📺 10 Best German Series for Learners — Binge Your Way to Better German
- Jens Olesen
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
If you want to speak and understand real German, textbooks alone won’t get you there — but German TV shows can! Watching authentic German series trains your ear to understand everyday speech, slang, accents, and cultural jokes — all while keeping you entertained for hours.
But not every series is helpful for learners: some are too dialect-heavy or have super-fast slang. So I’ve curated 10 truly popular, award-winning German shows that offer clear pronunciation, realistic language, and captivating stories. With these, you’ll learn naturally — and love every minute.
🎓 Learn German Properly — And Understand Every Episode
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📺 10 Best German Series for Learners
🎬 1️⃣ Tatort
Level: Intermediate to Upper-intermediate
Why watch: Tatort is a German institution — a detective show that’s been on air since the 1970s, with new murder mysteries every week set in different cities. This means you’ll hear clear standard German and a range of regional accents. Perfect for picking up police vocabulary, small talk, and local slang. Germans watch it religiously every Sunday — join the tradition!
🎬 2️⃣ Babylon Berlin
Level: Upper-intermediate
Why watch: Europe’s biggest-budget historical drama and a global hit. Set in 1920s Berlin, it blends crime, politics, and romance during the Weimar Republic. Stunning visuals, gripping plot, and authentic period German — but mostly clear and understandable. You’ll pick up both everyday speech and rich historical expressions.
🎬 3️⃣ Ku'damm 56 / 59 / 63
Level: Intermediate to Upper-intermediate
Why watch: This award-winning series follows the rebellious Schöllack sisters navigating love, social norms, and change in conservative post-war Berlin. It’s a beautiful mix of family drama, romance, and cultural history. The German is clear, with lots of realistic dialogue about family conflict, love and dreams — all in a nostalgic 1950s-60s setting.
🎬 4️⃣ Stromberg
Level: Intermediate to Upper-intermediate
Why watch: Germany’s answer to The Office — a cringe-comedy about the world’s worst boss and his suffering team. The language is pure everyday office German: gossip, sarcasm, fake politeness, and complaints. Great for learners who want to pick up idioms and understand subtle workplace humour.
🎬 5️⃣ Ein Herz und eine Seele
Level: Intermediate
Why watch: Germany’s legendary sitcom from the 1970s — still re-broadcast today and a classic in German pop culture. Think All in the Family but with a very German twist: endless family arguments, political jokes, and everyday expressions that never go out of style. Fantastic for training your ear to hear casual speech and typical German family banter.
🎬 6️⃣ Deutschland 83 / 86 / 89
Level: Intermediate to Upper-intermediate
Why watch: A Cold War spy thriller that became an international success. Follow a young East German soldier sent undercover in West Germany in the 80s — packed with clear standard German, East-West cultural jokes, and authentic historical phrases. Entertaining and easy to follow for intermediate learners who love thrillers.
🎬 7️⃣ Mord mit Aussicht
Level: Intermediate
Why watch: A funny, laid-back crime-comedy about a big-city detective stuck in a sleepy village in the Eifel. Hilarious culture clashes, small-town gossip, and simple, repetitive phrases make this ideal for everyday listening practice. Light, charming, and great for picking up German countryside humour.
🎬 8️⃣ Der Tatortreiniger (Crime Scene Cleaner)
Level: Intermediate
Why watch: A cult hit and learner favourite: Schotty the crime scene cleaner chats with quirky clients at every job. Each short episode is a mini masterclass in realistic small talk, jokes, misunderstandings and regional expressions. Brilliant for building real conversational confidence.
🎬 9️⃣ Berlin Alexanderplatz (2020 Miniseries)
Level: Upper-intermediate to Advanced
Why watch: A bold, award-nominated modern adaptation of the classic German novel. Follows Francis, an undocumented immigrant caught up in Berlin’s gritty underworld. The dialogue is raw, poetic and full of modern slang — a challenge for advanced learners but rewarding for understanding Berlin’s multicultural street German today.
🎬 🔟 Bad Banks
Level: Upper-intermediate
Why watch: This award-winning financial thriller is addictive, stylish and brilliantly acted. Dive into the world of high-stakes banking, ambition, and betrayal in Frankfurt and Luxembourg. Modern, sharp business German, corporate small talk, and realistic office power plays — perfect for students who want to sound polished in professional German settings.
✅ How to Get the Most Out of German Series
✔️ Start with German audio + English subtitles to follow the plot easily.✔️ Re-watch with German subtitles to match sounds and words.✔️ Pause and repeat phrases aloud — mimic accents and intonation.✔️ Write down new idioms and slang — and practise them in lessons!✔️ Discuss episodes with your tutor — it’s fun and reinforces real speech.
🎓 Learn German Properly — And Understand Every Episode
Watching German shows is brilliant — but to speak naturally and get jokes and slang, you need solid foundations too. That’s exactly what we offer:
👉 Weekly German Classes (A1–C2)
👉 Intensive German Courses
👉 GCSE & A-Level German
✨ New students save 15% with code EARLYBIRD!
💻 All lessons are online — so you can learn comfortably, then unwind with your favourite German series.
📚 Want More?
Explore our German language blog ‘Auf Deutsch, bitte!’ — over 500 free posts packed with everyday vocabulary, grammar hacks, and cultural tips inspired by real German life.
Viel Spaß beim Binge-Watching — und beim Deutschlernen!(Enjoy binge-watching — and learning German!)
✨ Ready to understand every line? Book your first lesson today! 🎬🇩🇪✨
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