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I have to be honest, I'm pretty skeptical about German series - lots of money gets thrown at them, but it doesn't always work out. "Neumünster" on Netflix is solid if you're into crime thrillers that don't have too much action-packed nonsense. "Der Schwarm" was interesting last year, even though opinions were split on how well they adapted the source material. As for what's coming out this year, I'm not entirely sure which ones are already online and which are still to come - honestly, I'd have to look that up myself.
The problem is that German productions often wobble back and forth between too melodramatic and too artsy. If you're looking for something in the crime genre, it's definitely worth checking out what the public broadcasters are showing right now - they sometimes make better stuff than the streaming services, and it doesn't cost you anything extra. The regional crime series are often underrated. Otherwise, I'd just look at ratings on IMDb or similar and not pay attention to the hype - lots of people praise series they don't even finish watching.
Good German series are few and far between, that's true. But if you're really looking for something decent, it's worth taking a closer look - not everything that costs money is well made either.
What I personally find interesting: "Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo" on Amazon Prime was really thoughtfully done, even though the subject matter is heavy. The series takes time for its characters instead of just drama for drama's sake. And when it comes to crime stuff - I'd go less for the big names and more check out smaller productions that have less hype. Those are often the surprises.
The thing is, German series sometimes try to be everything at once - international, trendy, thought-provoking - and then it just gets tedious. Before you commit to a whole season, it's better to read a review that's actually critical, not just marketing fluff. And honestly: sometimes a good Nordic or Austrian series is more interesting than what's specifically marketed as a "German" series. Just don't get too hung up on the labels.
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