# Shades of Guilt (2015)

> A German defense attorney takes on criminal cases where guilt comes in many shades.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/55269

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 14
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama
- Network: ZDF, START
- Cast: Moritz Bleibtreu, Devid Striesow, Bibiana Beglau, Matthias Matschke, Claudia Eisinger, Barnaby Metschurat, Lucas Prisor, Peter Schneider
- TMDB rating: 7.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3689304/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: sober, contemplative, measured, intense

## Synopsis

Shades of Guilt (2015-2019) is a German crime drama anthology series created for ZDF and START, adapted from the stories of author Ferdinand von Schirach. Moritz Bleibtreu plays Friedrich Kronberg, a defense attorney who must argue for clients whose crimes are never as black and white as they first appear. Each episode centers on a single case, and the engine of the show is the tension between the law's demand for a verdict and the messy human motives behind an act committed in a moment of thoughtlessness or after months of planning. Supporting roles rotate from case to case, with Devid Striesow and Bibiana Beglau appearing in one of the episodes. The series unfolds across three seasons and fourteen episodes of about forty-five minutes each, shot in a restrained, realist style. Its tone is sober and contemplative, with courtroom exchanges that linger on conscience, responsibility, and the ethics of defending people who may have done terrible things. Fans of Better Call Saul, Fargo, and Wallander will find a similar appetite for character-driven moral ambiguity and quiet, procedural tension.

## Shows like Shades of Guilt

- [Top Dog (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/33314)
- [The Trial (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/81791)
- [Murder Mindfully (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/167439)
- [Ligas (2026)](https://ember.film/tv/1105193)
- [Sins of Kujo (2026)](https://ember.film/tv/1105080)
- [The Allegation (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/112468)
- [Scene of the Crime (1970)](https://ember.film/tv/2886)
- [Perfume (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/71644)
- [The Twelve (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/79893)
- [Dark Woods (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/94812)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt