Opening with the now-familiar theme music and blue eyes, Tatort: Münster features the dysfunctional duo of homicide detective Frank Thiel (Axel Prahl) – a simple, working class, civil servant living paycheck-to-paycheck – and Chief Medical Examiner Professor Karl-Friedrich Boerne (Jan Josef Liefers) –  the arrogant, infuriating patrician doctor who is not only Thiel’s landlord but also his partner in solving crimes. Together, the duo work in the bike-friendly city which is home to many students attending the University of Münster, Germany’s fifth largest university, established 1588-1780 by Jesuits as a research institution.

As the highest-rated of all modern Tatort teams and German TV series in general, Thiel and Boerne have nothing in common except solving crimes; their approach is as different as their backgrounds, education and lifestyles. Thiel rides his bike throughout the city, whereas Boerne drives his Porsche everywhere. Thiel’s extortionist, gambling-addicted father drives a cab, but Boerne’s sarcastic mother uses her withering glance to paralyze him.

In 2003, the show won the Bobby prize from Bundesvereinnigung Lebenshilfe, awarded annually to people taking a stand for those with physical disabilities. In 2011, Prahl and Liefers won the Goldene Kamera Award; and in 2012, the show was nominated for a Grimme Preis.

This probing, deftly written police drama with a touch of slapstick is a lesson in bemused toleration. The bond between Thiel and Boerne grows out of need – at first – based on their professional connection. As their mutual dependence grows, latitude is provided by each man for his colleague’s sarcastic comments (Boerne) and common-sense deductions (Thiel). This necessity enables them to forge a bond of respect and understanding based on mutual dependence in a job where trust, accuracy, medical and crime scene data help unearth motives deduced from clues leading to the perpetrators. Thiel and Boerne are supported by an efficient and competent team: hard working, astute Detective Nadeshda Krusenstern (Friedierike Kempter); short, deadpan and clever Deputy Medical Examiner Silke Haller (Christine Urspruch); and chain-smoking, name-dropping and annoying Public Prosecutor Wilhelmine Klemm (Mechthild Grossmann). The team must solve the most unique and unusual crimes of domestic dramas (maternal issues; same-sex relationships; love triangles), psychological thrillers, professional rivalry and competition, and cold cases.

About the City of Münster 

The latest addition to the Tatort lineup is the city of Münster, founded in 793 by Ludger – a missionary sent by Charlemagne to convert Münsterland. As the first bishop of Münster, he founded the Gymnasium Paulinum where the marketplace and library now stand. As the episcopal administrative center, the city prospered and grew, eventually becoming the state capital and cultural center of the region. Located in northern Westphalia, its bloody religious history required the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia to end the Thirty Years’ War (1618-48) and the Eighty Years’ War.

About the Tatort Franchise    

Tatort is a globally successful juggernaut that keeps on giving because of the outstanding production teams and multi-talented ensemble casts who bring the stories to life. It even inspired Dick Wolf’s Law & Order franchise – multiple series starring different casts under the same format.

Beginning in 1970 in West Germany, Tatort became Germany’s longest-running public service TV drama series. In 1971, East Germany began producing their own version titled Polizeiruf 110, which also continues to this day. (Bukow & König is part of the latter.) After German Reunification, new Tatort episodes continued to be produced in various cities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland – a total of 55 years and 1,252 90-minute episodes (and counting!) – all in German. Participating regional TV channels produce the episodes for worldwide distribution with different acting and production teams. The writers focus on pathologies with human gravitas delineating a panoply of in-depth characters involved in homicides and other crimes as multiple tropes are fleshed out yielding a keen yet subtle psychological awareness often shifting spurious motives and unconvincing alibis that are never simple “whodunnits” photographed against beautiful landscapes.

Tatort has something for everyone, including beautifully photographed urban and rural landscapes dotted with historic landmarks; arts and artifacts with many proud, long-standing descendants whose customs provide an occasional folkloric overview while speaking authentic linguistic dialects and preparing culinary specialties using regional ingredients for traditional recipes.

More Tatort Series on MHz Choice