The highly anticipated fifth and final season of Babylon Berlin is nearing completion, marking the end of an era for the popular German drama series. Set against the backdrop of the Weimar Republic, the show has captivated global audiences with its gritty, noir-style portrayal of pre-Nazi Germany. The concluding season will bring this tale to a close, focusing on the politically charged months that saw Adolf Hitler’s rise to power.
Filming for the final season wraps later this year, with co-creators Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten, and Achim von Borries preparing to deliver a tense and dramatic finale. Babylon Berlin has long been celebrated for its authentic depiction of 1920s Berlin, and season 5 will dive into the events surrounding Hitler’s appointment as Reich Chancellor on January 30, 1933, and the aftermath of his consolidation of power through the elections held in early March.
The season opens with the disappearance of Inspector Gereon Rath, played by Volker Bruch, and follows Charlotte Ritter (Liv Lisa Fries) as she investigates a series of murders tied to former soldiers. Her search for answers leads her to uncover disturbing connections to Gereon’s past and the growing political influence of Hitler’s regime. The season takes place over a compressed period of five weeks, as the country is thrust into chaos.
Tykwer highlighted the rapid changes in German society during this brief but critical period. “In these five weeks, everything changed,” he said. “The stormtroopers were everywhere, the police force was overwhelmed, and society was in complete upheaval.” He painted a vivid picture of the terrifying landscape, where violence, arrests, and the opening of the first concentration camps set the stage for what would soon become a totalitarian state.
Rather than framing the rise of the Nazis as a sudden or universally embraced shift, Tykwer said that the final season reflects the divided nature of German society during this time. “It’s a myth that everyone welcomed the Nazis,” he noted. “There were massive protests, and society was deeply split. Each character in the series has to choose a path: whether to fight, to adapt, or to flee.”
For fans of Babylon Berlin, this last season holds special significance. As the show’s primary network, Sky Deutschland, shuttered its local originals division, the fate of the final season was uncertain. But with support from ARD Degeto, Tykwer’s X Filme production company, and global distributor Beta Film, the series will close its chapter. The show’s success—spanning 140 territories and amassing over 100 million digital views in Germany—helped ensure that the final season would be made.
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In the United States, Babylon Berlin originally streamed on Netflix, but the service opted not to renew the show for its fourth season. Kino Lorber’s MHz Choice streaming platform has since become the exclusive home for the series in North America, ensuring that U.S. fans can follow the final chapter.
As season 5 moves toward its debut, viewers can expect to see the series confront the historical turmoil of early 1933, with the personal and political fates of its characters hanging in the balance.
