Leipzig Homicide

*Leipzig Homicide*
Leipzig Homicide
	Series logo
Also known as	SOKO Leipzig
Genre	Police procedural
Written by	Frank Koopmann; Roland Heep; Jeanet Pfitzer; Axel Hildebrand; Eva Zahn; Volker A. Zahn; Markus Hoffmann; Uwe Kossmann;
Directed by	Oren Schmuckler; Patrick Winczewski; Michel Bielawa; Jörg Mielich; Robert del Maestro; Christoph Eichhorn; Herwig Fischer;
Starring	Andreas Schmidt-Schaller (2001–2023); Marco Ginrth (2001–2026); Melanie Marschke (2001–); Gabriel Merz (2001–2006); Tyron Ricketts (2006–2009); Pablo Sprungala (2009–2012); Steffen Schroeder (2012–2022); Nilam Farooq (2013–2019); Amy Mußul (2019–); Johannes Hendrik Langer (2022–);
Theme music composer	Georg Kleinebreil
Composers	Andreas Hoge; George Kochbeck; Philipp E. Kümpel; Andreas Moisa;
Country of origin	Germany
Original language	German
No. of seasons	26
No. of episodes	518
Production
Executive producers	Henriette Lippold; Katharina Rietz;
Producer	Tanya Momella Mallory
Production locations	Leipzig (Reclam-Carrée, Inselstraße)
Cinematography	Henning Jessel; Constantin Kesting; Matthias Papenmeier;
Editor	Matthias Pfeifer
Camera setup	Film; multiple-camera
Running time	44 minutes
Production companies	UFA Fernsehproduktion (2001–2013); UFA Fiction (2014–);
Original release
Network	ZDF
Release	31 January 2001 –; present
Related
	SOKO – Der Prozess, "Proof of Life"

Leipzig Homicide (SOKO Leipzig) is a German crime drama television series first broadcast on 31 January 2001 on ZDF. More than 400 episodes have been screened since. On 12 November 2008, the first of a two-part crossover between SOKO Leipzig and British police procedural The Bill, titled "Proof of Life", was aired, with the same version being shown on both ZDF and British television network ITV.^[1] Soko Leipzig is the second offshoot of SOKO München, launched in 1978 under the name SOKO 5113. "SOKO" is an abbreviation of the German word Sonderkommission, which means "special investigative team".

Synopsis

The series details the investigative work done by the special commission of the Leipzig police. The show's original team consisted of Hajo Trautzschke, Jan Maybach, Ina Zimmermann, and Miguel Alvarez. The commission mostly investigates serious crimes such as murder and manslaughter. After Alvarez is shot, Patrick Grimm replaces him, until he leaves Germany and goes to Africa, where his father died. His spot on the team is taken by detective inspector-candidate Vincent Becker, who lives with his superior, Hajo Trautzschke. Trautzscke has a daughter, Leni, a journalist who marries Jan Maybach during the series. They have a daughter, Charlotte. Maybach has a son named "Benni" with his first wife. A child at the beginning of the series, Benni later becomes an emergency physician. Leni and Jan later get divorced. Zimmermann gives birth to a son, Paul. She gets involved with several men during the series, including, in later seasons, with Maybach.

After Becker moves to Costa Rica, Tom Kowalski joins the team for nearly ten years. He breaks the rules and creates conflict with Hajo and is subsequently demoted. Hajo eventually retires, returning from time to time in a private capacity, since he is the grandfather of Charlotte. Zimmermann becomes the team's new leader.

Meanwhile, team assistant Olivia Fareedi becomes a permanent member, until she moves to Berlin. Kim Nowak, and later, after Kowalski leves, Moritz Brenner, join the team. Maybach nearly dies multiple times throughout the series, and he is fatally shot while investigating the man who killed Alvarez.

The team is supported by coroners Sabine Rossi and Mara Stein as well as laboratory assistant Lorenz Rettig and prosecutor Alexander Binz. In cases concerning sexual offenses, Dagmar Schnee is also on the team.

Crossovers

On 3 April 2013, five SOKO teams were brought together for a five-part special titled SOKO – Der Prozess. In it, the teams from Munich, Cologne, Leipzig, Stuttgart, and Wismar have to solve the murder of a police officer. The five episodes were shown across Germany from 30 September to 4 October 2013.

A crossover episode with SOKO Donau, titled "Der vierte Mann", was broadcast on ORF on 2 November 2019 and ZDF on 8 November 2019. The screenplay was based on a true story related to the Viennese political activist Rudolfine Steindling.^[2]^[3]

Cast and characters

Current

Actor	Role	Function	Seasons	Years
Melanie Marschke	Ina Zimmermann	chief inspector	1–	2001–
Johannes Hendrik Langer	Moritz Brenner	detective inspector	22–	2022–
Anna Stieblich	Prof. Dr. Sabine Rossi	coroner	10–	2009–
Michael Rotschopf	Dr. Alexander Binz	prosecutor	11–	2011–
Judith Sehrbrock	Dr. Mara Stein	coroner	11–	2011–
Daniel Steiner	Lorenz Rettig	laboratory assistant	12–	2012–
Petra Kleinert	Dagmar Schnee	chief inspector (vice squad)	13–	2013–
Caroline Scholze	Leni Maybach born: Trautzschke	daughter of Hajo, wife of Jan	1–	2001–
Maximilian Klas	Benni Maybach	son of Jan	1–	2001–

Former

Actor	Role	Function	Seasons	Years
Andreas Schmidt-Schaller	Hajo Trautzschke	chief inspector	1–23	2001–2023
Marco Girnth	Jan Maybach †	chief inspector	1–26	2001–2026
Gabriel Merz	Miguel Alvarez †	detective inspector	1–7	2001–2006
Tyron Ricketts	Patrick Diego Grimm	detective inspector	7–10	2006–2009
Pablo Sprungala	Vincent Becker	detective inspector-candidate	10–12	2009–2012
Anne Arzenbacher	Meike Schwarz	police master	5–6, 8, 13	2005–2006, 2008, 2012
Nilam Farooq	Olivia Fareedi	detective inspector	13–19	2013–2019
Steffen Schroeder	Tom Kowalski	detective inspector	12–22	2012–2022
Silke Heise	Dr. Sandra Schönfeld	coroner	1–3	2001–2003
Margrit Sartorius	Dr. Kathrin Conradi	coroner	3–11	2003–2010
Michael Brandner	Dr. Manfred Woernle	police senior councillor	11–13, 16	2010–2012, 2015

Episodes

Season	Episodes	Originally aired (Germany)
Season	Episodes	Season premiere	Season finale
1	12	31 January 2001	18 April 2001
2	10	23 January 2002	27 March 2002
3	18	25 September 2002	28 March 2003
4	20	17 October 2003	2 April 2004
5	11	17 December 2004	18 March 2005
6	21	16 September 2005	19 May 2006
7	15	29 September 2006	19 January 2007
8	16	24 October 2007	11 April 2008
9	31	3 October 2008	5 June 2009
10	18	4 September 2009	26 March 2010
11	23	24 September 2010	11 March 2011
12	23	14 October 2011	30 March 2012
13	22	16 November 2012	22 March 2013
SOKO – Der Prozess	5	30 September 2013	4 Oktober 2013
14	20	25 October 2013	21 February 2014
15	21	19 September 2014	13 February 2015
16	20	2 October 2015	19 February 2016
17	26	16 September 2016	24 February 2017
18	16	13 October 2017	16 February 2018
19	22	14 September 2018	22 February 2019
20	14	18 October 2019	14 February 2020
SOKO – Der vierte Mann	1	8 November 2019
21	22	28 August 2020	5 March 2021
22	24	27 August 2021	18 February 2022
23	27	9 September 2022	17 March 2023
24	23	1 September 2023	23 February 2024
Special: Goldenes Blut	1	16 August 2024
25	25	27 September 2024	25 April 2025
26	26	3 October 2025	2026

Gallery

Shooting locations and sets

Special

In April 2013, a five-part crossover between five ZDF SOKO series, titled SOKO – Der Prozess, began filming. The teams included in the show are 5113, Cologne, Leipzig, Stuttgart, and Wismar.

References

^ Stephen Armstrong (2 November 2008). "The Bill meets SOKO Leipzig – Times Online". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
^ ""Soko Donau"–Spezial: Leipzig zu Gast in Wien" ["Soko Donau" special: Leipzig as a guest in Vienna]. kurier.at (in German). 31 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
^ "ORF-1-Premiere für erstes "Soko Donau"-Crossover "Der vierte Mann"" [ORF-1 premiere for the first "Soko Donau" crossover "The Fourth Man"]. ots.at (in German). 31 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2022.

External links

[1] Stephen Armstrong (2 November 2008). "The Bill meets SOKO Leipzig – Times Online". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2008.

[2] ""Soko Donau"–Spezial: Leipzig zu Gast in Wien" ["Soko Donau" special: Leipzig as a guest in Vienna]. kurier.at (in German). 31 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2022.

[3] "ORF-1-Premiere für erstes "Soko Donau"-Crossover "Der vierte Mann"" [ORF-1 premiere for the first "Soko Donau" crossover "The Fourth Man"]. ots.at (in German). 31 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2022.

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v t e SOKO (TV series)
Series	SOKO München (1978–2020) Solo für Sudmann (1997) SOKO Leipzig (since 2001) SOKO Kitzbühel (2001–2021) SOKO Köln (since 2003) SOKO Wismar (since 2004) SOKO Donau (since 2005) SOKO Rhein-Main (2006–2007) SOKO Stuttgart (since 2009) SOKO Hamburg (since 2018) SOKO Potsdam (since 2018) SOKO Linz (since 2021)
Related	SOKO – Der Prozess (2013)