Babylon Berlin

Babylon Berlin is based on the novel "Der nasse Fisch" by Volker Kutscher, but the production changed the story and the characters quite a bit, so much so that I wonder if further seasons can still be based on Kutscher's books. Since I had read the books not too long before watching the series, I got confused because of those differences, mixing up the images in my head and on screen, so make sure to leave some time between reading and watching. I can really recommend the books, they are well reasearched, they are historically accurate and give many nice details about the Berlin of that period. I'm not expert enough to say if the changes and additions made in the series are still as accurate, but the production team consulted a historian while producing it.

Babylon Berlin is the most expensive German production so far and you can see it. Where cheaper productions have to go with 3-4 takes to get it done, here each scene was shot until the director was finally satisfied (I was an extra in this series, so I know). Productions of such magnitude were not new to the team, many "Hollywood" movies and US series were shot entirely or in part in Berlin and Studio Babelsberg, so they had an experienced crew, headed by Tom Tykwer.

So is it any good? I'm not quite neutral, since I was there on set, and I dislike it when a good book gets altered too much in filming, but the images alone are worth it, you can see the extra money spent, so give it a try!

Edit: Review of season 3 (which is based on book #2 by Kutscher). Again I was there as an extra and got a look behind the scenes. I couldn't find any numbers, but I had the impression that this season was done on a smaller budget than the first two, e.g. we didn't take quite as many shots on the same scene and seemed to be more in a hurry. Still, the sets, the costumes and some other things that cost money were already there and build upon. After watching the series on TV, I didn't really notice much of a difference when it comes to production value. In this season, Gereon and Charlotte are undergoing some changes, thus becoming more like the characters from the books, to me these changes make them more amiable. Also, the plot follows the one from the book more closely than the first 2 seasons did, but there is still an entirely new sub plot. Basically, if you liked the first 2 seasons, you will also like the third. It's a bit less glamorous, instead we get more detective story parts and you won't get as many history lessons, but you will get to see how movies were made 90 years ago. One of the great things is that the scenes that play at the Babelsberg Film Studios were actually shot there, they have survived a war, the GDR and the changes that came with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

(Review updated after Season 4).

Berlin, 1929. A detective from Cologne, Gereon Rath, is seconded to the vice squad in order to crack a series of blackmail cases. Meanwhile a train from Moscow to Berlin is hijacked by communist revolutionaries. The train is carrying more than it appears.

Superb drama series. At the most basic level this is a crime/detective drama and a very good one. Always intriguing with multiple strands of plots operating, seemingly in parallel. The separate plots do coalesce eventually, forming a picture that is more than the sum of the parts.

Great, gritty depiction of life. Hardly any character is non-expendable and sub-plots don't always have happy endings.

Some great character development and character-based sub-plots too. The story arc of Charlotte Ritter is particularly interesting and engaging. On this note, great work by Volker Bruch as Rath and Liv Lisa Fries as Ritter but the casting and performances of all involved are spot-on.

What lifts this series to another level, however, is the historic background and the feeling that you're seeing history being played out before your eyes. You see the changes and upheavals occurring in Germany, especially the rise of the National Socialists (Nazis), and how this affects the country and life in general.

The historic side is not merely a backdrop but part of the plot. The rise of the Nazis has a significant impact on the plot, especially in Season 3 and probably more so in forthcoming seasons. Rather than a crime drama, the series could easily be a study on Germany's path to World War 2.

This historic aspect increases in significance as the series goes on, culminating in Season 3 which is a great mix of classic whodunnit, political machinations and historic events.

There is a downside to the historic side though. Any time the police are up against National Socialists you know they are going to be stymied by the politics and the influence the Nazis hold in high places. Does make the series quite frustrating at times (well, I did say it was gritty) and it will be interesting to see how the writers pivot away from this obvious perennial dead end, especially as the National Socialists gain more power.

This political aspect comes to a head in Season 4 as the police and SA, the paramilitary wing of the National Socialist Party, clash.

Season 4 also marks a downturn in the quality of the show as the plot becomes less watertight, being inconsistent, haphazard and contrived at times. It's also quite unfocussed as we have several sub-plots in play, many of which are unconnected with anything else going on. The interest and engagement levels suffer as a result.

S4 is still reasonably interesting though, just not as good as previous seasons.

Season ratings: S1 8/10, S2 9, S3 10, S4 7.5.

What a tremendous series this is. So well made with superb performances from all the cast. It all seems period correct. I keep scanning the backgrounds in the scenes to see if i can spot errors like modern street lights etc but to no avail.

This period in German history is not very well known to a lot of people, the politics, the strife, the decadent nightlife, they all come to the fore in this excellent series.

I'm currently in the middle of the fourth series and it still keeps on delivering quality entertainment of the highest level.

As others have said you must watch it in German with English subtitles, that way the quality acting shines through, i imagine dubbed would sound horrendous.

I'm now hoping for a fifth series.

There really aren't enough adjectives to describe Babylon Berlin, an incredible German television series. And I have to echo what the other reviewers say, watch it in German with English subtitles.

This is 1920s Berlin, and the show immediately pulls you into that world, that atmosphere of the Weimar era.

This was a time of great upheaval in Germany - there is poverty, no work, and yet Berlin is a city of great art and hedonistic pleasure. The story focuses on a police inspector, Gereon Rath, who comes to Berlin to break a pornography ring. Along the way he meets a part-time prostitute, Charlotte Ritter, who also works as a stenographer, and he teams up with another officer, Bruno Wolter, as his partner.

This is Berlin during a time of political unrest, the rise of National Socialism (Nazis) and other far-right groups.

Some of the scenes in this series are so stunning they demand repeated viewings - most notably the nightclub scene in season 1, one of the most thrilling things I've ever seen. That's the only one I'll mention so I won't give anything away. But you can't beat Babylon Berlin for edge of your seat excitement and tension.

Impeccably filmed, impeccably directed, impeccably written, impeccably acted, featuring some amazing characters, Babylon Berlin is a must see.

The program is everything everyone is saying... but watch it in the original German only. The English soundtrack is absolutely horrendous. It is truely so bad that it completely alters the rating for this brilliant piece of television. It sounds like a bunch of drama students took a bunch of downers and sat around a table to read the script. There is no emotion, commitment or ownership of the characters. And what characters there are! Babylon Berlin is an intriguing world beautifully filmed, scripted and acted. If, like me you started watching in English and thought it was pox... do yourself a favour, watch in German and experience Babylon Berlin as it was envisioned.