The fifth and final season of the international hit series "Babylon Berlin" has received the official green light. Set in the darkest period of German history, the new season dives deep into the dreadful February 1933 and its consequences, the transfer of power of the NSDAP. The director/writer trio of Henk Handlogten, Achim von Borries and Tom Tykwer will return for the finale, with Volker Bruch ("Generation War") and Liv Lisa Fries ("The Wave") reprising their roles of Gereon Rath and Charlotte Ritter as well. Shooting is set for October 2024 for the eight new episodes, which are based on Volker Kutschers fifth novel "The March Fallen", pending the approval of the ARD committees.
The title is a production of X-Filme Creative Pool in co-production with ARD Degeto, SWR, WDR, Radio Bremen and Beta Film. "Babylon Berlin" is co-produced by Christoph Pellander and Carolin Haasis (ARD Degeto), Manfred Hattendorf and Monika Denisch (SWR), as well as Alexander Bickel and Caren Toennissen-Brand (WDR). Executive producers for X-Filme are Stefan Arndt, Uwe Schott, and Michael Polle, co-producers for Beta Film are Jan Mojto, Dirk Schürhoff, and Moritz Herzogenberg.
The series has collected numerous awards, among them the inaugural European Achievement in Fiction Series Award at the European Film Awards, four German Television Awards, the Grand Prize at the Seoul International Drama Awards, the Austrian Television Award ROMY as "TV Event of the Year", the Premios Ondas in Spain, as well as the Magnolia Award of the Shanghai TV Festival, the most important TV festival in Asia, and many more.
"Babylon Berlin" has been sold to more than 140 territories and has celebrated a sweeping success all over the world with more than 94 million digital views on Germany’s ARD Mediathek alone. Praised by international media the series has turned into the epitome of high-end drama made in Germany with an immense international impact.
Thomas Schreiber, CEO ARD Degeto Film, considers it a milestone in high-quality German audiovisual production: “'Babylon Berlin' has set standards and proven: Germany can produce internationally successful series. We at ARD Degeto are pleased that we can deliver on our promise and bring the fans another season - from ARD with SWR, WDR and Radio Bremen, together with our strong partners X Filme and Beta Film. The gripping novel and the terrific cast promise a TV experience that will thrill 'Babylon Berlin' fans once again," commented.
Jan Mojto, CEO Beta Film eferred to the international recognition of the series: "The New York Times recently published the headline, ‘Babylon Berlin, Babylon America,’ coupled with a call for readers to watch the series to understand the country's developments and the parallels to the Weimar Republic. 'Babylon Berlin' is not only impressively topical, but it also resonates with audiences everywhere in the world – on both sides of the Atlantic and in over 140 territories," stated.
Finally, Sophie Burkhardt, Channel Manager ARD Mediathek provided some figures to understand the phenomenon: "'Babylon Berlin' is and remains one of the most important series brands in and from Germany. With a total of 94 million views in the ARD Mediathek for the four seasons to date and an impressive 23 million views for the fourth season alone, the series has impressively proven that good stories can reach a large audience and inspire them in the long term," highlighted.