Scene of the Crime

Scene of the Crime is a German crime series that has aired since 1970 on Das Erste, the ARD network. Each story follows a team of police officers investigating a crime in their own city, so the setting and the officers change from one episode to the next. The episodes are produced by different regional broadcasters, which contribute several episodes to a shared pool. Each runs about ninety minutes, leaving room to develop the characters and the surroundings where they live. The architecture, customs and dialects of each city are an essential part of the story. Often the city becomes the true star of the episode rather than the police, and the investigation revolves around who committed the crime and why.