Binge Fever

Serienfieber Illustration of a hand clicking a remote control © Colourbox / Image editing Goethe-Institut Los Angeles

Television “Made in Germany” is having a golden moment with the rise of international streaming services. German series that appeal to global audiences through smart and original writing, diverse themes, talented lineups and opulent productions have never received so much attention. In this dossier, we’ll highlight binge-worthy German serials and fill you in on where to watch them in the Philippines.

We believed we could live in peace forever. But we were wrong.

Liv (Tribes of Europa)

From Germany to the Philippines









Whatever we are fighting for, we pay the price for it in blood.

Arminius (Barbaren)









Will you tell me… what the future’s like?

H.G. Tannhaus (Dark)




This is my generation: Generation Z. Limitless technological possibilities. And what do we do with it? Face-Swap.

Moritz Zimmermann in „How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast)"


The good thing is, bad conscience and fear have one thing in common: you get used to it.

Adam Pohl (Bad Banks)

Binge Fever animated Illustration of a hand holding a remote control © Colourbox / Image editing Goethe-Institut Los Angeles


“TV has cracked. A symmetry of consumption has given way to a minefield of choice.”

–  Jason Parham / Wired Magazine


 

On topic: German streaming TV series


Hand is washed only by hand. If you want to take, you must also give.

Bruno Wolter (Babylon Berlin)


BINGE FEVER! Spotify Playlist

Binge this! Soundtracks and original scores from streaming German TV series in this “Binge Fever!” Spotify playlist. Play it on shuffle for sublime binge-listening pleasure!
 






Now you die in peace. I'll call you then.

Kommissar Thiel (Tatort Münster)


“Streaming TV Is not just a new way to watch. It's a new genre.”

   – James Poniewozik / NY Times
 

A New Genre

Streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Video or Google allow unrestricted access to a large number of German films and television programs in subtitled versions in the Philippines.

Providers give subscribers of these services unlimited access to new movies and series that would seldom have made it into the Philippine theatrical distribution, standard cable networks or traditional commercial broadcasting networks. The internet is becoming more and more the standard method by which television is consumed.

These new distribution channels have not only changed the user behavior dramatically (linear television gives way to the “binge” behavior) but also the quality and formats of the productions created under these new parameters. International streaming services and German production companies as well as regional broadcasters have understood the sea change and are currently generating a lot of attention to German television with series that appeal to global audiences through intelligent and original writing, diverse themes, talented lineups and opulent productions. Conversely, this development means decidedly more high-quality productions developed in Germany, which, in turn, enriches the domestic market and promotes German talents.

  • <b>Das Boot</b><br>If you suffer from claustrophobia, then this series might cause some anxiety. <i>Das Boot</i> retells the events that took place aboard German Kriegsmarine U 612 submarine in 1942, and realistically recreates the oppressive atmosphere on board. The price tag is not for the faint of heart either: the 2018 series sequel to Wolfgang Petersen's 1981 film cost 26.5 million euros. So <i>Das Boot</i> was even more expensive per episode than pay-TV channel Sky’s mammoth <i>Babylon Berlin</i>. Foto (Zuschnitt): © Nik Konietzny/Bavaria Fiction GmbH, 2018

    Das Boot
    If you suffer from claustrophobia, then this series might cause some anxiety. Das Boot retells the events that took place aboard German Kriegsmarine U-612 submarine in 1942, and realistically recreates the oppressive atmosphere on board. The price tag is not for the faint of heart either: the 2018 series sequel to Wolfgang Petersen’s 1981 film cost 26.5 million euros. So Das Boot was even more expensive per episode than pay-TV channel Sky’s mammoth Babylon Berlin.

  • <b>Weissensee</b><br><i>Weissensee</i> is a series about the decline of the GDR and two East Berlin families who could not be more different: while one is loyal to the regime and works closely with the Stasi, the other is part of the dissident underground. It's a story of love between members of two warring families, of betrayal, greed, struggle and power. But <i>Weissensee</i> is also a political thriller in which German history plays an important role before, during and after reunification. Photo (detail): © picture-alliance/dpa/Nestor Bachmann

    Weissensee
    Weissensee is a series about the decline of the GDR and two East Berlin families who could not be more different: while one is loyal to the regime and works closely with the Stasi, the other is part of the dissident underground. It’s a story of love between members of two warring families, of betrayal, greed, struggle and power. But Weissensee is also a political thriller in which German history plays an important role before, during and after reunification.

  • <b>Charité </b><br>At the end of the 19th century, doctors, nurses and researchers worked under tough conditions at Charité Hospital in Berlin. Simple infections were often fatal and half of all new-borns did not survive. In 1888, the year of the Three Emperors, the Charité is fighting diseases such as syphilis, diphtheria and tuberculosis. The story is densely atmospheric, and today’s Charité board praised the historical accuracy director Sönke Wortmann used to tell the story of doctors like Rudolf Virchow and Robert Koch, who were making medical history at the time. Photo (detail): © MDR/Julie Vrabelova

    Charité
    At the end of the 19th century, doctors, nurses and researchers worked under tough conditions at Charité Hospital in Berlin. Simple infections were often fatal and half of all newborns did not survive. In 1888, the year of the Three Emperors, the Charité is fighting diseases such as syphilis, diphtheria and tuberculosis. The story is densely atmospheric, and today’s Charité board praised the historical accuracy director Sönke Wortmann used to tell the story of doctors like Rudolf Virchow and Robert Koch, who were making medical history at the time.

  • <b>Deutschland 83 / 86</b><br>Like <i>Weissensee</i>, <i>Deutschland 83</i> is the story of a divided Germany. The focus here though shifts away from the personal to the political: espionage, the Cold War and the possible outbreak of a third world war. In <i>Deutschland 83</i> viewers watch as the world powers play a tricky game of chess. A sequel has since been released: <i>Deutschland 86</i>. The follow-up explores whether the practicality of capitalism could be used to save communism. Photo (detail): ©UFA FICTION GmbH/Anika Molnár

    Deutschland 83 / 86
    Like Weissensee, Deutschland 83 is the story of a divided Germany. The focus here though shifts away from the personal to the political: espionage, the Cold War and the possible outbreak of a third world war. In Deutschland 83 viewers watch as the world powers play a tricky game of chess. A sequel has since been released: Deutschland 86. The follow-up explores whether the practicality of capitalism could be used to save communism.

  • <b>Ku’damm ’56/ ’59</b><br>Another series with a simple title: <i>Ku'damm '56</i> and <i>'59</i>. Strictly speaking, it is more a three-part TV mini-series about emancipation in the 1950s. It reflects on German society in the post-war period and during the economic miracle illustrated through the family-run <i>Galant</i> dance school on the famous Ku'damm, where guests go to sound out the limits of prudery and live out their sexuality. Photo (detail): © ZDF/Stefan Erhard

    Ku’damm 56/ 59
    Another series with a simple title: Ku’damm 56 and 59. Strictly speaking, it is more a three-part TV mini-series about emancipation in the 1950s. It reflects on German society in the post-war period and during the economic miracle illustrated through the family-run Galant dance school on the famous Ku’damm, where guests go to sound out the limits of prudery and live out their sexuality.

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