Viktor Bringt's

With a concept, plot structure and editing style heavily influenced by the also German NDR series "Der Tatortreiniger", and Moritz Bleibtreu as lead actor this could only be hit or miss.

What made the NDR series such a gem in the German TV landscape was successfully walking the razors edge of authenticity, humanity and theater play like exaggeration. Thanks to the combined effort of director Feldhusen, writer Meyer and lead Mädel this worked out like nothing else.

Now "Viktor Bringt's" does copy a lot of key elements, but falls completely flat with the balancing act. It watches like the infantil Version of "Der Tatortreiniger". The writing is on par with the whole bunch of heartless, lackluster "comedy" movies that the German movie industry pushes out year after year, but compressed into 20 minute episodes.

The director obviously can't handle Moritz Bleibtreu or he doesn't care to. Bleibtreu, an actor that can shine really bright if directed properly, but if let loose, he does his usual somewhat funny but mostly over the top style of acting which is also the case in this show. His horribly faked Berliner Schnauze (Berlin dialect) is the cherry on top. The other actors can neither match Bleibtreus mannerisms, nor handle the little the script offers.

I downloaded the whole season because I hoped somebody that wants to copy a series that became German pop culture understands that it was the brain and heart that got it there.

Instead they added another one to the German cinematic poop culture.

It has all the vibes of Der Tatortreiniger. If you close your eyes you can almost hear Schotty's voice in Viktor.

If that wasn't enough, for the first episode they brought in the brilliant Caroline Peters as the guest star. You may recall Peters from Mord mit Aussicht, the series that also starred Bjarne Mädel. The producers are really leaning in hard here...

The problem is if you create a show that aims for such an iconic show as Der Tatortreiniger then you better have really good material. While I did laugh out loud a few times, mostly I felt annoyed that the show was ripping off one of my favorite shows.

This one has definitive "Tatortreiniger"-Vibes. The concept is a bit similar: A somewhat "ordinary" person comes into homes of somewhat "different" personalities, and what happens then is a clash of characters with funny dialogue. Difference here is that the main character does not come in to clean up a crime scene, but to deliver and install electronic equipment, and it is set in Berlin instead of Hamburg.

The episodes are shorter, the conversations not as deep as in the brilliant "Tatortreiniger" (don't know if this will ever be equaled, let alone topped), but it is a fun ride, and the acting is great. Besides the main characters Victor and his son, played by the great Moritz Bleibtreu and newcomer (at least I had never heard of him) Enno Grumm, you have the usual array of German renowned actors, so it's a safe bet you'll like this if you're into this quirky type of one-room comedy.

Maybe not something for the ages, but certainly a fun little show, and I hope there will be more seasons to come.