‘Babylon Berlin’ Creatives Reflects on Final Season, 13-Year Journey, Past and Present Germany
The fifth and final season of the acclaimed German series "Babylon Berlin" launches on ARD on 10 September, marking the end of a 13-year creative journey for writer-directors Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries and Henk Handlogten. The eight-part season depicts the five weeks following Hitler's appointment as Chancellor on 30 January 1933 through to the Nazi Party's consolidation of power after the March 1933 elections, blending historical events with fiction as the show's characters confront the rise of Nazi violence. Ahead of the German release, Tykwer and von Borries, together with returning leads Volker Bruch and Liv Lisa Fries, reflected on the show's conclusion and its unexpectedly close resonance with present-day political anxieties in Europe.
The creators explained that although they always envisaged the story ending around Hitler's appointment, closer research revealed the following weeks to be equally pivotal, prompting them to extend the narrative accordingly. They stressed a deliberate choice to tell the story from their characters' perspective, preserving a sense of possible alternative outcomes rather than framing events as historically predetermined, likening the effect to narratives about the Titanic. Tykwer noted that as Europe's political climate shifted during the show's long production, audiences increasingly drew parallels between the drama and contemporary insecurities, a resonance the writers had not fully anticipated when they began. The series will reach US audiences via MHz in 2027.
- "Babylon Berlin" final season premieres on German ARD on 10 September 2026.
- Season five covers Hitler's 1933 rise to power over five weeks.
- Creators say the story's themes unexpectedly echo current European politics.
- US release via MHz platform is planned for 2027.