Tatort

Tatort is a famous TV show. It tells stories about police. The show started in 1970. It is very long.

Many different cities appear in the show. You might see cities in Germany or Austria. Each city has its own police team.

The stories are like long movies. They last for 90 minutes. This gives the show time to show much detail.

Different TV stations work together to make it. They make about 30 new stories each year.

People in many lands watch these stories. It is a very special show.

Tatort is a very famous German TV show. It tells crime stories about the police. The show started in 1970. It is the longest crime show in Germany. It is a big part of German culture.

Many different TV stations work together to make it. They make about 30 new episodes each year. Each episode is like a long movie. They last for about 90 minutes. This gives the show time to show deep details. It can show how characters feel. It can also show social issues.

Every episode features a new team of police. These teams work in different cities. You might see stories set in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland. The cities are very important. They show local buildings and ways of speaking. Sometimes the city feels like a main character.

Most episodes follow a team solving a crime. They often look at the people involved. This includes the victims and the criminals. The show has over 1,100 episodes. It even has a radio version. People have watched it for many decades.

Tatort is a famous German television series about police work. It is a crime drama that has been running since 1970. This makes it the longest-running drama on German television. Instead of one single story, it is a huge collection of different police stories. Each episode feels like a special movie that is about 90 minutes long. This extra time lets the show focus on the feelings of the characters. It also looks at the people involved in the crimes, like the victims and the criminals. The show is a major part of culture for many people.

The show works through a very special way of making television. Many different regional stations work together to create it. These stations belong to a group called ARD. They also work with national broadcasters in Austria and Switzerland. Each station makes its own episodes for a common pool. There are about 20 active police teams in the series. Each team appears one to three times every year. Because the stations are local, the stories show different cities. You can see unique buildings and hear different local ways of speaking. Sometimes, the city itself feels like the most important character.

Gunther Witte helped develop the series many years ago. He was a writer and a leader at the WDR station. He wanted to show the stories from the view of the detectives. He and others made sure that detectives are always at the center. These detectives usually work in teams. The show has stayed very consistent over the decades. Even the famous opening music has stayed almost the same. Klaus Doldinger wrote the music, and Udo Lindenberg played the drums. This sense of tradition helps fans feel connected to the show.

There are many impressive numbers behind this long-running series. By May 2018, the show had produced 1,055 episodes. The very first episode aired on November 29, 1970. The 1,000th episode was a big milestone on November 13, 2016. Most years, the stations make about 30 new episodes. On Sunday evenings, the show usually airs at 8:15 p.m. on the Das Erste channel. This is a very popular time for people to watch television. The show also reaches people in other countries through streaming services.

Tatort is similar to other shows that use different teams in different places. For example, East Germany once had its own show called Polizeiruf 110. That show also used different teams in different cities. Even after Germany became one country, Polizeiruf 110 continued as a special part of the ARD group. Today, Tatort connects people through shared stories and local pride. It shows how different places in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland look and live. It is more than just a show about solving crimes. It is a way to explore the many different parts of a whole culture.

Tatort, which means "Crime Scene," is a famous German-language police procedural television series. It is the longest-running German TV drama, having aired continuously since 1970. Rather than following one single group of detectives, the series acts as a massive collection of different police stories. Each episode is a feature-length production, usually lasting about 90 minutes. This length allows the show to act more like a series of movies than a typical weekly drama. It provides enough time for deep characterization and psychological exploration. The show focuses on more than just solving a crime. It often examines the lives of the victims, the perpetrators, and the inspectors themselves.

The series uses a unique production model called a pooling concept. It is developed by the German public-service broadcasting organization, ARD. ARD is made up of several regional members, known as Landesrundfunkanstalten. These regional stations, along with national broadcasters from Austria (ORF) and Switzerland (SRF), jointly produce the show. Each station contributes several episodes to a common pool. This means that different police teams solve crimes in their own specific cities. There are roughly 20 active teams involved in the series. Each team typically appears between one and three times every year.

Because of this regional system, the setting is a vital part of the experience. Each episode highlights the unique architecture, customs, and local dialects of its specific city. Often, the city itself becomes the main character of the story. For example, the WDR station, which is based in Cologne, produces three different teams. These teams operate in the cities of Cologne, Münster, and Dortmund. While most episodes involve investigating a homicide, the stories often explore social and political issues. The investigations are rarely simple "whodunits." Instead, they look at how people deal with the aftermath of a crime.

The history of the series began with the work of Gunther Witte. He was a dramatist and a television head at WDR in Cologne. Witte developed the series despite facing initial resistance. He ensured that the detectives remained at the center of every story. He wanted the audience to see the cases through the inspectors' perspectives. This approach helped create a sense of connection between the viewers and the characters. Even the opening sequence has remained mostly the same for decades. The famous title music was composed by Klaus Doldinger, with Udo Lindenberg playing the drums.

The scale of the series is reflected in its impressive production numbers. The first episode was broadcast on November 29, 1970. By May 2018, the series had produced a total of 1,055 episodes. This includes 13 episodes produced specifically for Austria. A major milestone occurred on November 13, 2016, when the 1,000th episode aired. Every year, the stations produce approximately 30 new episodes. These are usually broadcast on Sunday evenings at the prime viewing time of 8:15 p.m. on the Das Erste channel. This consistent schedule has made the show a major cultural phenomenon.

During the era of divided Germany, a similar show existed in East Germany called Polizeiruf 110. This series premiered in 1971 and also featured different teams in different cities. While Tatort was produced in the West, Polizeiruf 110 was produced by the East German state broadcaster. The East German show focused heavily on the psychology of the people involved. Interestingly, only a small part of its cases involved actual homicides. After German reunification, the two traditions merged in unique ways. Some regional broadcasters, like MDR and RBB, continue to produce Polizeiruf 110 today. It remains a part of the ARD programming alongside Tatort.

Today, Tatort connects various cultures across Central Europe. The episodes are set in diverse locations including various German cities, Vienna, and Zürich. The show has also found interest outside of German-speaking countries. For instance, some episodes were shown in Finland and Sweden under different titles. In 2023, an American streaming service called MHz Choice signed a deal for 250 episodes. They are even working on English-subtitled versions of episodes from the Dortmund and Bremen teams. By combining local storytelling with a massive shared network, Tatort remains a central part of the television landscape.