Dogs of Berlin (2018– ) User Reviews (83)

It is possible to see all kinds of chaos. Neo-Nazis, motorcycle gangs, drug and bet mafias, good bad cops...

[ahmetkozan · 8/10 · 7 January 2019]

The second German series after Netflix's Dark series. We are witnessing the wars between the Neo-Nazis, Turkish motor gangs, drug and bet mafias in this crime series in Berlin.

The best player Orkan Erdem in the German national football team, who happens to be of Turkish origin, is murdered in Berlin. Even though he was married, Kurt Grimmer, one of the murder table detectives who was with his lover, coincidentally comes to the scene of accident. As soon as he finds out who the body is, he thinks he's facing a delicate situation and confiscates this circumstance. The next evening, there is Germany-Turkey football match. He thinks that the German national team, deprived of their best player, will lose the match. And he goes to make a bet. Although Kurt succeeds in convincing his superiors to keep his murder secret until the end of the match, his main goal is to prevent the Turkish national team from betting odds falling. After this incident, Neo-Nazis, Germanist Turks, Serbs, Arabs, mafia and gangs will enter each other. And we're gonna watch a big chaos. Kurt Grimmer, an old Neo-Nazi, and Erol Birkan, a gay Turkish origin German police, conduct the murder investigation together. Two dissident police officers are trying to solve the murder of Orkan Erdem. They are also after Tarik Amir and Kovac gangs. We are also witnessing the underground rap world of Berlin through side characters.

Gangs, racism, drugs, bets, rigged game, discrimination, lovelessness, unfaithful spouses, dirty cops are among the topics that are criticized by the series. In the series, we see the racism against the Turks by the Neo-Nazis. I think Neo-Nazis are badly shown. Not the Turks. As it's supposed to be. They also shows the German police in the series as bad police. There is no attempt to badly shown the Turks. Yes, maybe there is racism in Germany as well as in the whole world, but I don't think they do this series to make Turks look bad. And I'm a person against racism. It is a country that has already well defined the issue of citizenship. I just look at this as a series. And in my opinion successful.

The cast of the series is quite good. Turkish-born German actors are taking part in the series. All acting is fine for me. As I watched the series, the Turkish sentences I heard increased my interest.

The series started with a fast pace and continued at the same speed without slowing down. I found immersive and fluent. They show Germany's underground world and the fight between the gangs in an impressive way. Weapons, drugs, bets, gangs, women, fights, everything is in this series. As a drama, Dogs of Berlin delivers in spades. You can watch this series in one breath. 8/10

Dogs for life

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 31 January 2020]

The production values and the acting are quite high. Not just for a german production but in general. Some things may feel a bit added on (like a sexual orientation of a main character) and a bit overcrowded. But overall the show walks the thin line and makes it through.

Actually even when some crazy stuff happens, which may seem out of touch with "reality", it still stays true to the overall vibe of the show. It also explores gray areas and not everything is good or bad. Just because one character does something bad, does not mean they are evil overall.

It's really a shame this seems to not be getting a second or more seasons. But as it is, it is a testament that there can be really good german tv shows.

Excellent but not for the easily offended

[daveypritchard · 9/10 · 8 October 2019]

This is the first German show I've watched on Netflix and I was hooked from the start. All the characters are flawed in some way, most at least partially redeem themselves by the end and some don't. Some of the many intertwining storylines are a bit OTT and a bit superfluous but the show was thoroughly enjoyable and it would be great to see a second series.

The criminal reality in Germany has to be harsh

[MAD_PIGE0N · 3 November 2019]

I thought it is going to be a silly show while watching the first episode, but it turned out to be something way different than expected: a twisted scenario, crazy subplots all mixing into the main one.

The characters are all of a kind which might come a little too much when it comes to sexual propaganda, but might be all normal if taking in consideration the state where the action is going. Ethnic reality in Deutschland is well presented as well. So rather don't miss it, it's crazy, it's hardcore and it's good.

A gritty wild ride

[brenswee · 8/10 · 26 December 2018]

I generally do not like gang-themed stories. I find them boring. What made me watch Dogs of Berlin is my love for the city of Berlin. Because of the content, I expected to last only half an episode before turning it off. But I got sucked right in. I finished the last episode just now and I hope to god there is a second season planned! All the pieces are surely there for another round, but you never know. The two main characters are both complex and relatable. It was a wild ride watching them navigate the dangerous situations they ended up in! More please!

Pretty good crime series that makes light of current events in Germany

[carnivorous-89890 · 10/10 · 8 December 2018]

I really liked it. It's very gritty and the characters are fairly complex. That said, the viewer really needs to know a bit about the politics and issues currently facing German society. Netflix did a good job on including a lot of these issues. A previous review on here mentioned the ban of Nazi symbols. Yes, it's true, but the symbol that the Nazi club uses is actually not an "N" (for "Nazi") but rather an "M" which stands for the borough of Marzahn, where the club is based out of. The series also does a good job in characterizing impoverished east Germans & their attitudes against wealthier west Germans. There's really a lot going on that might appear random for someone not accustomed with current events in Germany. The biker gangs, the criminal clans, the police corruption, etc. were all portrayed very accurately I thought. I hope there's a second season. I don't usually write reviews, but this is a pretty cool show.

Language confusion?

[samdanira-21706 · 7/10 · 22 December 2018]

Quite enjoying this series but why are the Turks speaking Arabic?

Not sure if all that sex & nudity is essential to the story?

Deserves better than a 6.9

[icymi-37906 · 9/10 · 19 December 2018]

I gave it 9 stars, although it probably deserves more like 8, but I felt that I had to do my part to upgrade the rating a little.

Some parts of the story are absolutely ridiculous and farfetched, the computer generated scenes of the football matches were some of the worst I've seen in recent memory, however I was entertained the entire series and I definitely want to see the second season.

The two leads were both terrific and elevated the show beyond trashy camp. It feels a little bit like watching the over the top and absurd Boondock Saints at times crossed with a really good English serial... however the portrayal of the central characters somehow lend credibility to the proceedings even when the plot veers way off the rails.

As an American it's hard to tell where this series stands in comparison to other German television shows, and it's difficult to judge what aspects of Berlin life and culture even remotely resembled reality. I did find it fascinating, however and it made me want to try other German series.

Great show, but hard to like any of the characters

[AviAv · 7/10 · 19 December 2019]

I am watching this show now and so far enjoying it, my only comment is that non-of the characters are very likable, and therefore I am not emotionally invested in any of them and I don't really care what will happen to them. So this makes me less invested in the show in general, because I dont really care what will happen to the characters. If any, one of the main characters is pretty much the opposite of likable, which is totally ok, but I do need to like someone!

Every moment is action and suspense!

[MFaisolC · 10/10 · 21 January 2019]

I find this series excellent in every aspect! Every moment was suspenseful. Not for a single moment I felt isolated or disconnected from this series. It made me immersed myself into its 'own world' which felt like reality. Powerful acting by each cast member, superb cinematography and making. Well done every one associated with this series.

Entertaining but overdrawn

[v-gottberg · 7/10 · 17 December 2018]

Good and entertaining. The acting is good especially for a german Series. Still a little bit overdrawn by the writers and not the level of four blocks.

Well written and, thank the Lord, a different kind of murder mystery

[info-12190 · 10/10 · 15 December 2018]

My wife and I watch a lot of murder mysteries and this one's up there because it is different. It's not reality, at least I hope not, but it is engaging, there are some scenes that are at the top of our list, it's intriguing and worth the time to watch. I will never understand, however, why almost all European murder mysteries we've seen have terrible English lyric songs for theme songs, with notable exceptions like Das Broen.

Griping story

[beerrajdavya · 7/10 · 2 June 2021]

Story was nice Excecution was nice Actors were good but scope of improvisation is there.

Extremely mediocre

[inc-133-70013 · 4/10 · 11 April 2020]

First episode felt rather intriguing. Grim, dark, even clever.

But it all collapses pretty quickly. Characters are cardboard cut-outs and even though that one dimension they've given is well-written and acted, you can't squeeze much out of a rock.

Main character named Kurt is worst of them, the corrupt trickster and liar who's somehow object of every woman's desire and also a great detective. Which would be fine... if show had any more dimensions than one. Kurt reminds me detective McNulty from The Wire, except McNulty was fun to watch. He had a moral compass, he was actually a good detective and he had humor.

Speaking of which... German stereotype or not, but this show has exactly zero humor. Unless you count two broken noses funny. It's grim, gets grimmer and then some more. Not a second of relief, not a single human interaction. So naturally, your mind starts looking from some in other places.

Like, say, the fact that producer has some sort of fetish with human-sized gorillas. There's Turkish mafia ones, Slovak(?) mafia ones, Internal Affairs ones, Football security ones, Neo-nazi ones... Basically majority of men you see in this show are somehow 2 meters tall and 200 kilograms heavy, and apparently escaped from Berlin zoo. Except for two main protagonists who look like swimwear models. And *of course* one of them has to be gay.

This is all very weird, very distracting and makes little sense. Especially since distraction is all there is. Actual procedural police work doesn't really happen, big "gang war" of gangs that supposedly have "huge criminal empires" consists of three gorillas shooting at other three gorillas in tiny shops, and the story of a good-boy rap artist (who, when story needs, turns into Spider-man for no reason whatsoever) turning into crime feels fake and forced as well.

From the show called "Dogs of Berlin", I hoped to see learn anything about Berlin, as breathing, living city and it's underworld. Well, or law enforcement. This show really shows neither. Nothing like the city of Baltimore from The Wire (which I feel this show heavily borrows from), nothing except random, messy drama at all.

So, in the end, two characters in this show about a city, criminal underworld and police work who really are somewhat interesting to watch are two women, a bored alcoholic housewife and lonely alcoholic mistress.

Pity.

Thrilling series for Berlin lovers and haters

[schorsch-84984 · 10/10 · 9 December 2018]

Unlike many other reviewers i think this show is pretty close to reality. Also acting, camera and specifically set design are amazing. The director paid attention to small quirky details and i just love the main character who is energetic, a bit evil, but after all just a real human. I can only assume, why so many Berliners hated this series (see the shows FB page): Their main point of criticism is, that it shows too many clichés. Yes it does. But those clichés are just also true at the same time. Many people (still?) don't want to see that. Yes, those clans exist the way the are shown, yes, there is betting manipulation in the DFB, yes, there are blackmailing cases, yes, there are Nazis in Marzahn who look like those guys, yes, the Hells Angels are tied to all of that, and yes, there are a lot of corrupt police officers. That my only point of criticism: The corruption problem is actually worse.

Great German Noir that Demands a Second Season!

[charleslanobucklin · 9/10 · 9 August 2020]

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this Byzantine Crime Mystery. After watching Dark I thought I'd check this one out. Each episode sustains tension beautifully. The acting, cinematography and score are first rate. As far as Noir goes this one would be up there on my list. My only criticism is that there is a slightly misogynistic view of women portrayed in the show. The unlikely pairing of Grimmer and Erol as the duo who try to fight Berlin Crime offer viewers a real treat. You really care for them as characters - so when they succeed you practically want to cheer. This immersive German Noir demands a second season.

grim , bleak, downbeat, violent

[manschelde-1 · 7/10 · 15 January 2019]

Bleak, grim, gritty underworld organized-crime/drama set in the Turkish community of Berlin.

The setup seems contrived, with compromised police officers introduced from the outset, and political correctness drives part of the plot for forcing two main characters to work together.

There are hardly any sympathetic characters at least initially, all are damaged or flawed, and the whole thing gives an image of a decaying amoral broken society that will shock many.

It's hard to care about the characters. It's less enjoyable than the "4 Blocks" series , even though there are some obvious overlaps in ghetto settings, cokeheads, crime families and rap culture.

It's relentlessly dark and gloomy. The colour palette seems muted, the dialogue sometimes cartoonish. It might not encourage tourism to Berlin. Though it might increase votes for AfD.

Never a dull moment

[heibeinh · 9/10 · 18 October 2020]

This series deserves better than a 7.5. It down & dirty in the Gang/Underworld of Berlin. Probably not for every one, but the acting is superb. It has been my experience that many foreign shows don't get the credit they deserve.

Huge mix of social discord across a multitude of social structure.

[safsurfer · 7/10 · 26 October 2019]

First off, this could have been so much better had it been grittier with more realistic violence, more and better sex, social 'clash' and ethnic conflict, not to mention more believable scenarios, characters, and timeline. All the characters in this film from neo nazis, drug dealers, game fixers, protection extorters, illegal gambling promoters, corrupt cops, homophobics, ethnic infiltrators, debt collectors, rappers, blackmailers, etc, etc....across different politics and ethnicities were just not quite believable because they all seemed to lack that 'edge'. Half due to acting and half to the script. Some seemed over acted and dramatized and maybe over fictionalized even....and some were just flat out not credible at all, but others were good enough to keep things interesting and wanting to know more and go on to the next episode. But with a title like 'Dogs of Berlin' I expected some extreme chatacters with a lot of violence, sex, and self destruction. If you're a bad guy then you got to portray a bad guy even when being good, its all about demeanor ...it has to be believable or its just not credible. That said, the dizzying array of plot points and twists and turns definitely made the series interesting enough to keep watching till the very end. The main actors did well but some of the periferie were totally lame. It just wasn't dark enough for me. I was expecting someting across the lines of 'Braquo', French, and 'The Shield', American, with a little 'Umbre', Romanian, thrown in, all rated as 10's in my book, off the richter. Sorry but this only garnered a 7, fair.

Gritty, raw and stylish

[MadamWarden · 10/10 · 31 May 2019]

Beautifully filmed gritty drama of the underbelly of Berlin. An intelligent interwoven set of stories and imperfect characters forming a dark and tense tapestry that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat up until the very end.

The characters are fantastic, acting excellent, direction slick and movie grade action and cinematography.

Highly recommend this one!

Not as good as 4 blocks

[munichchallenger · 6/10 · 26 December 2018]

Netflix version of 4 blocks is more comedy style. Its liw budget style although it has some cool actors.

Compelling and exciting action drama

[manugw · 8/10 · 15 January 2019]

There are at least 200K Turkish residents in Berlin, a huge community. This series focus on the Turkish - German relations in Berlin by way of ethnic tension, racism, gang rivalcy and control of racket business in the streets all crafted to produce a compelling and vibrant plot. There is also a good production and imagery to give life to violent scenes. Good quality

To many characters and storylines

[kellenbergercedric · 6/10 · 16 June 2022]

Good story, but they should have focussed on one storyline and not many sidelined storylines. I lost focus and the overview. Same with the many characters. To many characters with their own story arc. The whole season one could have been stretched out to three seasons.

Badly written, no sense of character and appaling view of women

[moritzmeyerautor · 3/10 · 11 December 2018]

There is a new German series on Netflix, and after "Dark" was a very passable, internationally acclaimed mystery series, I thought, let's give "Dogs of Berlin" a shot. But when the name "Christian Alvart" appeared in the opening credits all alarm bells went off for me. The German Michael Bay is mainly known for the pretty awful Til Schweiger "Tatort" movies. It is one of the most popular german TV shows, which Alvart unsuccessfully tried to reinvent by turning mostly lame and old-fashioned whodunit crime stories into bad rip-offs of 90s action films. Well, Til Schweiger is absent from Dogs of Berlin. And that's actually the best thing you can say about this gruesome concoction.

Before we talk about the most despicable parts of Dogs of Berlin, let's start with what's just plain awful. Point 1: The dialogues are written by someone who does not care about language and words. Any sentences the actors are forced to utter have been copied and pasted from some Guy Ritchie movies. And not from the good ones. "At some point he will make a mistake. And then we are there." - "I have the money. I just need more time." - "I give you a chance. And you do not get many of them here." It's the entire vocabulary of bad gangster movies.

Point 2: Just as crappy as the dialogues are the characters written. The policeman with the neo-Nazi past, the homosexual Turkish investigator, the tough lesbian police chief, such personas come about when one puts together his main characters with a choice-o-mat. Alvart surely thinks of these people as multi-layered characters. But Alvart also thinks, Til Schweiger is a charismatic action actor. But he lacks any empathy for his characters. They are used uninspiringly to advance the stupid plot of the murder of a Turkish-born football player, which eventually leads to a sort of civil war in Berlin. This is supposed to be loosely inspired by real-life events, but let me tell you, as someone, who is from Germany: It does not even come close to the complexe issues, German society is facing at the moment.

Point 3: Speaking of empathy: Lebanese clans play an important role in Dogs of Berlin. And of course, Alvart has also stolen this plot element, namely from the pretty gripping drama series "4 Blocks". Earlier this year, I happened to sit next to one of the authors of 4 Blocks on a panel. Hanno Hackfort reported, that the writers had researched the complex and ambivalent portrait of a Lebanese clan family for almost three years. Alvart's research was this: Watch 4 Blocks and then just throw anything beyond his mental capacities out the window. Then simply copy and squeeze the rest into Dogs of Berlin. Nothing in this series feels original or new.

Besides all those things, that are just stupid, there is one thing, that makes Dogs of Berlin really unspeakable. The depiction of female characters in this series is disgusting. There are two things women characters in Dogs of Berlin are allowed to do: the first is to show their breasts. The second is to be the victim of terrible acts of violence. And sometimes both. For Alvart women are objects in a testosterone-filled world. They can only be strong if they submit to the male rituals of dominance and violence. Like the tough police officer who is even tougher than her male colleagues. There is no solidarity among women, on the contrary: If women interact with women here, then only to harm each other physically or mentally. It is a concept of feminity, that is otherwise found only in hardcore porn: big breasts everywhere, the dominant, potent man, who owns his female partners, of whom he has many, of course, and fights between women, that end up with one urinating on the other. It is these scenes in which Alvart reveals the foul, appalling inside of "Dogs of Berlin". Unfortunately, there is no manure bag large enough to dispose of the droppings of these pooches properly.

we want season 2

[cuneight-05996 · 9/10 · 15 December 2018]

I Hope Netflix will continue. it is very good tv serial