Babylon Berlin (2017– ) User Reviews

Superb series

[grantss · 9/10 · 12 October 2021]

(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.

BBC has met its match for a time period serious drama

[Ixlreight · 9/10 · 28 November 2017]

This is an exceptional TV series. It has all the elements to make it an award winning piece. Great complicated characters that work well with each other, mystery, intrigue, excitement, shell shock, suggestive, authentic and genuine. Who new that Germany had the ability to produce a show like this that would compete with BBC period series. It is well written and the cinematography and sets really take you back to what it could have been in Berlin 1920s. The poverty, life, rich, poor, politics, morality, ethics and corruption are all part of the story. I have the benefit of being able to watch this with English subtitles or I would have missed the opportunity to really enjoy this show. Unfortunately, whom ever translated it, their English is not the first language and at times the sentences are backwards in English which is normally when someone is translating verbatim but I get the gist of it. If you like time pieces and or like shows such as Endeavor, George Gently, Trapped, Modus and similar then you are likely to enjoy this program.

Review with some background information

[beormas · 9/10 · 14 January 2018]

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.

positively brilliant

[blanche-2 · 10/10 · 7 March 2020]

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.

Please DO NOT watch with the English dubbing.

[sahill-86840 · 10/10 · 28 May 2018]

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.

A crossover between Great Gatsby, Miss Marple, The Untouchables, Casino witha European twist.

[resireg · 10/10 · 4 February 2018]

This series are one of the best I've ever seen. First of all because they are educational. They tell us about how life was under the Weimar Republic (the democratic regime in Germany between 1919 and 1933). I am tired of all those cliches about Germany as fascistland, ignoring the rich history this country had before authoritarianism.

In Germany 1929, the country is falling apart because of the great depression combined with the crippling punishment of Versailles treaty, plus almost all adult males are crippled because of WWI or heavily shell shocked, with seizures and convilsions that prevented them of working or actually leading normal lives. Starvation, homelessness, drug use and prostitition (male, female and transvestite ) are essentially the only way many families resort in order to feed their children and older relatives. Heroin addiction is a menace, and that despair is driving people to embrace any charlatan, demagogue or ideology that promises bringing them a better future (which at the time, was not fascim yet, but Bolshevism, with Trotskyists and Stalinist competing and fighting each other).

Despite all that hopelessness and misery that Germans were enduring, there is an incredible cultural scene happening in Berlin, where the nightlife is intense, American Jazz musicians and dancers achieve success, the arts (Cinema, design, architecture, music) is evolving, there is a lot of beauty and reckless sex happening. Decadence is the word to describe the atmosphere, where a caste society lives another planet, with country clubs, mansions and servants, while the plight of the majority is simply ignored. It almost feel like the Blade Runner society.

It is not mentioned in the series, but at the time, Albert Einstein was a professor in Berlin, and Fritz Lang was the king of Cinema, Walter Gropius founded Bauhaus by that time, Vladimir Nabokov was living there, in short, the great Europeans minds flocked to Berlin in the late 1920s. So what you appreciate in the series is this dicotomy. How a society with so much brilliance, talent and efficiency could have rebuild itself slowly and become a prosperous nation, but later the population made wrong choices and followed the call that ended up in a disaster that they will never recover. I was in Berlin 2 tears ago, and saw how damaged the city is and felt so sorry for them and their curse.

The series gives us some contex that help us understand how many people, mostly good intentioned, ended up supporting a system in 1933 that was almost non existent in the 20s (fascism). Their regime at the time was democratic, with a free press, a legal system, parliament, etc.

Babylon Berlin is not only politics. It is also thriller, romance, drama and action. The main actors Gereon and Lotte are very charismatic and you cheer for them all the time, because they come from disfunctional families, but they try to do the right thing all the time. It is almos impossible not to fall in love with Lotte.

The rest of the cast is also very good looking, but still keeping the beauty standars accurate with the early 20th century. Their nude bodies are beautiful, but never arousing. The nakedness is constant, but never out of place. And people smoke all the time, whic is also accurate. There is almost no scene without a cigarette.

I hope most people enjoy just like I did

Babylon Berlin ~ German Excellence In Film Making Is Back

[blackcat-76687 · 10/10 · 3 February 2018]

I was quite aware of the history of German film making which excelled up until the 40's. Babylon Berlin has shown me that the German film industry is not in limbo anymore, but is now making a major comeback with such wonderful mini-series as this one.

The cinematography, acting, set designs are just superb.

I can not get enough of this great series.

To the directors, actors and film crews I want to thank you all for this masterpiece and keep up the good work.

Great start

[rmoreauautor · 10/10 · 18 October 2017]

As a German I feel a little desperate for good German TV series productions. The last I watched was Deutschland 83. Before that I really don't know, there is quite a big gap.

Babylon Berlin chose an interesting time period. The golden 20s. Not so golden for everyone, as we see through Charlotte Ritter and her family. The series starts in the year 1926. The future will show how far they get into Naziland. The takeover is still a couple of years in the future, but the general turmoil is already coming.

The production quality seems to be outstanding. Loved the last ten minutes of the second episode with a nice scene. There will be quite a bit of nudity. Which I don't mind, I like it actually.

Gripping stuff!!

[kris-gray · 10/10 · 26 February 2020]

Despite the fact that my wife and I, she is German and I am English, live in Germany we never watch German TV. My wife says there is no comparison to what the UK produce which she considers superior to both German and US productions.

Having said that we are both riveted to Babylon Berlin, Berlin is a city we have been to on many occasions, spent her 65th birthday in the Adlon no less! We have just finished watching series one which has on Sky Atlantic, why is it just being shown when it's over 3 years old and currently on series four? Never mind.

I think this is the best German series I've ever seen, including 'Das Boot', okay I haven't watched many but my wife says this is better than anything she has ever seen on German TV. You can see the budget it high, the 20s' setting looks authentic with clothes and settings from that period, you can almost believe Berlin wasn't flattened in 1945. The music is wonderful, some of it, particularly the Bryan Ferry material is not of the period although they have tried to make it so, We both looked at each other when a barely recognisable 'Dance Away' came on and said 'Roxy Music'.

If you like 20s' period drama with a touch of gangsters and you haven't seen it do so, you won't be disappointed. I've heard there is dubbed version, probably for the US market who don't like to do subtitles. Avoid it if you can, I hate dubbed films.

Update - I have now seen all three series, I don't understand the negative reviews and I object to being accused of planting a false review. I also refute accusations that it is leftist propaganda. This is a fab series and I can't wait to see series four.

Quite a ride! Haven't been this engrossed in a series since Mad Men!!

[galvin_amy · 9 February 2018]

I watched this after listening to an NPR review. I love history, but crime and violence Is not my usual genre. This is such an amazingly shot series with twist and turns through out the plot that I have become fully addicted up to epi 8( even with the subtitles). A dark story during dark & violent times in 1929 Berlin, it is full of sad situations, the afternath of war on it's vets and population, corruption, decadence and interesting characters. Perhaps a lesson for current times, but when have we ever learned from the past? This series deserves all the accolades & awards it's been given.Give it a go, you won't be sorry.

Starts great, but wears off

[rosen02 · 7/10 · 30 March 2022]

Really enjoyed the first season, but gets a bit mediocre after that. Season 2 continues rather nicely after the events of season 1, but the story just sort of loses its steam while things start to feel both over the top and unrealistic. Season 3 though is where it totally lost me. For some reason they introduce a new, incredibly dull plot with virtually no ties to the previous two seasons, all the while trying to fit in a continuation of the previous plot. It all turns into a convoluting mess that just isn't entertaining to watch.

Subtitles Only!!!

[jwoodsvf14 · 10/10 · 2 April 2018]

Don't watch it dubbed... after seeing first 4 episodes on my phone subtitled I started to watch on another device dubbed. Bad move! Dubbing is horrible!!!

1st Series was brilliant ....but then

[gerardmartin77 · 7/10 · 24 April 2020]

Got to say that the 1st series was quite brilliant . Really well written , acted , directed ...just so good . But this 3rd series is so dull . Something has gone wrong . Such a shame .

Starts well, then plummets

[Wilko52 · 5/10 · 3 April 2020]

Season one is terrific, capturing the glamour of the Weimar Republic and the squalor underneath that lead to the rise of the Nazis. It makes you forget that you're basically watching a standard cop procedural drama with a ludicrous McGuffin.

Season two became more political, which was to be expected given when it is set, but it is still a great watch.

Season three, however, is just awful. It's the 4th Indiana Jones film of television shows; satanic rituals, mediums and psychics make it ridiculous. Worse is the reveal of the villain and the way the whys and wherefores are revealed. I was both cringing with embarrassment and laughing at it. I've never seen a more bizarre way of using exposition before. All seasons suffer from some very dodgy green-screening too, which given the budget is remarkable.

Overall, seasons one and two would be a solid eight, but three drags it right down and I feel I'm being generous giving a 5 rating.

One of the best!

[exmachina-05167 · 10/10 · 24 November 2017]

If, you are tired of the condescending, juvenile American TV series banality? watch "Babylon Berlin" It is a German TV series set in the 1920's in Berlin. Shades of "I am a camera" The plot, actors, locations, script, dance routines (yes dance.. it does actually fit into the story) are all fantastically well done. The lead actress, Liv Lisa Fries, is perfect as a cross between Audrey Tautou in "Amelie" and Caroline Proust in "Engranage" Quirky, tough, determined, good hearted (buried a little) and capable of doing what is necessary; however distasteful. She also has a passing resemblance to Proust which is definite a good thing! Her character depicts the resignation of women, in a man's world, to what levels they have to sink to... to get by and keep themselves sane. Of course, it is in German; but you can find it with English subs. Make efforts to find it and you will not be disappointed.

"Cabaret" to the third power! Mesmerizing!

[thursdaysrecords · 10/10 · 22 February 2018]

In 1929 Berlin, the struggling masses just can't get a break. Not only are the brutal sufferings of WWI still visible in the scars and memories of those fighting in it, but Germany had recently experienced the hyper inflation of 1923, driving millions into dire poverty. Young people wanted to escape reality by living it up in the "anything goes" night clubs, or wheeling and dealing for some extra activities in the discreet "upstairs" rooms.

The political winds were getting forceful, with Communists and Nazis fighting for power. Corrupt police and politicians played both sides against one another. The hero, mysterious vice cop (with an apparent morphine addiction) on a secret mission, joins forces with a street smart yet compassionate "Gal Friday"; both refuse to give up hope for a better future for the people of this socially plagued city.

The closing theme song is established at the end of episode 2. It's a haunting song by another mysterious character, sung in German with a thick Russian accent. Throughout the series the song is woven into the closing titles, even as other period Jazz music is included in the score. This series is a masterpiece of drama! Some may be put off by many violent scenes, but because these do contribute to the plot, they are not gratuitous. The overall production values are mesmerizing. As a native to Berlin, I am very much impressed by the realism. "Cabaret" gave similar descriptions of the rough life ca. 1930. "Babylon Berlin" offers a sustained, chilling experience no other period piece could match. This is historical fiction of the highest quality!

What a first Season!!

[ulrikehb · 10/10 · 16 October 2017]

Hard to believe, but one of the best series of the year comes from Germany! The many years of effort by the makers to make this series possible has more than paid off. "Babylon Berlin" appeals to all the senses, tears its audience into an emotional whirlpool and captivates in every scene. Great scripts, fantastic sets and pictures and a great ensemble. Thank you for this great trip - and more of it, please!The Setting the performer the Music the Lights the Camera everything is amazing! Absolutely must LOOK!!! The best German TV Series ever! Cant wait for Season2.

OK *8'3* So who the hell is giving this less than 9

[john-138-904908 · 10/10 · 10 November 2017]

Its a dizzying assault on the senses, each scene is a painting, its decadent, sexy, violent, bloody, edgy and yes, beautiful, I'm only 2 eps in and I think so far it's a masterpiece. It has a graphic novel feel to it, it's noir but to spite that it feels authentic. This is simply must see TV.

Second season is even better

[re_barth · 10/10 · 20 February 2018]

Fantastic show. If you like to immerge into other worlds, if you enjoy the maelstrom which can be created by great fiction and art, Babylon Berlin is just right for you. You don't even have to be interested in history or politics or cinematic artistry. It still works perfectly just as a story full of suspense and entertainment. It took a while to really get under my skin because it does not use the usual tear jerking bits and no clear cut heros who always do what you wish them to do in order to like them. It creeps into you in small but steady doses. The pace does increase in the second season (E 9-16) with a perfect finale. They do a great job of letting you feel the hope, courage, glamour, stupor, dust and doom of Berlin 1928. They do not force any morale or ostensible messages on you, yet it never feels spineless. Historical insight and information are weaved into a fictional world that captures your senses and intellect alike. They do it in such a natural way that it never feels educational. Like they did in Mad Men or Downton Abbey, but with some more use of experimental ways to visualise or narrate the story. The acting, the visual art (both set and cinematography), the music, are all impressive in the literal sense. The singing: Wow. A haunting performance by Severija Januauskaite, and not to forget Brian Ferry.

I can only recommend to watch it. And good to know that they plan on creating two more seasons.

International competitive TV show made in Germany

[Fabianfabianus · 10/10 · 22 October 2017]

This review is based on Astonishment. I did not believe anymore that there would ever be a German production that is well produced and greatly entertaining as well. Babylon Berlin takes place in Berlin in the 1920s and tells an interesting, thrilling and branched story line with likable evolving characters.

The scenery and language are very authentic for the depicted period. The actors do a great job. The show provides different genre elements like comedy, drama, eroticism and action. I recommend it to everyone who likes history and crime in TV shows and ofc to everyone who has lost all hope for German TV/Movie productions.

great work

[Kirpianuscus · 1 January 2019]

A novel. Impressive at whole.Inspiring a serie fascinating episode by episode. The result is just seductive. as guide of a world, as example of high craft, as images of good performances and atmosphere. A serie ignoring taboos for a large and precise picture of a reality not very comfortable but useful for understand the events after it. Crimes, secrets, politics,sex, violence . A remarkable contribution has Volker Bruch, giving the precise character - interpreter of a Berlin out of limits.And impecable characters. So, great work

Intriguing setting, mediocre crime show.

[nmdx · 6/10 · 23 February 2020]

Finished watching a weak third season. (Therefore changed my rating from 7 to 6.) What I still like about the show is the fantastic scenery and pertinent historic background. But when it comes to characters, the criminal cases and consistency, the show is mediocre at best. Especially S3 has some awful storylines.

As a German myself, I also find the acting quite lackluster and especially the use of language (dialects and old vocabulary) seem too forced and unnatural most of the time.

I'm still generally interested in this show because the historic background is so relevant and its portrayal is very interesting to me. But looking at the books I guess there'll be many more seasons with many more boring cases and I'd rather recommend investing time in watching high quality documentaries or reading primary and secondary literature about this dark chapter of history.

The Golden Age rolls on

[mpower1112 · 10/10 · 15 February 2018]

Just when I suspected the golden age of TV might be in decline after close to twenty years (counting from the advent of the Sopranos) along comes Babylon Berlin. What a savage swath through the Weimar Republic, that time in Germany between the World Wars. Were I to recount the plot, the multiple plots, the plots with the plots, this review would go on for many pages. Even Wikipedia has trouble keeping up. First, nothing is at it seems. The heroes often topple off their perches and the villains sometimes show flashes off humanity. No one trusts anyone and with good reason because no one is trustworthy. Morals are beside the point; betrayals are the politics of the day. And amazingly, according to what I read, the history in this series is not exaggerated: this is the way it was in the Weimar Republic.

The production values are fabulous; this is one good-looking movie. Berlin is bright, yet dark, completely addictive. The acting is superb, ranging from a conflicted detective, who reminds one of Clint Eastwood, to an actress who lights up the screen each time she appears, the lovely and very talented Liv Lisa Fries who plays Charlotte, a child of the slums, who has the strange ambition to be a homocide detective.Even the minor characters are sharply drawn.Contributing mightly to the verisimilitude: the costuming which is anything but costuming: these people look as if they had been wearing those peaked lapels and flapper gowns all their lives.

Someone said this might be the greatest serial film of all time. Hard to say that when you have such brilliant forays as The Sopranos, Breaking Bad and Fargo but I think they may be right. My only criticism is with the dubbed version in English; everyone has an American accent which is off-putting. The second time around I'm going to try to find the original German version which I understand exists.

The golden age rolls on.

Good Scenery, Music scenes are ridiculous

[kmbama · 6/10 · 7 October 2018]

Nice period piece but anyone that has read the books has to be perplexed and a little incensed that Charlotte Ritter has been turned into a proletarian small time hooker by the scriptwriters. Volker Bruch and Peter Kurth are outstanding. The musical scenes in the first season are ludicrous. Slightly reminscent of the bad musical choices in the recent Great Gatsby it smacks of trying to place modern rhythm into the 1920s to lure a generation of viewers with zero understanding of history. It almost works but the laughably bad scene with the entire club dancing a choreographed piece was simply ludicrous. There are any number of bad music fallacies and errors. Music styles from the 1950s and 60s popping up in clubs in Berlin in the 1920s. Songs from the 1930s being played in 1929. Whoever was in charge of the music failed miserably. Also.. you don't have to be a gun expert to recognize modern handguns. For a show that has been so painstakingly put together in other respects stuff like this is inexcusable.

After 1st season the plot becomes dumb

[quadratsquad · 2/10 · 15 May 2020]

No army of fake reviewers is going to change the fact that this serie's quality takes a serious dive after the first season. Since the first episode of the second season the script seems to have been written by a different person. The cohesion of the storylines gets broken, the main heros and antiheros seem to have developed different characters over night and there are several time fillers added (they use several scenes in a row to convey the same message over and over again, the scenes are dragged out and even nonsensical scenes are added, that are not needed in any way to tell the story).

Examples of nonsense:

• unnecessarily long unnecessary dream sequences
• one of the main characters working originally for the vice squad is now magically a murder investigator and then sent on a secret agent mission to Russia. Like going to work as a secretary for a big fashion house in the morning, but then you learn to fly and become superwoman and in the evening you're a vampire in the middle ages on planet Xorg...
• the mob boss personally waiting randomly around in a car to hand over a note - because he wouldn't have anything better to do and wouldn't just send a letter or ask some of his countless underlings to do it for him
• and other main characters seemingly randomly running over each other's way constantly in a metropolis, although they work and live in very different places
• and the main characters waiting around the corner to surprise each other, although they couldn't possibly have had a GPS to know when and where exactly someone will be. Like you know - you also randomly go hang out near your friends house and hide in the hopes he'll come out of the house soon, so you can surprise him...

All of it just insults my intelligence - and I don't even think I have much of that. So in my eyes it became seriously dumbed down after it got funding for the second season.. What a pity - but can one really expect any better from Netflix?