Top 20 Netflix German TV Shows to Learn the German Language

Gone are the days when learning languages was limited to traditional textbooks, dictionaries, or classroom settings. Nowadays, streaming platforms like Netflix have content in various languages from all over the world, and such content provides quality entertainment as well as the opportunity to learn a language.

If you are a German language learner or want to start this journey, you will find Netflix’s growing library of German-produced content to be a great source. The various German TV shows on Netflix can improve your listening comprehension, improve your vocabulary, and also develop conversational skills, all while enjoying great storytelling.

At SubtitleBee, we deal with subtitling, transcribing, and translating a variety of content so we understand the powerful intersection between entertainment and language learning.

So, let’s explore the top 20 German shows on Netflix that range from historical dramas to mind-bending sci-fi thrillers that provide a great dose of entertainment, along with helping you learn the language.

1. Dark

• Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
• Language Level: Intermediate to Advanced
• Seasons: 3

Dark was Netflix’s first German original series. It gained massive global popularity due to its intricate plot and philosophical themes. The show is set in the fictional town of Winden and involves a complex time-traveling narrative spanning multiple generations, challenging viewers to pay close attention to every single detail.

In terms of language and accent, Dark has a clear, standard German (Hochdeutsch) spoken at a measured pace, making it easy to understand despite its complex themes. Moreover, the philosophical nature of the show introduces learners to abstract vocabulary and existential concepts not typically found in language textbooks.

The show’s time-travel plot also provides a unique opportunity to hear German spoken across different historical periods, from the 1920s to the 2050s. These time periods have subtle variations in speech patterns and terminology.

Language Learning Tip: It is recommended that you start watching Dark German subtitles rather than English to train your brain to connect the spoken words with their written form. If you are having difficulty understanding the plot, you can always replay or switch to English subtitles to understand the meaning.

2. Babylon Berlin

• Genre: Historical Drama, Crime
• Language Level: Intermediate
• Seasons: 4

Babylon Berlin takes you back to the Weimar Republic. It is one of Germany’s most ambitious television productions. Set in 1929 Berlin, this neo-noir series revolves around inspector Gereon Rath as he navigates a city facing issues like political uprising, organized crime, and artistic revolution.

German learners can get a fascinating glimpse into historical German speech patterns and period-specific terminology through this show. The dialogues are depicted in a variety of accents that range from the refined speech of aristocrats to the rougher dialects of working-class Berliners.

Language Learning Tip: After watching an episode, you can try to summarize the plot developments in German. You can do that either by speaking aloud or writing a short paragraph. It will help you reinforce your vocabulary and comprehension.

3. How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)

• Genre: Comedy-Drama, Coming-of-Age
• Language Level: Intermediate
• Seasons: 4

How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) is a lighthearted series. It follows high school student Moritz Zimmermann as he launches an online drug business from his bedroom to impress his ex-girlfriend. Interestingly, this show is loosely based on true events, so it is a great show that can captivate the audience.

The show is also a goldmine for modern German slang for language learners. Most of the characters speak quickly and naturally. This authentic representation of how young Germans actually communicate today is useful for learners wanting to master conversational skills.

Language Learning Tip: Keep a notebook of slang terms to build a collection of modern phrases that normally do not appear in traditional language courses.

4. Deutschland 83/86/89

• Genre: Spy Thriller, Historical Drama
• Language Level: Intermediate to Advanced
• Seasons: 3 (each set in different years)

Deutschland is a critically acclaimed spy thriller trilogy. It follows East German border guard Martin Rauch as he’s recruited to become an undercover agent in West Germany. Each season is set in a different year-1983, 1986, and 1989-ending with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Language learners will benefit from the series’ portrayal of both East and West German vocabulary and expressions during the Cold War era. The show also depicts how a divided Germany developed subtle linguistic differences during these eras.

Language Learning Tip: Deutschland provides a great opportunity to identify the differences in speech between East and West German characters. Moreover, you will also notice how political ideology can influence language.

5. Das Boot

• Genre: War Drama, Thriller
• Language Level: Intermediate to Advanced
• Seasons: 3

Das Boot is based on the novel and film of the same name. It expands the original story to follow both the claustrophobic life aboard a German U-boat during World War II and the resistance movement in occupied France.

It helps language learners get familiar with military terminology and naval jargon. The show also presents regional variations in German through characters serving in the military from different parts of Germany.

Language Learning Tip: You should focus on the command language used on the submarine. These directive phrases are a great way of learning imperative forms in German.

6. Tribes of Europa

• Genre: Science Fiction
• Language Level: Intermediate to Advanced
• Seasons: 1

Tribes of Europa is set in a dystopian 2074. It presents a European continent divided into warring tribal microstates after a mysterious global catastrophe. The series follows three siblings who become involved in the continent’s power struggles when they obtain a mysterious cube.

The show is great for its suspense element and also for depicting how language might evolve in a post-apocalyptic future. For instance, it shows that different tribes have developed their own dialects and vocabularies, which is an interesting take on how the languageGerman language might splinter under isolated conditions.

Language Learning Tip: You can compare the specialized vocabulary used by different tribes to understand the evolution of language. This awareness can also improve your understanding of how real German dialects developed.

Related: Language Learning Strategies: The Importance of Translation in Education

7. Dogs of Berlin

• Genre: Crime Drama
• Language Level: Advanced
• Seasons: 1

Dogs of Berlin is a crime drama that follows two police officers investigating the murder of a German-Turkish football star in Berlin. It is a linguistic goldmine for advanced learners interested in authentic urban German. The dialogue features a range of dialects, including Turkish-German slang (Kiezdeutsch) and Berlin-specific expressions.

Language Learning Tip: You should pay attention to the contextual use of slang and colloquialisms while watching Dogs of Berlin. Moreover, you will also notice when characters shift between formal German and more casual speech patterns. This will help you navigate different social contexts in German-speaking environments.

8. The Billion Dollar Code

• Genre: Legal Drama
• Language Level: Intermediate
• Format: Limited Series

The Billion Dollar Code is a German miniseries based on true events. It tells the story of two German computer pioneers who developed an algorithm in the 1990s that would later become the foundation for Google Earth.

It is an excellent source of the technical and legal German language. The courtroom scenes provide well-articulated speech that is quite understandable despite the specialized subject matter.

Language Learning Tip: Create separate vocabulary lists for the legal and technical terminology. Even if you don’t work in these fields, many terms have become part of everyday German business language and will improve your professional communication skills.

9. Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood

• Genre: Period Drama
• Language Level: Intermediate to Advanced
• Format: Limited Series

Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood is set in 1900 Munich. It is a dark historical drama that tells the story of a brewer’s quest to dominate the city’s famous Oktoberfest. As he schemes to establish his beer as the festival’s renowned brand, he encounters resistance from established brewing families.

The turn-of-the-century setting of this German limited series on Netflix introduces historical vocabulary and formal speech patterns from a pivotal era in German history.

Language Learning Tip: Note the Bavarian expressions and pronunciation differences from standard German. Even if you’re not planning to speak the Bavarian dialect, familiarity with regional variations will improve your overall comprehension when encountering different German speakers.

10. Kleo

• Genre: Spy Thriller, Dark Comedy
• Language Level: Intermediate to Advanced
• Seasons: 1

Kleo is set in a difficult period of German reunification. It follows a former East German assassin seeking revenge after being betrayed by her own government. Upon her release after the fall of the Berlin Wall, she starts planning revenge.

The series portrays the early 1990s German society in an almost perfect manner. It also showcases the linguistic differences between East and West during the reunification era.

Language Learning Tip: You can create a list of East German expressions used in the show and research their Western equivalents. It will also help you understand the impact of political division on everyday language.

11. Der Tatortreiniger (Crime Scene Cleaner)

• Genre: Comedy
• Language Level: Intermediate to Advanced
• Seasons: 7

Der Tatortreiniger is a comedy series. It revolves around Schotty, a crime scene cleaner who encounters strange situations and characters throughout his job. Each episode of this series is a self-contained story. It includes Schotty cleaning up after various deaths and engaging in often absurd conversations.

Der Tatortreiniger can be called a masterclass in conversational German. The dialogue-heavy format often features just two characters discussing life, death, and everything in between. It creates an excellent opportunity to understand natural speech and everyday expressions.

Language Learning Tip: You can choose a short dialogue section of about 2-3 minutes and practice speaking both parts with the right tone. This exercise is useful to develop listening comprehension and speaking fluency simultaneously.

Also Read: Subtitle Errors: Netflix’s new hit show ‘Squid Game’ draws criticism for inaccurate subtitles

12. Perfume (Parfum)

• Genre: Psychological Thriller
• Language Level: Advanced
• Format: Limited Series

Parfum is inspired by Patrick Süskind’s famous novel Das Parfum. It is a dark thriller series. The plot follows a series of murders that lead investigators into a world of olfactory obsession. The complex plot of Parfum makes it best suited for advanced German learners.

Language Learning Tip: You should focus on the descriptive language used for scents and sensations throughout this show.

13. Biohackers

• Genre: Thriller, Sci-Fi
• Language Level: Intermediate
• Seasons: 2

Biohackers is a sci-fi thriller series. It follows the medical student Mia Akerlund exploring the field of biohacking at a renowned university while working on a secret agenda related to genetic experimentation.

The series has a lot of scientific and medical terminology in German. The academic setting of the show provides examples of both formal and casual student conversations.

Language Learning Tip: You can create flashcards for scientific terms that appear repeatedly. Even if you are not a science student yourself, these terms can add to your vocabulary.

14. 1899

• Genre: Mystery, Supernatural
• Language Level: Intermediate to Advanced
• Seasons: 1

1899 is a supernatural mystery series from the creators of Dark. It is set aboard a migrant steamship traveling from Europe to America. The show features passengers from diverse backgrounds as they encounter a series of strange events after discovering an abandoned ship on the open sea.

It is important to note that 1899 was canceled after just one season, so you might not get answers to all the mysteries created in its first season. Nevertheless, it offers a great linguistic experience as it is a multilingual series.

Most of the dialogue is in German, but there are characters who speak in their native languages, including English, Spanish, French, Polish, Danish, and Portuguese.

Language Learning Tip: Since the show has many different languages, you should pay attention to how characters with different native languages attempt to communicate with each other. This is useful to understand real-world communication.

Related: How to Translate Chinese Subtitles to English?

15. Unorthodox

• Genre: Drama
• Language Level: Beginner to Intermediate
• Format: Limited Series

Unorthodox is a critically acclaimed Netflix’s limited series. The show’s protagonist, Etsy, flees her ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in New York and moves to Berlin to build a new life. As Esty navigates her new life in Berlin, she learns German alongside the viewer.

The series is not entirely in German, but the multilingual nature of the show creates a perfect learning environment for beginning to intermediate German learners.

Language Learning Tip: Etsy learns German in the show, so you should pay attention to scenes where characters are teaching or learning German.

16. The Signal

• Genre: Science Fiction
• Language Level: Intermediate
• Format: Limited Series

The Signal is a sci-fi limited series. It starts with astronaut Paula’s plane disappearing on her return journey from the International Space Station. As her husband and daughter search for answers, they discover mysterious signals that suggest something far more complex than a simple accident.

The series’ moderate pacing and clear dialogue make it more accessible than some other German sci-fi shows on Netflix.

Language Learning Tip: Create separate vocabulary lists for everyday family conversation and scientific terminology. This categorization helps organize new words by context and also makes them easier to recall in similar real-life situations.

17. Barbarians (Barbaren)

• Genre: Historical Drama
• Language Level: Intermediate
• Seasons: 2

Barbarians is a historical drama that recounts the legendary Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE. It is a great show for history buffs as it offers a compelling entry point into ancient Germanic culture.

The series features both Latin and German dialogue. It creates an interesting linguistic contrast. While the series is not particularly representative of conversational modern German, the deliberate pacing makes it accessible for intermediate learners.

Language Learning Tip: Notice how the power dynamics between Romans and Germanic tribes are reflected in their language usage and communication styles.

18. The Empress (Die Kaiserin)

• Genre: Historical Drama, Romance
• Language Level: Intermediate to Advanced
• Seasons: 1

The Empress is a historical drama that chronicles the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. It mainly focuses on her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I and her adjustment to the restrictive Habsburg court life.

In terms of language learning, The Empress has excellent examples of the contrast between the formal court language and more natural speaking patterns in private scenes. It helps learners distinguish between different registers of German.

Language Learning Tip: Note the formal address terms used in court settings. Most of these formal structures remain relevant in business and official contexts in modern German.

19. Weissensee

• Genre: Historical Drama
• Language Level: Intermediate to Advanced
• Seasons: 4

Weissensee is set in East Berlin during the late 1980s. It follows two families on opposite sides of the political spectrum—the Kupfers, a family with deep ties to the Stasi, and the Hausmanns, a dissident family with a history of opposition to the regime.

The series has authentic East German dialogue from the final years of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Moreover, the vocabulary and expressions reflect the political realities of the time.

Language Learning Tip: Create a list of politically charged terms used in the series and research their connotations during the GDR period.

20. Charité

• Genre: Historical Medical Drama
• Language Level: Intermediate to Advanced
• Seasons: 3

Medical dramas are popular all over the world. Charité brings a twist to this genre as it is a historical medical German series set in the Nazra era of the 1880s and the divided Berlin of 1968. It gives insights into German history through the lens of medical advancement.

The series has medical terminology alongside everyday German. The hospital setting creates natural scenarios for both technical language and regular human interactions.

Language Learning Tip: Don’t be intimidated by the medical terminology. Focus instead on the structure of explanations and instructions, which follow patterns useful in many professional contexts.

Related: How to Add Spanish Subtitles to a Video?

How to Maximize Language Learning with German Netflix Shows?

While we have already discussed tips and tricks to learn the German language along with specific German shows on Netflix, here are some general tips you can follow to maximize the experience:

• Start with German subtitles rather than English ones. While this approach might seem challenging, it creates stronger connections between spoken and written German.
• Transform passive watching into active learning by pausing to repeat memorable phrases and keeping a dedicated notebook for new vocabulary.
• Analyze grammatical structures in written form
• Pay attention to the cultural elements that affect language usage
• Establish a regular viewing schedule and re-watch episodes, along with translated subtitles, to catch important information.

You can check out the following video to learn more about translating video subtitles and get the maximum benefits of learning language by watching international content:

Related: How to Translate Videos from German to English? (4 Steps)

Conclusion

The massive variety of German-language content on Netflix shows that it is much more than just a source of entertainment. It is a vibrant and reliable window into learning language usage across different contexts, time periods, and social settings.

By strategically watching the top 20 German shows discussed in this article, language learners can develop a nuanced understanding of German that is much greater than traditional textbook learning.

So adjust your Netflix settings, prepare your learning tools, and start your language journey that feels less like study and more like entertainment!

Related: How to Use Subtitles to Learn a Foreign Language?

FAQs

Can I translate subtitles from German to my native language?

Yes! If you are watching a German series and you want the subtitles to be in your native language, you can use SubtitleBee. It supports translating subtitles into 120+ languages, so you can enjoy the content in your native language.

Are there more German shows I can watch?

Yes. There is a long list of German TV shows as well as movies available on various streaming platforms like Hulu and Netflix. The top 20 German shows on Netflix discussed in this article are some of the most critically acclaimed shows, but you can definitely find a lot of other content on the internet.

Can I master the German language just by watching shows on Netflix?

If you want to master any language, such as German, it is recommended that you adopt a comprehensive approach of learning the language’s basics via textbooks, practicing quizzes on the internet, and watching content in that language to get familiar with its nuances.