# Babylon Berlin (2017)

> A transferred Cologne detective navigates the vice-soaked underworld of 1929 Berlin as political extremism gathers beneath the Golden Twenties.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/58972

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 48
- Episode runtime: 46 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama, mystery, history
- Created by: Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, Hendrik Handloegten
- Network: Das Erste, Sky One
- Cast: Volker Bruch, Liv Lisa Fries, Leonie Benesch, Lars Eidinger, Benno Fürmann, Mišel Matičević, Ronald Zehrfeld, Meret Becker
- TMDB rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4378376/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: decadent, gritty, atmospheric, tense, melancholic

## What critics say

Acclaimed for its meticulous recreation of 1920s Berlin, its ensemble performances and its layered blend of detective story and rising political intrigue.

## Synopsis

Babylon Berlin (2017-2026) is a German historical crime series created by Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries and Hendrik Handloegten for Das Erste and Sky One. Volker Bruch plays Gereon Rath, a police investigator transferred from Cologne to the vice-ridden capital of 1929, where he partners with Liv Lisa Fries as Charlotte Ritter, a plucky young woman taking odd jobs, including piece work for the police, to support her family. Leonie Benesch as Greta Overbeck and Lars Eidinger as Alfred Nyssen add further layers of intrigue. Across five seasons of serialized, multi-thread storytelling, each case pulls the detectives through nightclubs, brothels, film studios and back rooms where murder is tangled with political plotting. The engine is Rath's struggle to solve crimes while the city's power brokers, cult-like militarists and organized gangs push back against him. Shot with lavish production design, the series is a German prestige drama in the vein of Peaky Blinders and Cabaret, mixing neo-noir atmosphere with a wistful, decadent glamour that is steadily shadowed by the rise of nationalism. Fans of The Man in the High Castle and Fargo will find similar appeal in its blend of crime and historical unease.

## Shows like Babylon Berlin

- [Marnow Murders (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/99869)
- [NSU German History X (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/67455)
- [In the Face of Crime (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/34152)
- [Breslau (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/169260)
- [Sleeping Dog (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/145195)
- [Dark Woods (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/94812)
- [Dogs of Berlin (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/66365)
- [Perfume (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/71644)
- [Shadowplay (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/79321)
- [Scene of the Crime (1970)](https://ember.film/tv/2886)

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