History Series / BabylonBerlin

* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilised: The Trotskyists' first move in the series is to hijack a train mug the engine drivers out of their uniforms, and then kill them. [[spoiler:It later turns out that the engine drivers were smuggling poison gas over the border, but still...]]

* DirtyCommies: Come in two pre-UsefulNotes/ColdWar flavours, and are so prevalent in-universe that the Berlin police refuses to investigate deaths of Russians anymore:
** There are the ([[BlackAndGreyMorality pretty grey]]) Trotskyists (also known as the 4th International), who have been exiled from Russia after the revolution by Stalin, and seek to fund an insurrection from abroad using [[spoiler:stolen gold]].
** Then there is Stalin's secret police ([[BlackAndGreyMorality pure black]]), the Joint State Police Directorate, who are tasked with weeding out subversive elements even in Berlin, and murder them with extreme prejudice.

It tells the story of ''Kommissar'' Gereon Rath, an enigmatic police inspector from Cologne, who - sent in clandestine mission by his mayor, [[UsefulNotes/TheChancellorsOfGermany Dr. Conrad Adenauer]] - joins the ''Sittendezernat'', the vice squad of the [[UsefulNote/{{Berlin}} City of Berlin]] [[TheThinFormerlyGreenLine police]].

It tells the story of ''Kommissar'' Gereon Rath, an enigmatic police inspector from Cologne, who - sent in clandestine mission by his mayor, [[UsefulNotes/TheChancellorsOfGermany Dr. Conrad Adenauer]] - joins the ''Sittendezernat'', the vice squad of the City of Berlin police.

* PowderKegCrowd: As to be expected of Berlin in Weimar times, there is ''always'' one waiting around the corner. When a Communist 1st of May rally turns violent, the police opens fire with ''machine guns'', [[killing to unarmed women and nearly killing Rath and Wolter]], thus laying the groundwork for yet another riot.
* RabbleRouser: The welfare doctor seen treating the injured of the riots later returns (in the wake of the police [[spoiler: shooting two unarmed women]]) to rile up a Communist demonstration right in front of the police headquarters.

* RabbleRouser:

* ShellshockedVeteran: Rath, Wolters, Nyssen, Krajewski, Seegers, and even Kardakov (as well as many others of their age) are all veterans of the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne Great War]], and few of them have taken it very well. Expecially Rath and Krajewski are severely shellshocked by their experiences (for Rath, namely [[spoiler:being taken prisoner by the French and his brother going MIA]]), forcing them to take sedatives to keep them from having nervous seizures.

* FunnyForeigner: Both the chief pathologist and Gereon's co-tenant are erudite, yet undeniably eccentric Austrian academics.

** There are the ([[BlackAndGreyMorality pretty grey]]) Trotskyists (also known as the 4th International), who have been exiled from Russia after the revolution by Stalin, and seek to fund an insurrection from abroad using stolen gold.

* DirtyCommies: Come in to pre-UsefulNotes/ColdWar flavours, and are so prevalent in-story that the Berlin refuses to investigate deaths of Russians anymore:

* ShellshockedVeteran: Rath, Wolters, Nyssen, Krajewski, Seegers, and even Kardakov (as well as many others of their age) are all veterans of [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne Great War]] veterans, and few of them have taken it very well. Expecially Rath and Krajewski are severely shellshocked by their experiences (for Rath, namely [[spoiler:being taken prisoner by the French and his brother going MIA]]), forcing them to take sedatives to keep them from having nervous seizures.

It tells the story of ''Hauptkommissar'' Gereon Rath, an enigmatic police inspector from Cologne, who - sent in clandestine mission by his mayor, [[UsefulNotes/TheChancellorsOfGermany Dr. Conrad Adenauer]] - joins the ''Sittendezernat'', the vice squad of the City of Berlin police.

Together with his volatile partner Bruno Wolter and the down-on-her-luck police stenographer (and part-time prostitute) Charlotte Ritter, he sets out to smash an infamous underground pornography ring that is blackmailing various public figures. But unbeknownst to them, a mysterious train inbound from the Soviet Union gets commandeered by a cell of Communist splitters, bringing thirteen freight cars worth of trouble into a city that itself seems to be teetering on the precipice of a Communist uprising. Soon, rather than dealing with pornographers, Rath also has to put with Soviet government agents, Trotskyist rebels, scheming local politicians, corrupt business magnates, ruthless Berliner gangsters, decadent entertainers, and renegade right-wing military officers.

* ShellshockedVeteran: Rath (as well as most other men of his ages), is a [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne Great War]] veteran, and severely shellshocked by his experiences (namely [[spoiler:losing his brother before being taken prisoner by the French]]), forcing him to take sedatives to keep him from having nervous seizures.

* FunnyForeigner: Both the chief pathologist and Gereon's co-tenant are erudite, yet undeniably 'kooky' Austrian academics.

* NiceHat: ''Everybody'' sports one, which, given the era, isn't surprising. The [[http://www.polizei-historie.de/cms/images/phocagallery/thumbs/phoca_thumb_l_Tschako-Berlin.jpg shako helmets of the Berlin police]], however, deserve a special mention.

Together with his volatile partner Bruno Wolter and the down-on-her-luck police stenographer (and part-time prostitute) Charlotte Ritter, he sets out to smash an infamous underground pornography ring that is blackmailing various public figures. But unbeknownst to them, a mysterious train inbound from the Soviet Union gets commandeered by a cell of Communist splitters, bringing thirteen freight cars worth of trouble into a city that itself seems to be teetering on the precipice of a Communist uprising. Soon, rather than dealing with pornographers, Rath also has to put with Soviet government agents, Trotskyist rebels, scheming local politicians, corrupt business magnates, ruthless Berliner gangsters, decadent entertainers, and renegade right-wing soldiers.

Together with his volatile partner Bruno Wolter and the down-on-her-luck police stenographer (and part-time prostitute) Charlotte Ritter, he sets out to smash an infamous underground pornography ring that is blackmailing public figures.
But unbeknownst to them, a mysterious train inbound from the Soviet Union gets commandeered by a cell of Communist splitters, bringing thirteen freight cars worth of trouble into a city that itself seems to be teetering on the precipice of a Communist uprising. Soon, rather than dealing with pornographers, Rath also has to put with Soviet government agents, Trotskyist rebels, scheming local politicians, corrupt business magnates, ruthless Berliner gangsters, decadent entertainers, and renegade right-wing soldiers.

* NiceHat: ''Everybody'' sports one, which, given the era, isn't surprising. The shako helmets of the Berlin police, however, deserve a special mention.

* ShellshockedVeteran: Rath (as well as most other men of his ages), is a [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne Great War]] veteran, and severely shellshocked by his experiences (namely [[spoiler:losing his brother before being taken prisoner by the French]]), forcing him to take sedatives to keep him from having nervous seizures.

But unbeknownst to them, a mysterious train inbound from the Soviet Union gets commandeered by a cell of Communist splitters, bringing thirteen freight cars worth of trouble into a city that itself seems to be on the precipice of a Communist uprising. Soon, rather than dealing with pornographers, Rath also has to put with Soviet government agents, Trotskyist rebels, scheming local politicians, corrupt business magnates, ruthless Berliner gangsters, decadent entertainers, and renegade right-wing soldiers.

Based on a book series by Volker Kutscher, this 2017 TV series - co-produced by Creator/Sky1 and the UsefulNotes/GermanTVSTations ARD]] - is the most expensive German television production of its time, producing two seasons of eight episodes each to the tune of 40 Million Euros.

Based on a book series by Volker Kutscher, this 2017 TV series - co-produced by Sky1 and the ARD - is the most expensive German television production of its time, producing two seasons of eight episodes each to the tune of 40 Million Euros.

Based on a book series by Volker Kutscher, this 2017 TV series is the most expensive German television production of its time, producing two seasons of eight episodes each to the tune of 40 Million Euros.

Imagine ''Film/{{Cabaret}}'' if it was envisioned by Creator/FritzLang... [[XMeetsY and directed by]] Tom Tykwer, of ''[[Film/RunLolaRun]] fame.

Imagine ''Film/Cabaret'' if it was envisioned by Creator/FritzLang... [[XMeetsY and directed by]] Tom Tykwer, of ''[[Film/RunLolaRun]] fame.