There are several streaming TV services these days, but Netflix stands as a favorite for many of us. One of the reasons why we love the streaming service is because there’s virtually an endless list of content to consume, including German TV shows.
Watching foreign-language shows helps us gain cultural fluency as well as shape up on our listening and vocabulary skills in another language. The same applies when learning the German language, and there’s no better way to practice it than watching the selection of riveting shows available on Netflix. We went digging around and compiled this list of some of the best German TV shows currently available on Netflix.
Dark - 2017 - 1 Season
Like most countries, Germany has a dark past that it might prefer to forget. We are talking about the Cold War and the Nazis, which are both popular themes for German-based films and TV shows. Dark, however, strays away from these subjects. It was the first Netflix Originals German-language show.
It is a must-watch supernatural thriller, and it stands as one of the most popular non-English productions on Netflix. The show takes us on a hunt for a missing child, and we soon find ourselves lost in mind-boggling mysteries as they unravel. If you liked Stranger Things, you should watch this show.
Babylon Berlin - 2017 - 3 Seasons
Period dramas are always a hit, and Babylon Berlin joins the list of highly recommended must-watch shows under this genre. The crime-based drama follows Police Inspector Gereon Rath, who moves from Cologne to Berlin in the ’20s.
The show is based on author Volker Kutscher’s novels. It centers on Rath’s secret mission trying to break up an extortion ring, and police clerk, Charlotte Ritter, who has her eyes set on being an inspector. There are three seasons with a total of 28 episodes to binge.
Unorthodox - 2020 - 1 Season
Unorthodox is one of the new shows that premiered on Netflix in 2020, and the drama miniseries has earned rave reviews. It stands out as the first Netflix show that’s primarily in Yiddish. This is a dialect spoken predominantly by Ashkenazi Jews, and it’s a High German derivative.
It follows Esther Shapiro, a Jewish woman, who escapes an arranged marriage and flees to Berlin from New York. Israeli actress Shira Haas takes the lead in this show.
Crossing Lines - 2013 - 3 Seasons
Picture a world where borders don’t exist and free trade reigns. That describes the plot of Crossing Lines, which envisions the effects of globalization. The show hypothesizes that several countries have ditched their borders to promote easy trade and travel.
There are still people who’ve discovered how to cheat the system, and they soon threaten the world’s global safety. This is a German, Italian, and French production, and it also features an international cast.
Borgia - 2011 - 3 Seasons
Borgia is one of the well-known shows on this list. It’s an international production that recounts the famous Spanish-Aragonese family’s ascent to power. The noble family reigned during the Renaissance, and they soon dominated the Papal States.
The production might be a collaborative effort between Germany, Italy, France, and the Czech Republic, but it was filmed in Italy and the Czech Republic. John Doman, an American actor, portrayed the lead character, Pope Alexander VI/Rodrigo Borgia.
The Same Sky - 2017 - 1 Season
Der gleiche Himmel is the original title of this German series set in the ’70s during the Cold War. It centers on Lars “Romeo” Weber, an East German spy, who infiltrates West Germany and uses the power of seduction to unearth secrets.
The show’s scripts were penned in English, and director Oliver Hirschbiegel translated them to German before production. There are six hour-long episodes of this historical drama to binge, but sadly there are no plans for a second season.
Dogs of Berlin 2018 - 1 Season
Dogs of Berlin was the second original series in the German language produced by Netflix. The fictitious story follows police officers Kurt Grimmer and Erol Birkman as they investigate the high-profile murder of a football star.
The politically-charged murder has Berlin up in arms, and the list of suspects, including a family of neo-Nazis, only heightens the mystery. The investigations lead the two policemen to the depths of the Berlin underworld, where they are confronted with corruption.
Charité at War - 2019 - 1 Season
This historical drama is set at the Charité Hospital in 1934 during the Second World War. The show is a sequel to the Netflix German-language drama Charité, which was set in 1888. Charité at War recounts how the regime impacted the staff at the Nazi-run hospital.
The series also makes use of archival film footage for authenticity, and it also sets the somber tone of the production. There are six episodes of the show, but its predecessor offers two seasons with 12 episodes.
Skylines - 2019 - 1 Season
Combine music and crime, and the result is the riveting German TV drama Skylines. It follows Jinn, a Frankfurt-based hip hop producer, who is down on his luck but finally strikes it big only to end up entangled in crime.
Netflix released the six-episode series in 2019. Sadly, the series didn’t make the impact needed to warrant a second season, but it’s still worth watching for the German-take of what is otherwise a popular story.
Holiday Secrets -2019 - 1 Season
When a family sets out on a Christmas trip, they don’t imagine anything other than the vacation bringing them together. Things start falling apart as long-held secrets start surfacing. That describes Holiday Secrets, a three-part series, which premiered on Netflix in 2019.
The series brings together German A-listers, including Corinna Harfouch, Hans-Uwe Bauer, Christiane Paul, Leonie Benesch, and Svenja Jung. While it is set in Germany’s strikingly beautiful North Sea Coast, filming took place in Budapest and Denmark.
Freud - 2020 - 1 Season
Freud was a collaborative production between Austria and Germany. It re-imagines the earlier years of the famous neurologist Sigmund Freud. It’s also on the list of new shows released in 2020 with eight episodes making up the first season.
It depicts Freud (played by Robert Finister) solving mysteries around Austria in the 1880s assisted by Alfred Kiss, a policeman, and Fleur Salome. There’s no word yet whether we can expect a second season of the show.
Perfume - 2018 - 1 Season
Perfume (Parfum in German) is a procedural drama series focussing on unraveling the mystery behind a singer’s death. The odd thing is that every single hair on her body had been removed.
Clues lead the detectives to a group of the singer’s former boarding schoolmates who had a history of experimenting with human scents. The only terrible thing about this scintillating show is the fact that only six episodes exist, and you would get through them all in just a couple of hours.
Criminal Germany - 2019 - 1 Season
Criminal Germany is a police procedural series falling under Netflix’s Criminal anthology. Criminal Germany makes up three out of the full 12 episodes of the Criminal collection. The series takes place entirely within an interrogation room.
The German investigators use all the tricks in the book to try and break suspects in the process of solving cases. The entire Criminal anthology was filmed in Madrid, and the other episodes are split between settings in the UK, France, and Spain.
We Are the Wave - 2019 - 1 Season
We Are the Wave loosely borrows its inspiration from Todd Strasser’s 1981 novel titled The Wave. The show is set in Meppersfeld, a fictitious German city. The plot follows a group of teens as they face social problems and injustices head-on
A new classmate leads the revolt, but soon the teens have to face the deadly consequences of their actions. There are only six episodes of the series available, but it shows potential for a second season.
Nailed It! Germany - 2020 - 1 Season
Nailed It! Germany is the show you want to watch to learn how to cook with all the instructions in the German language. The show borrows inspiration from its American counterpart Nailed It!, which is a Netflix original bake-off show.
Contestants are tasked with making elaborate cakes inspired by the ones they stumbled upon online. Two challenges make up a single episode, and the winner stands the chance of taking home a whopping 5,000 Euros.
Too Young To Die - 2012 - 1 Season
We sadly have a long list of celebrities who have left us too soon, and Too Young To Die is dedicated to them. The documentary series re-tells the stories of celebrities who were gone too soon.
German documentary production company Broadview TV is behind the miniseries, which started airing in 2012. The biggest critique about the documentary is the fact that it includes some celebrities who are in their late 40s because many viewers don’t necessarily think that qualifies as “too young.”
How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast) - 2019 - 1 Season
If you are inkling for a comedy-drama, then How To Sell Drugs should be on your Netflix watchlist. The coming-of-age story follows a teen who starts dealing drugs from his bedroom to impress an ex-girlfriend.
It isn’t long before he becomes amongst the list of dealers dominating the drug trade in Europe. There might only be six episodes of this show currently available, but they are all riveting, and a second season is in the works.
Maya The Bee - 2013 - 5 Seasons
Young German-language learners are not left out, and Netflix has a decent selection of animated series for them. Die Biene Maja is the German title of the series that is an adaptation of Waldemar Bonsels’ 1912 book.
The stories focus on Maya, the Bee, along with her friend, the grasshopper, her teacher, and a host of other creatures. The first animated series based on the book aired in 1970 and the one available on Netflix aired between 2013 and 2020.
Tip The Mouse - 2014 - 6 Seasons
Perhaps you are looking for something else for the young German-language learner at home to watch; Tip The Mouse fits the bill. The animated series takes you on an adventure with the curious mouse as he explores his tiny village meadow.
Learn about the world in a fun way through Tip and his friends. The best thing about the series is that each episode stands on its own, and there are six seasons to get through