Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Tatort

  • TV Series
  • 1970–
  • TV-14
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
3.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,861
305
Tatort (1970)
Watch DVD Trailer [OV]
Play trailer1:39
2 Videos
99+ Photos
Police ProceduralTrue CrimeCrimeDramaMysteryThriller

An anthology series that follows the work of homicide detectives in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.An anthology series that follows the work of homicide detectives in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.An anthology series that follows the work of homicide detectives in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

  • Stars
    • Klaus J. Behrendt
    • Miroslav Nemec
    • Udo Wachtveitl
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    3.2K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,861
    305
    • Stars
      • Klaus J. Behrendt
      • Miroslav Nemec
      • Udo Wachtveitl
    • 11User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 127 wins & 180 nominations total

    Episodes1308

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated

    Videos2

    DVD Trailer [OV]
    Trailer 1:39
    DVD Trailer [OV]
    Episode Trailer [OV]
    Trailer 1:24
    Episode Trailer [OV]
    Episode Trailer [OV]
    Trailer 1:24
    Episode Trailer [OV]

    Photos2444

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 2.4K
    View Poster

    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Klaus J. Behrendt
    Klaus J. Behrendt
    • Max Ballauf…
    • 1990–2025
    Miroslav Nemec
    • Ivo Batic…
    • 1988–2025
    Udo Wachtveitl
    • Franz Leitmayr…
    • 1991–2025
    Dietmar Bär
    Dietmar Bär
    • Freddy Schenk…
    • 1984–2025
    Joe Bausch
    • Dr. Joseph Roth…
    • 1998–2025
    Ulrike Folkerts
    Ulrike Folkerts
    • Lena Odenthal…
    • 1989–2025
    Peter Espeloer
    • Peter Becker…
    • 1981–2024
    Annalena Schmidt
    • Edith Keller…
    • 1998–2024
    Harald Krassnitzer
    • Moritz Eisner…
    • 1999–2025
    Andreas Hoppe
    Andreas Hoppe
    • Mario Kopper…
    • 1996–2017
    Axel Prahl
    • Frank Thiel…
    • 2002–2025
    Jan Josef Liefers
    Jan Josef Liefers
    • Prof. Karl-Friedrich Boerne…
    • 2002–2025
    Axel Milberg
    Axel Milberg
    • Klaus Borowski…
    • 1994–2025
    Christine Urspruch
    Christine Urspruch
    • Silke Haller…
    • 2002–2025
    Tessa Mittelstaedt
    • Franziska Lüttgenjohann…
    • 1999–2020
    Bernd Michael Lade
    • Hauptkommissar Kain…
    • 1992–2008
    Mechthild Großmann
    • Wilhelmine Klemm…
    • 2002–2025
    Claus Dieter Clausnitzer
    • Herbert Thiel…
    • 1997–2025
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews11

    7.03.2K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    7aphillips-43057

    Many Holes/Loose Ends In the Plots

    My wife and I just completed watching all 34 episodes of "Tatort: Borowski", which is about a detective from Kiel, Germany. Pros: The lead detective (Inspector Borowski) is an excellent detective. The plots keep you guessing: you're never sure who did it. Cons: There are obvious holes in many of the plots. In some cases, the episode ends with no resolution of important issues raised in the plot. My wife and I are giving the series a 7.0: it's ok, but we are not recommending it (anything below 7.0, we normally don't watch).
    6laduqesa

    Lindholm

    How do you review a series of over 1100 episodes? I have to start by admitting I've only seen thirteen "Lindholm" programmes and two "Cologne" ones.

    The first thing that struck me was the cheesy seventies theme music and the dreadful title sequences. I'd honestly thought that I'd downloaded something from fifty years ago. However, it turned out that the Lindholm episodes were set in a recent past where primitive mobile phones were used in the earlier episodes and smartphones towards the later ones. I learnt that the theme and titles had remained the same for fifty years and the programme makers keep them as a tradition.

    Despite the Lindholm episodes having the same star, Maria Furtwangler, it's clear that the different programmes were written and directed by a myriad of varied people. The styles were completely different as was the dialogue and plot development. One thing that was consistent and was, I assume, a basic template was that Frau Hauptkommissarin Lindholm was always close to the edge both in her personal life and her investigations. She broke rules with impunity and, in reality, wouldn't have lasted five minutes in any LKA or even local police station.

    A few of the cases were solved by coincidences even when she knew who the perp was but she sometimes wasn't allowed to arrest as she didn't have the evidence. However, a chance meeting or finding led her to get her man. It was also slightly annoying that car accidents played such a large part in some of the plots.

    Her personal life was a shambles and men came and went with no seeming reason. Mum was on hand to look after her child who simply didn't figure in the final episode.

    I can't say much about the couple of Cologne ones I've seen as it was a long time ago, but they seemed to be darker.

    All told, the stories were not boring and held the attention for the ninety minutes of each episode. They aren't the most scintillating television I've seen, but worth a look on a rainy afternoon.
    8michael_weho

    As good if not better than most US crime shows

    Working my way through the Cologne series after watching the Kiel series on MHz. I especially like these series due to the pacing and stories. Moreover, I get a tour of different parts of Germany. If subtitles are not a drawback then I recommend Tatort. I kind of hope that MHz will show the really early ones from the 70s and 80s
    9pensman

    Interesting crime show

    Currently there are three seasons running on MHz identified as Tatort: Cologne (crime scene, Cologne) going from 1998 to 2007 that feature Inspectors Max Ballauf and Freddy Schenk (actors Klaus Behrendt and Dietmar Bar). The two actors work well together and it's interesting to see them adapt to new technology and changes in police procedure. Those changes aren't part of the stories but just note how quickly things change.

    At times Max and Freddie's personal issues can surface in an episode to add to building of their characters, and at times as crucial story points. Max has even been known to sleep with a suspect. Several episodes deal with social problems and the stories can be very gritty and the conclusions quite depressing.

    At times both my wife and I yell at the screen when obviously bad conclusions are reached by the inspectors but you do have to fill about 90 minutes per episode. At times the episodes seem more about commenting on social issues rather than being solid mystery stories. In spite of some of these commentaries, the two forge ahead but they seem to get to finding the perp more by dumb luck than solid detective work. But they do doggedly pursue their quarry and usually catch the suspect.

    Like any series, there are good episodes and disappointing ones but Max and Freddy are worth a look.
    NicolaiLevin

    Federal Germany's Leading Detective Series

    "Tatort" (= Crime Scene) is one of the most popular detective series on German TV. Feature length (90 min) episodes air on roughly 30 Sundays of the year - following the evening news at 8:15 p.m.

    The public network ARD that shows "Tatort" is organized federally, i.e. it consists of a dozen regional TV stations. Each regional station have their own police team depicted in their region. So, there is a Berlin team, a Hamburg team, and so on - each have their own episodes under the common label. Larger regional stations like WDR (Cologne) add 3 or 4 episodes each year, smaller ones like tiny Radio Bremen just 1.

    The style and setting vary with the teams - that is part of the fun of the series. Episodes from Frankfurt have been rather vanguard in terms of cinematography and storytelling, while the Münster team is famed for their witty dialogues and comic effects.

    The regional differences also lead to a competition for audiences and public attention. Viewers tend to choose what team episodes to watch - with consequences for audience ratings and public discussions about the poor scripts or the cheap productions that the Tatorte from some stations have been suffering recently.

    The feature length and the producers' ambitions to show not only entertaining crime stories but also to present social issues like child abuse, integration of immigrants, or school violence lead to high public awareness for "Tatort". Episodes are regularly reviewed in quality newspapers like Frankfurter Allgemeine or Süddeutsche Zeitung.

    More like this

    Murder by the Lake
    7.0
    Murder by the Lake
    The Old Fox
    6.4
    The Old Fox
    Leipzig Homicide
    5.6
    Leipzig Homicide
    Derrick
    6.7
    Derrick
    Inga Lindström
    4.4
    Inga Lindström
    Tatort
    6.6
    Tatort
    SOKO Kitzbühel
    4.6
    SOKO Kitzbühel
    Nord Nord Mord
    6.9
    Nord Nord Mord
    A Case for Two
    6.3
    A Case for Two
    Police Call 110
    6.4
    Police Call 110
    Auf Achse
    7.0
    Auf Achse
    Der Tatortreiniger
    8.5
    Der Tatortreiniger

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The longest-running German TV drama series, which is produced and aired continuously since 1970.
    • Connections
      Featured in Zomergasten: Episode #10.3 (1997)
    • Soundtracks
      Tatort Theme Song
      Written by Klaus Doldinger

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ9

    • How many seasons does Tatort have?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 4, 1997 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • West Germany
      • Austria
      • Switzerland
      • United States
      • Poland
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Sweden
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official Instagram
    • Language
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Crime Scene
    • Production companies
      • Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (ARD)
      • Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF)
      • Schweizerische Radio- und Fernsehgesellschaft (SRG)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
      • Dolby Digital
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1
      • 16 : 9

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Tatort (1970)
    Top Gap
    What is the Brazilian Portuguese language plot outline for Tatort (1970)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit pageAdd episode

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.