Babylon Berlin
Cast & Key People
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Our Review
Cast & Key People
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Our Review
Babylon Berlin (2017) is a drama and crime series from ARD Mediathek. It premiered on October 13, 2017. Viewers rate it 8.0 out of 10. It is currently running. It runs 5 seasons.
What Babylon Berlin Is About
A metropolis in turmoil. From economy to culture, politics to the underworld – everything is in the grip of radical change.
Speculation and inflation are already tearing away at the foundations of the still young Weimar Republic. Growing poverty and unemployment stand in stark contrast to the excesses and indulgence of the city’s night life and its overflowing creative energy.
Gereon Rath, a young police inspector from Cologne, is transferred to Berlin in order to solve a criminal case – a porno ring run by the Berlin Mafia. What at first glance appears to be simply a matter of extortion soon reveals itself to be a scandal that will forever change the lives of both Gereon and his closest associates.
What to Expect When You Watch
The format keeps each instalment self-contained enough to drop into, spread across 5 seasons and it leans into its drama/crime roots while leaving room for the quieter character beats.
Performance-wise the series leans on Volker Bruch, Liv Lisa Fries and Lars Eidinger to carry the emotional weight, with the rest of the ensemble filling out the world around them.
Cast and Creative Team
Volker Bruch, Liv Lisa Fries, Lars Eidinger, Hannah Herzsprung, Benno Fürmann and Fritzi Haberlandt lead the cast.
Key roles include Volker Bruch as Gereon Rath; Liv Lisa Fries as Charlotte Ritter; Lars Eidinger as Alfred Nyssen; Hannah Herzsprung as Helga Rath; Benno Fürmann as Oberst Gottfried Wendt.
Why It Stands Out
Fans of drama, crime and thriller have a clear reason to give this one a shot. It sits comfortably alongside ARD Mediathek’s other originals, a 8.0/10 audience score puts it in steady company and it commits to its premise instead of hedging between tones.
Released in 2017 and carried by ARD Mediathek with the series still running, it lands hardest with drama and crime viewers.
How Babylon Berlin Compares
If Babylon Berlin lands for you, the next stops are Breaking Bad, Firefly and The Wire, which share its drama/crime lean.
Each of those sits at a different point on the same spectrum, so they make a natural follow-up once you finish the run here.
Where to Stream
Babylon Berlin comes from ARD Mediathek. Check your preferred platform for current availability, since regional rights move around.
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On the whole Babylon Berlin is the kind of series that rewards a patient watch, with Volker Bruch and Liv Lisa Fries doing the heaviest lifting, a tone that stays true to its drama/crime roots, It has held up since 2017 and so if the premise sounds like your lane, the execution holds up.
The Bottom Line
Babylon Berlin is a safe bet for anyone already inside the drama and crime lane, the audience score holds around 8.0/10 and so there is little risk in starting it tonight.
Verdict: 8.0/10. Watch it if you want drama/crime you can settle into.
