Munich – September 10, 2026 -- The fifth and final season of "Babylon Berlin" premieres September 10 on the ARD Mediathek streaming platform, closing out a decade-long series with eight new episodes.
Ten years and five seasons come to a close
The crime drama follows detectives Gereon Rath and Charlotte Ritter through 1920s Berlin, with the finale marking the end of a production that has run since its debut. Cast members reflected on the show's decade-long journey ahead of the release.
Volker Bruch, who plays Gereon Rath, said the character has followed him "like a shadow" for ten years, describing how the storyline often intertwined with his own perception of reality. Liv Lisa Fries, who portrays Charlotte Ritter, said she can now let the character go "with gratitude" after a decade in the role.
Cast recalls surreal moments from a decade of filming
Actor Benno Fürmann recounted a bizarre night while filming at Drachenburg castle on the Rhine, when someone dressed as Adolf Hitler knocked on his trailer door at 2:30 a.m. to ask if he still needed his phone charger cable. Fürmann also noted the physical toll of the long shoot, joking that he had a full head of hair in the first season and was bald by the last.
Fries recalled a different kind of moment from the first season, when half of Berlin's Alexanderplatz was cordoned off and transformed into a 1920s set. She described stepping off a tram and running toward the reconstructed red-brick city hall as "magical."
New cast members join the ensemble for the finale
Christian Friedel and Clemens Schick, both part of the cast, spoke about the show's ensemble atmosphere. Friedel noted that the crew was struck by parallels between the show's 1920s setting and today's global political climate. Schick said joining the final season's cast was "a very big gift" after years of following the series as a fan.
"Babylon Berlin" is produced by X Filme Creative Pool in coproduction with ARD Degeto, WDR, SWR, HR, Radio Bremen and Beta Film, in cooperation with RBB. The final season's eight episodes become available on the ARD Mediathek starting September 10.