german tv series time travel

German TV series about time travel

In the top there are new series of 2021, a plot description and trailers for series that have already been released.

A missing child causes four families to help each other for answers. What they could not imagine is that this mystery would be connected to innumerable other secrets of the small town.

The story of the town and people who live above “The Loop,” a machine built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe – making things possible that were previously relegated only to science fiction.

When strange anomalies start to appear all over England, Professor Cutter and his team must track down and capture all sorts of dangerous prehistoric creatures from Earth's distant past and near future.

Mia goes to medical school to get close to a professor she suspects had a hand in her past family tragedy and gets tangled in the world of biohacking.

Berlin, 1888. After penniless Ida’s life is saved at the Charité Hospital she must work off the treatment costs. While she becomes acquainted with the most brilliant physicians of this era at the world-famous hospital, the self-determined young woman discovers her passion for medicine.

Through globalization, many countries have been opened and barriers removed to ensure easy trade, travel and cultural diversity. However, this openness has given opportunities to criminals looking to exploit the system and ultimately threaten our global safety. As Europe has become a "safe house" for criminals eluding law enforcers, a special kind of law enforcement team is needed to handle specific ongoing crimes on a global level. "Crossing Lines" is the story of one such team, made up of five international cops, headed by Captain Daniel. The team - comprised of individuals who have little in common - must learn to live and work under the most dangerous and potentially deadly conditions. Housed in an unused storage section underneath the ICC, this mismatched team faces bureaucratic, jurisdictional and cultural obstacles while traversing continents in pursuit of justice.

With a huge asteroid rushing towards Europe, there are only eight days left till impact. In the face of the apocalypse everything changes; laws and rules are abandoned. Who can save themself, what is really important now?

Carl Hamilton has just returned to Sweden after many years of secret education in the US when Stockholm is shaken by a series of terrorist attacks. Hamilton is assigned to assist the Swedish intelligence service in their pursuit of the guilty, but at the same time works as a double agent.

When a singer is found murdered, with her scent glands excised from her body, detectives probe a group of friends who attended boarding school with her.

The true story of the Allied ship Laconia, sunk in WWII by a German U-Boat, which then surfaced against orders to rescue the civilian crew

Newly divorced journalist returns to her hometown to restart her life and work through her past.

Cold War, the seventies. Lars is a Romeo agent from East Germany: he must go to the West side and seduce and spy on Western women who work in government or defense institutions.

A deadly virus hits a small community living on an island in the North Sea.

Old-school police detective Pierre Niemans and his former student Camille Delaunay tackle complex, brutal murder cases.

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David Attenborough presents a documentary series exploring how animals meet the challenges of surviving in the most iconic habitats on earth.

A three-part German mini-series about the luxury hotel in Berlin.

Within the walls of an interrogation room and with time running out, London investigators go after three suspects, each accused of a grievous crime.

The incredible, true story of the Norwegian Crown Princess Märtha’s efforts to support her country during World War II. After a headlong flight from the Nazis, she was forced to part from her husband and cross the Atlantic Ocean to seek refuge in the United States. There, she soon found herself involved in a close relationship with the President of the United States: Franklin D. Roosevelt.

At Sydney's National Dance Academy, a few talented youngsters are recruited for the excruciatingly tough course. It follows Tara Webster, a sheepfarmgirl who's ambition is to be the next best ballerina. Jewish long line of doctors' heir Samuel 'Sammy' and minor juvenile offender Christian are the outsiders but gradually fit in, making new kinds of friends. Star ballerina's daughter Kat also introduces them in the circle of last-year brother Ethan, who already aspires a career as choreographer. Also Abigail, a smart young girl who'll walk over dead bodies to reach the stars tries to sabotage everything and everyone.

After the death of his mother, 16-year-old Juri and his father Jaschek move into a rundown housing complex on the city outskirts. While Jaschek tries to establish a new life for himself and his son, as caretaker of the building, Juri gradually discovers that the house has a vicious life of its own and feeds on the suffering of its inhabitants

When a gruesomely staged body is found, propped up on a mountain pass in the Alps close to the German-Austrian border, two detectives are sent to investigate. For German detective Ellie, this is the first real challenge of her career; her Austrian counterpart Gedeon though seems to have lost any ambitions in his job. Very soon, they discover more crime scenes with symbolically posed victims, reminiscent of pagan rituals. It all seems to be part of a bigger, sinister plan. Ellie finds herself under increasing pressure to understand the deranged killer's motives so she can stop him. The hunt leads them ever deeper in the dark valleys and archaic Alpine customs - and the paranoid world of the killer.

Mira is 17 and a loner. When she is invited by an unknown number to download the app "Wishlist", at first she believes that it is just spam. But Wishlist offers her to satisfy every wish - for a trade-off...

A Hasidic Jewish woman in Brooklyn flees to Berlin from an arranged marriage and is taken in by a group of musicians -- until her past comes calling.

Eager to make his name in 19th-century Vienna, a hungry young Sigmund Freud joins a psychic and an inspector to solve a string of bloody mysteries.

In the midst of the impassable landscape at the foot of the Alps, a young group of serious offenders is undergoing an experiential educational program intended to rehabilitate them. All of a sudden, a member of the program dies a violent death. Nobody knows exactly what happened, and the youths face a difficult decision. Should they wait for the authorities to recover the body and investigate the crime? Or, escape and take their fate into their own hands? The group doesn't have much in common with each other, though one thing unites them; all of them have had really bad experiences with the authorities and don‘t expect to be treated fairly. Since they don't know who the perpetrator is, they only have one option: to run. Up the mountains, up the highest peaks of the Alps. It seems hopeless until they stumble onto a complex cave system where they can find shelter from wind, weather, and their pursuers.

The sole survivor of a lost whaling ship relates the tale of his captain's self-destructive obsession to hunt the white whale, Moby Dick. This is a TV series starring William Hurt, Ethan Hawke, and Charlie Cox.

After a number of murders of prostitutes at a motorway stop near Berlin, in a rear courtyard in Antwerp, and in a brothel in Copenhagen, Europol decides to form a taskforce to tackle the case. Harald, a Dane, Jackie, a German, and Alice from Belgium embark on the hunt for the killer. As the case unfolds, the killings prove to be just the tip of the iceberg, the iceberg itself being a large, pan-European criminal organization involved in everything from drugs and financial crime to corruption, hired killings and not least people trafficking , illegal labor and prostitution.

A young girl falls in love with a poor brewer's son. Their relationship is opposed by the girl's father, a rich mobster who has come to town to try to bully his way into the inner circle of Munich's brewery dynasties.

Belfast, 1909. The Harland and Wolff shipyard has been handed the greatest project in its history. It will build a great, unsinkable ship. And it will be called the RMS Titanic.

As a major criminal investigation tries to stem the flow of corruption, Italy is poised on the brink of collapse.

A politically sensitive murder forces two disparate detectives into a battle with the Berlin underworld and a confrontation with their own corruption.

The true story of the classic Arabian Nights tales. We follow Sherazade, the real hero of the famous stories, on her quest to find the Tree of Life and save the Prince of the Golden City, who has been turned into a blue-haired monster.

During a snowy Christmas season in Sweden, psychologist and profiler Inger Johanne Vik finds not only herself but also her autistic daughter drawn into the investigation of a number of disturbing deaths, through which she meets detective Ingvar Nyman of “Rikskrim,” a Swedish national police force.

When Sofia Karppi, a detective in her 30's who is trying to get over her husband's death, discovers the body of a young woman on a construction site, she triggers a chain of events that threatens to destroy her life again.

Following a cyber attack on a German bank, an investigator teams with local authorities and an elite hacker to track the suspects.

A mysterious disappearance makes two completely separate worlds collide, creating an extremely odd couple – the lawyer Emily and recently released convict Teddy. They have two opposing desires. She wants up. He wants out. She wants to secure her future. He wants to leave his old life behind. They are both forced to thi

In the interview room, detectives go head-to-head with suspects and try to get to the truth—even if it means breaking the rules and risking it all.

An inexperienced U-boat crew has to survive a secret mission and a young German woman is torn between loyalty for her home country and the French resistance in the WWII drama.

Recounts the tumultuous history of Cuba, a nation of foreign conquest, freedom fighters and Cold War political machinations.

Sophie Haas and her team are forced to state everything they know about the committed crime in the nearby village.

When 10 year old girl is kidnapped from the natural history museum, the police questions eight key witnesses to uncover the truth and find the child before it's too late.

Colognian commissioner Gereon Rath moves to Berlin, the epicenter of political and social changes in the Golden Twenties.

Based in Neukölln, Berlin Toni manages the daily business of dealing with the Arabic gangs and ends up wanting to leave his old life behind for his family, but as expected, its never that simple.

The life of Gumball Watterson, a 12-year old cat who attends middle school in Elmore. Accompanied by his pet, adoptive brother, and best friend Darwin Watterson, he frequently finds himself involved in various shenanigans around the city, during which he interacts with various family members: Anais, Richard, and Nicole Watterson, and other various citizens.

2074. In the wake of a mysterious global disaster, war rages between the Tribes that have emerged from the wreckage of Europe. Three siblings from the peaceful Origine tribe are separated and forced to forge their own paths in an action-packed fight for the future of this new Europa.

A mysterious classmate leads four idealistic teens in a revolt against a rising tide of nationalistic fervor, but their movement takes a dark turn.

Carlos is a French-German television and cinema biographical film from 2010, about the life of the 1970s international terrorist Carlos the Jackal, from his first series of attacks in 1973 until his arrest in 1994. It premiered as a three-part TV mini-series on French pay channel Canal+, with the three parts airing on 19 May, May 26 and June 2, 2010. On the same day it premiered on Canal+, the full 5½ hour version was also shown out of competition at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Produced by Daniel Leconte of French production company Film En Stock and Jens Meuer of German production company Egoli Tossell Film, in association with Canal+ and French Arte, it was directed by Olivier Assayas from a screenplay by Leconte, Assayas and Dan Franck, and stars Édgar Ramírez as Carlos. The film exists both as a three-part mini-series and a feature film of various lengths between 338 and 319 minutes, but also in several abridged versions, from 187 minutes down to 166 minutes. Classified as a theatrical film as well as a TV film/TV mini-series, Carlos has been awarded both theatrical awards and TV awards; among them the 2010 Golden Globe award for the 'Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television', the 2010 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director, the National Society of Film Critics 2010 award for Best Director, the New York Film Critics Circle 2010 award for Best Foreign Language Film, the 2010 European Film Award for Best Editor, the 2010 Critics Award for Best Film at the São Paulo International Film Festival, and Édgar Ramírez won the 2010 César Award for Most Promising Actor.

The 32 Best TV Shows About Time Travel

Time traveling is a popular topic when it comes to all types of entertainment from books to films. But in recent years time travel has also become a popular theme in TV.

So let’s take a look at this list of the best time traveling TV shows and find out how each of them handles time travel and all the history that comes with it.

Doctor Who, BBC One (1963 – 1989, 2005 – present)

When it comes to time traveling and TV, probably the most notable name in this niche is Doctor Who  because this time travel series has been around for 39 seasons and is still going strong.

Hailing from British television channel BBC One, Doctor Who tells the tale of the Time Lord aka The Doctor, and his companions as they travel to different times and try to prevent evil forces from changing history and hurting innocent lives.

Once the Time Lord gets hurt beyond healing, he can transform into a new body and continue saving the world. Hence why at this point 13 (soon to be 14) different actors have played The Doctor.

Doctor Who is not only a huge part of the fabric of British popular culture but by now this time travel show has found its way into the hearts of many people all over the world.

It has inspired many spin-offs in the form of TV shows, comic books, movies, novels, you name it. But more than that, by now it has become an industry standard both when it comes to science-fiction television series and shows about time travel.

No wonder that Doctor Who continues to be successful after countless actor changes and plot twists.

Where to watch Doctor Who:

Timeless, nbc (2016 – 2018).

Another time travel TV series that has already become a cult classic and is adored by fans all over the world is NBC’s Timeless . And despite the turmoil that this show has gone through, it still is time traveling at its best.

Starring Malcolm Barrett, Matt Lanter, and Abigail Spencer as Rufus, Wyatt, and Lucy, Timeless  details the trio traveling to different times in an effort to stop their adversaries from rewriting history.

But as it later turns out, the conspiracy goes deeper than them just changing history. Since the people who our trio is chasing are traveling through time to take down a dangerous and all-powerful organization. The same one that helped build the time machine that Rufus, Wyatt, and Lucy are using.

And although Timeless went on for just two seasons (and a two-hour wrap-up movie), you should still check out the show because it’s not only entertaining but will make you think and want to know more about the events that each episode is exploring.

Where to watch Timeless:

Dc’s legends of tomorrow, the cw (2016 – present).

If you are a fan of superhero TV shows, then you will probably have heard about DC’s Legends of Tomorrow . It is a show that is a huge part of The CW’s Arrowverse. And has crossed over with shows like Arrow , The Flash , and Supergirl multiple times now.

And even if you don’t like the rest of the superhero series but do enjoy a good old time travel TV show, then I suggest you still give Legends of Tomorrow a watch.

The plot of this show is based around a team of superheroes that are traveling through time in their time machine christened the Waverider to prevent different catastrophes from happening. Both ones made by others and those created by the team’s previous adventures.

At the forefront, there are well-known DC heroes like Rip Hunter, Firestorm, The Atom, Kid Flash, Steel, and Vixen. Joined by some original characters like Caity Lotz’s White Canary among others.

One of the defining characteristics of Legends of Tomorrow is how fun it is. Because adjectives like unapologetic, witty, and entertaining are frequently used to describe this time travel series.

However, more than that, it adds an interesting layer to the whole Arrowverse universe. And above all, it is just a hoot to watch.

Where to watch Legends of Tomorrow:

12 monkeys, syfy (2015 – 2018).

Then there also is SyFy’s 12 Monkeys , which is a little darker take on time traveling. One that comes with mystery, drama, and apocalyptic stakes. But that doesn’t lessen how good this time travel TV series is.

Split between two timelines, 12 Monkeys centers on Aaron Stanford’s James Cole, who is tasked to travel back in time and stop the distribution of a virus that has the ability to end the human race as we know it.

In Cole’s real timeline, the year is 2043 and people are struggling to survive because of the terrible mutations caused by the virus. So Cole travels back to 2015 to find virologist Cassie Railly, played by Amanda Schull, that can help him stop the release of the virus and the organization that is behind it called The Army of the 12 Monkeys.

If you think about it, the post-apocalyptic setting and time travel really do go hand in hand. Because if you can go back in time to stop history from being changed, why not go back to change it if it prevents something terrible from happening?

And that is what this show explores. Beautifully combining elements of mystery, drama, and science fiction, to form a great TV show.

Where to watch 12 Monkeys:

Outlander, starz (2014 – present).

Want another show that mixes time travel with historical events and does it flawlessly? Then you should put Outlander on your must-watch TV show list!

The show starts in the 1940s when a combat nurse Claire Randall visits Inverness, Scotland as part of her second honeymoon with her husband Frank. Claire accidentally happens upon the standing stones at Craigh na Dun which transport her back in time to 1743.

To return to her own time she first has to survive 18th-century Scotland. And she does so by joining a group of rebel Highlanders from Clan MacKenzie and marrying one of the Highlanders, Jamie Fraser. But eventually, she falls in love with her new husband and aids the clan in evading British redcoats that are pursuing them.

Over the five seasons of Outlander that are currently out (with the sixth coming soon), we see Claire jump back and forth between the 20th and 18th centuries and her two families as she faces two pregnancies, wars, and much more. But eventually, Claire finds her way back to Jamie.

Where to watch Outlander:

Travelers, showcase (2016 – 2018).

Then we have Travelers , a joint venture between Netflix and Canada’s Showcase that will tick all of your time travel TV show boxes.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world , this show depicts the adventures of travelers – operatives who go back in time to prevent the collapse of society.

These travelers are transferred into the bodies of our current-day humans, who otherwise would die, to blend in with twenty-first-century people. And with the help of their artificial intelligence boss from the future, travelers carry out missions in order to stop many catastrophic events from happening.

Travelers is a great mix of sci-fi and drama, featuring a great cast and spine-tingling storylines. So if you love all that and love a good time-travel series, then look no further than Travelers .

Where to watch Travelers:

Dark, netflix (2017 – 2020).

Netflix’s first German original series was the science fiction series Dark , which mixes in some mystery drama with sci-fi: time travel, the apocalypse, wormholes, and parallel worlds.

Dark takes place in Winden, a fictional German town, and begins in 2019 after children begin to disappear from the town. As the show progresses, however, timelines jump drastically between as early as 1921 to as late as 2053.

As four families in Winden investigate the disappearances to reunite with their lost loved ones, they discover a wormhole beneath the local powerplant that allows them to travel between timelines, thus uncovering a generations-long conspiracy involving the town and their families.

Where to watch Dark:

The umbrella academy, netflix (2019 – present).

Netflix brings another to the list with The Umbrella Academy .

On October 1, 1989, 43 infants were suddenly born from unsuspecting women despite them not even being pregnant the day before.

7 of them were raised together as the Hargreeve siblings and trained in their respective abilities until their relationship became strained as teenagers and they drifted apart.

Now, as adults, they’re brought back together by the death of their adoptive father – and the threat of the end of the world, of course.

They’re forced to travel back in time but end up in different times and places, and must find each other again to stop the nuclear apocalypse.

Where to watch The Umbrella Academy:

Seven days, upn (1998 – 2001).

We know that the National Security Agency has its share of secrets, but what if one of those secrets was a time-traveling machine?

In UPN’s Seven Days , the plot centers on one such device made from alien technology found at Roswell.

The Chronosphere, as it’s called, can only be used in times when national security is at risk – the limited capacity of the device allows for just one human to go back in time by seven days in order to avert disasters.

Thus, when the White House is attacked, the NSA employs former Navy SEAL and CIA operative Frank Parker to go back and prevent it from happening.

Where to watch Seven Days:

Loki, disney+ (2021 – present).

Yes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the greatest gifts to the cinema of our time. Now, the MCU has expanded even further into the television medium and we’ve got a few series to accompany it!

One of those is Loki , which of course, centers on the God of Thunder’s mischievous adopted brother.

After the events in Avengers: Endgame , particularly his stealing of the Tesseract, Loki inadvertently creates another timeline that began in 2012, making him a “time variant” version of himself.

When confronted by the authorities, Loki is given two choices: face punishment and cease to exist, or travel through time to fix his own mess and the threat that has emerged.

Where to watch Loki:

Making history, fox (2017).

The thing about traveling back in time is, you have to be very careful that your actions in the past won’t affect the future (which is essentially your actual present).

Most of the time, that’s something you wouldn’t know until you go back to your time. In Making History , however, Dan Chambers travels back in time to right before the American Revolution and sets off a series of events that seriously mess up the future.

Being able to constantly travel between time periods, Dan recruits the help of history professor Chis Parrish to travel with him and ensure that the American Revolution still takes place.

Where to watch Making History:

Quantum leap, nbc (1989 – 1993).

The title of NBC’s sci-fi comedy-drama Quantum Leap is also the name of the time travel machine that accidentally sends its creator, physicist Dr. Sam Beckett, back into the past.

Now, he’s stuck – and not as himself, either!

Sam discovers that he jumped into the body of a stranger and because he’s still himself, doesn’t know all the details of his current identity.

With the help of his friend Al, who appears as a hologram only he can see, he must fix something that went wrong so he can jump in time again and eventually get back to his own body.

Where to watch Quantum Leap:

Quantum leap, nbc (2022 – present).

Speaking of Quantum Leap , in 2022 NBC revived the 1989 series into a more modern take on the cult classic.

In this new Quantum Leap , thirty years have passed since Dr. Sam Beckett vanished into the Quantum Leap accelerator, and the Quantum Leap project was put to rest.

Now the project is restarted with a new team, who tries to puzzle together the mysteries behind Beckett and his time-traveling machine.

So, we follow Ben Song, the lead physicist of the Quantum Leap time travel project, who gets lost in the past after leaping back in time.

As he tries to return to the present he is helped by his fiancée Addison Augustine, who appears to him as a hologram during each leap, and the team back in the present time.

Where to watch Quantum Leap reboot:

The way home, hallmark channel (2023 – present).

Among the newest time travel shows on this list is Hallmark’s The Way Home which has already been renewed for a second season.

The Way Home follows three generations of Landry women who learn that they can time travel after discovering a magic pond on their family’s farm in Port Haven.

When Kat and her daughter Alice return to Port Haven and are forced to move in with Alice’s estranged mother Del, the three women use time travel to uncover their family history, including what really happened to Kat’s little brother Jacob and whether they can prevent his disappearance.

Where to watch The Way Home:

Russian doll, netflix (2019 – 2022).

Netflix’s Russian Doll deviates from the traditional time travel theme of a willing traveler in one specific timeline because Russian Doll’s protagonist Nadia Vulvokov not only has absolutely no choice or control over her so-called time traveling, but hers is also a time loop.

She wakes up every day having to relive the day of her 36th birthday party in New York City; every time, she dies and comes back to the exact same moment.

Every time, Nadia scrambles to figure out what happens to her and tries to prevent her death, leading her to find Alan, a man who is experiencing the same time loop.

Where to watch Russian Doll:

Undone, prime video (2019 – present).

Undone may be an animated series, but it certainly isn’t geared toward younger audiences; though there is a touch of comedy, the series leans more towards the psychological drama genre and “explores the elastic nature of reality”.

The series follows Alma Winograd-Diaz right after she gets into a near-fatal car accident.

Right before the crash, she has a strange vision of her dead father, and right after it, she finds that she now has the ability to manipulate and move through time.

Using this newfound power, she travels between time periods to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding her father’s death.

Where to watch Undone:

Voyagers, nbc (1982 – 1983).

Premiering back in the early 1980s, NBC’s Voyagers! Is set in a world where time travel already exists.

In fact, there’s already a secret society in place that trains its members, called Voyagers, to go back in time and make sure that historical events happen exactly the way they’re supposed to – otherwise it could affect the present in unexpected ways.

One such Voyager is Phineas Bogg, although he isn’t exactly the best at the job.

During an accidental trip to 1982, he meets the young Jeffrey Jones and ends up bringing him along on one of his missions.

Having lost his Guidebook, Phineas now needs to rely on the extremely smart Jeffrey to get history right.

Where to watch Voyagers!:

Fringe, fox (2008 – 2013).

Fox’s Fringe is a series that was well into the science fiction genre, with parallel universes, supernatural abilities, biotechnology, doomsday predictions, and of course, time travel.

The title is taken from fringe science, which is a branch that deals with scientific theories riddled with skepticism or even having been disproven already.

In Fringe , Special Agent Olivia Dunham is assigned to oversee the FBI ’s Fringe Division, which is run by Peter Bishop and his father Walter.

Together, the team uses both fringe science and Olivia’s knowledge in investigative techniques to explore the unexplained.

In the process, they discover a larger mystery involving parallel universes and alternate timelines .

Where to watch Fringe:

Time after time, abc (2017).

ABC’s Time After Time is based on the novel of the same name written by Kevin Williamson in 1979.

In addition to that, each episode takes its title from a line in Cyndi Lauper’s song, which was inspired by the film (and subsequently, the same book!).

In Time After Time , we are taken to H.G. Wells’ home in 1893.

During a dinner party, he reveals his time machine – right before his guest John Stevenson is arrested for actually being Jack the Ripper .

John escapes through the time machine and Wells follows him straight into the present: 2017. Thus begins a cat-and-mouse game as John attempts to gain control of the machine.

Where to watch Time After Time:

11.22.63, hulu (2016).

When you have anything with Stephen King involved, you know it’s going to be great.

Hulu’s eight-episode miniseries 11.22.63 is based on King’s novel 11/22/63 and is a science fiction thriller like no other.

Starring James Franco in the lead role, 11.22.63 follows Jake Epping, an English teacher from Maine .

His best friend Al reveals a time travel machine and asks him to take over the mission he’s been working on: to travel to the 60s and prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Will Jake be successful in changing a past that simply refuses to be changed?

Where to watch 11.22.63:

The 4400, usa network/sky one (2004 – 2007).

The 4400 is yet another slightly different take on the idea of time travel, in that there has been just one (fairly significant) shift forward in time, to the present.

Beginning in 1946, individuals who were easily overlooked or marginalized by society slowly began disappearing through beams of green light.

Now, all 4400 of them (hence the title) have been returned to the present day – without having aged a day and in some cases, even manifesting supernatural abilities like telekinesis, healing, and telepathy.

Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris are assigned to investigate the phenomenon and find out why the 4400 have returned.

NOTE: For a fresher take on the show, you can also check out the reboot of the original series which is currently airing on The CW.

Where to watch The 4400:

Somewhere between, abc (2017).

When tragedy strikes our lives, we always wish there was something we could’ve done to prevent it.

In ABC’s Somewhere Between we meet Laura Price, a successful news producer with a great career, a loving husband who’s a district attorney, and a beautiful daughter named Serena.

However, her life changes when the serial killer she is helping the cops to catch kills Serena.

Distraught with grief , Laura attempts to complete suicide but is unsuccessful, instead waking up having time-traveled to a week before Serena’s death.

She teams up with Nico, a former SFPD detective who experienced the same reset and wants to find the real killer to change his brother’s fate as well.

Where to watch Somewhere Between:

Terra nova, fox (2011).

Terra Nova takes its viewers to both extremes of the time-traveling timeline.

The present-day is 2149, where overpopulation has threatened to deplete the Earth’s resources.

In an attempt to save Earth and mankind, scientists have found a way to travel back in time, sending groups of humans back to the Cretaceous Period to set up colonies.

Terra Nova focuses primarily on Elisabeth and Jim Shannon, and their three children, who have joined the 10th pilgrimage to Terra Nova.

They offer their expertise as a trauma surgeon and former narcotics detective and help those in charge with stopping those whose intentions go against the greater good.

Where to watch Terra Nova:

Frequency, the cw (2016 – 2017).

One concept in time travel is known as “the butterfly effect”, wherein one small change in time may have great effects elsewhere.

Frequency demonstrates this concept perfectly.

Raimy Sullivan is an NYPD detective who, after a strange weather phenomenon, discovers that she can communicate with her dead father through his old ham radio.

Believing he was a corrupt cop, she learns the truth and warns him of his murder, thus saving his life.

However, this has profound effects on the future – Raimy’s present.

Now, they must work together across time to save her father and preserve the present.

Where to watch Frequency:

Life on mars, bbc one (2006).

In many of the shows on the list so far, the protagonists experience a time loop that’s triggered at the point of their death.

It’s no different for Sam Tyler, the main character in the British series Life on Mars .

Sam is a Detective Chief Inspector with the Greater Manchester Police, but one day he accidentally gets hit by a car.

When he awakens, he’s in 1973 and working at one rank lower than he was: Detective Inspector.

The selling point of Life on Mars , however, is that we’re left unsure if Sam’s predicament is due to his actual death, a comatose, or time travel.

Where to watch Life on Mars:

Always a witch, netflix (2019 – 2020).

Always A Witch (or Siempre Bruja in its original Spanish title) is a Colombian series that is set in both present-day Colombia and the 17th century .

The series follows Carmen Eguiliuz, a young 19-year-old witch who, after committing the crime of falling in love with a white man in 1646 colonial Colombia, is scheduled to be burned at the stake.

She gets a chance to escape to a new life when the mysterious wizard Aldemar makes a deal with her: he will save the man she loves if she travels into the future to find the woman who can break his curse.

Where to watch Always a Witch:

Beforeigners, hbo (2019 – present).

HBO’s Beforeigners is a Norwegian sci-fi crime drama series and the first Norwegian original from HBO Europe.

The title is a clever play on words centered on the general plot: a group of “foreigners” has suddenly shown up at a neighborhood in Oslo, and they are all from “before” times, or several different time periods in history.

Whether from the Viking period , the Stone Age, or the more recent 19th century , each of these ‘Beforeigners’ tries to integrate in modern-day Norwegian society.

One of them even partners with a detective to investigate first a murdered Stone Age woman, then a series of murderers tied to Jack the Ripper.

Where to watch Beforeigners:

Alice, sbs tv (2020).

Alice was a South Korean sci-fi series that aired in late 2020.

In the lead-up to the main plot, the show’s background is explained to its viewers.

Set in 2050, time travel is monitored by an agency called Alice, which sends its clients to the past to help find closure with deceased loved ones.

Alice one day sends two agents to 1992 in order to find the Book of Prophecy, but one of them disappears with the book and her unborn child.

In 2020, the child becomes a detective and in his investigation into his mother’s death in 2010, discovers the existence of Alice and time travel.

Where to watch Alice:

Live up to your name, tvn (2017).

Yet another South Korean time travel series , Live Up to Your Name initially takes its viewers some 400 years into the past, right in the middle of the Joseon dynasty.

There we meet Heo Im, a doctor of traditional Korean medicine who also specializes in acupuncture.

On one of his treatments of the king’s migraines, he made a mistake and was charged with treason.

Chased by the king’s soldiers, he’s shot with an arrow and presumed dead when he falls into the river – except he ends up waking up in present-day Seoul instead, where he meets cardiothoracic surgeon Choi Yeon-kyung.

Where to watch Live Up to Your Name:

My only love song, netflix (2017).

Our third South Korean series is Netflix’s My Only Love Song , which aired in 2017.

We start off in modern-day Korea where we meet Soo-jung, a talented and top-level actress.

However, it seems that the fame may have gotten to her head as she’s arrogant, and believes fame and money make the world go round.

When things don’t go her way on her new show, she winds up in a time-traveling van that takes her to the 6th century.

There, she meets a man much like herself in terms of arrogance, but his hidden soft spot and generosity towards the poor changes her perspective on her own life and self.

Where to watch My Only Love Song:

Signal, tvn (2016).

Signal is based on the 2000 American film Frequency , but another thing that sets this South Korean series apart from others is that the cases investigated in the series are also based on real-life crimes in the country.

Signal follows a cold case profiler from 2015 and a detective from 1989 simultaneously; they discover they’re able to communicate with each other through an old walkie-talkie.

Using this unique ability to provide much-needed foresight in investigations, they team up to both solve and in some cases, even prevent these horrific crimes.

Where to watch Signal:

Rooftop prince, sbs (2012).

Last but not least, South Korea brings its last time-traveling series to the table with Rooftop Prince , a comedy-drama filled with intrigue, mixed identities, and possible reincarnations.

Crown Prince Lee Gak from the Joseon dynasty accidentally time travels to 2012 with three others from his entourage, and their lives are thrown into a whirlwind.

He crosses paths with Se-na, who looks exactly like his recently deceased wife.

In the hopes of getting answers about his wife’s mysterious drowning, he assumes the identity of another man who he also looks exactly like and attempts to marry Se-na in this timeline as well.

Where to watch Rooftop Prince:

11 comments.

Tomorrow people cw

You forgot The Time Tunnel, an Irwin Allen sci-fi show (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost In Space, Land of The Giants), all classic 60s sci-fi

Journeyman should also be on this list. It was only half a season on NBC but it wraps up to a satisfying conclusion.

Fantastic acting and interesting characters.

Glad someone else watched Journeyman. I thought I’d was a great spiritual successor to Quantum Leap.

Journeyman is one of the good shows u can watch but qunatum leap i watched and didnt like

Where is The Time Tunnel?????

Another show for your list is “Being Erica” (CBC, 2009-2011). Excellent writing, and very unique.

i was looking for this comment. such an underrated show

I concur. This was definitely a great one. It certainly provides a lot of food for thought.

Some of the information in the Doctor Who one is wrong. It started in 1963, it was only revived in 2005 (you put 2006), and it’s been going for 39 seasons, as of June 2022

Thanks for letting me know! I updated the article accordingly.

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Everything You Need to Know About ‘Dark,’ Netflix’s Most Arresting Show

As the German time-travel series enters its second season, two Ringer staffers attempt to unspool the mysteries from the previous 10 episodes

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If you haven’t watched the first season of Dark and would rather not know what happens in it, turn back now. This post contains spoilers. Like, right after this sentence.

Dark is a German drama on Netflix about time travel and confused teenagers. But if you were constructing a course about its themes, Item 1 on the syllabus would be the variable concepts of responsibility and free will; Item 1a would be multigenerational trauma. I guess I no longer need to describe Dark as grim—central to the plot is the unexplainable disappearance of two young boys in the small town of Winden—but the show’s preoccupation is whether or not we’re doomed to repeat past mistakes.

Other salient questions: How far in the past? How past is the past? How changeable are the present and future? There’s a nuclear power plant in Winden; in the first episode, a fuzzy radio broadcast congratulates the town on never having an incident. Yet every 30 years or so, birds fall from the sky and dead livestock dot the fields.

Dark is an extremely plot-driven show best understood in flow charts and infographics, but to attempt a brief summary: There’s a blond kid named Jonas. He just returned from a mental health facility in France, where he was getting clinical help dealing with the emotional and mental aftereffects of his father’s suicide. Jonas returns to school to find things not as he left them—his best friend is now dating the girl Jonas finally kissed last summer before his nervous breakdown, and the guy he used to score weed from vanished without a trace a few days before. The town is in a real tizzy about it; there are a lot of community meetings and curfews are put in place. Also, Jonas’s mom is having an affair with Ulrich, the lead detective on the missing persons case, who’s married to the principal at Jonas’s school. Ulrich’s son Mikkel also goes missing, and over the course of 10 really gripping episodes, you come to realize that Mikkel was also Jonas’s dead father “Michael,” and that control—like the boundaries between past, present, and future—is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.

Dark returns to Netflix for its second season this week, so I’ve enlisted my colleague and fellow Dark fan Meg Schuster to help unspool some of the key events of the show, address lingering questions from the first season, and otherwise ramble about determinism.— Micah Peters

Peters: SO. Megan. My first question is also my most annoying: Is time linear? Or is everything happening at once, across infinite timelines? IS THERE A DARK CINEMATIC UNIVERSE? Please say no.

Megan Schuster: Micah! I’m so glad you asked, and I just want to say off the bat that I’m both thrilled and preemptively terrified of opening my mind back up to the Galaxy Brain of television shows. But here we go.

In the Dark universe, time is an obsession. Every character is touched by the Matrix fluctuations that occur in the present (2019), past (1986), and super-past (1953) timelines. In the show’s “present day,” H.G. Tannhaus, a Winden watch-repairer-turned-apocalypse-machine-maker-turned-writer (same) explains his theory of time to the Stranger, a hooded figure who later reveals himself to be the future version of Jonas. To illustrate his idea, Tannhaus uses the image of a light shining into a dark, infinitely large room. Without interruption, the light should continue on its path indefinitely. Toss an obstacle into the mix, though—something rational like, oh, I don’t know, a wormhole —and all bets are off.

Having recently delved back into the Dark texts, my instinct is to say that all of these timelines are happening at once. Despite how difficult that is to wrap my limited human brain around, it somehow feels like the tidiest solution? Take, for example, the way characters time-hop, the fact that Senile Helge could confront Middle-Aged Helge in 1986 and not have the world implode, and even the realization that Michael (a.k.a. grown-up Mikkel/Jonas’s father) and the original Mikkel had to have existed in the same timeline— in the same town —for at least 11 years. It all makes me think these loops are plodding along on some predetermined schedule, hitting all the right notes in concert with one another. But is that theory too easy? (“Easy” obviously being a relative term since we’re talking about time travel here.)

Peters: You’re right, I wouldn’t say there’s anything easy about understanding what’s happening in Dark. But let’s expound on “predetermined schedule” because another obsession of the denizens of Winden, or at least of future-Jonas and present-Tannhaus, is the question of whether our decisions between separate courses of action are distinctly our own. At the beginning of the penultimate episode of Season 1, “Everything Is Now,” there’s a long cut of the different temporal versions of all the characters we’ve met so far staring blankly into the camera. I want to stress blankly , because it elevates a really heady Tannhaus voice-over about man’s origins, the meaninglessness of existence, and whether or not we’re all just pawns on a chessboard being moved by forces we can never hope to fully comprehend.

Schuster: Here is where I’d like to jump in and briefly mention how extremely “hits blunt once” Tannhaus’s character is, but also give him kudos for being … almost entirely spot on?

Peters: I mean, as far as we know? The paper trick Tannhaus does is a visual representation of an Einstein-Rosen bridge , which is basically just a guess at how divergent points across space-time might be connected. So if what happens at one point affects all the rest, then does anything that anyone does actually matter? If Jonas pulls back from a kiss with Martha Nielsen and spares his best friend’s feelings instead of following in his mother’s romantic footsteps (which would mean making out with his aunt ), does the world as we know it still end? “Is it even possible to change things? Or is time an eternal beast that can’t be defeated?”

Schuster: That first question—which Tannhaus asks in Episode 8—is especially interesting to me heading into the show’s second season, because in Season 1, the answer was largely no. We saw so much of the “present day” plot play out in the first few episodes that each trip back in time seemed designed to show us how we got there. Ulrich had to travel back to 1953 and bludgeon a Young Helge (essentially trying to “kill baby Hitler”) for Middle-Aged Helge to turn into a pawn who could be easily manipulated by a stronger presence (more on that in a bit). Future Jonas couldn’t let Present Jonas out of the bunker in the final episode because then Future Jonas couldn’t complete his mission. Any time a character gets an original idea— Present Jonas trying to bring a Young Mikkel back to the present; Old Helge attempting to reason with his younger self—there’s a force there to stop them.

But toward the end of the season, two puppet masters revealed themselves: Claudia Tiedemann, who controlled the town’s nuclear power plant for years, and in the 2019 timeline resides in a creepy Unabomber-like basement, and Noah, the non-religious priest who possesses a talent for manipulation. Noah convinces Middle-Aged Helge to kidnap children so he can use them to test a time machine. And Claudia incepts Future Jonas to think he’s actually shutting the wormhole down, when in fact his actions cause it.

Both have their own agendas: Noah, in a recruitment-style conversation with Jonas’s friend (and Claudia’s grandson) Bartosz Tiedemann, says that there are light forces and dark forces vying for control of time travel; he claims to be on the side of the light (though that is extremely up for debate, given that he kills children to achieve his ends). Claudia is a bit more of a mystery, though her motivations seem to be tied up in her former role within the power plant.

I want to hear your thoughts on this idea of predetermination, Micah, and whether you think Noah and Claudia have control over this world, or some kind of extra information that we don’t. But also, given the screen time Noah has in the Season 2 trailer, I also wanted to ask you: What do you think his role is in all of this?

Peters: Well I was gonna say that in the beginning, it seems as though there are a lot of people doing stuff for no other reason than because the plot says so. Eventually, we come to find that Noah sort of wants to be the plot, via a choice of a back tattoo:

Schuster: Perhaps the only back tat that could rival Ben Affleck’s .

Peters: Yeah Noah’s is extremely less … Spencer’s Gifts. Anyway, Noah is probably definitely not to be trusted. He dresses like a priest but he’s actually a hermeticist. Without getting too into the weeds about it: He believes that God gave one true theology to man long ago, and that all the world’s religions are like denominations of the same faith. He also believes the world is doomed, and that the completion of his time machine can save it. That’d be a noble endeavor if it weren’t for the fact that, you know, it necessitates kidnapping and experimenting on kids.

Still, though—regardless of what we know about how or why Claudia wields her soft power—I don’t really love the idea of any one changeable human person deciding the fate of the world. Universe? Multiverse? Are we even clear about what exactly is on the line here?

Schuster: We are certainly not! At least I’m not. Since we really only see how all of this time-hopping mumbo-jumbo affects Winden, it’s unclear whether there’s been any impact on the rest of civilization. It seems impossible that there wouldn’t be, and yet, Winden is so insular—and has been for generations—that we have to at least entertain the idea that it’s largely been contained.

I suspect we’ll find out more about this in Season 2, though, because the final scene of the first season shows Jonas being spat out into the future—the year 2052, to be exact—and it appears as though we’re in a post-nuclear-apocalypse world. Given how nuclear catastrophes tend to work (I just finished watching the wonderful HBO series Chernobyl , so I feel pretty confident in my expertise on this matter), there’s no way the damage is contained to Winden. Or Germany. Or probably even Europe. I don’t expect we’ll stray too far beyond Winden this season, but we might get some insight into Noah’s and Claudia’s larger plots. I mean, there’s really no point in “harnessing time” if your machinations affect only one small German town.

Another interesting wrinkle to the future plot comes from the last line of Season 1. When Jonas is sprung forward into 2052, he’s met by an armored truck full of what look like guerrilla forces. They’re all masked—though I must say, quite poorly for an area that’s crawling with radiation. (Again, I’m an expert.)

A woman steps down from the truck and approaches Jonas. He asks her what year it is. She stares him down, and then, right before knocking him out with the butt of her gun, says, “Welcome to the future.” Micah. MICAH. How does she know she’s in “the future”? Do people in 2052 all know about time travel? Is this what we have to look forward to in 33 years?

Peters: So you’re sure we’re in 2052 and not further in the future? I wasn’t—when Helge and Jonas switch places across a time rift between the year 1953 and the weird wallpaper room in 1986, respectively, right before Future Jonas sets off his time machine, doesn’t that mean he could’ve ended up anywhere? Any when.

But still, whenever he ended up, it’s definitely on the other side of an apocalyptic event. My guess is this season we’ll see exactly what that event was, and whether reversing it, or ensuring that it happens, is the quote-unquote right thing to do. What if the rest of the world survives because of what happened to Winden? What if saving Winden means the end of everything else? I mean, otherwise, I can’t figure what the point of the 2052 (?) timeline would be.

Schuster: When Season 1 wrapped up, it felt like they purposefully kept the year of the future foggy because, outside of the 33-year loops, that plot really could have come at any time. (Netflix has since said that it’s 2052.) The important part isn’t the year, it’s that we get closer to answering the overarching “What’s the point” question.

As you wrote when the show first came out, Season 1 was so plot-driven that we didn’t get much in the way of broader scope. So much energy was concentrated on keeping characters straight and setting up plot developments that it could only hint at Larger Ideas at work. Now that the table is set and characters’ motivations have been laid out, it’s time to more closely examine those themes.

About a minute into the trailer, white letters flash across a black background: EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED. That’s the idea that the first season set up. Season 2’s responsibility is explaining why that connection matters.

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‘Dark’ Review: Season 2 Is Defiantly Bizarre, Twisty, and More Addictive Than Ever

Hanh nguyen.

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“ Dark ” Season 2 is completely incomprehensible unless one has seen the first season. In fact, word to the wise: Go back and rewatch Season 1 now if you haven’t recently. This non-spoilery review will still be here when you get back. *Cue iconic ’80s Europop tune.*

Done? Wunderbar.

The German-language sci-fi series co-created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese returns with more time-travel paradoxes, murders, affairs, and surprise ancestors who may or may not create unforeseen incest scenarios. “Game of Thrones” really has nothing on “Dark.”

There’s no “previously on” or coddling for viewers who have returned to the tiny German town of Winden and the four families who are all connected through some unknown cosmic phenomenon. Instead, the gloves are off and the series jumps immediately into a new timeline that sets the creepy and murderous tone for this season.

The result feels like the show has jumped onto the Autobahn with no attempt to gracefully merge, speeding full-tilt, and expecting the viewers to keep up. The time jumps are initially indicated with onscreen text, but the deeper one goes into the season, the fewer markers are given. Similarly, the massive ensemble of German characters are barely explained at all. Even the overlaid images of the younger and older versions of the same character from different timelines assume viewers remember the context and significance of each.

Related Stories Summer 2019 Preview: 25 Must-Watch TV Shows ‘Dark’ Theories and Burning Questions: Jonas’ Fate, the Wallpapered Room, and That Massive Back Tattoo

Although Season 1 evoked a certain thrill of discovery as each element became clearer to how it fit into this puzzle box of a show, the result of less exposition is a far more dense and action-packed season that yes, can occasionally become confusing. Parents may meet someone older who happens to be their child or one person travels to another time, which changes the context from how we know them and creates a cognitive dissonance.

To quickly recap what came before and how that plays into Season 2:

1. Jonas Kahnwald (Louis Hofmann)

The high school student became embroiled in the events of last season when his friend’s younger brother Mikkel (Daan Lennard Liebrenz) went missing when he was shunted to the past and became Jonas’ own father. Of course, that means that the girl Jonas has feelings for is actually his aunt. Bummer. Season 2 picks up after the cliffhanger of Jonas traveling to the future into a bleak world. Our tragic hero becomes resourceful in this dystopian environment, and one can’t help but root for this young man who feels like one of the few characters who want to put other people first.

2. The 33-Year Cycle

Time-travel in “Dark” occurs in increments of 33 years because the wormhole is only activated when the sun and moon align, a cycle of every 33 years. Season 1 begins in 2019, and travels back to 1986 and 1953. But time in Winden has not been at a standstill between seasons, and thus viewers will have to adjust to however much time has advanced during each of these cycles. There’s a reason for this advancement that creates more urgency to the story this time, which makes for a less meandering experience. Also, at least one more time period will be introduced, which creates a delicious sense of destiny throughout the generations.

3. The Nielsens, Dopplers, and Tiedemanns

Besides Jonas and his mother Hannah Kahnwald (Shani Atias), three other families play major roles in whatever is going on in Winden. And here’s where a Season 1 refresher will help because Season 2 also brings forth many of the characters who seemed more minor the first time around and gives them far more integral roles to play. Once again, the casting is mind-blowingly uncanny. Not only has production found actors to play the childhood, middle-aged, and even elderly versions of the same characters, but across the board every performer is excellent. This seamless casting helps ground this bonkers series with all of its strange events and whiplash timeline jumps. It’s also a fascinating way to showcase a character’s personal evolution over time. Thankfully, only a handful of new faces are introduced, who no doubt are related to these four families in some way.

4. Time Travel Rules and Paradoxes

Remember when Rust Cohle on “True Detective” said, “Time is a flat circle”? How quaint that sounds in comparison to the complex Ourobouros of a world in which Winden exists. Every time travel story has to set the parameters by which it can operate, and in the world of “Dark,” meeting a past (or future) self seems to be no big deal. Although the Grandfather Paradox is lightly touched upon (killing your grandfather in an older timeline thus eliminates your own existence), it’s never really belabored.

Similarly, this season introduces the Bootstrap Paradox or Causal Loop Paradox in which objects or information don’t have a clear origin of what caused them within the time loop. It’s a handy loophole that helps the viewer make sense of events in “Dark” that really don’t make sense. Having a built-in name for this confusion doesn’t alleviate the need to explain it, but it does help categorize it neatly to be mulled over later while the rest of the show can be enjoyed.

But to go back to Rust Cohle (or did we never leave him?), he’s speaking about Nietzsche’s Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence, the idea that events from the past and the future will recur again and again infinitely. Season 2 leans far, far into this concept, even repeating this explanation ad nauseam perhaps to illustrate the concept through dialogue in addition to driving the idea home.

5. The Point of It All

Despite all of the time travelers gadding about where they don’t belong and the mind- and time-bending activities, devoted fans of “Dark” will only be inspired to dig in more. The characters are just far too compelling to abandon in their never-ending hours of need, and the challenge of having these characters break the cycle is also a draw.

While “Dark” probably won’t solve humanity’s biggest philosophical conundrums, it does offer an existential playground that few other shows dare venture into. There’s also a strong case that Friese and bo Odar have an actual ending in mind for the series since Season 2 already pays off numerous burning questions that were teased in its first outing. Plus, it’s reassuring that Netflix has already ordered a third season of the show.

“Dark” is a rewarding investment in time spent in untangling the family trees and timelines. It’s also an intriguing experiment in how looped events and themes of determinism can play into growth and evolution. Perhaps “Dark” is the ultimate vehicle to illustrate the flat circle of recurrence as one season can flow into the next and back to the beginning. Just remember…

“Dark” Season 2 is completely incomprehensible unless one has seen the first season. In fact, word to the wise: Go back and rewatch Season 1 now if you haven’t recently. This non-spoilery review will still be here when you get back…

“Dark” Season 2 is now available on Netflix.

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42 Best Time Travel & Quantum Theory TV Series

The best TV series with a major time travel premise. Shows that were reviewed, but didn't make the cut: Legends of Tomorrow The Flash Time Tunnel Terra Nova Primeval Time Traveling Bong The Girl from Tomorrow Goodnight Sweetheart Lost in Austen 7 Days Journeyman Tru Calling 5ive Days to Midnight The Fantastic Journey Time Trax Mirror, Mirror Dr. Jin Somewhere Between Captain Z-ro Ashes to Ashes The Librarians Rick and Morty Star Trek Discovery

• Movies or TV
• IMDb Rating
• In Theaters
• Release Year

1. Doctor Who (2005–2022)

TV-PG | 45 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

The further adventures in time and space of the alien adventurer known as the Doctor and his companions from planet Earth.

Stars: Jodie Whittaker , Peter Capaldi , Pearl Mackie , Matt Smith

Votes: 246,042

2. Dark (2017–2020)

TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A family saga with a supernatural twist, set in a German town where the disappearance of two young children exposes the relationships among four families.

Stars: Louis Hofmann , Karoline Eichhorn , Lisa Vicari , Maja Schöne

Votes: 442,060

3. Loki (2021–2023)

TV-14 | 586 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

The mercurial villain Loki resumes his role as the God of Mischief in a new series that takes place after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.”

Stars: Tom Hiddleston , Owen Wilson , Sophia Di Martino , Wunmi Mosaku

Votes: 410,090

4. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016–2017)

TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

Holistic detective Dirk Gently investigates cases involving the supernatural.

Stars: Samuel Barnett , Elijah Wood , Hannah Marks , Jade Eshete

Votes: 57,190

5. Devs (2020)

TV-MA | 51 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

A computer engineer investigates the secretive development division in her company, which she believes is behind the disappearance of her boyfriend.

Stars: Sonoya Mizuno , Nick Offerman , Jin Ha , Cailee Spaeny

Votes: 47,386

6. Doctor Who (1963–1989)

TV-PG | 25 min | Adventure, Drama, Family

The adventures in time and space of the Doctor, a Time Lord who changes appearance and personality by regenerating when near death, and is joined by companions in battles against aliens and other megalomaniacs.

Stars: William Hartnell , Patrick Troughton , Jon Pertwee , Tom Baker

Votes: 39,465

7. Russian Doll (2019–2022)

TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery

A cynical young woman in New York City keeps dying and returning to the party that's being thrown in her honor on that same evening. She tries to find a way out of this strange time loop.

Stars: Natasha Lyonne , Charlie Barnett , Greta Lee , Elizabeth Ashley

Votes: 106,832

8. Erased (2017)

TV-14 | 30 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

After finding his mom killed, Satoru's time-traveling ability takes him back 18 years for a chance to prevent her death and those of three classmates.

Stars: Yûki Furukawa , Tomoka Kurotani , Reo Uchikawa , Brenda Joan Wong

Votes: 4,379

9. The OA (2016–2019)

TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

Having gone missing seven years ago, the previously blind Prairie returns home, now in her twenties with her sight restored. While many believe she is a miracle, others worry that she could be dangerous.

Stars: Brit Marling , Jason Isaacs , Scott Wilson , Alice Krige

Votes: 115,531

10. Lost (2004–2010)

TV-14 | 5,445 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy

The survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.

Stars: Jorge Garcia , Josh Holloway , Yunjin Kim , Evangeline Lilly

Votes: 593,749

11. The Umbrella Academy (2019–2024)

A family of former child heroes, now grown apart, must reunite to continue to protect the world.

Stars: Aidan Gallagher , Elliot Page , Tom Hopper , David Castañeda

Votes: 274,444

12. The Peripheral (2022)

TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Set in the future when technology has subtly altered society, a woman discovers a secret connection to an alternate reality as well as a dark future of her own.

Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz , Gary Carr , Jack Reynor , JJ Feild

Votes: 79,807

13. Life on Mars (2006–2007)

TV-14 | 959 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

After a near-fatal car accident, smart, savvy, sharp-suited detective Sam is mysteriously transported back to 1973. Confused by his new surroundings, Sam tries to return to the present, but the police force of long ago needs his help.

Stars: John Simm , Philip Glenister , Liz White , Dean Andrews

Votes: 32,288

14. Quantum Leap (1989–1993)

TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

During an experiment into time travel, a scientist finds himself trapped in the past, "leaping" into the lives of different people, sorting out their problems and changing history in hopes of getting back to his own life in the present.

Stars: Scott Bakula , Dean Stockwell , Deborah Pratt , Dennis Wolfberg

Votes: 36,387

15. Dark Shadows (1991)

TV-PG | 45 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

Victoria Winters comes to Collinwood, an isolated mansion in Maine, to work as a governess, but soon finds herself drawn into a strange world of vampires, ghosts and curses.

Stars: Ben Cross , Barbara Blackburn , Jim Fyfe , Joanna Going

Votes: 2,133

16. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009)

TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy

Set after the events in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Sarah Connor and her son, John, try to stay under-the-radar from the government, as they plot to destroy the computer network, Skynet, in hopes of preventing Armageddon.

Stars: Lena Headey , Thomas Dekker , Summer Glau , Richard T. Jones

Votes: 62,752

1 season - 21 episodes

17. Timeless (2016–2018)

TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

An unlikely trio travels through time to battle unknown criminals and protect history as we know it.

Stars: Abigail Spencer , Matt Lanter , Malcolm Barrett , Paterson Joseph

Votes: 46,990

18. Making History (2017)

21 min | Adventure, Comedy, History

Making History follows three friends from two different centuries as they try to balance the thrill of time travel with the mundane concerns of their present-day lives.

Stars: Adam Pally , Leighton Meester , Yassir Lester , John Gemberling

Votes: 2,611

19. Frequency (2016–2017)

TV-MA | 42 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

A police detective in 2016 discovers that she is able to communicate with her father via a ham radio, despite the fact that he died in 1996.

Stars: Peyton List , Riley Smith , Devin Kelley , Mekhi Phifer

Votes: 14,361

1 season - 10 episodes

20. 12 Monkeys (2015–2018)

TV-14 | 42 min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery

Follows the journey of a time traveler from the post-apocalyptic future who appears in present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will nearly destroy the human race.

Stars: Aaron Stanford , Amanda Schull , Noah Bean , Barbara Sukowa

Votes: 48,598

4 seasons - 42 episodes

21. 11.22.63 (2016)

TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance

Jake Epping, a teacher, gets a chance to travel back in time to avert the death of John F. Kennedy. However, history's aversion to alteration and his love for the era and a woman endanger him.

Stars: James Franco , Sarah Gadon , George MacKay , Chris Cooper

Votes: 98,924

22. Being Erica (2009–2011)

TV-14 | 45 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

"Therapist" Dr. Tom - who is constantly spouting famous and not so famous historical quotes - is Erica Strange's savior and worst enemy.

Stars: Erin Karpluk , Reagan Pasternak , Michael Riley , Kathleen Laskey

Votes: 10,193

4 seasons - 46 episodes

23. Timeslip (1970–1971)

30 min | Family, Sci-Fi

Simon and Liz were teenage friends who fell into a time hole and found themselves trapped in various periods of the 20th century, where they encounter all sorts of adventures. Many of them ... See full summary  »

Stars: Cheryl Burfield , Spencer Banks , Denis Quilley , Iris Russell

24. The Ministry of Time (2015–2020)

TV-MA | 3,155 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

A warrior from the 16th Century, the first female university student from the 19th Century, and a paramedic from the 21st Century join a secret agency to prevent people from changing Spanish history using time-traveling doors.

Stars: Cayetana Guillén Cuervo , Juan Gea , Francesca Piñón , Jaime Blanch

Votes: 5,546

2 seasons - 26 episodes

25. Steins;Gate (2011–2015)

TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama

After discovering time travel, a university student and his colleagues must use their knowledge of it to stop an evil organization and their diabolical plans.

Stars: Mamoru Miyano , Asami Imai , Kana Hanazawa , Ashly Burch

Votes: 73,077

26. Sleepy Hollow (2013–2017)

TV-14 | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Crime

Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers.

Stars: Tom Mison , Lyndie Greenwood , Nicole Beharie , Orlando Jones

Votes: 64,129

4 seasons - 58 episodes

27. Travelers (2016–2018)

TV-MA | 45 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Hundreds of years from now, surviving humans discover how to send consciousness back through time, into people of the 21st century, while attempting to change the path of humanity.

Stars: Eric McCormack , MacKenzie Porter , Nesta Cooper , Jared Abrahamson

Votes: 64,165

2 seasons - 21 episodes

28. Torchwood (2006–2011)

TV-MA | 50 min | Action, Drama, Mystery

The members of the Torchwood Institute, a secret organization founded by the British Crown, fight to protect the Earth from extraterrestrial and supernatural threats.

Stars: John Barrowman , Eve Myles , Kai Owen , Gareth David-Lloyd

Votes: 43,389

29. Tales from the Loop (2020)

TV-MA | 50 min | Drama, Sci-Fi

The townspeople who live above "The Loop," a machine built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe, experience things previously consigned to the realm of science fiction.

Stars: Daniel Zolghadri , Paul Schneider , Rebecca Hall , Robert Nahum

Votes: 22,689

30. Undone (2019–2022)

TV-MA | 377 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy

After she very narrowly survives a serious car accident, a woman discovers that she has a new relationship with time.

Stars: Rosa Salazar , Angelique Cabral , Constance Marie , Bob Odenkirk

Votes: 23,403

31. Odyssey 5 (2002–2004)

After witnessing the sudden implosion of Earth from orbit, a group of five Odyssey astronauts is sent five years back in time by an alien force to find the cause and prevent the disaster. A vast conspiracy stands in their way.

Stars: Peter Weller , Sebastian Roché , Christopher Gorham , Leslie Silva

Votes: 3,158

1 season - 13 episodes

32. Fringe (2008–2013)

TV-14 | 46 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

An F.B.I. agent is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist and his son in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.

Stars: Anna Torv , Joshua Jackson , John Noble , Jasika Nicole

Votes: 257,136

33. Alcatraz (2012)

TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama

In 1963, all the prisoners and guards mysteriously disappear from Alcatraz. In the present day, they resurface and a secret agency are tasked with re-capturing them.

Stars: Sarah Jones , Jorge Garcia , Jonny Coyne , Parminder Nagra

Votes: 40,255

34. Counterpart (2017–2019)

TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A hapless UN employee discovers that the agency he works for is hiding a gateway to a parallel dimension that's in a cold war with our own, and where his other self is a top spy. The war slowly heats up thanks to spies from both sides.

Stars: J.K. Simmons , Olivia Williams , Harry Lloyd , Nazanin Boniadi

Votes: 30,869

35. The Time Traveler's Wife (2022)

TV-MA | 45 min | Drama, Sci-Fi

Tells the intricate love story of Clare and Henry, and a marriage with a problem... time travel.

Stars: Rose Leslie , Theo James , Everleigh McDonell , Gui Agustini

Votes: 17,526

36. Nine: Nine Time Travels (2013)

52 min | Fantasy, Mystery, Romance

A TV anchorman discovers that a mysterious bundle of incense has the power to send him back in time, where he has the opportunity to alter the past.

Stars: Lee Jin-wook , Jo Yun-hie , Jeon No-min , Hie-ryeong Kim

1 season - 16 episodes

37. Voyagers! (1982–1983)

TV-G | 60 min | Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi

A member of a league of time travelers and a boy travel through time repairing errors in world history.

Stars: Jon-Erik Hexum , Meeno Peluce , David Cadiente , Stephen Liska

Votes: 1,750

1 season - 17 episodes

38. The Crossing (2018)

TV-PG | 42 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

Refugees from a war-torn country 180 years in the future start showing up in the present to seek asylum in an American town.

Stars: Steve Zahn , Natalie Martinez , Tommy Bastow , Rob Campbell

Votes: 10,174

39. Flashforward (2009–2010)

TV-14 | 42 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

A special task force in the FBI investigates after every person on Earth simultaneously blacks out and awakens with a short vision of their future.

Stars: Courtney B. Vance , Joseph Fiennes , Jack Davenport , Zachary Knighton

Votes: 62,059

1 season - 19 episodes

40. Outlander (2014– )

TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Claire Beauchamp Randall, a nurse in World War II, mysteriously goes back in time to Scotland in 1743. There, she meets a dashing Highland warrior and gets drawn into an epic rebellion.

Stars: Caitríona Balfe , Sam Heughan , Sophie Skelton , Richard Rankin

Votes: 178,679

41. The Man in the High Castle (2015–2019)

In a dystopian America dominated by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, a young woman discovers a mysterious film that may hold the key to toppling the totalitarian regimes.

Stars: Alexa Davalos , Luke Kleintank , Rufus Sewell , Rupert Evans

Votes: 110,663

42. The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011)

TV-PG | 30 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

Investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith, with the help of her adopted son, his friends, and an intelligent supercomputer, combats evil alien forces here on Earth.

Stars: Elisabeth Sladen , Daniel Anthony , Alexander Armstrong , Tommy Knight

Votes: 6,738

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5 Reasons Why You Should Be Watching ‘Dark,’ Netflix’s New Twisty German Time Travel Show

“Dark” can be one of the most rewarding TV experiences of the year, if you let it

In the era of peak TV, it often feels next to impossible to actually keep up with the shows you already watch, much less try to start new ones. I get it. I watch TV for a living and even I can’t keep up with as many shows as I would like.

So with that in mind, I’m gonna pitch you on “Dark,” the extremely heady new time travel show that just landed on Netflix. It’s going a bit under the radar right now, sandwiched between “The Punisher” and the second season of “The Crown.” Also it’s in German rather than English, which may put you off. But having watched its 10-episode first season twice now, I can confirm it’s worth your time.

“Dark” takes us to the small town of Winden, Germany, a place full of fun personal melodrama — and also children who have gone missing without a trace. It centers on a handful of families that have lived there for a long time and are prominent in the community. The time travel conceit does more than give us a window into how these families have evolved over many decades — it’s brings a whole new meaning to “things are not quite what they seem here.”

I’m going to stop there with the description. I’m not usually one to be overly concerned about spoilers, but “Dark” is such a weird and twisty thing that It’s tough to talk about it much without delving into a place that even I would call spoiler territory. “Dark” is a show best discovered with the bare minimum of information about its premise. That being said, I’m going to, without spoilers, explain why I like the show below, if you need more encouragement.

1. It’s a little bit “Stranger Things,” a little bit “Twin Peaks,” a little bit “Lost” and a whole bunch of doing its own thing

“Dark” is the kind of show where, early on before you really get to know it, you can feel the vibes of shows that came before. The stories that influenced “Dark” are ones that deal with people who are wrestling with extra-natural forces that are just beyond their understanding. But it’s certainly not a show that wears those influences on its sleeve — series creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese have crafted a fiercely original piece of fiction that is one of the most thoughtful and unique TV shows of 2017.

2. It’s one of the rare on-screen time travel stories with airtight time travel logic

Time travel is hard, OK. It’s inherently illogical and can’t follow the rules of reality as we know them in the real world. So the foundation of any good time travel story has to be the rules. You can set whatever time travel rules you want, so long as you stick with them — if you don’t, the story falls apart. It’s a whole extra thing the writers of a story have to deal with, in addition to simply trying to write a good story in the usual sense. So it’s easy to mess that up, because it requires basically double the work.

“Dark” is one of the ones that doesn’t mess that up. It was actually kind of startling when I realized that, because it’s a very complicated story arranged in a complicated way — a way that I was worried midway through was constructed to hide the show playing fast and loose with its rules. But by the time it was over I realized I had worried in vain, because it ultimately does not stray from the time travel framework it set up early . I did have a few nagging questions after it was over, but that’s inevitable since this is a TV show with plans for multiple seasons. Rest assured, this is the type of heady, smart time travel story that really does work on its most fundamental level. It’s kind of a puzzle, so you will have to put some brainpower into it — but that’s a good thing.

3. It’s also a super compelling personal drama

There’s one major character, Ulrich (Oliver Masucci), who I’ve been really fascinated by since I watched the series. “Dark” puts Ulrich at the center of things for a while, and successfully made me care about him even though he’s really kind of a terrible and not particularly likable person the whole way through. What makes him work as a character is how truly human he feels, and Ulrich is representative of how Odar and Friese treat all their characters. There isn’t a single major character on “Dark” who you can’t empathize with on some level, which makes all their myriad interactions and conflicts all the more engrossing.

4. It uses time travel as a religious metaphor

Without delving into the particulars, “Dark” takes a sort of existential angle with its time travel shenanigans, with characters talking about time as if it were God — and who talk about time travel is if it were a means to exert power over God. It’s a fascinatingly weird angle for a time travel story, and one that worked like gangbusters on me since I come from an extremely religious part of the U.S. That Friese and Odar would even think to take the story this way is demonstrative of how “Dark” goes to places you find anywhere else in the realm of television this year.

5. It’s just extremely cool looking, with a stellar score to boot

Aside from simply being an excellent show, “Dark” also manages to be one of the more visually striking shows around. It’s up there, in fact, with “Westworld,” the new “Twin Peaks,” and “Hannibal.” And it’s got a score to match, simple and booming and dread-fueled. “Dark” would probably still be very good were these elements not working on this level, but that they do elevates the show into a truly complete package.

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How German sci-fi Dark deftly mixes time travel with melodrama

Credit: Netflix

"What if everything that came from the past was influenced by the future?"

Clockmaker and author of the fictitious A Journey Through Time , H. G. Tannhaus (Christian Steyer) asks this in the opening monologue of Dark's fourth episode. The German science-fiction series is about to air its third and final season on Netflix (landing June 27), which will hopefully answer some existence-defining questions for the residents of Winden. One of the most ambitious TV shows dealing with the concept of time travel, Dark manages to serve up quantum mechanics and existentialist dilemmas while dishing out soap opera-level twists and relationship melodrama.

Greek mythology, teen angst, and time travel intersect via the tale of Ariadne's red thread while references to The Matrix , thrash metal band Kreator, and Harry Houdini are all relevant to the narrative. In this family saga, creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar carefully balance jaw-dropping twists without dumbing down the scientific or philosophical propositions.

Credit: Netflix 

H.G. Wells coined the term "time machine" in his 1895 novella The Time Machine , but the concept of traveling to a different year goes back even further. Memoirs of the Twentieth Century was written in 1733 by Samuel Madden, which tells the story of a guardian angel who has letters from 1997 and 1998. There are now a vast array of time machines littering pop culture, whether a DeLorean car, ancient stones, or the TARDIS. Each time travel narrative has its own rules dictating what periods can be accessed and who you can interact with.

For most, it is imperative to avoid changing too much because the side effects could wipe someone out of existence. Back to the Future 's disappearing family photograph is an iconic image, the result of Marty McFly's (Michael J. Fox) mother unknowingly getting the hots for her own son. However, if you think this sounds weird, just wait for the familial dynamics and twists that Dark has already dished out in its first two seasons.

Spoilers for Dark Seasons 1 and 2 ahead

the first episode of Dark opens on an Albert Einstein quote — "The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion" — which emphasizes the central conceit before the notion of time travel has even been suggested. The first episode has the eerie small-town quality of Twin Peaks coupled with the underbelly of secrets that both British crime drama and Nordic Noir excel at.

Affairs, teen crushes, and complex dynamics between characters who have lived in Winden their entire lives (and the two generations before them) add to the unsettling vibe, even before young Mikkel Nielsen (Daan Lennard Liebrenz) vanishes into thin air. He is the second child to disappear in weeks and his uncle met the same unexplained fate 33 years beforehand. A mysterious cave, a nuclear plant that is going to be decommissioned in a week, and a body of a different unidentified child all add to the creepy atmosphere.

Mikkel loves magic — he wants to be the next Harry Houdini. When explaining a trick to his police detective father Ulrich Nielsen (Oliver Masucci), Mikkel tells him, "Dad, the question isn't how, the question is when." A line of thought that will become more pertinent with each passing episode. Mixing quotes from Einstein with theories about loopholes, black matter, and debates centering on the nature of man, the mystery of Dark unfolds at a rapid pace.

Relationship conflicts and illicit love affairs are just as vital to the alchemy of this gripping story as the time travel that further complicates matters of the heart. These families who have grown up alongside each other share roots reaching further than any of them could ever possible fathom — well, aside from the few keeping the deep dark secrets. You thought Back to the Future delivered a family dilemma for the ages? Well imagine if you found out your father is the kid who went missing in 2019.

Yellow raincoat-wearing Jonas Kahnwald (Louis Hofmann) has regular teen issues to deal with, including a precarious romance with the girl who is now dating his best friend. A girl he hooked up with during the summer, just before events took a turn for the tragic. The day after Jonas' encounter with Martha Nielsen (Lisa Vicari), his father Michael (who is Mikkel) died by suicide, and the frayed edges of this community began to unravel.

When Mikkel disappeared on that fated November 2019 night, he ended up in the same cave but in 1986. His father still lives in the same house — a lot of the Winden residents live where they grew up — but he is a teenager who has no time for this kid he doesn't recognize. Considering the lengths older Ulrich will go to while searching for his son, finding out he was there all along is quite the cosmic gut-punch. Other mind-frazzling relationship twists include Jonas' mother being in love with Ulrich from when she was 14 years old and having an affair with him in the present, unaware that her husband is her lover's son. Oh, and Martha? She is Mikkel's sister, so Jonas is in love with his aunt. How very Game of Thrones .

There aren't any dragons, but the apocalypse is nigh, and so far every attempt to stop an event has only caused it. This includes Ulrich beating a child's head in with a rock in 1953 because he thinks this will stop the events in 1986 and 2019. Essentially, he is pulling a micro version of the "killing baby Hitler" ethical debate. Instead, Ulrich's violent attack on young Helge Doppler (Tom Philipp) facilitates the tragic chain reaction that results in the death and disappearance of the children — including his brother and son, 33 years apart.

"Winden is like a festering wound. And we're all part of it," Ulrich's wife Katharina (Jördis Triebel), announces on a local radio call-in about the recent events. An emotionally charged assessment of this supposed tight-knit community carefully nails the deception that seeps into every home. Secrets poison the generations that stayed to work in a town bolstered by nuclear power, which in and of itself has been detrimental to the environment. Relationship entanglements and romances date back to 1921 and leap forward to 2052, which includes those frequently traveling through the caves to these dates. Talk about long-distance love that defies time and space.

The roots of these family trees intersect in ways that will make you furrow your brow in confusion; however, the second season takes this first mind-bending reveal and laughs in its face. Ulrich's partner Charlotte Doppler (Karoline Eichhorn) has only just found out her father is one of the people traveling through time, she doesn't yet know that her youngest daughter Elisabeth (Carlotta von Falkenhayn) is also her mother. Quite the heavy bombshell, which even most daytime soaps would not be able to pull off.

Five different periods feature characters at different ages, but some figures freely move between the fixed points separated by 33 years. Antagonists with Biblical names like Adam (Dietrich Hollinderbäumer) and Noah (Mark Waschke) seemingly pull all the strings across the ages. Personifying time so it becomes akin to God is part of this discussion centering on human existence and free will (or the lack thereof), Adam explains, "In short, the God mankind has prayed to for thousands of years, the God that everything is bound with, this God exists as nothing other than time itself." However, they have strong competition from women with deep ties to this location who are also serving as puppet masters dictating how this war will play out. Noah's sister Agnes Nielsen (Antje Traue) — and Ulrich's grandmother — and Claudia Tiedemann are just as influential as the men at the helm. Claudia was once in charge of the power plant and now she has earned herself quite the nickname: the White Devil.

One Latin phrase is etched onto gateways and repeated throughout also represents the society of travelers. "Sic Mundus Creatus Est" means "Thus, the world was created" and it is central to this notion of looping cycles that cannot be altered. Never say never, as the Season 2 finale threw down a multi-verse cliffhanger.

The mind-bending narrative has long suggested the world is split into three, "Nothing is complete without the third dimension. There isn't just only going up and down. There's a center as well. When describing the Time-Space continuum, Einstein and Rosen overlooked something," explains Tannhaus in the first season. "A wormhole connects not just two, but three different dimensions. It connects the past, present, and future." Light and dark is one battle, but the finale's introduction of another Martha separate to the one lying dead on Jonas' kitchen floor could be the key to breaking the cycle.

So many of the main players have motives pertaining to the apocalypse, but one person who is slyly impacting events has zero desire to control time. Nevertheless, this doesn't mean her actions haven't had a huge influence on the Winden landscape. Jonas' mother Hannah Kahnwald (Maja Schöne) is a villain fit for a melodrama. She lies and schemes with self-interest as the driving force. It is fascinating to see how much power she wields, especially as she is first presented as a lover turned Fatal Attraction -style obsessed ex. Fed up with how she is being treated in her own time, she heads back to the 1950s to enact her revenge, opting to stay in the mid-century. It is unclear how much influence or damage she will have over events in Season 3 but don't underestimate her will.

Each point in the past represents a historical fracture, as well as ruptures in personal dynamics. Two of the periods are not long after a World War this country lost, which sees them trying to rebuild for a better future. In the case of the '50s, this West German town is embracing the fuel of the Cold War that is being sold as a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, it becomes the festering wound that Chernobyl symbolizes — acid rain from this incident is referenced in 1986.

When Dark returns for Season 3 on the date the apocalypse will hit Winden (June 27, 2020), the fight for existence is on, but so is the fight for family, no matter where in time they currently are. This is a so-called "good" community where nothing bad happens — aside from child murders littering those specific years. Deftly blending genres, Dark tells a mind-bending story while also serving up a relatable examination of relationships. It is possible to tell a family saga within the framework of quantum mechanics and to do so without dumbing down the science or forfeiting the high drama. Matters of the heart are given as much weight as the meaning of life — what could be more human than that?

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Netflix's Dark: How the Town's Families Tie Into the Time-Travel Drama

Netflix's time-travel drama Dark entangles quite a few families. Now, CBR is breaking down the key houses involved in Winden's temporal web.

Netflix's Dark is one of the most intricate time-travel TV series ever. Originally starting in a 2019 setting, it focuses on the quiet fictional German town Winden, which is really wrapped in webs of deceit. From extramarital affairs to secret pacts covering up a nuclear power plant disaster in the '80s to shadowy figures seemingly kidnapping kids, the series revolves around the protagonist Jonas Kahnwald trying to figure out how his dad's suicide ties into all these strange events.

With a temporal cave at the heart of the mystery, Jonas realizes he can traverse the timestream in 33 year intervals, and the story going on to span 1953 and 1986 as well. However, while Jonas is the heart of the story, Winden has other key families who fit together like pieces of a puzzle to unravel what's happening with the town and its seedy secrets. With Season 2 looming this Friday, let's look at the background and overall role these families play.

THE KAHNWALD FAMILY

Dark opened up with Jonas' dad, Michael, hanging himself and leaving behind a letter for his son. This family's undoubtedly the most integral part of the show, since this was the catalyst for the Stranger to start leaving Jonas clues after he returned from receiving therapy in Paris. Jonas began to look into the cave, as well as his own background, thanks to these hints, and realized that there's more to his dad's suicide than meets the eye.

RELATED: Netflix's Dark Season 2 Gets First Teaser, Release Date

Jonas' mother, Hannah, also has a key role, as she was secretly having an affair with Ulrich Neilsen. However, this came to a halt thanks to the series' other flashpoint, when Ulrich's youngest son, Mikkel, getting lost in the cave when Jonas and some of the town's kids went to look for drugs. This despair drove Ulrich to break the affair off, However, in '86 we learned that Hannah had been obsessed with him since they were teens, which shaped her as a woman scorned.

As for Season 1's big twist revealed, Michael is he's actually Mikkel, who went back to '86 through the cave. He was treated at the Winden hospital by Ines Kahnwald, all while the doctors thought the time-displaced boy was mad. She'd eventually broker a deal to adopt him knowing he was from the future, and Mikkel would grow up as Michael in this closed-loop.

Jonas would discover this later on via the Stranger, traveling to '86 himself to see young Hannah and Mikkel meeting, which culminates with the Stranger revealing he's actually Jonas from a dystopian future who needs these paradoxes to occur for some endgame.

THE NIELSEN FAMILY

Ulrich's story goes way back to the '86 where his dad, Tronte, was a reporter who had an affair with the head of the power plant, Claudia, instead of than investigating what eventually became the nuclear disaster that turned the cave into a wormhole. Eventually, Tronte and his wife, Jana, would have Ulrich and a younger son, Mads, only for the latter to disappear in '86 the same way Mikkel did in 2019.

RELATED: How Time Travel Works in Netflix's Dark

However, Mikkel was actually kidnapped by Noah, a sinister priest, for his own time-travel experiment, with his body then ending up in 2019. This drove Ulrich mad and he set out to find Mikkel in the cave, not knowing what it could do it him. His marriage to Katharina was already on the rocks, and he ended up in '53 as well. He wasn't able to find Mikkel, but he tried to murder a young boy, Helge, who he felt was his son's kidnapper in the future. However, Ulrich would land in jail, left to rot away as a madman over the decades.

Katharina's feud with Hannah turned out to be even more bitter than we thought, as it was revealed that a jealous Hannah lied and said Ulrich tried to assault Katharina in the '80s. Katharina,  tried to maintain focus as Ulrich went missing as well, opting to take care of her remaining kids, Magnus and Martha. Their family continued to be tied to the Kahnwalds, however, since Jonas broke off a relationship with Martha. Since she was Mikkel's sister, only Jonas knew that she was really his aunt.

THE TIEDEMANN FAMILY

When Ulrich tried to kill Helge in '86, he was taken prisoner by Egon Tiedemann, who unknowingly hated that era's teenage Ulrich as well. Egon was on his way out the police force at that point, still heartbroken over his wife Doris apparently leaving him years prior. Flashbacks showed that Doris secretly had a lesbian affair in '53 with Agnes (Ulrich's grandmother), who moved to Winden with her son, Tronte, to escape an abusive husband.

RELATED: Dark: The Apocalypse Can't Be Stopped in Season 2 Trailer

Egon's legacy would play a key role, though, since he and Doris' daughter, Claudia would go on to become just as important as the Stranger. She grew to be in charge of the power plant cover-up in '86, and ended up understanding what the cave could do eventually when the future version of herself from 2019 came back and revealed the truth. Future Claudia divulged key information about the Box, the same device the Stranger used in his time-travels.

At this point, middle-aged Claudia finally understood she was destined for something more, especially in the wake of her affair with Tronte. This came full-circle when old Claudia in 2019 inadvertently worked in tandem with the Stranger (aka middle-aged Jonas) to try to seal the wormhole for good.

Claudia's daughter, Regina was seen in 2019 running a failing hotel and suffering from cancer. Her past revealed that her husband Alexander was a runaway bandit Claudia hired to work at the plant. After he cleaned up his act, changed his identity and rose up the ranks. They had a kid, Bartosz, who grew angry about losing Martha to Jonas, and sadly, he'd fall in line as Noah's disciple, although he's yet to really do anything drastic. As for Alexander's future, Hannah found out the truth about his past and the season ended with her in a massage session, blackmailing him to ruin Ulrich's life, with neither realizing he was already marooned in '86 desperately looking for Mikkel.

THE DOPPLER FAMILY

The Dopplers were integral thanks mostly to Helge, a disturbed and traumatized person. His dad, Bernd, was in charge of commissioning the nuclear plant in the '50s. Helge was bullied in school during this time, and became obsessed with killing birds, which is what drove Ulrich to attempted murder when he met the child. Beating him with a stone is why we'd end up seeing Helge's face disfigured in the future.

RELATED:  Dark: Jonas Searches For The Beginning in Season 2 Teaser

He'd survive but this experience would ruin the boy's life, which allows '80s Noah to turn Helge into his right-hand man. Helge went on to be the muscle Noah used to kidnap kids like Mads, so the priest could experiment on them with his own time-machine (a torture chamber-esque chair). Old Helge in 2019 would repent, however, and come back to '86 to try to stop his middle-aged self by crashing a car into him. While the older Helge died, middle-aged Helge would be taken to the hospital, barely surviving this assassination attempt.

Helge's son Peter secretly worked with Tronte, at the behest of Claudia, after finding Mads' body in 2019. She also worked with them on the wormhole in Helge and Noah's torture room, waiting for who we thought was young Helge, who was locked in this same room in '53.

With Jonas in this same room in 2019, both made contact with each other when the wormhole opened, young Helge was transported to '86 with teenage Jonas shot to a post-apocalyptic future in 2052. Peter's cop wife, Charlotte, was investigating all this, which led to her discovering her partner, Ulrich, in '86, and helped her finally grasp the closed loop they all lived. Her daughter Franziska was in a relationship with Magnus, and her mute daughter, Elisabeth, lost her friend Yasin to Noah and Helge as well, with the victim's body being teleported to the nuclear site's commissioning in '53.

THE TANNHAUS FAMILY

Finally, H.G. Tannhaus is someone who has a lot to do with the entire temporal vibe of the show courtesy of the Box Jonas and Claudia use to time-travel. In '53, we saw that he was a clockmaker who was interested in physics and engineering time machines. Old Claudia would travel back to this time period and leave the blueprints for the Box, with middle-aged Jonas also having several meetings with Tannhaus to discuss his future work.

This Jonas also brought him the A Journey Through Time book that Tannhaus wrote in the future, as well as radioactive material from the power plant, all so he could turn his Box into a wormhole generator. This book focused on temporal passages and the sun-moon cycle, which would help everyone understand  why the wormhole only became active every 33 years due to a cosmic alignment. Ironically, Helge would give this same book to Claudia in '86 as part of an unrequited love.

Apparently, Tannhaus was always destined to make these Boxes for Claudia and Jonas -- it's just that the material he was missing came from decades later. It's worth noting the clockmaker was revealed to be Charlotte's grandfather as well, but that family tree has since been kept obscure.

Interestingly, Ulrich also tied into Tannhaus' life in  a major way, since he sought refuge in his workshop in the '50s. He was actually Tannhaus' first experience with a time-traveler, although the scientist didn't believe it at the time.

This changed when Ulrich was arrested by Egon, leaving behind his cell-phone from 2019 in Tannhaus' shop. He'd end up using the electromagnetic wave it emitted as the final piece of the puzzle needed to complete the Box so older Jonas could use it to try to close the wormhole in 2019. This led to young (battered and bruised) Helge's displacement from '53 to '86, and young Jonas being shunted to 2052; carrying on with the Stranger's mysterious long-term plan.

Created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, Dark stars Oliver Masucci, Karoline Eichhorn and Jördis Triebel. Season 2 arrives Friday on Netflix.

The 10 Best TV Shows About Time Travel, Ranked

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Time travel has fascinated audiences since H. G. Wells published his groundbreaking book The Time Machine in 1895. Today, time travel is more popular than ever—so much so that it's cliché.

Why is time travel so popular? Perhaps because, now more than ever, people want to escape the chaos and stress of their daily lives with a show that ponders the possibility of changing one's fate via time.

Shows about time travel are wildly different from one another, of course. Some tackle this issue with levity and humor while others explore complex philosophical questions.

But every TV show about time travel seems to share one thing in common: they all deal with the potential consequences of change, and how even small changes can have huge effects in the grand scheme of things.

Here are my personal picks for the greatest TV shows about time travel and what they did right when most have failed.

10. The Umbrella Academy (2019)

The Umbrella Academy is a superhero TV show based on the comic book of the same name written by Gerard Way. (Yeah, the very same lead vocalist of My Chemical Romance!)

The series follows a group of seven adopted superhero siblings who reunite to investigate their father's sudden death. But when they travel back in time, they all end up in different time periods, and chaos ensues as they try to find their way back to each other.

If you want a series with a lovable dysfunctional family, interesting character development, entertaining action, and imaginative time-traveling shenanigans, then this is the show for you.

9. Russian Doll (2019)

Russian Doll is a comedy-drama TV show created by Amy Poehler ( Parks and Recreation ), Natasha Lyonne ( Orange is the New Black ), and Leslye Headland ( Sleeping With Other People ). And yes, the series is as impressive as the creative team behind it!

The show follows Nadie Vulvokov, a young woman who finds herself trapped in a time loop after she unexpectedly dies at a party.

As she tries to figure out what happened to her, she finds another man who's going through the same thing. With both of them stuck in a time loop, together they must find a way out of it.

Even though the premise might feel familiar, Russian Doll manages to feel fresh and innovative through its creative use of time travel, interesting main characters, and successful blending of different genres.

8. Erased (2017)

Erased is a Japanese fantasy show based on the manga of the same name, written and illustrated by Kei Sanbe.

The story follows Satoru, a struggling manga artist who has the ability to travel back in time, to moments right before life-threatening incidents.

When Satoru witnesses the murder of his mother, he accidentally travels back in time 18 years to his childhood. This gives him the opportunity to not only save his mother but also to prevent an incident that killed three of his childhood friends.

This is a highly imaginative, character-driven show which explores the consequences and ethical responsibilities of time travel. Definitely a must-watch for fans of these types of stories!

7. DC's Legends of Tomorrow (2016)

DC's Legends of Tomorrow is a superhero TV series that's part of The CW's Arrowverse, featuring characters originally introduced in Arrow and The Flash , plus some new characters.

But even if you've never seen the Arrowverse shows, it's okay. DC's Legends of Tomorrow is an enjoyable watch. The show follows the superheroes who travel through time to prevent disasters from happening.

It might sound like a familiar premise, but this show manages to stand out thanks to its light tone, witty humor, fun character dynamics, and entertaining superhero action.

6. Quantum Leap (1989)

Quantum Leap is a science fiction TV series that originally aired between 1989 to 1993. It stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a physicist who invents a way to travel through time—by temporarily taking the place of other people in the past.

The show also stars Dean Stockwell as Admiral Al Calavicci, a colleague of Dr. Beckett who guides him through his travels. Despite being one of the oldest TV shows on this list, it still holds up today!

Its groundbreaking take on time travel and innovative use of technology inspired numerous TV shows and movies, including Avengers: Endgame , which referenced the show when the characters tried to explain their time travel technology.

5. Outlander (2014)

Outlander is a historical drama TV series based on the romance novels of the same name by Diana Gabaldon.

The show follows Claire Randall, a military nurse who accidentally travels back in time from 1945 to 1743. There she ends up marrying a handsome man named Jamie Fraser to avoid being taken prisoner.

While trying to get back to her time, she starts to fall in love with Jamie, all while being caught in the middle of a Scottish uprising.

Want something unique to watch? This might be the show for you. It has steamy romance, time travel fantasy, and wartime drama.

4. Timeless (2016)

Timeless is a sci-fi TV show about a group of people who attempt to stop a mysterious organization from changing the course of history.

The story involves a history professor, a soldier, and an engineer as they try to track down the people who stole an experimental time machine to rewrite American history.

The interesting part of Timeless is that it steers clear of the usual historical figures—like Benjamin Franklin or George Washington—and instead shines a light on lesser-known historical subjects, including historical women and people of color.

If you're looking for an interesting, entertaining, and even educational show, then Timeless is the time travel TV series for you.

3. 12 Monkeys (2015)

12 Monkeys is a sci-fi mystery show based on the 1995 movie of the same name. The series stars Aaron Stanford as James Cole, a scavenger who's recruited to travel back in time from 2043 to 2015 in order to stop a deadly virus from wiping out most of the planet's population.

Across four seasons of thrilling mystery and character development, the show ends up surpassing its big-screen predecessor and delivers a top-class story about time travel, complete with explorations of philosophical conundrums plus epic romance.

It's definitely worth watching, not jus tas one of the best time travel shows but as one of the best sci-fi shows of the 21st century.

2. Dark (2017)

Dark is a German sci-fi series created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. Not only is it the first German show created by Netflix, but it's also one of the most critically acclaimed series on the platform.

Dark focuses on multiple generations of four interconnected families living in the fictional town of Winden, Germany. In the aftermath of a child's disappearance, they manage to unravel a time-traveling conspiracy that spans several decades.

This is a cerebral show that demands 100% attention while watching. All the little details matter and you'll be solidly rewarded for your focus.

Between its remarkable narrative, crazy visuals, and complex themes, Dark is one of the best TV shows of the streaming era.

1. Doctor Who (2005)

Any discussion about time travel has to include mention of Doctor Who . And when it comes to TV shows with time travel? It reigns as king.

Doctor Who is a British sci-fi TV show about a time-traveling alien known as the Doctor who travels to different times to prevent evil forces from changing history and hurting innocent lives.

Whenever the Doctor is hurt beyond healing, he can transform into a new body, which is why there have been 14 different actors so far who have portrayed the titular character of the series.

The show originally premiered in 1963 and ran until 1989, then was relaunched in 2005 and has been running ever since. For its influence and longevity, it's no stretch to call Doctor Who the most successful and most important TV show about time travel.

Doctor Who is now an integral part of British pop culture and science fiction history. Its innovative use of time travel, its lovable main characters, and its iconic production design make it a must-see show if you're a fan of time travel and science fiction.

Entertainment

This Mysterious Book From Netflix's 'Dark' Has Roots In Real Literature

Some spoilers for Netflix's Dark ahead.

Even though Netflix's new German original series, Dark, is drawing some Stranger Things comparisons, there are a lot of important differences between the two shows. Though Dark has the same delightfully creepy sci-fi vibe that makes Stranger Things so bingeable, its complex plot shines under its own merit. One of the show's key characters is a watchmaker named H.G. Tannhaus, who builds a working time machine and then later writes a book about it, which a few characters are seen reading. So, is H.G. Tannhaus' A Journey Through Time from Dark a real book?

In the 1953 timeline, Winden's watchmaker receives the blueprints for the time machine mechanism from Claudia. It is only later in his life — presumably in the 1986 timeline — that he sits down to write A Journey Through Time , which we see Helge give to Claudia as a gift when she starts her new job at the nuclear plant in 1986. At some point during the writing of the book, we can assume that Tannhaus realizes that Winden is stuck in a time loop , because he starts cryptically telling people things like, "The past doesn't just influence the future, the future also influences the past," and "It's like the question of the chicken and the egg. We can no longer say which of the two came first. Everything is interconnected."

Since H.G. Tannhaus likely isn't a real person , we can safely assume that A Journey Through Time is not a actual book. However, just as the character of H.G. Tannhaus is likely based on a few key historical references, we can surmise, then, that A Journey Through Time is meant to remind us of a few actual works of literature.

One of those was written by H.G. Wells, who, in addition to sharing two initials with the clockmaker, also famously wrote a novella called The Time Machine , which follows a character simply named the Time Traveler who goes on occasionally harrowing adventures into the future and the past; he later disappears and his fate is left open-ended . Wells is commonly credited with coining the concept of a vessel called a time machine , which could allow for passage backwards and forwards through time.

A Journey Through Time is definitely not a published book that actually exists as a manual for time travel in real life. After all, there can't yet be a book about the subject or methods involved in actually traveling through time, because science has not actually figured this whole thing out just yet. However, there is a work of fiction not unlike that of H.G. Wells that deals with what might happen should time travel become possible. Time and Again by Jack Finney tells the tale of a 20th century fellow who is transported back to New York City in 1882. The whole thing treats time travel as a method of transportation or to carry messages between times, which us almost what it becomes in Dark . This book, along with Wells' The Time Machine, was named one of the Top 10 Time Travel books by Huffington Post .

By all accounts, the bespectacled and quirky H.G. Tannhaus is unfortunately not a real person and A Journey Through Time is sadly not a real manual for a working time machine, but he and his ideas certainly seem to have been inspired, at least partially, by some real figures who dabbled in the notions of time travel. Whether it's fiction or a nod to some real possibilities, the conversation surrounding time travel remains alive. If the subject even slightly interests you, Netflix's Dark , whose first season is now streaming, is a fascinating and thrilling ride to take.

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Learn with German TV Shows: 47 Top Series and Where to Watch

German TV shows can be amazing tools for the language learners who want to add some flavor to their lessons.

It’s easier to understand new vocabulary with the added context of a story and its visualization.

German-language shows will also give you a feel for natural pronunciation ,  cases and  word order —and with subtitles you can practice hearing and reading at the same time.

So here’s a list of some awesome German TV series , with details on where to watch them and how to utilize shows within your studies.

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Series

“pax aeterna”, “raumpatrouille orion” (space patrol orion), “alpha 0.7 – der feind in dir” (alpha 0.7 – the enemy within you) , crime series, “kommissar rex” (rex: a cop’s best friend), “dogs of berlin”, “tatort” (crime scene), “im angesicht des verbrechens” (in the face of the crime).

• “Mord mit Aussicht” (Murder with a View)

“Der letzte Bulle” (The Last Cop)

• “Parfum” (Perfume)
• “Block B unter Arrest” (Block B Under Arrest)
• “Ein Starkes Team” (A Strong Team)

“Derrick”

Comedy tv shows , “stromberg”, “verliebt in berlin” (in love in/with berlin).

• “Der Tatortreiniger” (Crime Scene Cleaner)

“Danni Lowinski”

“how to sell drugs online (fast)”.

• “Merz gegen Merz” (Merz Against Merz)

Dramas and Soap Operas

“lindenstraße” (linden street), “verbotene liebe” (forbidden love), “gute zeiten, schlechte zeiten” (good times, bad times), “in aller freundschaft” (in all friendliness), “marienhof”, “doctor’s diary”, “dr. klein”.

• “Bettys Diagnose” (Betty’s Diagnosis)

“Hotel Sacher”

Historical shows.

• “Heimat” (Homeland)

“Unsere Mütter, Unsere Väter” (Our Mothers, Our Fathers)

“weissensee”.

• “Der Gleiche Himmel” (The Same Sky)

Reality TV and Variety Shows 

“schwiegertochter gesucht” (daughter-in-law wanted), “wetten, dass..” (wanna bet that…).

• “Neo Magazin Royale”
• “Verstehen Sie Spaß?” (Do You Understand Fun?)
• “Bauer sucht Frau” (Farmer Seeks Wife)
• “WDR Reisen” (WDR Travel)

“ttt: Titel, Thesen, Temperamente” (Titles, Theses, Temperaments)

Children’s shows, “die sendung mit der maus” (the program with the mouse), “löwenzahn” (dandelion).

• “Die Pfefferkörner” (The Peppercorns)

How to Make the Most of German TV Series

Where to watch: Netflix

“Dark” is one of the biggest shows on Netflix in recent times . It’s a Netflix original series produced in Germany with an all-German cast, and has won numerous awards in Germany and abroad.

“Dark” follows members of the fictional town of Winden in Germany. Strange things are happening in Winden , beginning with the disappearances of some of the inhabitants’ loved ones. As the mystery develops and the plot thickens, other skeletons fall out of the main characters’ closets: affairs, crimes, suicides.

Soon, Winden finds itself in the middle of a conflict of apocalyptic proportions, complete with wormholes, time travel and an epic battle to save the world.

“Dark” is a mix of science fiction and thriller. I recommend it for fans of the American Netflix show “Stranger Things” and other similar TV shows, such as “The X-Files.”

Where to watch: YouTube

Vampires are booming on-screen, and Germany is no exception. In this web series, a new vampire awakens amidst fighting vampire guilds in Cologne. There’s a lot of action and fake blood, but the camera always fades out before you can see something that might ruin your appetite.

The language is pretty standard, so it’s easy to follow. One character sometimes speaks English.

Where to watch: DVD on Amazon , Apple TV  

Did you ever wonder what the German version of “Star Trek” would look like?

In the first German sci-fi series, Commander McLane and his crew aboard the space cruiser Orion  protect Earth from extraterrestrial threats.

While fighting against the hostile “Frogs” (read: aliens, not Frenchmen!), he often finds himself at odds with authorities. The 1965 cult black and white series features hand-made special effects, ’60s hairdos and retro gadgets.

The good thing about the future according to the ’60s is that there are no dialects and no Umgangssprache ; the language is rather formal. On the downside, you need to be fairly familiar with technical vocabulary.

Where to watch: DVD on Amazon

In this dystopian series set in 2017 , Germany has become a surveillance state. When a group of civil rights activists is protesting against a new brain scanner, they stumble across a conspiracy even bigger than they imagined . But will they be able to stop the powerful corporation Protecta Society?

Being the first transmedia German series, “Alpha 0.7” has different layers. The TV series works on its own, but you only get the complete picture in combination with the corresponding radio play and website, which is unfortunately offline but can be viewed via the Wayback Machine .

The characters speak standard language at a moderate pace, but be prepared for some IT-specific vocabulary. Although the young activists talk faster and use more colloquial language, it’s easy to follow the plot.

“Kommissar Rex” is a German-Austrian show about a police dog who helps a team of cops solve every crime investigation with sheer instinct and intuition. Rex is a German shepherd and a beloved character in many different countries around the world.

The series is set in Wien, but a new Austrian-Italian production of the series is set entirely in Italy. The original series is great for language learners of all levels.

“Dogs of Berlin” is the second Netflix original series produced in Germany . As with “Dark,” this show is completely in German with English subtitles and German closed captions for accurate German transcriptions.

“Dogs of Berlin” follows two police officers investigating the murder of a famous (fictional) German-Turkish soccer player named Orkan Erdem. If you need any foreshadowing, the German word Orkan means “hurricane,” and that pretty much sums up this action-packed show!

As the investigation into Orkan’s murder progresses, the police officers uncover more and more unsavory information that puts Orkan Erdem—and even the whole policing institution—in a bad light. At the same time, tension and rumors surrounding the murder begin to grip Berlin, and eventually, the city is thrown into hysteria as tensions rise between pro-Turkish groups, the Berlin mafia and neo-Nazis.

Where to watch: ARD Mediathek

“Tatort” is the longest-running and most popular German crime series. Many devotees watch it with friends at home or in a pub and exchange bets on the murderer. “Tatort” also features some of the most well-known German actors, such as Til Schweiger (“Inglorious Basterds”) or Sibel Kekilli (“Game of Thrones”).

Since 1970, the opening sequence has remained the same, but the episodes have kept in touch with the zeitgeist. The series’ trademark is its critical perspective on the social setting of the crime , debating topical issues like integration, extremism or corruption.

Especially interesting from a language point of view, the episodes are produced by different regional teams in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and star different inspectors, making it several series in one.

This means you can easily avoid the dialects that are most difficult for you, or, if you’re planning to visit, familiarize yourself with a particular one. The pace and use of Umgangssprache differs with inspectors and the social milieus they’re investigating.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime , DVDs on Amazon

This 10-part German TV series about the Russian mafia in Berlin is, in my humble opinion, one of the best German productions out there. Though the viewer figures were low when it aired, it received critical acclaim for its unique plot and impressive cast.

It tells the story of police officer Marek Gorsky, the son of Latvian-Jewish immigrants, who, along with his partner, is investigating the dealings of the Russian mafia in Germany’s capital.

Gorsky is a tormented character who, in his job, struggles with the memory that his brother’s murder case was never solved, and the fact that his sister is married to a Russian mobster.

This highly suspenseful action series is perfect for German students with a higher level of German who are looking for something to keep them on the edge of their seats!

“Mord mit Aussicht”  (Murder with a View)

Detective Sophie Haas is the main character in “Mord mit Aussicht.” Contrary to her expectation of working in Köln, she must instead tackle crimes in the fictional village of Hengasch. Despite its small size, Hengasch has plenty of unique quirks.

It’s a satirical drama that gets most of its ironic laughs from emphasizing the regular clichés often found in standard crime drama series . It also pokes fun at the many differences between city and provincial living.

This series is an easy way to get your fix of police drama (and jargon) while enjoying witty and comedic German.

Where to watch: DVDs on Amazon , SAT.1 Online

Homicide detective Mick Brisgau has been in a coma since the late 1980s. Twenty years later he wakes up and returns to work with the Essen homicide department.

“Der letzte Bulle” follows Brisgau, an old-school macho cop, as he tries to come to terms with his new modern life and deal with new technology. He also has to come to terms with the fact that his old crime-fighting partner is now married to his ex-wife.

It sounds like a somber plot, but there’s actually quite a bit of humor and thoughtful dialogue infused into the storyline. The series can also resonate with the nostalgics who, like Mick, have a bittersweet relationship with current-day trends and technology.

Where to watch: ZDF ( Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen – Second German Television)

“Wilsberg” was developed in the 1990s. The show followed Georg Wilsberg, your typical small-town hero: he’s a bookseller by day and a private eye by night .

His private eye capabilities help keep his neighborhood safe as he uncovers petty crimes and even crimes that implicate more powerful people in his town.

As expected, there are a few laughs along the way! At times, the show is charming and funny, but it can be suspenseful and dramatic . Since the show is from the 1990s, the language is a bit altmodisch  (old-fashioned), but still familiar to older German speakers.

Where to watch: Prime Video

“Blochin: Die Lebenden und die Toten” (“Blochin: The Living and the Dead”) is a mini-series that originally aired in 2015 on ZDF.

The show follows a police officer named Blochin who must confront his shady past as a drug dealer to solve a crime that threatens to destabilize his community and daily life.

Naturally, this crime involves old friends from his past life, and what he discovers even implicates prominent German politicians.

This show is only one season long with five episodes, each between 60 and 90 minutes in length. Like other shows on this list, this show is great for learning crime and legal vocabulary as well as for getting a taste of what would be considered “non-standard German.” In this case, that means the criminals use a lot of informal language and vocabulary related to crime and drugs.

“Parfum”  (Perfume)

“Parfum”  is based on the German crime novel  “Das Parfum”  (The Perfume) , which was originally published in 1985 and still enjoys commercial and critical success today.

The story follows a group of students whose friend is murdered . Even after the friend is buried and gone, things don’t seem quite right. 

As their own personal murder investigations unfold, disturbing secrets emerge and the students realize they are connected by things other than their mutual love of perfume.

“Block B unter Arrest”  (Block B Under Arrest)

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

“Block B unter Arrest” follows Bea Kroeger, who is accused of trying to murder her husband . She is sent to a penitentiary to await trial and has to learn how to survive on the inside.

Soon enough, Bea realizes she can trust no one but herself. This is a particularly interesting show if you are interested in learning German slang.  Plus, it has been one of the most successful series to be released in 2015 .

“Ein Starkes Team”  (A Strong Team)

“Ein starkes Team” has been running on ZDF since 1994 . Only three 90-minute episodes air every year. It is a crime drama centered on a special unit made of a chief of police, a sub-chief and one of their subordinates.

It’s a kind of gourmet detective series , with beautiful shots of Berlin, great acting and a touch of sarcastic humor.

Because the genre is so familiar, and one generally knows what to expect from, for example, cops finding a dead body or interrogating a suspect, it is a good show for practicing your German regardless of your language level.

One of the most enduring classics in Germany’s entertainment industry, “Derrick” is a clever detective series starring the beloved German actor Horst Tappert. It ran from 1974 all the way to 1998 . Apparently, they didn’t only show this one in Uruguay, as it is the most exported German series of all time. It has aired in over 100 countries .

Tappert plays Inspector Derrick, an eccentric, unmarried policeman who lives alone in a tiny apartment. But he is no ordinary loner. He has an uncanny ability to solve the most complex crimes in record time . The secret of this show’s success can probably be attributed to the actor’s charisma and the clever screenplays.

Where to watch:  DVDs on Amazon

If you enjoy “The Office,” you should give this very popular German sitcom a chance.

The show takes place in the office of a fictional insurance company called “Capitol Versicherung AG” and focuses on the department headed by Bernd Stromberg. As the TV crew documents the day-to-day occurrences in the office , Stromberg tries, often unsuccessfully, to have his department come off in the best light.

The show, a parody of the modern “reality show” genre , is great for German students since the humor is sophisticated yet very accessible.

Where to watch: DVDs on Amazon

“Pastewka” shows that Germans have quite a good sense of humor!

Often compared to the likes of “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,”  the series revolves around the comedian and actor Brian Pastewka, who plays a fictionalized version of himself. It has been well received throughout German-speaking Europe and even picked up a Rose d’Or award .

Naturally, you can expect to hear and pick up German that’s flavored with comedy and wit .

Where to watch: SAT.1 Online

Cutely, the title of “Verliebt in Berlin”  is a play on words in German, meaning to be both in love with and in Berlin.

Widely broadcast across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, it’s a lighthearted comedy series which focuses on unlucky-in-love Lisa Plenske . Lisa is a bit of a fish-out-of-water in her job at the über-chic  Kerima Mode  fashion house.

Sure, the plot is very reminiscent of “Ugly Betty,”   but the German setting livens up the story enough to make it feel like a fresh, new idea for a TV series. Expect some romantic dialogue as well as business and fashion-related lingo .

“Der Tatortreiniger ” (Crime Scene Cleaner)

“Der Tatortreiniger ” is a dark comedy set in Germany. And when I say dark, I mean that the main character and supporting cast make jokes on the set of crime scenes after rather gruesome acts have been committed.

“Der Tatortreiniger” is also a relatively long-running show. In total, there are seven seasons that can be accessed online.

The story follows a man known as Schotty who cleans up crime scenes after murders or other heinous crimes . As part of the show’s premise, Schotty stumbles upon a friend or family member of the victim in each episode.

Much of the ensuing humor is situational in nature: in addition to hearing funny retellings of the victim’s life, Schotty often finds himself getting way too involved by drinking, arguing or making love with the victims’ family members.

Danni is a hairdresser who earns her law degree doing night classes. Upon graduating, she wants to work as a lawyer but is unable to find employment in a firm.

Unwilling to give up, she decides to lease a small space in a mall in Cologne and open up a low-cost legal help desk , charging one euro per minute for her services.

So begins Danni’s bumpy yet often comical career as a lawyer as she helps her unusual clients with her equally unorthodox approaches. This legal dramedy (drama/comedy) is perfect if you’re looking for a challenging yet lighthearted show to prepare for your upcoming trip to North Rhine-Westphalia!

Where to watch:   Netflix

Despite its title being in English, “How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)” is completely in German. 

It’s a teen comedy/drama that follows a nerdy high school student named Moritz who sells drugs online and finds himself becoming a top European drug dealer.

In fact, this show is based on a true story (the real Moritz  served four years in prison ).

Aside from the show’s intriguing story, “How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)” is great for learning vocabulary related to technology and crime as well as slang used by youth.

“Merz gegen Merz”  (Merz Against Merz)

Where to watch: ZDF

“Merz gegen Merz” is a dramedy that follows the story of a dysfunctional family as the husband and wife go to couple’s therapy , having realized that they rather resent each other (and that the wife has cheated on the husband).

Each episode starts with the couple recounting some event that recently happened in their lives, typically revolving around their angsty son going through puberty, the husband’s overbearing and low-class parents or the wife’s father who has recently developed dementia.

While the laughs are plenty, there’s a fair amount of heart , and there are many moments where viewers can relate to the duality of drama and silliness that occurs in modern family life.

Where to watch: Das Erste

Evil twins, poisoning and secret affairs, oh my!

If you’re someone who will love “Lindenstraße,” then you’ll know that I didn’t simply name three detriments to modern society: these are the ingredients to any good soap opera!

As such, “Lindenstraße” is a soap opera set on the street Lindenstraße in Munich, Germany . There actually is a Lindenstraße in Munich, but the events depicted on the TV show are completely fictional.

Based partially on the premise of Britain’s “Coronation Street,” the story revolves around seemingly normal events in the characters’ lives. The show also explores tough issues and features a diverse cast. In fact, Lindenstraße  was the first German program to feature a same-sex kiss on television!

“Lindenstraße” has been broadcast regularly since 1985 and is one of the most popular shows in Germany . There were 1,758 episodes as of March 2020 when it aired its final season.

Where to watch:   YouTube

Drama, drama, drama!

With a name like “Forbidden Love,” what do you expect?

This soap opera is one of the most popular in Germany and has won many accolades for its sobering portrayal of controversial issues like drug abuse, alcoholism, sexual assault, homophobia, incest and adultery. Set for the most part in Düsseldorf, it consists of various interrelated family storylines .

One of the most prominent focuses on the relationship between Jan Brandner and Julia von Anstetten, twins who, after being separated by their parents at birth, ultimately fall in love with each other. If you’re partial to heart-wrenching shows like “Days of Our Lives” or “All My Children,”  you’re bound to enjoy “Verbotene Liebe”!

One of Germany’s longest-running soap operas , “Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten” is set in a fictional neighborhood of Berlin. It follows the individual and social trials faced by a number of protagonists.

The series is aimed at a young audience and tackles hard-hitting issues such as homosexuality, sexual assault, drug addiction and underage drinking. As is typical of soap operas, you can expect quite a bit of drama.

Where to watch:  DVDs on Amazon , ARD Mediathek

Set in the city of Leipzig,   “ In aller Freundschaft” takes place in the fictional Sachsenklinik Hospital. The lives of the doctors and nurses create the interweaving storylines and arcs for the soap opera. The whole of Germany has often been gripped by the dramatic happenings which play out in this small hospital.

More than 1,000 episodes have been broadcast since its premiere in 1998, so there’s a lot to catch up on!

Of course, since the setting is a hospital, you can expect to hear plenty of medical terminology and patient-doctor dialogue .

This one was on German screens for around 19 years before broadcasting its final episode in 2011.

The fictional Marienhof neighborhood in Cologne is the backdrop for the drama in this classic soap opera. Just like “Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten,” it attracted a relatively young audience thanks to its tough themes , including suicide, adultery, AIDS and murder.

Viewers may appreciate the realistic character depictions, which also offer opportunities to learn more natural German speech.

Main character Gretchen Haase has been called the German version of Bridget Jones : a woman in her late twenties struggling with her career, love life, confidence and weight. When she starts her residency at the hospital, her former high school crush Marc becomes her boss . With his good looks, sarcasm and overconfidence, he’s the exact opposite of hopelessly romantic, clumsy Gretchen, which leads to both friction and attraction.

Even though you may not be able to get every instance of wordplay, as there’s quite a bit of colloquial language involved, a lot of the humor is based on the exaggeration of stereotypical gender roles.

Nice extra: how Gretchen are you? Take the test !

“Dr. Klein” is an interesting show about a 4’3″ tall doctor who works at a children’s hospital . She is little, her name is “little” ( Klein ) and her patients are little people, but she has a big, magnetic personality.

The show has a central plot, focusing on the doctor’s love and family life , with many subplots related to her young patients. If you love series like “Dr. House” and “Monk,” you will probably love Dr. Klein.

“Bettys Diagnose”  (Betty’s Diagnosis)

Think of “Bettys Diagnose”  as Germany’s answer to the popular American show “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Essentially, this show is a medical drama following a group of doctors as they navigate their jobs, love and life . Along the way, there are splashes of comedy and romance, and the show is never short on the drama and cliffhangers!

“Bettys Diagnose”  is great for learning medical jargon and slang vocabulary related to love and sex in context.

Only select episodes are uploaded at a time on ZDF. These uploads are normally the newest episodes, so you can watch this show in real time! Not every episode has subtitles, but those that do have them in German.

Where to Watch:  Prime Video

“Hotel Sacher” is a soap opera that was produced in 2016 and is set in the early 1900s.

In fact, “Hotel Sacher” is based on  an actual hotel in Vienna  that you can visit should you find yourself in Austria! The TV show follows the quasi-true story of widow Anna Sacher, who takes over ownership of the hotel after the death of her husband, Eduard Sacher.

The story includes love, drama and power as Anna attempts to gain control of her associates and of her dead husband’s business while others would rather own the hotel and its finances themselves.

“Heimat”   (Homeland)

“Heimat” only ran for 32 episodes but follows a German family from 1919 to 2000 . Each episode is feature film length (at least 90 minutes), so this is one to sit down with when you have plenty of time on your hands.

The central family’s domestic life is played out over 81 years, against the backdrop of Germany’s political and social issues. The whole series is an epic chronicle that will take you on quite a ride.

If you want to brush up on the past few decades of German history, this is the series for you.

Where to watch: Tubi TV

“ Unsere Mütter, Unsere Väter” was distributed internationally under the title “Generation War.”

This mini-series tells the stories of five friends and the different paths they take through Nazi Germany and World War II . There are only three episodes (each 90 minutes long) in the series, but each one is a compelling and captivating watch.

This one is a good fit for learners who appreciate historical context and cultural examinations. You’ll explore events through different perspectives , which can add a bit of challenge to your learning.

This series, set in East Berlin in the 1980s, revolves around the lives of two families whose fates become intertwined. Against all odds, the daughter of dissident singer Dunja Hausmann and the son of Hans Kupfer, a high-ranking official in the secret police, fall in love.

As the drama unfolds, the main characters are forced to reassess their attitude towards the regime and try to protect themselves and their loved ones by changing strategies of compliance and resistance.

Apart from some GDR -specific lingo, the language is pretty standard and the pace quite moderate.

“Der Gleiche Himmel”  (The Same Sky)

“Der Gleiche Himmel”  follows two German families living on opposite sides of the Berlin wall during the Cold War in the 1970s.

It follows a government agent from East Germany who is sent to West Germany on a “Romeo” mission to seduce a female analyst and extract information from her.

The show was highly acclaimed in Germany, receiving many nominations and awards at German TV award shows, and it makes sense. The acting is superb and the cinematography is phenomenal. In terms of language, this show is great for learning Cold War-era vocabulary, especially as it relates to Berlin in the 1970s.

Where to watch: Clips on RTL , full episodes on TVNow (with registration)

Let’s face it: sometimes you just want to watch something trashy on TV and not think too much. If you’re in one of these moods but still want to learn some German, this German reality dating show might be just what you need.

The show has single women spend a couple of days living in the homes of their prospective partners . The catch is that most of these men are living with their mothers , hence the title of the show.

Apart from the obviously humorous situations that this premise entails, this show is great because it may give you insight into small-town life in Germany. Moreover, the format and the language used are generally easy to follow for German learners!

Though there are many different entertainment TV shows in German, the most successful was undoubtedly “ Wetten , dass..?” , a show that aired from 1981 until 2014. As of 2023, it’s still being shown with revival episodes!

The main part of the show focused on betting on whether or not ordinary people could perform an unusual and/or difficult task . Bets have included whether or not a blindfolded man could recognize his cows based on the noise they made while chewing apples, or whether 13 swimmers could pull a 312-tonne ship for 25 meters.

The other major attraction of the show was the celebrity interviews , which often featured high-profile celebrities like Michael Jackson, Karl Lagerfeld, Justin Bieber and Mikhail Gorbachev.

This show is perfect if you don’t feel like committing to a grueling drama, yet still want to improve your German by watching something lighthearted.

“Neo Magazin Royale ”

Late-night talk shows are all the rage in North America, so it’s only natural that they’ve also taken off in Germany. “Neo Magazin Royale” is one of the most popular, and is a satirical variety show filmed in Cologne, Germany.

There are eight seasons as of 2020, and the show consists of comedy monologues, skits and humorous interviews .

Much like late-night American talk and sketch shows, politics and current news happenings are often at the forefront of comedic content.

For example, host Jan Böhmermann has poked fun at American President Donald Trump and even gotten himself into some hot water surrounding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. That event came to be known as Erdogate in Germany, with officials in both Germany and Turkey involved.

“Verstehen Sie Spaß?”  (Do You Understand Fun?)

“Verstehen Sie Spaß”  is a comedy show that involves a hidden camera . The people who are being filmed know that they’re being watched—at least one of the participating parties does!

Rather than observing people “in the wild,” the people and celebrities are put in various humorous situations . This includes having subjects eat in the dark, go through a haunted house or get pranked by a close friend or business acquaintance.

“Verstehen Sie Spaß”  is wildly popular in Germany. It originally aired in the 1980s, and it was rebooted in 2010 with a new host and a fresh set of comedic gold.

“Bauer sucht Frau”  (Farmer Seeks Wife)

Where to watch: RTL+

“Bauer sucht Frau” is a reality TV show on RTL (the largest private TV network in Germany), and it’s known the world over because it has variations in other languages such as “Farmer Wants a Wife” in Britain and the U.S.

Essentially, the show follows a (usually) male farmer who attempts to find himself a wife . The farmers are typically a little rough around the edges and sometimes don’t do much in the name of romance, but crave intimacy and a strong bond. The successful farmers find themselves  eine Frau  (a woman/wife) and get married.

As you can imagine, the show is a mix of romance, drama and comedy. The show is perfect for learning rural vocabulary and various German dialects since many of the farmers speak what would be labelled “non-standard German.”

“WDR Reisen”  (WDR Travel)

“WDR Reisen”  isn’t a traditional TV show—in fact, it’s a YouTube channel, but its production value could have you fooled. Besides the fact that its episodes are professionally shot and superbly edited, the images themselves are beautiful and the research and coverage is exhaustive.

Primarily, the show features in-depth looks at locations around the world such as Amsterdam, Iceland and California. The episodes are 45 to 90 minutes long, and they’re a mix of travel vlog and destination guide .

Other episodes on the channel focus on different aspects of travel lifestyles such as living in a van or advice on buying flights, packing and finding good hotel deals.

Where to Watch:  ZDF

“Terra X” is another documentary-style TV show (also known as a doku  in German). It’s quite an expansive series with tons of episodes, including short documentary episodes centered around themes such as Geschichte  (history),  Natur  (nature) or  Wissenschaft  (science) .

For example, a well-known documentary produced by “Terra X” is “Die Reise der Menschheit” (The Journey of Humankind) , a three-part miniseries that explores human history and evolution from the beginning of time until the present.

As such, the language in this show is true Hochdeutsch  (High German): it’s what would be considered “standard textbook German” and its level of formality is fairly high.

Where to watch: Das Erste ,  YouTube

“ttt: Titel, Thesen, Temperamente”  is another documentary-style show produced by  Das Erste . The show is styled as a news talk show that looks at current happenings in society .

Each show is broken into separate reports led by different journalists. The reports come in 10- to 15-minute segments, each focusing on a different topic such as contemporary books, music, technology and current political happenings in Germany and abroad. You’ll get on-scene reporting as well as interviews with experts and everyday people who are impacted by the story.

The episodes are broken up into segments on the website so that you can easily choose what you want to watch.

This show is also great for learning formal German or  Hochdeutsch , since it adopts the prestigious dialect often used by news networks and journalists.

Where to watch:  ARD Mediatek , Die Maus WDR

If you’re not feeling confident enough with your German to tackle a show with a complicated plotline but still want to improve your German through TV, maybe “The Program with the Mouse” is right for you.

This highly acclaimed children’s show consists of several segments that are either humorous or educational (or both) and, though it targets children between the age of four and eight, has an average viewer age of 39!

The show might give you some insight into German culture as well as vocabulary, since some of the past educational segments have focused on difficult topics to explain to children, like Germany after WWII and Chernobyl.

In addition, most Germans know this show, so it may be a great way to break the ice with your new German friends!

Where to watch: DVDs on Amazon , ZDF

When you’re a bit tired and just want to relax with some easy viewing, tune in to the kids’ channels.

“Löwenzahn” is a children’s show which has been running since 1979. Its winning formula hasn’t changed over the past 40+ years. Each episode focuses on a specific theme or topic. Through short features, scenes and sketches , the host, Fritz Fuchs, teaches and informs kids on the show’s weekly topic.

Episodes usually concentrate on how technology and various services work . The German used is relatively simple and you can learn a lot of vocabulary pertaining to different subjects.

“Die Pfefferkörner”  (The Peppercorns)

“Die Pfefferkörner” follows a group of adolescents between the ages of 10 and 14 as they solve mysteries in their neighborhoods . These mysteries include crimes such as an expensive painting getting stolen from the local art gallery.

“Die Pfefferkörner” would be a great introduction for those who are just starting out watching German TV. It’s a children’s show, so even if the content feels a little immature for adults, it’s great for learners at the lower intermediate level of German.

The episodes are short (around 22 minutes), the vocabulary is fairly basic and the speech is clear and reasonably paced.

Watching series or  movies  is a fun and efficient way to learn a language.

Our memorization is boosted when we connect information with emotion . Action, suspense, humor and drama aren’t just the ingredients of good entertainment, but also of good learning experiences.

But to get the most out of watching TV in German, you need to watch actively!

Before you start watching, prepare some basic vocabulary on the main topic of the series. So, if you’re watching a love story, check out expressions for dating and romance . If it’s a historical drama, look up key terms from the featured time period.

If you keep seeing a word you don’t understand, pause the TV show and write down the whole sentence that contains the word. Next, try to guess the meaning of the word, then look it up and write it down in English

After watching, review the sentences you wrote down. Try making physical or digital flashcards , do fill-in-the-blanks exercises with them or do free-write activities with the unknown words.

If you enjoy learning German through videos, you can also practice with FluentU , an immersive language learning program. You’ll find short video clips from authentic German media—movie trailers, music videos, news segments and more—complete with interactive subtitles, transcripts and other useful learning tools. 

Another fun activity is posting your opinion in a fan forum in German—it’s a good opportunity to chat with native speakers and repeat vocabulary.

See, TV is more than just entertainment! Go ahead and put on one of these must-watch German series for your next TV binge.

And if you want something in a longer format, check out the best German movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime . 

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Watching German shows on Netflix is an excellent way to gain cultural fluency while honing vocabulary and listening skills. Luckily for language learners, Netflix and Amazon Prime are adding German TV series to their streaming lineups. German shows on Netflix are a great place to start if you’re looking for something easy-to-watch that will improve your understanding of the country and its people.

Likewise, if you want to learn more about Germany or practice listening to native speakers, these shows can be a good starting point. German television programs focus on a range of subjects, including family life, love stories, relationships between friends and colleagues, and everyday topics. The most common themes in German television programming are love, family life, friendships and crime drama.

Millions have spoken German of people worldwide for over 1,000 years ago. Watching German movies or a German series on Netflix will help you learn a foreign language faster and get insights into German culture. Learning German can be useful and language learning is something everyone can do at any age. German shows on Netflix are available worldwide, so there’s no excuse not to try one out!

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Watch Any Show On Netflix From Anywhere In The World

2- babylon berlin, 3- biohackers, 6- charite at war, 7- dogs of berlin, 8- criminal germany, 9- isi & ossi, 10- oktoberfest: beer & blood, 11- holiday secrets, 12- skylines, 13- rising high, 14- who am i (kein system ist sicher), 15- we are the wave, 16- unorthodox, 17- crime scene cleaner (der tatortreiniger), 18- tribes of europa, 19- barbarians, german shows on netflix.

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Top German Netflix Shows

Dark is a German TV show on Netflix that has nothing to do with the Cold War or Nazis. This supernatural thriller has become one of Netflix’s most successful non-English shows.

Dark is a binge-able Netflix series that opens with the disappearance of a child in a small town in Germany.

The story starts as a tale about searching for a missing child but evolves into a complex web of characters who interact across time.

The timeline jumps in 33-year cycles starting in 2019 and going back to the 1800s and 33 years into the future in 2052.

Keeping track of all the characters through their different stages of life is a mind-bender, but it’s a series that is one of the best German fantasy series on Netflix and a classic time travel series to tick off your to-watch list.

Dark is one of the best Netflix original shows to watch. 

First episode: 1 December 2017

Set in: Winden, a fictional town in Germany

Cast: Louis Hofmann, Oliver Masucci, Julika Jenkins, Andreas Pietschmann.

Babylon Berlin is a lavish German neo-noir crime drama set in Berlin in 1929. Neo-noir is a contemporary revival of the film noir genre that was popular in the 1950s.

This German Netflix series is set during the Weimar Republic, officially the German Reich between 1918 to 1933, and focuses on police inspector Gereon Rath and clerk Charlotte Ritter.

Rath is from Cologne and on a mission to break up an underground extortion ring.

The story has an exceptional screenplay with lavish sets, excellent acting and well-developed characters.

It communicates the challenge of halting the gradual slide into fascism with beautiful cinematography of East Berlin.

It’s a mega-budget German series on Netflix that is in the league of Game of Thrones.

First episode: 13 October 2017

Set in: Berlin

Cast: Volker Bruch, Liv Lisa Fries, Peter Kurth, Matthias Brandt, Leonie Benesch.

Awards: 2020 German Camera Awards for Best Cinematography, Rose d’Or Best Drama, German Television Awards Best Drama, German Screen Actors Awards Best Supporting Actor and many other awards since 2017.

Read this post: 25 Facts About Germany

Biohackers is a Sci-Fi thriller about biohacking technology that revolves around University of Freiburg medical student Mia Akerlund, interested in revolutionary biohacking technology.

Mia meets biology student Jasper and his roommate Niklas and is plunged into a world of illegal genetic experimentation as she investigates the reason for her brother’s death.

It’s a fast-moving series with twists and turns that keep you guessing.,

To viewers, the opening episode seems to be about a pandemic outbreak and the launch of the series was pushed back so as not to alarm viewers at the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

The core theme of Biohackers is the consequences of gene modifications.

The series raises questions about the ethics of scientific experimentations, and the boundaries scientists should not cross.

Biohackers was shot on location at the University of Freiburg and in Munich.

First episode: 20 August 2020

Set in: Freiburg

Cast: Thomas Kretschmann, Luna Wedler, Jessica Schwarz, Thomas Prenn, Adrian Julius Tillmann.

This German Netflix series based on the best-selling novel Das Parfum by Patrick Süskind is a contemporary remake about passion, smell and serial killing.

Six friends with a passion for scent bond at boarding school, and when one of the six is murdered years later, secrets begin to emerge.

When other bodies killed in the same way surface, investigators Nadja Simon, Matthias Köhler and prosecutor Grünberg find themselves knee-deep in an investigation.

Parfum is a gruesome murder mystery with shots of stark naked dead bodies.

First episode: 14 November 2018

Set in: Germany

Cast: Friederike Becht, Wotan Wilke Möhring, Juergen Maurer, August Diehl.

Charité is a German drama series set in 1888 and is a period drama based around a prestigious hospital in Berlin.

The story focuses on scientists, doctors and nurses, their quest to cure disease and interpersonal relationships.

The plot weaves in good doses of romance and religion and explores more severe issues of the period, such as the gap between men and women.

It also takes a good look at society’s attitude toward healthcare.

First episode: 21 March 2017

Cast: Alicia von Rittberg, Maximilian Meyer-Bretschneider, Justus von Dohnányi, Matthias Koeberlin.

The sequel to Charite, this series is set between 1943 to 1945.

The series features the doctors and nurses in the same hospital during World War II.

First episode: February 2019

Cast: Sarah Bauerett, Susanne Böwe, Mala Emde

This German Netflix series about two cops in Berlin who investigate the murder of a Turkish-German soccer player exposes the city’s darker side.

From the Berlin mafia clans to minority Turks, betting dens and Neo Nazi thugs, this series is gritty and rooted in a reality that doesn’t fit into a travel guide!

The second German-language original Netflix series explores the racial conflict between the Germans and the Turkish community.

First episode: 7 December 2018

Cast: Fahri Yardim, Fliex Kramer, Urs Rechn, Katharina Schüttler.

Criminal: Germany is part of Netflix’s highly successful ‘Criminal’ anthology set across four countries and filmed in French, Spanish, German and English.

Episodes are all set in an interview room and based around detectives interrogating suspects to crack their stories.

It’s a riveting watch and a must-see if you love intelligent crime drama.

First episode: 20 September 2019

Set in: an interview room

Cast: Eva Meckbach, Sylvester Groth, Florence Kasumba.

Isi & Ossi is a romantic comedy German movie about a billionaire’s daughter who fakes a romance with a struggling boxer.

Isi’s motivation is to convince her parents to send her to culinary school while Ossi needs money.

The unlikely pair develop a relationship that blossoms into a full-blown romance.

It’s a light-hearted and happy story with plenty of feel-good moments and one of the top German movies to make you smile.

First episode: 11 February 2020

Set in: Heidelberg and Mannheim

Cast: Lisa Vicari, Dennis Mojen, Christina Hecke, Pegah Ferydoni.

Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood is a German historical series on Netflix set in Munich around the turn of the 20th century.

It tells the story of Curt Prank, who arrives in Munich with a dream to set up a large brewery 20 times the size of the town’s Oktoberfest gatherings.

When Prank’s daughter (Clara) falls head over heels in love with the son of a rival beer maker, and a feud follows.

Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood has a historical drama’s ingredients, including lots of beer-drinking, murder, blackmail, and secret liaisons.

First episode: 2020

Set in: Munich

Cast: Mišel Matičević,Martina Gedeck,Klaus Steinbacher.

A Christmas reunion turns into a walk down memory lane, exploring a family’s complex history.

Holiday Secrets is a German show on Netflix about going home and discovering that nothing ever stays the same.

This series explores some serious topics, including death, dementia, alcoholism, mental illness and suicide.

The mood is melancholy and exposes personal trauma experienced by the characters.

First episode: 20 November 2019

Set in: Germany’s north coast

Cast: Corinna Harfouch, Christiane Paul, Svenja Jung, Leonie Benesch.

Skylines is about a hip-hop producer who gets tangled with an organized crime syndicate when the record label’s owner’s gangster brother appears to claim his share of profits.

The first episode is rather busy and introduces a confusing list of complex characters that makes it hard to keep up with the storylines.

First episode: 27 September 2019

Set in: Frankfurt

Cast: Edin Hasanovic, Murathan Muslu, Peri Baumeister, Anna Herrmann.

Rising High is a German comedy thriller about a group of scammers who con people with a get-rich-quick scheme.

Viktor, Gerry and bank employee Nicole are running a property scam in Berlin by buying derelict flats and selling them within the 10-day grace period to bank customers Nicole can offer cheap mortgages to.

They get rich quickly and start living the high life, but the law catches up with them, and Viktor goes into debt, eventually establishing a private bank in Malta.

First episode: 17 April 2020

Cast: David Kross, Frederick Lau, Janina Uhse

Fans of Dark will love Who Am I as this German show on Netflix was also created by the Dark crew.

A German computer whiz joins a hacker group that is trying to be noticed by the world.

The storyline travels at a fast pace and keeps you guessing right up to the very end.

First episode: 6 September 2014

Cast: Tom Schilling, Elyas M’Barek, Wotan Wilke Möhring, Antoine Monot Jr., Stephan Kampwirth, Leopold Hornung, Trine Dyrholm, Hannah Herzsprung, Leonard Carow.

Awards: The film won three German Movie Awards and the Bambi for Best German Film.

This Netflix series provides insights about a group of teenagers in the fictional German city of Meppersfeld who are fighting against injustice.

A student from a wealthy family doubts her way of life and feels compelled to create a better world.

This show addresses issues of racial discrimination, poverty, bullying and gender stereotypes.

First episode: 1 November 2019

Set in: Meppersfeld (a fictitious city) and filmed in North Rhine-Westphalia in a number of cities including Cologne, Bonn, Hürth, Leverkusen, Düren, Euskirchen, Neuss, Solingen, Wuppertal, Gelsenkirchen and Remagen.

Cast: Ludwig Simon, Luise Befort, Michelle Barthel, Daniel Friedl.

Unorthodox is a story about a young woman trapped in a loveless marriage who runs away from a Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn to seek a new life in Berlin.

When her husband learns she is pregnant, he travels to Berlin to drag her home.

She finds her place in the world in Berlin and becomes friends with music students, auditioning to join their conservatory.

First episode: 26 March 2020

Set in: Brooklyn and Germany

Cast: Shira Haas, Amit Rahav, Jeff Wilbusch.

Awards: The series won eight primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, German Television Awards for Best Production and Costume Design.

This Netflix German show takes a look at the life of Schotty, a crime scene cleaner in Hamburg whose job it is to remove the last traces of the living.

It’s a humorous take on the work of the crime scene cleaner through the main character’s interaction with the people associated with the victims.

If you want to watch a show that is entertaining, this story will have you laughing your head off. 

First episode: 23 December 2011

Set in: Hamburg

Cast: Bjarne Mädel, Jörg Pose, Peer Martiny, Jule Böwe.

Tribes of Europa is a German Sci-Fi series on Netflix set in 2074.

Three siblings from the Origines tribe go on a quest to alter the fate of Europe after a global catastrophe.

The continent is fractured into dystopian warring tribal microstates, and the setting is deliciously dystopian.

The Origines tribe is a puritan drive that rejects technology.

When an Atlantian aircraft crashes near their village, the youngest sibling finds a cube in the wreckage.

Inspiration for Tribes of Europa occurred in 2016 after the British population voted to leave the EU.

The writer was so disturbed by the referendum it inspired this post-apocalyptic future where all European countries had been destroyed.

First episode: 19 February 2021

Set in: Europe

Cast: Henriette Confurius, Emilio Sakraya, David Ali Rashed, Melika Foroutan, Oliver Masucci.

Barbarians is a German series on Netflix that revolves around the fate of three people in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.

Set in 9 AD, during the Roman occupation of Magna Germania, the story takes place during the rule of emperor Augustus.

All attempts to form a unified Germanic resistance are thwarted because of petty in-fighting between the tribal chieftains.

First episode: 23 October 2020

Cast: Laurence Rupp, Jeanne Goursaud, David Schütter, Bernhard Schütz

This German-language Netflix thriller is an imaginative characterisation of neurologist Sigmund Freud, who pairs up with a police officer and psychic medium to solve crimes in Vienna.

Set in 1886, this German-language drama revolves around a young Freud when his revolutionary theories are strongly objected to.

First episode: 15 March 2020

Set in: Vienna and Prague

Cast:Robert Finster, Ella Rumpf, Christoph Krutzler, Brigitte Kren.

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Best 10 TV Shows About Time Travel Ultimate List

There have been numerous TV shows about time travel in the past. Although some shows did have time travel included in part of their plot (like Marvel Agents of Shield), in this list we focused on series that have time travel as a basic premise of the show. With that in mind, we narrowed down our picks to the top 10 TV series that are worth your time. However, keep in mind that there are other fantasy shows that you might like – this is just our pick of the best ones so far.

Table of Contents

10.  Timeless [2016-2018]

A hidden gem among TV series about time traveling is NBC’s Timeless. The show is a quick watch – it only has two seasons and 28 episodes in total but don’t be discouraged by that fact. Timeless still manages to land a meaningful, educating, heart-warming story with a compelling ending. The cast features Abigail Spencer as Lucy Preston a history professor, Matt Lanter as Wyatt Logan, a USA Delta Force Sargeant, and Malcolm Barrett as Rufus Carlin, a programmer. The trio is tasked with capturing a terrorist Garcia Flynn (Goran Visnjic) who is trying to rewrite history.

Although the premise of the show looks very much like what we have seen in Continuum, Travelers and 12 Monkeys, Timeless also offers a variety of real historical events that are shown in the series. The historical part might not always be 100% accurate but it is fun to see the fictional characters interacting with real-life events that took place. Although the show was canceled after two seasons, the viewers still got a well-deserved ending so we highly recommend Timeless.

9. Continuum [2012-2015]

One of the classic TV shows that exploited the topic of time travel is Continuum. Stretching through 4 seasons and 42 episodes, Continuum tells a story about detective Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) who goes back in time by accident with a group of criminals called Liber8. The plot takes place in present-day as Kiera tries to stop members of Liber8 from altering the timeline and destroying the future in which corporations have sized the roles of the governments. A teenage wunderkind Alec Sadler (Erik Knudsen) helps her out on her quest as well as her partner Carlos Fonnegra (Victor Webster). 

Although the plot seems like more of what we saw in some earlier TV shows about time travel, the cast does a pretty decent job and the overall setting is fun to watch. As you can see, this show has been produced more than a decade ago but the CGI elements are not that bad and are watchable. But what really gives Continuum a place on our list is the character development that Kiera as a protagonist goes through.

8. Quantum Leap [1989-1993]

Quantum Leap is an old-school TV show that older viewers must have watched during 90s. The importance of this show is the fact that after its initial success, many directors pitched ideas for similar shows in the future – and that’s how we got so many time travel series. Although Quantum Leap is highly praised, it is a bit outdated nowadays, so it might not be the best choice for younger viewers.

Be it as it may, the show focuses on Dr. Sam Beckett, who gets thrown back in time while experimenting on his own project (Quantum Leap). The protagonist is accompanied by his friend Admiral Al Calavicci (Dean Stockwell) but in the shape of a hologram. Dr. Beckett continues to leap to different people in his own timeline and hopes to correct the past in order to finally leap to the presence. Quantum Leap offers a unique mixture of science fiction, drama, and comedy all while exploring the topic of time traveling.

7. 12 Monkeys [2015-2018]

12 Monkeys is a sci-fi masterpiece remake of a 12 Monkeys movie (1995) that has time travel in the essence of its plot. As you might remember from the movie, a mysterious group called “12 Monkeys” released the virus which killed over 7 million people and brought humanity to its downfall. The same plot premise is in the show as time traveler Cole (Aaron Stanford) uses an experimental time-traveling device to come back to the present and assist Dr. Cassandra Railly (Amanda Schull) in stopping the virus.

The cast does a great job, especially Amanda Schull, and really brings out the darkness of events that are about to come. This show is perfect for viewers who like disaster like shows combined with time travel – 12 Monkeys has it both.

6. DC Legends of Tomorrow [2016-2022]

Superhero TV shows have all the rage nowadays so it’s just fair to put one that’s about time travel on this list as well. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow might not have the most interesting story but boy, they are fun to watch. Most of the episodes are stand-alone and you can simply sit on your sofa, watch one and continue after a month without worrying about missing the parts of the plot. When it comes to the story, basically, a team of superheroes travels back in time to prevent bad things from altering the timeline, thus saving the future.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow is a part of the Arrowverse so the show crosses over with Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl several times. The main reason why this show is on our list is the fact that it’s relaxing to watch, witty, and overall entertaining. Caity Lotz, Amy Louis Pemberton, and Dominic Purcell are just some of the names that star in this show – the cast is full of superstars well-known to superhero fans.

5. Manifest [2018-2023]

The show was canceled after three seasons and picked up and renewed by Netflix for the fourth and final season. Manifest tells a story about Flight 828 which vanished into thin air and reappeared five and half years later. The problem is that the passengers have no idea what happened since from their perspective, they just went through a troublesome storm but landed on time, as planned. As they rejoin society, numerous problems arise, especially when some passengers start getting visions (“ Callings “) of future events.

The show has a strong “Leftovers” vibe to it, exploring the topic of how humans are unable to cope with things that they can’t explain. Melissa Roxburgh (Michaela Stone) and John Dallas (Ben Stone) are the stars of the show and have received numerous praises for their performance in Manifest. This TV series is about time travel but also offers a lot more and tells a mysterious story that you will surely enjoy.

4. Dark [2017-2020]

Dark is the first Netflix German series. The show itself is difficult to place as it combines several genres, including sci-fiction, horror, mystery, drama, and thriller. While this combo might not work for some other shows, Dark is an exception – the show delivers magnificently although one might argue that it’s a slow-burn in the beginning. Dark is one of the shows like Black Mirror in a suspenseful feeling that you get while watching it.

Dark starts in Winden, a small fictional German town in 2019. Children begin to disappear from the town so an investigation led by four families takes place. Throughout the three seasons of Dark, the truth will include multiple timelines, wormholes, conspiracies, and parallel worlds. We won’t say any more since the whole point of the show is for the viewer to try to understand the events that took place (and when the events took place). The German cast is lead by Louis Hofmann, Karoline Eichhorn, and Lisa Vicari. This time-travel TV series received praise from both the audience and the critics and is a must-watch. 

3. Fringe [2008-2013]

When it comes to TV shows about time travel, supernatural phenomena, parallel worlds, and doomsday events, Fringe is a must-see masterpiece. First of all, the show has that 2000’s vibe to it which is sure to evoke memories from older viewers. Fringe is well-written and humorous and even a non-fiction fan will be able to enjoy it.

The cast is just astonishing: Anna Torv plays FBI Agent Olivia Dunham who leads Fringe Division. This division is kinda similar to “unsolved cases” that Molder and Scully used to investigate in X-files, although without (that many) aliens. Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his son Peter (Joshua Jackson) assist her in solving these cases. The show has many episodes that are stand-alone type but in the end, it wraps up nicely and tells a compelling story about father and son love filled with sci-fi elements.

2. Travellers [2016-2018]

Travelers have a unique story that widely differs from similar TV shows about time travel and that’s one of the reasons why it’s so high on our list. The basic premise of the show is that the future is ruined and people from it ( Travelers ) transfer their conciseness into humans that are about to die in the 21st century in order to alternate the timeline, following orders from an AI called “Director”. Sounds wild, right? Well, it works pretty well –  Travelers are super fun and the characters are well-written and very diverse.

The cast is brilliant and is led by Eric McCormack (Grant MacLaren) and MacKenzie Porter (Marcy Warton). Another thing that puts this show at the top of our list is the fact that the sudden ending of season 3 really leaves a massive impact on a viewer. We must admit that a decision from Netflix to cancel Travelers after three seasons is baffling. Be it as it may, we are sure that you will enjoy this story and the ending will leave you breathless.

1. Doctor Who [1963-1989; 2005-present]

When a TV show has an actual Guinness record category of longest-running science fiction series, it is hard not to put it in the first place in our list. Doctor Who is a british sci-fi TV show about time travel and numerous other fictional motives and it has been on BBC since 1963. The show follows the adventures of a Time Lord ( The Doctor ), a being that appears to be human but explores the universe, combats foes and helps people in need using his time-traveling ship ( TARDIS ).

Since Doctor Who had over 850 episodes so far, we won’t try to dig into the plot too much – it would require multiple articles just to cover it. The show gained so much popularity that it is considered a part of British culture and the fans call themselves “Whovians”. We highly recommend that you give this show a try (or a rewatch) since Doctor Who is a classic among TV shows about time travel.

Vuk Radulovic is a graduated historian with a keen interest in the fantasy genre. For over 20 years he watched, listened, and read basically everything that came across his hands when it comes to fantasy TV shows, books and movies.

He has a particular interest in the Witcher realm as well as the Sword of Truth book series. He thinks the Demon Cycle book series is one of the most underestimated fantasy books of all time. He is looking forward to The Last of Us series.

When he is not in the fantasy realm, Vuk likes to nurture his interest in SEO marketing and content writing.

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Travel and Blossom

A travel and lifestyle blog for female solo travelers who want to learn how to travel with confidence

10 German TV Shows You Need to Watch

Languages / June 26, 2023 by Jade / Leave a Comment

Have a TV in Germany but don’t know what to watch? Check out this post for 10 German TV shows you need to see!

As an Au pair in Germany , watching German TV shows is a great way to familiarize yourself with the culture. You’ll be exposed to all different kinds of linguistic input through audio and you’ll also get to see the different ways Germans communicate. However, finding a good TV show to watch is another hassle of its own. There many be some German TV shows that miss the mark for you while others may have you on a binge. Either way, the end result is the same. Watch, Absorb, and Repeat.

So, if you’re looking for some German TV shows to watch in Germany, you’ve come to the right place. This post highlights 10 German TV shows you need to watch as well as where you can watch them.

Table of Contents

German Language & Culture Series

P.s. this is a post in my german language & culture series. here is the complete series:.

German Addresses: German Address Format: How to Mail a Letter to Germany

German Time: The Non-Native Speaker Guide to Telling Time in German

German Greetings: The 10 Most Common German Greetings and Introductions

German Numbers: The Ultimate Guide for Learning German Numbers 1 to 100

German Alphabet: The Best Alphabet Guide of All Time

German Days of the Week: A Beginner’s Guide to the Days of the Week in German

German Emails: The American Guide to Writing German Emails

German Body Parts: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Body Parts in German

German Vegetables: The Ultimate Guide to Vegetables in German

German Pronouns: The American Guide to Learning German Pronouns

German Colors: Colors in German: A One Stop Resource

German Fruits: Fruits in German: What You Need to Know

German TV: 10 German TV Shows You Need to Watch

German Curses: German Swear Words: What You Need to Know

German Idioms: 10 German Idioms Every American Should Know

Babylon Berlin (german tv shows)

Plot : Babylon Berlin is about the story of a police officer, Gereon Rath, who’s transferred from Cologne to Berlin to undergo an investigation for a special department. It is set in Germany’s dark 1930s where Rath is a victim of PTSD as a veteran in the First World War. In fact, using drugs is the only way he’s able to keep his PTSD symptoms under control. Where To Watch : Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube

Dark (german tv shows)

Plot : Dark is a TV show that follows characters from Winden, a fictional town that’s set in Germany, on a quest as they pursue the truth behind a child’s disappearance. Their quest leads them to four different interconnected families to unravel a sinister time travel conspiracy that goes back several generations. Where To Watch : Netflix, Amazon Prime Video

Der Greif (german tv shows)

Plot : Der Greif is a TV show that follows three teens: Mark, Memo and Becky who don’t quite fit in when it comes to their peers. However, one day they discover a mythical world called The Black Tower that’s ruled by a fearsome monster known as the Gryphon. Mark is the only person out of the three who’s fated to destroy this monster once and for all but there’s a lack of interest in him. However, it isn’t until his brother disappears into this world that he goes back into The Black Tower to rescue him. Where To Watch : Amazon Prime Video

1899 (german tv shows)

Plot : 1899 is a TV show that follows the mysterious circumstances around an immigrant ship traveling from Europe to New York. The passengers on the ship are from many different backgrounds and nationalities and they are united by their hopes and dreams for their future abroad. However, as their journey takes place, the passengers notice another migrant ship adrift at sea. This takes their journey on an unexpected turn where their voyage to the promised land turns into a nightmare-like riddle. Where To Watch : Netflix

The Empress (german tv shows)

Plot : The Empress tells the story of a 16-year-old Bavarian duchess, Elisabeth “Sisi”, and how she falls in love with her sister’s intended fiancé, Emperor Franz Joseph. The two end up getting married which eventually leads her to move to Vienna where she has to navigate the complexity of court politics as well as watch out for her husband’s scheming family. Where To Watch : Viki, Netflix

Professor T (german tv shows)

Plot : Professor T is a TV show that tells the story of a professor, Jasper Thalheim, who is a professor of criminology at Cambridge University. He suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and unwittingly becomes an advisor to the police when he is caught up in a mysterious crime at the university. The show itself also serves up gentle puzzles and poignant moments with romance and a dash of intrigue. Where To Watch : Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Vudu

Pastewka (german tv shows)

Plot : Pastewka is a TV show that tells the story of Bastian Pastewka, a real-life comedian, who undergoes a lot of fictional everyday adventures on the show. He goes through a lot of crazy, funny and strange moments on the show that are often caused by his lies. Where To Watch : Amazon Prime Video

Das Haus Anubis (german tv shows)

Plot : Das Haus Anubis tells the story of 8 teenagers living at a boarding school in a house called Haus Anubis. Mysterious things start happening in their boarding house which forces them to get to the bottom behind everything. With persistence and ingenuity, the characters eventually solve the dark mystery that’s behind Haus Anubis with the help of Nina, their newest occupant. Where To Watch : Netflix

Too Hot To Handle: Germany (german tv shows)

Plot : Too Hot To Handle: Germany is a reality TV series about a group of attractive singles who meet in a tropical paradise in order to win a grand prize of €200,000. However, little do they know that they have to give up sex in order to win the grand prize. Hence why the show is called “too hot to handle”. There are different versions of the show in many different countries but originally it is American and British. Where To Watch : Netflix

Dogs of Berlin (german tv shows)

Plot : Dogs of Berlin tells the story of two cops, Erol Birkan and Kurt Grimmer, who investigate the murder of a famous Turkish-German soccer player star called Orkan Erdem. The murder sends Berlin into a whirlwind and the list of suspects is very long. These suspects include Neo-Nazis from the Marzahn borough of Berlin, the Arab Mafia who are in the same neighborhood as the victim, Turkish nationalists who are upset that the soccer player played for Germany instead of Turkey, football fans, and the Berlin mafia. However, with the chain of evidence they have, this murder may even lead to the highest offices of the capital. Therefore, in order to uncover the truth behind what really happened, the two cops, Erol Birkan and Kurt Grimmer, have to venture deep into the underworld of Berlin. Where To Watch : Netflix

Overall, I really hope you enjoyed reading this post on the 10 German TV shows you need to see. Please let me know in the comments down below which show you liked the most. I’d love to hear from you! 🙂

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