The first episode of the biopic charting the love story of the royal couple attracted 700,000 viewers – one of the most watched in that slot – and also won critical acclaim.
“It’s a very good score,” Tina Nijkamp, expert in viewer figures, told De Telegraaf newspaper.
“The production exceeded even the high expectations,” said the Algemeen Dagblad (AD).
The series follows the life of Maxima Zorreguieta – eventually to become Queen Maxima – from her birth in Buenos Aires in 1971 to her engagement with then Crown Prince Willem-Alexander.
Based on the best-selling book by Marcia Luyten, the series has already been sold in several countries including Belgium and Germany, plus others in Latin America.
Love scenes between Willem-Alexander, played by Martijn Lakemeier, and Maxima, played by Argentinian actress Delfina Chaves, left some feeling slightly queasy.
“You actually see the king and queen frolicking under the covers. It’s a bit like watching your parents when they were young,” said the AD.
The paper said the sex scenes were “mildly discomforting” and noted that “The Crown”, a popular biopic about the British royals, managed to avoid such embarrassments.
The Trouw daily also noted “the discomfort caused by their turbulent scene in bed”.
“Is that really how you want to imagine Wim-Alex and Max?” it asked.
Maxima and Willem-Alexander met in 1999 and married three years later.
The couple have three daughters.
Crown Princess Amalia, 20, played her first official role during a state visit on Wednesday.
Daughter of a minister in the dictatorial Argentinian government of General Jorge Rafael Videla, Maxima has managed to capture the hearts of the Dutch, even if her popularity has waned slightly in recent years.
According to public broadcaster NOS, she scores an average 7.1 points out of 10, compared to eight out of 10 in 2020.
The king scores 6.6 points.
“Maxima the series has arrived just in time to stop the drop in her popularity,” said Nijkamp.
The Royal Household press office told AFP they were not involved in the production of the series.
A second season is already in the works.
“Maxima discovers that maintaining the love of the Dutch people is not as easy as winning it,” according to Rachel van Bommel from production house Millstreet Films.