Pictures via Netflix – Illustration by What’s on Netflix
Netflix has just previewed its upcoming slate of new and returning German-language Netflix Original titles, unveiling new projects, announcing release dates, revealing new first looks, and more. Here’s everything we learned.
The German event follows other Next on Netflix events over the past two months. It all kickstarted with the US team’s big reveal of the 2024 slate on February 1st, and we’ve since had slate reveals from India, Italy, and Spain. The United Kingdom will have its turn to display its upcoming titles tomorrow at a showcase event in London.
So, let’s split this preview into several sections and showcase what was announced at the Next on Netflix German event:
New Documentary, Reality, and Movie Announcements
Let’s kick off with all the new projects that Netflix announced today:
Movie Announcements
- Brick (Working Title) – Set for release in 2025, this new movie will star Matthias Schweighöfer, Ruby O. Fee, Frederick Lau, Salber Lee Williams, and Axel Werner.
- “Tim and Olivia’s apartment building is suddenly surrounded by a mysterious brick wall. They must work with their neighbors to find a way out.”
Documentary/Reality Announcements
- Fight for Paradise: Who Can You Trust – Reality series – Bonnie Strange is hosting this new reality gameshow series that’s about strangers having to maneuver their way into a luxury paradise and out of a hellish jungle camp with grueling tasks awaiting.
- Jack Unterweger – True-crime documentary series – Kirsten Brandt is behind this series about the prolific serial killer.
- Kaulitz and Kaulitz – Reality series – New reality series based on the lives of Bill and Tom Kaulitz.
- Pinzner: German Hitman – Documentary series – True crime series about the five-time contract killer Werner “Mucki” Pinzner.
- Shirin David – Documentary series – Followings Germany’s most successful female wrapper. Due to be released in 2025.
Date Announcements and New First Looks For New Shows and Movies
Crooks. Christoph Krutzler as Joseph and Klara Mucci as Alina in Crooks. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
- Crooks – Series – April 4th, 2024 – Marvin Kren is behind this new crime series
- Charly’s tranquil life in Berlin is shattered by his past, forcing him into a heist gone wrong, leading to an action-packed escape with Joseph, uniting against international clans to save his family, relying on newfound friendship.
- Blame the Game – Movie – July 12th, 2024 – Comedy thriller
- “A young man meets his new girlfriend’s friends for the first time at their regular game night, putting him under pressure to make a good impression. But then suddenly, her ex shows up as well.”
- Love is Blind: Germany – Reality series – Autumn 2024
Cassandra. Marie Tölle as Juno, Michael Klammer as David, Joshua Kantara as Fynn and Mina Tander as Samira on the set of Cassandra. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
- Cassandra – Series – Release Date TBD- Sci-fi drama from Benjamin Gutsche
- After Samira’s family moves into Germany’s oldest smart home, left empty since its owners’ mysterious demise 50 years ago, the electronic helper Cassandra awakens, aspiring to become an indispensable family member, determined to never be abandoned again.
- Delicious – Movie – Release Date TBD – Thriller starring Fahri Yardim, Valerie Pachner, Naila Schuberth , Caspar Hoffmann, Carla Diaz
- “A German family spends the summer vacation in their French villa. The façade of their seemingly perfect life begins to crumble one evening when they hit a young woman on the country road and take her in. Behind the initial willingness to help, completely different needs soon come to light. Everyone in the family seems to be looking for something different in the woman, wanting to use her – a mistake that will soon be avenged and change the life of the whole family.”
- Murder Mindfully – Series – Release Date TBD- Crime series from Doron Wisotzky.
- After attending a mindfulness seminar to improve his work-life balance, lawyer Björn Diemel inadvertently becomes a murderer, finding peace and order in his life despite being pursued by the police and mafia, realizing that additional murders are just a natural consequence of his new, mindful outlook.
Jeanne Goursaud as SARA on the set of Exterritorial, Courtesy of Netflix 2023
- Exterritorial (Working Title) – Movie – Release Date TBD – Action flick from director and author Christian Zübert
- During a visit to the US consulate in Frankfurt, Sara’s son vanishes, leading her on a desperate search within as she uncovers a dark conspiracy, with authorities denying his presence and her Special Forces skills becoming her only ally.
Returning Netflix German Shows
The Empress – Picture: Netflix
Let’s conclude with the returning series then. We’ll begin with the two heavyweights, beginning with The Empress and Kleo. In the case of The Empress, we’ve known that season 2 will be debuting in 2024 since the February 1st Next on Netflix reveals, but it looks like we’ll have a slightly longer wait than we’d have hoped with confirmation that the new season will be debuting in Late 2024.
Netflix also provided a new synopsis for the forthcoming season 2:
“The first crisis is barely over and the young couple wants to enjoy their fresh marital bliss when dark clouds gather over Schönbrunn Palace: Franz (Philip Froissant) unexpectedly faces a powerful adversary in Europe. And Elisabeth (Devrim Lingnau) comes under great pressure, because an heir to the throne is to secure the future of the empire as quickly as possible. When fate strikes with all its power, the couple’s love threatens to finally break apart. And Elisabeth must fight not only for her family, but also for the integrity of her soul…”
Kleo season 2 was mentioned, although we got no further first looks at the new season. It was once again confirmed for a 2024 release date with an expanded logline:
“The hunt for the red suitcase continues, as former GDR spy Kleo is determined to retrieve it and destroy it for good – while West Berlin police officer Sven is trying to do everything he can to redeem himself in Kleo’s eyes and work with her again. She’s exactly the dose of adrenalin he’s been missing in his work. Because the contents of the red suitcase play a key role in the reorganization of Germany and Europe in the wake of the Cold War, it’s no wonder that the KGB and CIA are after it as well – and Kleo quickly becomes the target of both secret services. But that’s not all: while Europe’s future is in Kleo’s hands, she’s catapulted deeper into her own past than she would like.”
Netflix officially confirmed that How to Sell Drugs Online would definitely still be returning for a season 4, something that was last mentioned back in 2022, but I have heard nothing about it since. The following synopsis gives us an idea as to what we can expect:
“Moritz is released from prison after 4 years. He can finally start his own (this time legal!) business. Together with his best friend Lenny. But unlike his business ideas, the world has moved on without him, and Dan has turned Bonus Life into a successful supplement start-up, making it into the top 30 under 30 list of young entrepreneurs overnight – living the life Moritz always wanted. Moritz is pissed! When he learns that Lenny not only works at Bonus Life, but that he also owns half of the company, it’s no question: Moritz has to take control of Bonus Life, and together with Ersan, his mate from prison, he sets out to take over the majority of the start-up as an anonymous investor, completely legally. Fortunately, Ersan knows someone who will lend them the million for the takeover. But by the time Moritz finds out the terms of the loan, it is already too late. A race against time begins, in which Moritz not only has to get rid of the police and the unscrupulous boss of a drug ring, but also the lives of Lisa, Lenny and Ersan are at stake.”
Finally, Too Hot To Handle Germany was confirmed to return for a new season, which will be released in 2025.
We’ll include all of these in our extensive preview of upcoming German-language titles coming in 2024 and beyond.
What new German title are you looking forward to watching on Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.
Netflix Synopsis: "After the fall of the Berlin Wall, a former East German spy resolves to find out who betrayed her and why -- and use her lethal skills to exact revenge."
