The fifth and concluding season of the acclaimed 1920s crime drama Babylon Berlin is set to launch just as Germany heads toward a pivotal state election that could see the far‑right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) claim its first absolute majority. Lead actress Liv Lisa Fries warns that the series is “no longer a dance on the rim of the volcano… we’re in the volcano itself,” underscoring how the show’s narrative of Weimar collapse now feels eerily close to today’s political turbulence. Created by Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten and a team of veteran writers, the series has followed detective Charlotte Ritter and veteran Gereon Rath through a decade of decadence, crime and looming catastrophe, culminating in Adolf Hitler’s appointment as chancellor.
A Century‑Old Drama Meets Modern Politics
The programme, which has captivated audiences in 140 countries, chronicles the fragile democratic experiment of the Weimar Republic and the rise of fascism with a blend of noirish policing, lush period design and a soundtrack that includes the haunting theme To Ashes, to Dust. As the final season unfolds, the narrative reaches the moment Hitler becomes chancellor, while a missing medical file casts new light on his wartime service. The timing of these story beats, the creators insist, is coincidental, yet the parallels with Germany’s current electoral showdown are impossible to ignore.
On 6 September, the AfD could secure an outright majority in the Saxony‑Anhalt state election, a result that would mark a watershed moment in the country’s post‑war democracy. Two weeks later, the party may triumph in Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern, and in Berlin it trails only the far‑left Die Linke in the polls. Volker Bruch, who portrays Gereon Rath, notes that the “political parallels jumped out” during production, adding that “history doesn’t repeat itself that way – it rhymes.”
Filming, History and Controversy
Series three was partially shot at the neo‑baroque Villa Adlon, which in November 2023 became the secret venue for a gathering of AfD officials and neo‑Nazis discussing a “remigration” plan should the party seize power. The producers have acknowledged the uncanny coincidence, describing it as a surreal blurring of fiction and reality that emerged organically during the lengthy shoot. In the final season, a plotline sees a medical file disappear, shedding new light on Hitler’s experiences as a World War I soldier – a detail that deepens the historical texture of the story.
Scott Roxborough, the European bureau chief of the Hollywood Reporter, recalls that when the series first entered production it seemed “almost impossible” to allocate the massive resources required to match the glossy aesthetics of contemporary US and British hits such as Breaking Bad and The Crown. He suggests that today, with streaming giants adopting a more profit‑driven stance, securing such financing would be “increasingly unlikely.”
Creators on Relevance and Global Audience
Tom Tykwer, one of the three creators and composer of much of the series’ original music, argues that the show’s appeal lies not in a direct mirror of today’s politics but in its depiction of a transformative era when “a weak government and a churning society left room for women, gay people and new immigrants to rewrite the rules.” He adds that the period’s experimental spirit produced “wonderful, positive, beautiful blossoms” that were “destroyed again almost immediately,” a cycle that resonates with universal themes of democratic fragility. The series’ haunting theme song, To Ashes, to Dust, returns in the fifth season, and a rendition by French neo‑chanson star Zaho de Sagazan appears in a Parisian storyline.
Henk Handloegten, the other creator, expresses pride that the series has “struck a nerve” with viewers worldwide who find themselves at political crossroads. He says the mounting pressure on democracy in many countries where the show is watched “has really motivated” the team to engage deeply with the era, viewing their work as a form of political engagement in its own right.
Why It Matters
Babylon Berlin’s final chapter does more than conclude a celebrated television saga; it holds a mirror to a nation confronting a resurgence of extremist politics that echo the collapse of the Weimar Republic. As Germany prepares for an election that could reshape its democratic landscape, the series invites audiences to reflect on how historical warning signs are often overlooked, and why vigilance remains essential to safeguarding democratic institutions. The cultural resonance of a show that once dramatized a century‑old crisis now serves as a timely reminder that the foundations of liberty are never immutable.
