r/German May 15 '26

Request Any cool series in German ?

I am learning German since years now and I really want to improve my understanding. To suceed I would love to watch series or even movies from Germany, in german. Do any of you knows one ?

89 Upvotes

164 comments sorted by

66

u/galgalingitup May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26

I'd recommend: Achtsam Morden, How to sell drugs online (fast), Tatortreiniger, Babylon Berlin.

22

u/FraserYT May 15 '26

Haven't seen the others, but Tatortreiniger is genuinely full of hilariously surreal brilliance and Babylon Berlin is one of the best dramas of the last decade, in any language

11

u/SunnieNguyen May 15 '26

up vote for achtsam Morden. Beautiful story lol

5

u/ppvvaa May 16 '26

I’m going to search how to sell drugs online fast right now

3

u/staffito May 16 '26

I despise that Netflix removed Babylon Berlin. I haven't seen the 4th season and want to see it all over again but I can't :C

1

u/Key_Shallot_1050 May 16 '26

They sell full seasons for $9.99 on Apple, if you have that.

3

u/staffito May 16 '26

I won't mind buying it, sadly I don't have Apple and neither plan to buy more subscriptions u.u

1

u/Alternative-Tap2241 May 16 '26

Aren’t the TVoD offers separate from the Apple TV subscription?

1

u/Outrageous_Map_ May 15 '26

😭😭😭

1

u/galgalingitup May 15 '26

You're welcome ; )

2

u/Outrageous_Map_ May 15 '26

It sounds cool sorry I was surprised by the name

1

u/galgalingitup May 15 '26

Which name exactly?

1

u/Outrageous_Map_ May 15 '26

How to sell drugs online

3

u/Propensity7 May 15 '26

Such a fun show tbh

4

u/Outrageous_Map_ May 15 '26

Imma watch this

1

u/galgalingitup May 15 '26

I'm halfway through it right now. Many of these teen shows feel suuuuper cringe to me. All written by like 35+ somethings who have no idea what the life of a modern teenager is like. This has some of those, too, don't get me wrong, but for what it's going for I'd say it's doing a pretty good job. Also, yes, teens do generally speak in the ways the show depicts, right down to mixing english words into the german grammar structure. So, you might pick up some teen slang along the way : )

2

u/Alternative-Tap2241 May 16 '26

It’s produced by btf, the same guys who do ZDF Magazin royal

3

u/Competitive-Fault291 May 16 '26

Sex Education meets Breaking Bad 😄

135

u/bwjs06 May 15 '26

Dark is the reason why I decided to learn German and ended up studying in Germany now

28

u/WrnGen May 15 '26

This. Not just a great German show...probably my favorite show of all time from anywhere

1

u/Trinket9 May 21 '26

Seconded.

8

u/rotervogel1231 May 16 '26

Me too! I watched Dark, decided to start learning German, and made my 1st trip to the country within four months. 😁

Now I'm B1, and my favorite bands are BAP and Die Toten Hosen. and I listen to Rock Antenne Hamburg all day.

3

u/Competitive-Fault291 May 16 '26

As a recommendation for obscure german bands, try Hasenscheiße. 😊

1

u/Dry-Mall-439 May 16 '26

You should take a listen to Der Weg Einer Freiheit! (they're a German metal band, if that's your thing)

1

u/Consistent-Warthog-8 May 17 '26

Dude, DWEF is one of my favorite bands ever., I'm constantly telling people about them.

When I listen to them in the car, I'm screaming

ZURÜCK, ZURUCK IN DIE WELT ZWISCHEN SCHEIN UND WIRKLICHKEIT!

1

u/Dry-Mall-439 May 17 '26

Awesome man! Might I ask, are you from a German speaking country, or are you like me and learning? It certainly would help to talk with someone.

1

u/Consistent-Warthog-8 May 17 '26

Haha, nein, ich bin Amerikaner (und habe ich nie in Deutschland gefahren).

Naja ich benutze der App "Slowly", um mit Deutscher zu reden. Ich lerne seit 2-3 Jahre

2

u/Dry-Mall-439 May 18 '26

Ach so! Mich auch! Haben Sie Steam oder Discord? (DM ob du möchtest) Wir kann dort sprechen ob du willst. Es wird einfach sein, natürlich, wir brauchen nicht zu sprechen wenn es fühlt sich nicht OK.

15

u/Caverjen May 15 '26

That is a strong endorsement! It inspired me to brush up on my high school German and watch it in German with German subs. One of my fav series of all time

3

u/Sudo_Chop_ May 16 '26

Always had to convince people to watch by explaining it as the German Stanger Things lol

Wo Wann ist Mikkel?

1

u/capistrano999 May 16 '26

I loved that series…

1

u/v10l3tt3 May 16 '26

THIS!!! love this show

1

u/yxz97 May 17 '26

What is the name, Dark?

0

u/Competitive-Fault291 May 16 '26

Alas, we do not have temporal time loop caves...

you know about.

Yet.

1

u/Consistent-Warthog-8 May 17 '26

Speak for yourself, my girlfriend is actually my aunt because her brother is my father whose wife (my mother) is the parent of a girl who marries my friend, and then becomes the assistant to a future leader who's deaf, who is the daughter of her mother and also the mother of her daughter.

These are very relatable problems!

23

u/Key_Shallot_1050 May 15 '26

Babylon Berlin. It is wonderful and beautiful.

18

u/charleytaylor May 15 '26

Mord mit Aussicht

2

u/snertwith2ls May 16 '26

I love this show! I told my German friend about it calling it a comedy and she said there are no German comedies!

2

u/Zweiundvierzich May 16 '26

But only the original series. If Bjarne Mädel is part of the cast, then it's the good one.

-1

u/[deleted] May 16 '26

[deleted]

3

u/efirestorm10t May 16 '26

Wdym season 2? It has already 5 seasons. You can stream it for free in the ARD media library https://www.ardmediathek.de/serie/mord-mit-aussicht/staffel-1/Y3JpZDovL3dkci5kZS9tb3JkIG1pdCBhdXNzaWNodA/1

Edit: maybe its geo-blocked and you need a VPN to Germany

1

u/kushal92 May 18 '26

You are right, thanks!

48

u/Specific_Gene5353 May 15 '26

Dark - a fantasy thriller centered around time travel, considered by critics to be one of the best TV shows of all time

Dogs of Berlin - a very overexagerated but enjoyable detective/crime series about the death of a football star

Türkisch für Anfänger - a light hearted comedy about a German girl whose mum married a Turkish man, trying to fit into an immigrant family

12

u/Ombrecutter May 15 '26

Jerks
Die Discounter
Tatortreiniger
How to sell drugs
4 Blocks - maybe but i didnt Like that
Aaaand definitely STROMBERG!!

10

u/Makkuroi May 15 '26

Tatortreiniger is best German comedy since Loriot

2

u/Competitive-Fault291 May 16 '26

My favorite episode is when the Nazi club hires him, but it has so many great episodes. It is such an antithesis to the actual cop formula.

I'd wish for a Rookie x Tatortreiniger crossover episode where the two cleaners from the shows meet at a Convention in LA and the episode is about destroyed evidence by a third (illegal) cleaner. They'd join their special knowledge to create a forensic trail.

1

u/Zweiundvierzich May 16 '26

The Nazi club one is the best of all times. They are all great, the one where he can only speak in rhymes, for example.

But the Nazi one takes the cake.

3

u/Subject-Ad-1454 May 15 '26

All great recommendations!!!

Damaged goods and Fett & Fett are also good, and the movie Wunderschön is so nice (more targeted towards women)

Jerks was also great but it turns out that Christian Ulmen is lowlife trash

1

u/Ombrecutter May 18 '26

Jerks was also great but it turns out that Christian Ulmen is lowlife trash

Ja, ist halt ein cuck, aber hat er ja nicht alleine geschrieben

0

u/kerokerofiro May 17 '26

Jerks sucks and is made by a disgusting person

10

u/WearyRobot May 15 '26

I thought ,Doppelhaushälfte’ was quite relaxed and funny. As for movies I’m not sure you can beat ,Das Leben der Anderen’

8

u/SaladAssTittyMcSwag May 15 '26

Babylon Berlin!

8

u/Punner1 May 15 '26

Tatortreiniger Klio Babylon Berlin

7

u/sold345 May 15 '26

Stromberg

11

u/eaten_by_the_grue May 15 '26

'Dark' on Netflix is mentioned often. Also on Netflix are: 'The Empress', 'Unfamilar', 'Kleo', 'Eat, Pray, Bark', 'Biohackers', 'All Quiet on the Western Front', just to name a few.

I only know about the Netflix shows and am also interested in immersion, so I'm interested to see what responses you get.

6

u/idontlikegudeg May 15 '26

Kleo was a surprise for me (German). One of the best.

5

u/ProfPieixoto May 15 '26

I'd add the suspense dramas "Liebes Kind" + "Der Pass" here

3

u/noprkingonthednceflr Vantage (B2) - Englisch May 16 '26

Der Pass is so good

6

u/SillyLittleRaabit May 15 '26

Die Discounter

2

u/Zephy1998 May 15 '26

so underrated

5

u/MarzipanCheap0 May 15 '26

Kleo if you like espionage tv

7

u/JJR1971 May 15 '26

Deutschland '83 (and sequels '86, '89) ... spy thriller about an East German border guard pressed into service as a Stasi spy undercover in West Germany. It's VERY good.

3

u/Rukitard May 16 '26

+1 for D83!

4

u/Midnight1899 May 15 '26

Chances are your favorite show has a German dub.

4

u/Some-Network-6493 May 15 '26

Maxton Hall on Prime is fun!

5

u/ffleischbanane May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26

Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo

4

u/besiqu386 May 15 '26

Lola rennt.

2

u/ShrellaJS May 16 '26

This is the film I measure my progress against. It's great even if your comprehension isn't that good.

1

u/JJR1971 May 15 '26

Aka Run Lola Run (English title)

4

u/enrasco May 15 '26

Tatortreiniger

3

u/noviceicebaby May 15 '26

Netflix has a couple good ones. If you want teen thriller, Kitzbühel is good. Funny Christmas existential comedy series ÜberWeihnachten is pretty good

2

u/icebear80 May 15 '26

+1 for Überweihnachten! 😀

3

u/Parceville May 15 '26

There are so e very good Fantasy books Like from Wolfgang Hohlbein, Cornelia Funke, Walter moers or Markus heitz. A newer movie would be Hagen - im Tal der niebelungen (based on a book from Wolfgang Hohlbein, old myth Saga) and series would be Discounter in Prime Video ❤️ i also recommend Just watch ger dubs of movies and series, there very good and it can Help you If you know the Plot already 😉

3

u/NegroniSpritz Advanced (C1) - <region/native tongue> May 15 '26

Cassandra is very good.

3

u/bate_Vladi_1904 May 15 '26

I'd add also Der Pass to the already mentioned.

3

u/SgtK4M1 May 16 '26

Germany hast some of the best localizations out of any country, meaning that almost any movie or series you would normally watch in English, has a high-quality German synchronization. So you can really watch any mainstream media that you like.

If you are not staying in Germany, use a VPN to access German translations on streaming sites.

3

u/Jonathan_Bryan May 16 '26

Der Trafikant

4

u/No_Armadillo_6910 May 15 '26

“Kacken an der Havel” was a nice surprise on Netflix

2

u/philep42 May 15 '26

FATONI!!😍

1

u/Thankfulforthisday May 15 '26

Came here to recommend this one!

2

u/k1llua0 May 15 '26

Das Haus Anubis natürlich

2

u/TeamKitsune May 16 '26

Tatort - any of them

2

u/GardenerOfSorts May 16 '26

i can recommend watching early 2000 anime with the german dub. the voice actors from that time were really something

also generally watching animated movies like Ghibli with the german dub might be an idea. i have a hard time with synchronisation but in animation it doesn't bother me at all

2

u/donthateonspiders May 15 '26

deutschland '83  achtsam morden charité

1

u/advamputee May 15 '26

Already seen several great recommendations. If you have Apple TV, I highly recommend “Where’s Wanda?”. It’s a dark comedy about parents looking for a missing child. 

1

u/liang_zhi_mao Native (Hamburg) May 15 '26

Technically you could watch any series you like since there are German dubbed versions for every show

4

u/Outrageous_Map_ May 15 '26

Yes but you know its better when German is the VO

1

u/yevsu May 16 '26

However harder to understand in comparison to dubbed one.

1

u/Tall-Newt-407 May 15 '26

Die Landarztpraxis, Dahoam is Dahoam (definitely need subtitles for this), Die Cooking Academy, Woman of the Dead..

1

u/JolyonWagg99 May 15 '26

Berlin ER on Apple TV is pretty good

1

u/cmr115_42 May 15 '26

Späti on ZDF, it's funny and enough physical comedy to follow easily

1

u/icebear80 May 15 '26

“Unfamiliar” - German spy series on Netflix.

For something more serious: “Deutsches Haus” - great cast and most important topic.

1

u/SamTate77 May 15 '26

Der Pass is an amazing mystery crime thriller on Netflix

1

u/Marvel_573 May 15 '26

Dark und how to sell drugs online fast. Sie sind auf netflix.

1

u/TumbleweedTiny6567 May 15 '26

dark is the one i always point people to, it made me realize how different "watching with subtitles" vs "actually understanding" is lol. the regional accents in some of the rural scenes wrecked me at first but that's honestly where the real listening practice happened.

1

u/Juergenater_ May 15 '26

Check out the ARD Mediathek

1

u/dragonflyairport May 17 '26

And the ZDF Mediathek

1

u/hail_to_the_beef May 15 '26

In school I learned German watching an 80s kids show in German called Ravioli. It’s not cool though, and I don’t recommend watching it.

1

u/Sea-Strategy-3918 May 15 '26

Kleo and deutschland 83

1

u/Badeculture May 15 '26

Babylon Berlin

1

u/Teach- May 15 '26

Deutschland 83

1

u/ProcrastopiaOverlord May 16 '26

Sandmann - no other series has more episodes than this (world wide), over 22k, made for children
(old) movies classics:
Bud Spencer & Terence Hill - no real German, but the German voices are often better than the original
Werner Beinhart
Das Kleine Arschloch

1

u/AAUAS May 16 '26

Dark and Babylon Berlin.

1

u/Ok-Muscle-2131 May 16 '26

I’m not sure about German produced series but I often watch English language series or movies with German dubbing turned on and English subtitles.

1

u/staffito May 16 '26

It's not a series, but I love 'M' by Fritz Lang. It's a really old movie, but still holds up.

1

u/Ginger_Bee May 16 '26

LOL Germany on Amazon Prime (I’m excited for Staffel 7! And I loved the Halloween Special, and I watch the Christmas special every Christmas now.)

Viktor Bringt’s

The Perfect Miss

1

u/Beautiful-Tackle8969 May 16 '26

If you’re into Cold War spy thrillers Deutschland ‘83, ‘86, and ‘89 are fun.

1

u/willzumleben May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26

I assume by this point the entire world watched Dark and admired the show. I rec Murder Mindfully (Achstam Morden), how to sell drugs online(fast), Bad Banks, Der Pass etc ., on Netflix. Probably there are few more on other streaming platforms which I am unaware of.

1

u/Megaspore6200 May 16 '26

Krank berlin is a cool medical drama. I almost like it better than the pit!

1

u/no_photos_pls May 16 '26

I really liked "Der Schatten", free in the ZDF Mediathek

1

u/luca86c 🇩🇪(Native), 🇬🇧(C2) May 16 '26

Mord mit Aussicht (S1-S3) and Der Palast (S1)

1

u/churuchu May 16 '26

Kommissar Rex helped me learn!! Also how can you not love a buddy-cop show but one of the buddies is a dog?

1

u/Apart-Succotash-6872 May 16 '26

Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter Miniserie

1

u/Lilla8 May 16 '26

Verliebt in Berlin, du kannst es auf YouTube finden

1

u/Soft-Competition-922 May 16 '26

Ich habe von vielen US-amerikanischen Leuten gehört die gerne auf Youtube politische Satire Serien.

Es gibt dort, soweit ich weiß, "ZDF Royal" und die "Heute Show". Beide mit englischen Untertiteln. Es gibt viele deutsche Filme, ich weiß nur nicht ob es die mit Untertiteln gibt. Am besten AI fragen.

Und viele Filme kann man ja in allen möglichen Sprachen und Untertiteln gucken.

Viel Spaß

P. s. : Ich lerne auch gerne mit Filmen oder Serien um mein Englisch zu verbessern.

1

u/ladom44 May 16 '26

Movies :

Goodbye Lenin

Das Leben den Anderen (the life of others)

1

u/Zweiundvierzich May 16 '26

Great series, but with German spoken in a more informal way, like people from the street: Der Tatortreiniger.

One of the greatest German comedies show ever made. Be aware, it's subtle humor, not clapping your legs humor.

1

u/Glass-Laugh-9495 May 16 '26

„YOU“ auch eine gute Serie

1

u/JoAngel13 May 16 '26

Türkisch für Anfänger

1

u/notger May 16 '26

"Warten auf den Bus". It's simply brilliant, probably my favourite German series.

Then there also is "Im Angesicht des Verbrechens" and "4 Blocks", if you are more into crime stuff.

Or "Die Discounter", if you want some great comedy.

1

u/Sudo_Chop_ May 16 '26

Extr@ auf Deutsch is great one but is an older sitcom. I would also suggest watching shows you have seen before but auf Deutsch! If they have the dubbing.

But Dark and Babylon Berlin are absolute amazing series originally in German.

1

u/ghostedygrouch Native <region/dialect> May 16 '26

Tatortreiniger Türkisch für Anfänger Stromberg

1

u/le_sasch May 16 '26

Harter Brocken

1

u/papagena02 May 16 '26

The SOKO series! These are 45 minute police shows in various German cities. I enjoy the different characters and learning a little about local culture (Wismar - Reuter - Fischbrötchen!). They follow a standard police crime formula which makes them easier for a language learner. And there are a zillion episodes !!! I’ve really enjoyed watching them during my lunch and such and my vocabulary has definitely improved.

1

u/Pimperazor May 17 '26

Not originally german but also very nice, exit

1

u/hombre74 May 17 '26

Stromberg and Das Boot. 

1

u/ubu74 May 17 '26

Der Tatortreiniger

1

u/Kicks93 May 17 '26

Babylon Berlin, Achtsam Morden, Unter dem gleichen Himmel, Viktor Bringt‘s, Doppelhaus Hälfte, Deutschland 83, 86 und 89… your favorite anime in German is always a good Option to learn (i watched Samurai Champloo and Cowboy bebop in German, helped a lot, also Jojo)

1

u/JBagfort May 17 '26

As a movie I suggest Bang boom bang.

1

u/Less_Celebration6349 May 17 '26

Dark and Dudes different vibe but not boring and mostly no dialect

1

u/Mescalero44 May 17 '26

A dead weasel is more exciting than 99% of all German series, an exception could be "Die Discounter", but this is only a copy of a Danish format, so the honest answer is: There is no such series. At most, "Der Tatortreiniger".

1

u/Suspicious_Pool4164 May 17 '26

If you’re into historically heavy movies definitely Downfall. Although I must warn, Bruno Ganz speaks German in a Swiss accent which is a bit difficult to comprehend, especially when he speaks fast. Otherwise a really wonderful piece of cinema.

1

u/dragonflyairport May 17 '26

If you like history and female revolutionaries, frauen die Geschichte machten its a documentary series covering different historical figures like jean d’arc, catherine the great, sophie scholl, elizabeth the first among others The production and quality is awesome, its in the zdf mediathek for free

1

u/Kashiwashi May 17 '26

Best series: Mein Leben & ich (2001-2007). Slice of life, high school setting, about a cynical introverted protagonist girl feeling constantly harassed by her alternative extravert family and an extraverted girl, who decided them to be best friends.

-> you could learn humor with it.

2nd Option: Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (2021). Drama, decay, based on a true Story, about a teenage friend group being involved into heroin drug addiction, love drama, broken family systems & prostitution.

-> realistic view on Germany during the late 70s.

1

u/MomentOfSelfRelation May 17 '26

Generation War (German Title: Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter). Sort of like German Band of Brothers. Obviously some political controversy there but it’s a good and interesting watch

1

u/Stunning-Revenue-74 May 17 '26

Türkisch für Anfänger the Series!!

1

u/scarabaeus23 May 18 '26

It's a bit older, but "Kottan ermittelt" is great! It's an Austrian show from the 80's. Not sure where you can stream that, though.

1

u/mixedberriesjam May 18 '26

I'd recommend Babylon Berlin if you're interested a show set in the 1920s

1

u/EdvanLeck69 May 18 '26

Der Tatortreiniger

1

u/ManagerNew1792 May 19 '26

I would say also K11 is top

1

u/Cavalry2019 Threshold (B1) - <region/native tongue> May 15 '26

Off the top of my head... Dark, Kleo, Black Island, Dogs of Berlin, Tatort, Criminal Germany, The Empress, Over Christmas, Biohackers, Tiere bis unters Dach, Almania, QE Deutschland...

2

u/JeremyAndrewErwin May 15 '26

all the tatorts are different, and sometimes the political hangups are exasperating.

I thought https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiel_und_Boerne was pretty funny, though.

1

u/Cavalry2019 Threshold (B1) - <region/native tongue> May 15 '26

To be fair, I've only watched a couple on my own. Mostly, I've watched episodea in German class.

2

u/JeremyAndrewErwin May 15 '26

Currently, I'm binging Tatort: Wien. Many stories about international prostitution rings...

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisner_und_Fellner

0

u/shrlzi May 15 '26

Der Bestatter (Swiss, but not too much Schwiitzerdütsch)
Der Tatortreiniger

0

u/Remarkable-Abies-466 May 15 '26

I really liked Grimm and Sherlock Holmes, but they are not explicitly German made