Derrick

A true classic and without doubt one of the best known German 'Krimis'. I like the episodes from the 70's and early 80's best. Not only because of the sometimes hilarious nostalgia, but the episodes were - in relation to to the later episodes, that is! - fast-paced, and much less boring.

In the 90's, almost every episode concluded in philosophical chatter and most killers were obsessed with "the beauty of death". The series moved away from the whodunnit genre, simply because viewers could no longer guess who was the killer. Even the least obvious characters turned out to have a dark side. The nicest, least suspicious people suddenly turned out to be killing lunatics with no motive but some philosophical crap, and Derrick seemed more of a shrink than an "Oberinspektor". Also, the series moved from the people-next-door environment, mostly in the 70's, to the rich people exclusively in the 90's, which made it sometimes repetitive.

Nevertheless, if you like detective series, whodunnits, and last but not least the German "Krimis", I can recommend this, along with "Tatort" and the "Der Alte" series as a close second. These three were the most popular German cop shows in the 80's and early 90's.

When I was a boy, before cable and satellite TV, we had only five TV stations to choose from. One of the highlights on TV every week was the "Freitagskrimi" - every Friday an episode of one out of four or five different crime series was shown (they were rotating those series), and none of them created the kind of cult following that Derrick did.

Derrick is set in Munich. I live in Munich, and I totally love this town. Watching Stephan and Harry cruising on Maximilianstrasse in their BMW is just cool! There's also this cliche about the rich and famous that lends Munich a certain kind of air and as Derrick is usually investigating in these circles you get to see all the villas, expensive cars and champaign guzzling wives of wealthy manager types. In fact this is sometimes so over the top that it can only be a satirical stab at the Munich "Schicki Micki" society (Munich's "important" people).

Anyway, a lot more sets this series apart from standard murder mystery fare. There is a very distinct cold, claustrophobic atmosphere that make a Derrick episode immediately recognizable when you're zapping through the channels even if none of the two main protagonists are present in the scene. This perfectly matches Derrick's highly analytical method of crime solving.

There's also the great chemistry between Derrick and his sidekick Harry. Many episodes have them sitting face to face in their office, which is then typically only illuminated by a dim desk lamp, replaying the statements of those interrogated, uncovering contradictions and pinning down a possible suspect.

Well, I'm not surprised that 281 murderers failed to get away with their crime before Derrick retired. Now matter how good you think your alibi is or how well you can keep your cool - you won't withstand this man's piercing eyes and sharp mind!

Whenever I catch an episode on German TV (there's almost always some station airing the series) I watch it. The series was sold internationally to stations in more than 100 countries so there's good chance you might be able to see it sometime. Try it if you're in the mood for something slightly different!

Chief Inspector Derrick solves crimes in Germany in an hour each. I remember enjoying this series greatly growing up in India, most because the series always brought closure each episode, and never dragged out like most other Indian detective series. Often focusing on social, psychological, or 'why did he do it' kind of themes rather than your typical whodunnit, I have fond memories of Derrick. Horst Tappert has a commanding presence as Derrick, and together with Harry and Berger (I've always thought three was too small a team) gets the criminal in all the episodes I saw. 'Harry, Get the car.' is a line that comes immediately to mind when I think about the series.

Derrick remains my favorite long running detective series, one of the several out of Germany we had a chance to see on Indian Television.

Two years ago I discovered this German TV series and I enjoy to see every day a new episode. Derrick is first this chief inspector of Munich , Stephan Derrick,who with his colleague Harry Klein solves crimes using their hability to observe, talking with the people,looking for the motive of a crime, investigating the past, the friendships of a suspect or of a victim.Rarely they have to use their weapons for arresting a suspect. Derrick is also Munich, this town with nices neighbourhoods , great monuments, the English Garden, the banks of the Isar River,but also dangerous neighbourhoods and also the nice surroundings (lakes, countryside,etc). Derrick is a very consistent TV series, a pleasant size (57-59 minutes), Derrick and Klein have to act quickly (there is not time for their personal problems). The same writer for all the episodes, Herbert Reinecker !! The episodes have the touch of Herbert Reinecker, a man who has some favorite themes: through his episodes Herbert Reinecker shows his indignation, his anger or his aversion when people are forcing women to prostitution (white slavery), when men are abusing and raping women, when rackets are destroying honest businesses. Also the description of the bourgeoise and high society with their problems of inheritance, fight for power o infidelity may be quite acid. As I mention the private life of Stephan Derrick and Harry Klein doesn't have a great importance in these episodes.

This was one of our favorite TV shows as a kid in South Africa where it was dubbed into Afrikaans. Alas I cannot find these on the internet but are there any version of Derrick with English subtitles available anywhere. Please point me in the right direction. Thanks