Berlin ER

Overview

Dr. Suzanna "Zanna" Parker (Jones) begins her new job as head of the ER at a Berlin hospital after a personal issue drives her geriatrics job in Munich. She must lead an underfunded ER team, balancing the needs of her resistant staff and the management's drive for revenue, along with her own morals. Among the other doctors are Ben Weber (Popadić), a kind albeit rule-bending doctor who is privately struggling with opiod addiction and leans on his clubbing partner and fellow doctor Kian Amini (Radjaipour); Emina Ertan (Şengül), a wry yet exceedingly competent Turkish-German doctor, and Dominik Kohn (Tafreshian), an undertrained internal medicine resident who hides his mistakes. Patients are brought into the hospital by cynical EMT Olaf Hendel (Schütz) and his trainee Olivia Kropf (Breuer).

Cast

Haley Louise Jones as Dr. Suzanna "Zanna" Parker, the hospital's new ER boss in an overwhelmed and underfunded department

Slavko Popadić as Dr. Ben Weber, a charitable doctor who makes an effort to help those who have fallen through the cracks despite his own personal struggles

Şafak Şengül as Dr. Emina Ertan, a talented and dry doctor with a soft spot for Olivia

Aram Tafreshian as Dr. Dominik "Dom" Kohn, a charming but incompetent doctor who struggles to cover his errors

Samirah Breuer as Olivia Kropf, a young EMT trainee with fresh enthusiasm to help others

Bernhard Schütz as Olaf Hendel, a seasoned EMT who harbors disdain for the young drug-takers that comprise a large portion of the Neukölln EMT's callers

Peter Lohmeyer as Dr. Steffen Beck, the head of the hospital who wishes that the emergency department would be eliminated due to its unprofitability

Benjamin Radjaipour as Dr. Kian Amini, Ben's clubbing partner who looks out for his health

Production

Writing

Berlin ER draws upon the medical experience of its head writer, Samuel Jefferson, who worked as an emergency physician in a London hospital. Jefferson had attended the London Film School in his twenties while working part-time in the hospital, and wrote several plays and short films in the following years, later attending the German Film and Television Academy Berlin. It was around this time that he began working on what would become ''Berlin ER'' about 7-8 years later.

While creating Berlin ER, Jefferson found that despite different systems, doctors in both the UK and Germany faced similar difficulties including long hours, arduous stress, and low wages. Jefferson also sought to portray the capitalization of the health system in England, which rewards doctors for pressuring patients into unnecessary procedures so the hospital can profit, and was surprised to learn that Germany faced the same issue despite the country's good healthcare reputation.

Jefferson has cited British black comedy drama Trainspotting and iconic American medical drama ER as major references while creating KRANK Berlin.

Development

In February 2023, Sky Germany Vice President Tobias Rosen announced at the Berlin Film Festival that two original German-language drama series had been commissioned, among them was KraNK Berlin, a dark comedy eight-part series set at the fictional Neukölln Hospital. The title, an abbreviation of Krankenhaus Neukölln-Kreuzberg, was a pun on the German word krank, meaning sick or weird (although the hospital is referred to as the Nuria Kastorf Hospital in the show). However, in June of the same year, Sky Germany announced that it would be ceasing production on all new scripted original Sky series in 2024, citing the rising costs of producing dramas and difficulties cutting through the many international streaming giants.

Since the show was not officially cancelled, co-producers Real Film and Violet Pictures were able to keep the rights for the series and explore alternative buyers. Two months later, they found the show's new home at ZDF. Beta Film also boarded the production in January 2024, prior to the show's presentation at a European Film Market showcase, an initiative which showcases new serials to international professionals. At this showcase, Apple TV+ expressed interest, and in June 2024, it was announced that Apple TV+ had boarded the show alongside ZDF and would have exclusive global rights.

In September 2025, it was announced that the show had been renewed for a second series, with a release date estimate not yet announced.

Filming

The cast took ER internships or training in order to learn the various attitudes and skills displayed by emergency room workers. The extras included real nurses and hospital staff, and a medical advisor was on set to ensure accuracy.

Filming for the first series of Berlin ER began in the fall of 2024, on location at the SEZ in Berlin, a former East German sports and recreation center, and wrapped in December 2024.. Filming for the second series took place in the winter of the following year.

Release

The first series released episodes on Apple TV+ beginning on February 26, 2025, available on the platform worldwide. One episode a week was released on Wednesdays after the initial two-episode drop, with the series finale airing on April 9, 2025. Originally, it was planned that the show would become available on the free streaming service ZDFneo after one year of the series' premiere, but this was later postponed to November 2026.

Reception

Critical Response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating based on 7 critic reviews. Media reviews echoed this positive reception, with comparisons being drawn to shows such as Succession, M*A*SH*, ER, and The Pitt. However, some reviews draw a distinction between Berlin ER and these shows, citing its moments of humor, unique intensity, and messy authenticity in the landscape of German television. Additionally, the show's choice to focus on overarching plot and social analysis rather than a "case-of-the-week" approach is lauded as a unique take on the medical drama genre. Reviews praised the authentic feel of the series, and its accurate representation of the emotional turmoil of working in a high-pressure emergency room. The performances of the cast, as well as the choice of the casting department to select previously relatively unknown talent, was also seen as favorable. Berlin ER appeared on Die Zeit's list of 2025's best television series, with praise given to its gritty aesthetic.