This New Netflix Crime Series About An Amnesiac Sounds Like A Belgian ‘Memento’

Netflix has been beefing up its slate of foreign language thrillers lately, and Tabula Rasa is another new addition. The show, originally from Belgium, focuses on a woman who has amnesia and must try and piece together her lost memories as she becomes swept up in a missing persons case. So will Tabula Rasa return for Season 2?

Right now there doesn't seem to be any word on whether a renewal is coming, which isn't that surprising given that the show hasn't yet aired on Netflix. The show isn't a Netflix original series, though, which likely means that fans of the show will have to wait for a decision from across the pond. According to Deadline, Tabula Rasa was first picked up by Walter Presents, a U.K.-based foreign language drama service, and was originally launched on the U.K.'s Channel 4 after being pitched at Berlin Film Festival in 2015, so it's been a long time coming for this drama. “Malin-Sarah [Gozin, creator and co-writer] has a gift for creating unique dramas which never cease to surprise and delight," Walter Iuzzolino of Water Presents said, according to Deadline. "This is a superb, taut, psychological thriller that scares and intrigues in equal measure. Tabula Rasa is sure to make a lasting impression with UK audiences.”

It obviously had to have seen some success if Netflix wanted to bring the show to American audiences, and the star power behind the show is extremely well-known among audiences in Belgium. Star Veerle Baetens, who plays Mie in the show, was profiled by Variety way back in 2014 as one of the outlet's "International Stars You Should Know." Back then, she was gaining notoriety from starring in the film Broken Circle Breakdown, and her colleagues had no shortage of praise for Baetens. “What strikes me most — apart from the fact that the camera loves her, and the fact that she is the hardest working actor I have ever met — is that she has the ability to grab the emotion of the scene almost immediately," Broken Circle Breakdown director Felix Van Groeningen told Variety.

With a plot as compelling and intriguing as Tabula Rasa, it seems like the show definitely needed a powerhouse in front of the camera to pull off the emotion necessary. Not only does Baetens' character not remember aspects of her past, but that situation makes her suspicious of those around her who are trying to feed her information. "Tabula Rasa is a very human story," producer Helen Perquy said, according to DramaQuarterly.com. "It’s a psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator. What Malin always says is it’s like a mind-f*ck — and she’s right. As Mie goes through psychosis, she doubts everyone and it’s a bit of a whodunit, but you also question whether she did it herself. You doubt everyone, even yourself, and you feel that tension all the time."

She also hinted that the show would have some interesting elements for fans of actual horror, not just crime thrillers, and that Tabula Rasa plans to span many genres in order to capture humanity in its characters. “Sometimes it flirts with horror, but you also have some very recognizable family scenes where you see the love between a family as well as how family can be disruptive," Perquy continued. "Mie’s memory loss is also reflected in the dementia of her father. There are a lot of very recognizable themes. It’s not an easy story but it should be very captivating, powerful and emotional." So far, both the tone of the show and Baetens' performance have paid off — even ahead of its American debut, TheCultureTrip.com said the show "has spectacular visual imagery" and "the look of a winner." If reviews like that keep coming in once it hits Netflix, Tabula Rasa could have another season coming its way.