Scene of the Crime (1970)
Original title: Tatort
Scene of the Crime is a 1970 German-language drama series created by Fabian Römer and René Dohmen. It stars Klaus J. Behrendt, Miroslav Nemec and Udo Wachtveitl.
Since 1970, Tatort has been the fixed Sunday-night ritual of German television. Each feature-length case sends a different regional detective team after a fresh crime, rotating between cities across Germany, Austria and Switzerland so the tone shifts with the region. Produced jointly by the public broadcasters of the ARD network, it has grown into the longest-running German drama on air, with roughly thirty new episodes a year. Actors like Ulrike Folkerts, Axel Prahl and Charles Brauer have become institutions in their own inspector roles. Grounded, unhurried, and deeply local.
Quick answers
What is Scene of the Crime about?
Since 1970, Tatort has been the fixed Sunday-night ritual of German television. Each feature-length case sends a different regional detective team after a fresh crime, rotating between cities across Germany, Austria and Switzerland so the tone shifts with the region. Produced jointly by the public broadcasters of the ARD network, it has grown into the longest-running German drama on air, with roughly thirty new episodes a year. Actors like Ulrike Folkerts, Axel Prahl and Charles Brauer have become institutions in their own inspector roles. Grounded, unhurried, and deeply local.
When was Scene of the Crime released?
Scene of the Crime was released on 29 November 1970.
How many episodes does Scene of the Crime have?
Scene of the Crime has 1338 episodes across 57 seasons.
Who made Scene of the Crime?
Scene of the Crime was created by Fabian Römer, René Dohmen and Joachim Dürbeck.
Where can I watch Scene of the Crime?
Scene of the Crime is available on MHz Choice, Hoopla, The Roku Channel and Amazon.
Where to watch Scene of the Crime
Stream: MHz Choice
Watch free: Hoopla, The Roku Channel
Buy: Amazon
Official site
Cast
- Klaus J. Behrendt as Max Ballauf
- Miroslav Nemec as Ivo Batic
- Udo Wachtveitl as Franz Leitmayr
- Dietmar Bär as Freddy Schenk
- Ulrike Folkerts as Lena Odenthal
- Harald Krassnitzer as Moritz Eisner
- Joe Bausch as Joseph Roth
- Axel Prahl as Frank Thiel
- Christine Urspruch as Silke 'Alberich' Haller
- Jan Josef Liefers as Karl-Friedrich Boerne
- Tessa Mittelstaedt as Franziska Lüttgenjohann
- Mechthild Großmann as Wilhelmine Klemm
Similar series
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A few thoughts on Scene of the Crime
For more methodical crime-solving, Agatha Christie's Crooked House delivers a tightly sealed whodunit in print. Fans of long-running procedurals will also recognise the patient, institution-wide rhythm of shows like Law & Order, though Tatort keeps a distinctly regional, unhurried European texture all its own, unfolding city by city.
Long-running cop shows that became institutions
Scene of the Crime, better known as Tatort, has been Germany's Sunday-night ritual since 1970, a crime series woven into daily life. These long-running cop shows earned the same institutional status. Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, Kojak, Baretta, The Bill and Barnaby Jones each ran for years, their squad rooms and detectives becoming fixtures viewers grew up with.
Grounded German-language crime staples
Tatort shifts its detective team and tone from city to city across the German-speaking world, and these series share that home turf. Derrick, Polizeiruf 110, The Old Fox and Wilsberg are grounded, unhurried German-language procedurals, more interested in a region's texture and a careful investigation than in flash, exactly the register Scene of the Crime made a national habit.
Classic detectives who close a fresh case each week
Each Scene of the Crime is a self-contained case closed by a regional inspector, the format these classic sleuths built their reputations on. Agatha Christie's Poirot, Agatha Christie's Marple, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and Inspector George Gently all deliver a fresh feature-length puzzle every outing, solved with patience and local color rather than a running serialized arc.