Cologne is known for its cathedral and its carnival, but Germany’s party-loving metropolis is also rife with crime. Among those whose job it is to find the city’s murderers and their motives are homicide inspectors Max Ballauf and Freddy Schenk. With his chiseled features and melancholy gaze, Max Ballauf (Klaus J. Behrendt) is the ladies’ man who can get the most reserved upper-crust woman and the toughest, tight-lipped madam to willingly part with her secrets. But while his quick temper often gets him into trouble, his robust, level-headed partner Freddy Schenk (Dietmar Bär) is always there to help him out. Schenk’s stocky frame and good-natured ways belie his physical and mental agility, as well as his dogged persistence. Together, Freddy and Max are two of the most popular investigators in the 47-year history of the Tatort franchise.

Detective Klaus Borowski is a quixotic, social disaster who manages to offend everyone while solving crimes in the port city of Kiel. His infuriating mix of callousness and sensitivity serves him well on the job, but gets him in trouble with everyone in his private life. His assistant, his ex-wife, his daughter and his shrink all want to throttle him most of the time, unless he’s having one of his rare good moments – in which case, he’s delightful.

Banished to a quirky police outpost in the remote Eifel mountains, criminologist Sophie Haas devotes her time to solving murders!