Babylon Berlin (2017)

Set in Germany's Weimar Republic in the late 1920s Babylon Berlin is a brilliant production, a welcome surprise for American television. The sets are fantastic and the actors are brilliant. Now it is excellently dubbed in English, and it is dubbed so well I thought at first it was filmed in English to begin with. I don't know what the budget is for this series, but I am very impressed with this show. Liv Lisa Fries plays Charlotte Ritter, a plucky young lady working odd jobs, including piece work for the police department, to support her extended family. She is plucky, smart, and willing to do whatever she can to provide for her little sister, elderly mother and grandfather (and elderly sister and her deadbeat husband). Volcher Bruch plays Detective Gereon Rath from Cologne, on special assignment in Berlin. Slowly we discern, over the first several episodes what that assignment is, and later how it relates to a threat to the German government. Germany was wracked with unbelievable poverty and runaway inflation during this time period. There was a huge contrast between those who still have wealth and the majority of the people. We see this as hoards of young ladies daily begged for short term clerical jobs, or any kind of work. Many turned to prostitution to survive. Not surprisingly the communists took advantage of these conditions to recruit people to their cause, and we see this activity in Berlin. I am very impressed with this show. I hope it continues for many more seasons.