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Season 1 – Babylon Berlin

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – Babylon Berlin Oct 2017 Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 34 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Police commissioner Gereon Rath is transferred from Cologne to Berlin, the epicenter of political and social change in the Golden Twenties. Shellshocked from his service during World War I, he uncovers a dangerous web of intrigue while investigating one of Berlin's biggest pornography rings. There's an even bigger conspiracy unfolding, though, when Soviet rebels hijack a train as part of a mission hatched by Trotsky supporters in the city.

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Babylon Berlin — Season 1

Babylon Berlin — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

Babylon Berlin's humor and humanity pair nicely with its hypnotic visuals, resulting in a show that dazzles within its oversaturated genre.

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Critics Reviews

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Kathryn VanArendonk New York Magazine/Vulture 05/02/2018
Part noir, part spy thriller, part historical portrait, Babylon Berlin's characters are striking enough that you're happy to follow along, even when you're not super clear on what exactly is happening. Go to Full Review
Anne Cohen Refinery29 03/01/2018
Social context aside, the show is elevated even further by truly superb acting, and a narrative flow that assumes that viewers are intelligent enough to follow a story without having to explain every single twist. Go to Full Review
Suzi Feay Financial Times 03/01/2018
5/5
It's all wonderfully gripping, and Bruch has the most pained, expressive eyes you'll see all year. Go to Full Review
Kathy Fennessy Seattle Film Blog 08/14/2024
4/4
Take a seat, Berlin Alexanderplatz and Heimat: A Chronicle of Germany, the most expensive series in German history justifies its budget with intricate plotting, dazzling sets, and expertly choreographed crowd sequences. Go to Full Review
Kenneth R. Morefield 1More Film Blog 11/03/2020
3/4
Works equally well as a period melodrama and a portrait of individual people (and a broader culture) battling against not just political forces but also against their own emotions wrought by seeing the world around them drifting towards insanity. Go to Full Review
Sarah Boslaugh TheArtsStl 10/27/2020
8/10
...[Charlotte Ritter] represents both the new freedom enjoyed by women in this period, and the discrimination which remained a fact of their existence. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Kafe R @Kafe101 Aug 27 Really enjoyed this. Very stylishly shot and imaginative. Did have the dubbed version which was laughably bad at times See more ra d 01/13/2025 Enthralling & intelligent! Great characters in a fascinating, historical backdrop. A brilliant production which also 'happens' to have an amazingly detailed set design. I wish I could give this series a thousand stars. :) See more Jotair P @riatoJ 10/11/2024 As usual, whenever I watch a show or movie, I go for the original version, I avoid dubs as much as possible and I heard that the dubbed version of this show is pretty bad, but my low score is not because of that, and I also love crimes and thrillers. In the first couple of episodes you get introduced to too many characters and everything is so slow, like reeeally slow, and the character development is kinda bad. Look, I love the art, the deatils, the era, but man, I just wouldn't look forward to the next episode. I really don't get all the praise this show gets. I couldn't finish the first season, maybe it gets better in the later seasons, I don't know, nor will I. Maybe it's one of those good things that I just couldn't enjoy, like I heard once: not everything that I enjoy is good and not everything that is good I'll enjoy. I'll say 5/10 because it's not horrible, you can see that the production is great and it has good acting, but the development is bad, the pace is too slow, etc. See more Nicholas F 08/10/2024 Babylon Berlin is an enthralling series and should not be missed. The characters are totally believable and the settings are brilliant. I have not enjoyed a drama series such as this in a very, very long time. Do yourself a favour and watch it, especially if you like police dramas with several sub plots going on at the same time. Babylon Berlin is brilliant and the actors superb. See more Ace W 12/15/2023 If you thought Great Gatsby got the Roaring '20s right, and Peak Blinders satisfied an itch for gritty historical fiction, Babylon Berlin throws a bone to everyone who wants to walk while chewing bubblegum. See more mark s 03/23/2023 This series starts out really strong, with excellent character development and a clearly defined plotline, but like every German produced series I've ever seen, it eventually gets so over-engineered with side plots that it becomes completely incoherent. It finally collapses upon itself early in season 3. Sad. It had so much promise. See more Read all reviews
Babylon Berlin — Season 1

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Oct 16, 2017 Episode 1 Police investigator Gereon Rath has been transferred from Cologne to solve a criminal case: a porn ring run by the Berlin mafia. There he discovers a dangerous web of shadows. Details Episode 2 Aired Oct 13, 2017 Episode 2 Rath interrogates König further regarding the missing film reel; a Russian revolutionary's location is revealed. Details Episode 3 Aired Oct 20, 2017 Episode 3 The freight train arrives in Berlin; tempers explode in Charlotte's household; aspiring inspector Janicke makes use of a surprising skill. Details Episode 4 Aired Oct 20, 2017 Episode 4 At the May Day protest, police action spirals out of control; a body is found in a canal; unsuspecting Svetlana returns to her apartment. Details Episode 5 Aired Oct 29, 2017 Episode 5 Kardakow realizes his first instinct was correct; a photo enlargement yields two leads; Rath and Charlotte get key intel from a colorful character. Details Episode 6 Aired Oct 29, 2017 Episode 6 Rath confesses to a priest -- and later to Wolter; Charlotte charms medical student Rudi into performing a secret autopsy, which uncovers a vital clue. Details Episode 7 Aired Nov 3, 2017 Episode 7 Rath's pharmacist gets shady instructions; Rath learns who is behind the train-smuggling operation and why, and he recalls the last time he saw his brother. Details Episode 8 Aired Nov 3, 2017 Episode 8 Greta goes on a romantic outing with Fritz; Krajewski finally reveals where the film is hidden; a new patient is brought to Dr. Schmidt for treatment. Details
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Season Info

Director
Henk Handloegten, Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries
Screenwriter
Henk Handloegten, Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries
Network
SKYCPSD
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
German
Release Date
Oct 16, 2017