12 Series Highlights made in Bavaria

Der Pass

The German-Austrian thriller series “Der Pass” (The Pass) is the third, in-house production from subscription TV provider Sky Deutschland, based in Unterföhring near Munich. The first murder in the series takes place on a border stone between Germany and Austria. This is the first case of the unequal German-Austrian investigator duo prosecuting a serial killer, masked as “Krampus”. But why is this crime series special? In addition to the investigative work of the police, we can also see the perspective of the perpetrator. In 2019, “Der Pass” won the Golden Camera and the Austrian Romy award in the “Best Series” category. The series was produced by the Munich-based production company Wiedemann & Berg Filmproduktion GmbH.

Who should check it out? Everyone that loves series with surprising events and cleverly connected storylines.

Der Beischläfer

The comedy series “Der Beischläfer” (The Philanderer) has been available on Prime Video since the end of May 2020. It was filmed in Munich – produced by the Amazing Film Company GmbH. The Bavarian cabaret artist Markus Stoll – better known as Harry G – plays Charlie who is appointed against his will as a “Beischläfer”, a derogatory term for the honorary office of a lay judge. At court he meets a professional judge from Berlin who is strict and loyal to the law and who does not like his particular sense of justice. Encouraged by this confrontation, Charlie provokes judgments that would not have passed without his special sense of justice.

Who should check it out? Fans of Harry G and of Bavarian humor as well as those unfamiliar with the work of lay judges and who want to learn more.

Freud

The Austrian-German-Czech series “Freud” celebrated its premiere at the 70th Berlinale Film Festival in early 2020. The first joint project of the broadcasting company ORF and Netflix was co-produced by Bavaria Fiction GmbH, based in Geiselgasteig. The protagonist of the series, Sigmund Freud, lives in Vienna in 1886 and is still far from reaching his status as an internationally renowned psychologist. His colleagues laugh about him and exclude him. When Vienna is shaken by a mysterious series of murders, he tries to unmask the people behind the conspiracy together with a war-traumatized police inspector and a medium.

Who should check it out? “Freud” offers an interesting mix of crime and mystery in a historic environment – something for everybody.

You are wanted

Prime Video's first German in-house production is a thriller series, written by and starring Matthias Schweighöfer, which was originally released in 2017. In addition to Warner Bros., the Munich-based company Pantaleon Films GmbH, which was founded by Matthias Schweighöfer, was also involved in the production. “You are wanted” is about a cyber-attack on the personal data of a hotel manager, which completely transforms his digital life and leads to him being suspected of being a member of a terrorist organization. An exciting search for clues to identify the hackers ensues.

Who should check it out? Fans of Matthias Schweighöfer and action movies will definitely like this series.

Das Boot

If you still think of the 1981 feature film when you hear “Das Boot” (The Boat), you have certainly missed out on something. This series has an international cast and is a co-production from Bavaria Fiction, Sky Deutschland and Sonar Entertainment. It has been available on the streaming provider Sky since 2018. The plot begins one year after the events described in Wolfgang Petersen's classic movie and tells the story of a German submarine crew during World War II.

Who should check it out? Those who are not deterred by the claustrophobic atmosphere of the boat will find a mixture of authenticity, tension, drama and action in the historical setting of the Second World War.

Das letzte Wort

The Pantaleon Films series “Das letzte Wort” (The Last Word) is currently still in production. The drama series with Anke Engelke in the leading role is scheduled for release on Netflix on 17 September, 2020. The main character is the fun-loving Karla, who, after the sudden death of her husband, is looking for a way to cope with her grief and decides to become a funeral celebrant.

Who should check it out? The combination of drama, comedy and absurdity should be perfect for fans of dark humor.

Hindafing

The award-winning television series is set in the small, fictional town of Hindafing between Ingolstadt and the Czech border. It was produced for the broadcasting company Bayerischer Rundfunk and is now also available on Netflix. The series shows Bavarian local politics in a brilliant and satirical way as the mayor gets more and more entangled in a network of private and political promises and all kinds of dubious deals. “Hindafing” is produced by the Munich-based company Neue Super GmbH.

Who should check it out? Those who think that Bavarian films are too cheesy and prefer a grey sky over a blue one.

Deutsch-Les-Landes

Bavaria Fiction is also the creator of the French-German comedy series “Deutsch-Les-Landes” – the first in-house production of Telekom's subscription TV platform, Magenta TV. The focus is on a small French town in the Basque country that is financially ruined. A Bavarian businessman arrives and buys a whole neighborhood of the town. He moves his production site, along with his 200 employees, to the small French town. A clash of cultures is inevitable!

Who should check it out? Any fans of the actor Christoph Maria Herbst and the series Stromberg can look forward to finding the same actor and the same screenwriter in Deutsch-Les-Landes.

Bullsprit TV

This YouTube Original series was produced exclusively for YouTube Premium by Pantaleon Films. The leading roles are played by the Bullsprit TV YouTube trio. In the series, the friends face the challenge of successfully managing the run-down gas station of a deceased uncle for a month, so that they can inherit it in the end. A series of chaotic events follows.

Who should check it out? Everyone who wants to see how a YouTube series can look and anyone looking for relaxed entertainment.

Dark

This dark and confusing story begins with the disappearance of two children. The protagonist is captivated by this event and gets caught in an entangled net of conspiracy and time travel. “Dark” is very popular on an international scale. The series is ranked 15th among the most popular TV series on IMDb, and even 4th in the science fiction category (as of September 09, 2020). The first German Netflix series was produced by the company Wiedemann & Berg and has been awarded several times with the Grimme Award as well as nominated for the Bambi and the Golden Camera.

Who should check it out? Anyone who appreciates complicated connections, likes to solve puzzles and is ready to follow the complete plot of the series.

Biohackers

This brand-new series was produced by the company Claussen + Putz Filmproduktion GmbH on behalf of Netflix. “Biohackers” is about a medical student who enters the world of illegal genetic experiments and wants to do research on the death of her brother. The series questions at which point interventions in nature are no longer morally defensible. Fun fact; the lecture hall scenes were shot in the Carl von Linde lecture hall at the Technical University of Munich.

Who should check it out? Thriller fans who are interested in synthetic biology.

XPLR: More

How can the media library of the broadcasting company ARD differentiate itself from other streaming service providers? Tanja Hüther, Head of Distribution of Bayerischer Rundfunk, will answer these questions in the interview.