Helen Dorn

This detective series is, as the title suggests, centred on Helen Dorn. She is a police detective working in the German city of Dusseldorf. Each ninety minute episode features a self-contained story where Helen and her colleagues investigate another mystery.

I found this to be a solid series which fans of the genre should enjoy. It is moderately gritty without being too dark. The characters are introduced well in the first episode; this sees our protagonist returning to Dusseldorf when there is a murder which has similarities to a case she investigates before leaving for a job in the sticks. The viewers are shown more than the police so often we know who has committed the crime but that doesn't diminish the story; there are still key details to be revealed and there is often a sense of threat towards other characters we have been introduced to during the episode. I liked the setting; I don't think I've seen anything set in Dusseldorf before. As well as the self-contained stories there is ongoing character development; particularly for Helen and her ex-cop father. Anna Loos does a solid job as Helen Dorn and the rest of the cast are fine too.

Overall I'd say that this series might not break new ground but it is a solid example of the genre which I'd certainly recommend to fans of Euro crime drama.

These comments are based on watching the first eight episodes of the series in German with English subtitles.

I've only managed to see eight episodes because German TV appears to have little interest in providing English subtitles for many of their shows. However, I've watched each of the episodes twice, and I'll be watching them again next time they are available.

The reason I say that Helen Dorn is a serious cop is because she doesn't lose focus and hop in and out of bed like most detectives in other shows. Helen Dorn is a focussed, persistent, smart and effective detective. I've probably seen more than a hundred police shows from around the world and Helen Dorn stands out as the best of them. Only the Icelandic show Trapped runs a pretty close second to Helen Dorn.