Filming Wraps on 'Babylon Berlin' Final Fifth Season; Premiere Set for 2026

The acclaimed German neo-noir television series, Babylon Berlin, a production spearheaded by Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, and Hendrik Handlö ​​gten, is drawing its curtain. Principal photography for the fifth and concluding season, comprising eight episodes, has officially concluded. Audiences can anticipate the premiere of this final installment in 2026. Since its debut in 2017, this ambitious project has chronicled Berlin's dramatic transformation, spanning from the decadent Jazz Age of the 1920s through to the ominous rise of the Nazi Party.

This series has cemented its status as one of Europe's most expensive non-English language television productions in history. Its global reach is substantial, having been licensed to over 140 territories worldwide, underscoring its international appeal. The initial two seasons alone reportedly carried a budget nearing 40 million euros. The narrative arc of this concluding season draws its foundation from Volker Kutscher's fifth novel in the Gereon Rath series, titled The March Fallen.

The plot for the final season zeroes in on a pivotal, five-week period immediately following Adolf Hitler’s appointment as Reich Chancellor in January 1933. This specific timeframe marks the definitive consolidation of Nazi power and the commencement of widespread political purges and repression. Kutscher's novel, The March Fallen, meticulously details how the Berlin police force becomes increasingly politicized. Loyalty to the Nazi party begins to supersede professional competence when it comes to promotions and advancement within the ranks.

Detectives Gereon Rath and Charlotte Ritter are brought back together for their final joint investigation, navigating an environment thick with escalating political chaos and rising violence. Charlotte, who maintains a daytime job as a stenographer, takes on the complex task of probing a series of murders targeting World War I veterans. This mysterious case inevitably leads her down a path connected to the missing Gereon and directly into the heart of the nascent fascist regime.

The creative team has promised that this farewell season will deliver on visual splendor and an impeccably recreated historical atmosphere. The musical score, always a crucial element of Babylon Berlin's identity, is intended by the creators to capture the turbulence and the encroaching darkness characteristic of 1933 Germany. The conclusion of this epic saga, which charts the stark transition from cultural decadence to totalitarian dictatorship, signifies the end of one of the most significant German-language television achievements.