One of the most expensive non-English-language dramas ever made is coming to an end. The final season of "Babylon Berlin" will premiere September 10 on ARD's on-demand platform, with broadcast airings to follow on September 19 and September 25, each presenting a block of four episodes.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show's eight-episode finale season is set during one of the most consequential stretches in modern history. The story picks up in February 1933, just after Adolf Hitler was appointed Reich Chancellor of Germany, and runs through March 5, when elections secured his absolute power following a violent campaign against his political opponents.
Volker Bruch and Liv Lisa Fries return to play police detective Gereon Rath and assistant Charlotte Ritter, the central pairing who have anchored the series since it launched in 2017. Series co-creators and showrunners Henk Handlogten, Achim von Borries, and Tom Tykwer are all back for the conclusion.
The show debuted nearly a decade ago as the most expensive non-English-language drama of all time. It earned widespread critical acclaim, though its American visibility suffered after Netflix dropped it following the first three seasons. The show found a new U.S. home in 2024 on boutique streamer MhZ Choice, where season 4 premiered last year.
To accompany the finale, the creative team is launching several additional projects. A video game set in the "Babylon Berlin" world is being developed by von Borries together with ARD gaming company SWR X Lab. A making-of documentary, directed by Christian Jakob in collaboration with Handlogten, is also in the works. An audio drama series set in the world of the show rounds out the planned spinoff slate.
The final season was produced by X Filme Creative Pool together with ARD Degeto and several regional German public broadcasters, with Beta Film handling production and international sales.
