Der Bestatter

There are many shows from Europe that are very cheesy and frankly, boring to watch. Why? Because they recycle, like Hollywood, the same tired tropes. This show is in that genre of recycled tropes but they make it fun. The characters and the actors are engaging. There is clearly a chemistry between them all. Could somethings have been better? Sure. But, it was fun to watch.

I love this show! It's exciting, has good acting, and the conversations are very funny! Give it a go, if you like crime series with a good touch of comedy. Hope this doesn't get cancelled too early, as the episodes are still witty and fresh.

Why is nobody watching this series? No reviews yet? I stumbled upon this magnificent series on Netflix by accident and I binged the whole first two seasons in a total of a few weeks. Now I have to wait for the following seasons....

The story is about Luc, a former police inspector (overweight, unhealthy life style, grumpy, like they should) who has taken over the family business funeral home, undertaker business after his retirement from the police due to some accident of sorts. He lives in the funeral home, together with the dead (corpses) he is handling and the former assistant (and lover) of his belated father. In the first episode he gets a new young assistant, a metal alto male Gothic without a drivers license and with many alternative ideas about life and the world in general. This alone stands for lots of very funny and crazy moments in the conversations. The writing here is excellent! Then there is Anne Maria, Luc's former police detective (and maybe lover you think?) who is now the city's police inspector and her officers.

The whole idea is that Luc - although not official police anymore, can't stay away from solving cases, especially about the dead people he has to pick up at crime scenes and has to work on in his funeral home.

The fact that the actors speak Swiss German is no problem for me, because I speak both German and French (the language has a little bit of both) but hey, there are subtitles in Dutch and English, so please don't let that be your downfall missing out on this little gem.

We speak of a crime series with lots of serious notes here, but the comical twists and characters make it very enjoyable to watch. Season 2 works towards a very shocking and intricate finale, so don't think it's the easiest watch you ever had.

Summary: great writing, great acting, witty as well as very serious, good solid and current murder cases, very very enjoyable to watch!

So let me tell you, when Luc Conrad (Mike Müller) started out in the first season, people were curious about the new production the Swiss television brought to life. Little did they know, "Der Bestatter" was becoming iconic for Swiss people nowadays. From elders to teenagers, everybody loves the series. The budget they had and still have is compared to other European standards very low. Moreover, the city it's set in, Aarau, has some beautiful parts and you get to see plenty in the series. Also, one episode you will come across "Ömer's Imbiss", sort of a fast food trailer in the middle of the city, this guy is no actor, he really did sell hot dogs and stuff like that there for decades! He just retired recently. Give it a shot, you get to experience not only mysterious crimes but also kind of a portray of Swiss Culture.

Alle Pointen sind ein Freudenfest für die deutschen Zuschauer: Wenn sich etwa zwei Schweizer schier unverständlich am Tatort unterhalten, bis einer der beiden selbst auflöst "... und jetzt noch mal auf Deutsch". Oder wenn der österreichische Pathologe mit Wiener Schmäh den sarkastischen Konterer mimt, wenn er über eine obduzierte Leiche sagt: "Den Spuren zu urteilen hatte er ein hartes, entbehrungsreiches Leben - also kein typischer Schweizer." Originel und ungewöhnlich im Panorama der heutigen TV Serien... und gute Schauspieler.