The end is swiftly approaching for Babylon Berlin. After four acclaimed seasons of tackling mysteries across Roaring Twenties-era Berlin, police detective Gereon Rath (Volker Bruch) and his partner Charlotte Ritter (Liv Lisa Fries) are about to face their darkest and most complicated chapter yet in the fifth and final run. While the series, based on Volker Kutscher's Gereon Rath novels, has been set against the backdrop of rising extremism in the country, the shadow of fascism is about to become inescapable now that they're a few years into the 1930s and nearing a grim period in German history.
Nearly four years after the Season 4 finale aired, Collider is proud to exclusively share the first trailer for Season 5, which illustrates the new challenges ahead for the two detectives as they try to continue their work in the final days of the republic. The trailer has a haunting air to it, as it's overlaid with a speech about the new era for Germany. It emphasizes how the rise of the Nazis will be inescapable for both Charlotte and Gereon and how every move they make will be dictated by the uniformed officers in their streets and the new chancellor hanging over their heads.
What's in Store for the Final Season?
Babylon Berlin's final chapter takes its motifs from Kutscher's novel Märzgefallene and begins in 1933, right when Adolf Hitler is appointed as Reich Chancellor. As his rise to power overshadows all, Charlotte starts digging into a string of murders of former frontline soldiers with motives that stem as far back as 1918 and may have some connection to the chancellor himself. At the same time, a file filled with critical information about Hitler's service in World War I that paints a completely different picture of his time as a soldier vanishes without a trace, and all involved are willing to go to any lengths to retrieve it.
Most concerning of all for Charlotte is Gereon's sudden disappearance. At such a volatile, brutal time, she fears she may never see him again. It all sets the stage for a journey as dazzling and daring as it is grim. Hitler will be a particular focus, both indirectly for how he influences the people in Germany, and directly, as the characters dig into his past and how it translates into the present darkness. Charlotte, Gereon, and everyone around them will finally show their true colors amid a period where reporters and investigators seeking and spreading the truth are dragged away, neighbors turn against each other, and any joy or revelry is inevitably clouded by brutality.
A Stellar Cast and Creative Team
Across its first four seasons, Babylon Berlin has become recognized as one of the best international mystery series around, with a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics and a 90% score from audiences. Directed and written by Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, and Henk Handloegten, the drama has managed to weave together history, drama, and neo-noir style, and Season 5 looks to take that to an extreme. Bruch and Fries will be joined by a few familiar faces from throughout the show's run in the final chapter, including, among others, Hannah Herzsprung, Karl Markovics, Fritzi Haberlandt, Christian Friedel, and Lars Eidinger. Headlining the newcomers, meanwhile, are Clemens Schick, Ulrich Noethen, and Devid Striesow.
For fans of gripping international crime dramas, this final season promises to be a fitting send-off. If you're looking for more thrilling mysteries, you might also want to check out ITV's upcoming crime thriller or Apple TV's redefinition of the missing-child mystery. And for those who enjoy a different kind of dark tale, Godzilla Minus Zero offers a post-war threat of its own.
Babylon Berlin's fifth and final season premieres on Kino Lorber's MHz Choice in the U.S. and Canada in February 2027. Check out the exclusive trailer in the player above.
