in season | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | Thaddeus O'Sullivan | Mary Fox & Marty Thornton | September 3, 2023 |
| 8 | 2 | Thaddeus O'Sullivan | Mary Fox and Marty Thornton | September 10, 2023 |
| 9 | 3 | Thaddeus O'Sullivan | Sinéad Collopy | September 17, 2023 |
| 10 | 4 | Kadir Ferati Balci | Susan E. Connolly | September 24, 2023 |
| 11 | 5 | Kadir Ferati Balci | Mary Fox & Marty Thornton | October 1, 2023 |
| 12 | 6 | Kadir Ferati Balci | Peter McKenna | October 8, 2023 |
Production
The series is a spinoff of the crime drama Acceptable Risk. The series was commissioned by RTÉ and Acorn TV in association with Screen Ireland,[4] Screen Flanders and SuperChannel, and is financed through tax incentives from Ireland (Section 481), Belgium (BNPPFFF) and Canada (Quebéc production tax services).
Hidden Assets is produced by Irish production company Saffron Moon and Canada’s Facet4 Media and co-produced with Belgian producer Potemkino. The series was developed by Peter McKenna.
The first season was written by Peter McKenna and Morna Regan.[5] The second season was written by Peter McKenna, Mary Fox & Marty Thornton, Sinéad Collopy, and Susan E. Connolly.
Reception
Ratings
The first series' finale was watched by 458,000 viewers[6] in Ireland.
Critical reception
Irish Examiner's Esther N. McCarthy felt that the first series "aimed high and delivered for audiences".[7] Pat Stacey of the Irish Independent considered it to be an improvement over Acceptable Risk.[2] Rachel Sigee of i compared the series' handling of sociopolitical themes and international setting to Nordic noir.[8]
The Guardian called the second series of Hidden Assets "superbly dark and twisted" ahead of its transmission on BBC Four on 2 December 2023.[9]
Sales
UK-based distributor DCD Rights confirms[10] new deals for the second season of international crime drama Hidden Assets. Sales include the BBC (UK), SBS (Australia), Stan (Australia), Acorn TV (New Zealand), TV4 (Sweden) and TV2 (Norway).
Awards
| Awards | Year | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Film & Television Academy | 2022 | Drama Series | Hidden Assets Season 1 | Nominated |
| Actress Lead Role Television | Angeline Ball | Nominated | ||
| Actress Supporting Role Television | Cathy Belton | Nominated | ||
| Actress Supporting Role Television | Simone Kirby | Nominated | ||
| Actor Supporting Role Television | Peter Coonan | Nominated | ||
| Director Television Series | Thaddeus O'Sullivan | Nominated | ||
| Script Writer Television | Peter McKenna | Nominated | ||
| Script Writer Television | Morna Regan | Nominated | ||
| RTS Ireland Television Awards | 2022 | Drama | Hidden Assets | Nominated |
| Irish Film & Television Academy | 2024 | Best Drama | Hidden Assets Series 2 | Nominated |
| Best Script | Hidden Assets Series 2 | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Cathy Belton | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Aaron Monaghan | Nominated |
