Hindafing

Just finished watching all 6 episodes of Season 1 of "Hindafing" over two nights (would have finished it in one if I didn't have to get up the next morning) and it was time well spent! Who knew that Germans could be that funny, and Bavarians at that! The tale of a fast-talking, drug-addled small town Bavarian mayor (they don't even have their own exit off the autobahn) who more or less inherits the job (and his given name) from his father and then proceeds to step in one pile of Scheisse after another. A man who if he didn't have bad luck wouldn't have any luck at all. A man who consistently snatches defeat from the jaws of victory. A man who...you get the idea. Who is this man? Mayor Alfons Zischl Jr. and he is someone who definitely doesn't tread lightly through life but oh what a thrill it is to watch him go from one disaster of his own making to another and survive them all, albeit a little worse for wear. German actor Maximilian Brückner plays Mayor Zischl for all he is worth in a bravura performance directed by Boris Kunz. This 2017 German television series is currently available in North America either on a 3-disc MHz Choice DVD set or as an add-on "MHZ Choice" subscription to Amazon Prime Video (U.S. customers only). Start watching now and spend the best 266 minutes of your binge viewing time with this dark German comedy.

Imagine a French farce, replete with a constant comedy of errors, done German style and you will have "Hindafing". It's not great, barely watchable but works if there's nothing else you have to watch. It follows the trials of a small town, weaselly Mayor who barely manages to keep one step out of trouble, and due to a constant comedy of errors that work to his advantage, manages to always come out ahead of the competition. The plot becomes tedious after a while as it just gets more and more improbable. I don't know if they planned for a second season but it is not that cleverly written to warrant one.

Totally overrated. Barely watchable if you're not a local bavarian and know about the local habits. Mostly just boring and repetitive.

Full of dull clichés from the handbook. Sex and crime on the countryside - uhhh, how inventive and original.

Mix up the cinematic beauty of Fargo, the power games vibe of House of Cards and the chaotic evil energy of Shameless.

Put the whole thing in the Bavarian province. Pick actors that look like real people. Portrait them at their worst. Expose how corrupt and rotten German society sometimes is, in some real uncomfortable ways hitting all the notes effortlessly.

Most likely get cancelled by the catholics but boy was it worth it!

When it was promoted as a German Fargo, it sounded like a miserable attempt at being cool and quirky, but rather surprisingly, it does have a Fargo touch. If possible, watch it in German, the Bavarian dialogue is brilliant. The meth-addicted young mayor of Hindafing, Alfons Zischl, manages to destroy everything around him in his effort to put Hindafing on the map, but somehow in some ways also manages to get away with it. Truly funny and of a quality sadly lacking in many German TV productions.