German crime TV series draw viewers as ARD airs Zürich‑Krimi episodes

The long‑running German police drama "Im Namen des Gesetzes" was created by Harald Vock and follows Berlin detectives and prosecutors through the entire lifecycle of a criminal case, from the offence to trial and sentencing. Inspired by the U.S. series "Law & Order", the show featured more than 130 episodes by 2005 and received mixed reviews for its courtroom scenes and character work.

On 20 June, public broadcaster ARD scheduled a double‑feature of the Swiss‑set series "Der Zürich‑Krimi". The evening began with the 2022 episode "Borchert und die dunklen Schatten", in which a youth psychologist is implicated in a hit‑and‑run, followed by the series’ 2016 pilot "Borcherts Fall", which introduces lawyer Thomas Borchert’s flight from a German corruption scandal to Zurich and his first case involving a missing child. Both episodes were also made available in ARD’s online media library.

The programming reflects ARD’s mix of sports coverage for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup and domestic crime‑drama entertainment.