Contrary to what you may think, the series name isn't just some euphemism and the dogs in Berlin are actually quite important in this finger-for-finger gang tale.


The pilot episode of this German crime series opens with a steamy scene that’s very true to its title and then Kurt Grimmer (Felix Kramer), baby in arm, walks into a crime scene. Someone has been murdered but for some reason, Grimmer tells the two rookie cops who were first on scene to prevent anyone but him from accessing the crime scene. It’s all very suspicious and even more so when Grimmer starts performing some very casual, mundane task while the rookie cops are scared out of their minds and soaked (from rain and probably perspiration).


It turns out the dead body is that of Germany’s top football player, Orkam Edem (Cino Djavid). Orkam’s death is controversial for two reasons - he’s of Turkish descent and died in Marzhan, German loyalist territory and he died on the eve of a world qualifier game. It’s quite a messy case for the police force but Grimmer has a master plan where everybody comes out on top.


On the other end of the police force is Turkish officer, Erol Birkan (Fahri Yardim) - he and his team have been chasing the Tariq-Amir (Turkish gang in Germany) and just when they think they’re on the brink of a breakthrough, it turns out they’re not. In the first few episodes, Birkan is asked to join Grimmer’s team to make it slightly less controversial since Grimmer has neo-nazi roots. While both cases seem to be quite different at first, they end up having some similar elements.




There are a lot of subplots in Dogs of Berlin and almost every character gets their own little backstory. Unlike the average Western TV series, there’s an underlying respect for the female characters in this crime series  - none of them is treated condescendingly or derogatorily. The women in Kurt’s life aren’t just TV dressing with wide smiles, steamy scenes, and the occasional drama; they have their own storylines. Paula Grimmer (Katharina Schüttler) has to fire her sales assistant for theft and the conversation doesn't go as well as she thought it would and she deals with the repercussions throughout the series. Sabine(Anna Maria Mühe) is struggling with bills, two children, alcoholism and self-esteem issues. 


In Berlin's underworld, we are introduced to 4 major gangs - the Kovac clan (a gang built around betting), the Tariq Amir, the Brotherhood (a neo-Nazi group) and the Turkish bike gang who have dubbed themselves as “security”.  Some of these elements have more relevance to the plot but they all play some role. 


To solve the mystery of Edem's death, Grimmer forms a task force smartly named Red Card by rookie cop, Petrovic (Alina Stiegler) and heads this group with Birkan. Together, they get all the resources they need to follow all leads regarding Edem’s death - including imaginary leads that conveniently lead to the Kovac and Tarik Amir; which both leaders of the task force have issues with. The thing about this task force of over 10 professionals is that they’re oddly, extremely incompetent. Rookie cop, Petrovic seems to be the only member of this task force fully invested in doing her job and she finds all the major leads. The rest of them are satisfied to loaf around and chase their personal goals.


With ten episodes of an average of 55 minutes, Dogs of Berlin doesn't dilly-dally (too much) and tries to stick to the theme of the show which seems to be well summarised in Grimmer’s words “There’s no such thing as “clean””. As the drama unravels, you may find it difficult to root for any of the characters (both of whom have a broken nose for most of the series) as one is morally grey while the other is just full-on black and also an adrenaline junkie flitting from one messy decision to another.


Dogs of Berlin delivers everything it’s supposed to and is also culturally relevant - highlighting several aspects of the German culture and the pro-Sports world. The German series ends with the major storyline wrapped up (Orkan Edem’s death) but leaves other storylines open-ended - like the repercussions of decisions made as well as the motivations of certain characters.


It's clear that showrunner Christian Alvart expected a second season to flesh out the plot and while Netflix hasn't officially cancelled Dogs of Berlin, it's been five years since the first season was released in 2018 so it's safe to say that's the only ending we get.


Dogs of Berlin is currently streaming on Netflix.