German true crime media expands with podcast tour and TV renewal

The German true crime genre is seeing expanded presence in both live events and television. The popular podcast ‘Schwarze Akte,’ hosted by Anne and Patrick, is launching a live tour in late 2027. The tour will visit several cities, including Essen, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Munich, and Berlin, where the hosts will explore a specific criminal case and provide personal insights.

In television, ZDF has announced a second season of the true crime spin-off ‘XY Spuren des Verbrechens,’ scheduled to begin airing on November 9, 2026. Hosted by journalist Helene Reiner alongside LKA expert Fabian Puchelt, the series focuses on deep-dive analyses of historical cases from ‘Aktenzeichen XY… Ungelöst.’ The production utilizes archive material and graphic novel visualisations to explain investigative strategies and motives. The first season achieved an average of 1.83 million viewers.