Deutschland 89

Did You Know?

• The show began airing in America on Sundance TV on 29 October 2020.
• In the UK the show began airing on More4 from 5 March 2021.
• IndieWire gave the series a B grade, praising its ambition but criticizing the pacing.

Plot

After the Berlin Wall falls, Stasi agents try to shield themselves from the consequences. Martin Rauch is told he faces three options: death, court, or working for a secret service again. The creators noted that Germany reinvented itself for the fourth time in the 20th century, and the spies find themselves at a dramatic crossroads.

Cast

Jonas Nay plays Martin Rauch, a former East German intelligence officer forced to return as a double agent. Maria Schrader portrays Lenora Rauch, Martin's aunt and former Stasi handler who supplies explosives to the Red Army Faction. Sylvester Groth is Walter Schweppenstette, Lenora's former boss and Martin's father, sent to infiltrate West German banking. Corinna Harfouch plays Beate, an HVA agent posing as Walter's wife. Svenja Jung is Nicole Zangen, teacher of Martin's son Max. Fritzi Haberlandt plays Tina Fischer, an East German doctor who escaped to West Berlin. Lavinia Wilson is Brigitte Winkelmann, Martin's former love interest and a BND agent working with the CIA. Florence Kasumba plays Rose Seithathi, an ANC operative and Lenora's love interest. Niels Borman is Fritz Hartmann, an HVA technical expert. Uwe Preuss plays Markus Fuchs, a top HVA official. Anke Engelke is Barbara Dietrich, a financial consultant. Carina Wiese plays Ingrid Rauch, Martin's mother. Alexander Beyer is Tobias Tischbier, Martin's former handler. Raul Casso plays Hector Valdez, a CIA officer. Ari Kurecki is Max, Martin's son. Emil Hoștină plays Grigore Antonescu, a Romanian terrorist. Rainer Sellien is Carl Baumgarten, a West German musician. Samia Muriel Chancrin plays Sabine Baumgarten. Lena Lauzemis is Nina Rudow, an HVA agent. Nicolai Borger plays Rolf, a hitman. Mike Davies is John Tyler, a CIA chief.

Production

The Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg approved a €700,000 grant to UFA Fiction on 7 February 2019. Shooting began in September 2019 and was expected to finish in and around Berlin by the end of 2019. The former Ministry for State Security headquarters in Normannenstraße was used for location shots and sets. Amazon Video provided additional funding, with the announcement of their support coming before the release of Deutschland 86.