Critic Reviews

Superb characterizations and riveting action are leavened by wry humor, making Deutschland delightfully addictive.

The series is imbued with retro cool and, similar to the winking hindsight of Mad Men, takes pleasure in mixing a complicated past with a keen sense of pop. [19 Jun 2015, p.57]

Deutschland 83 is a stylish take on the spy genre that carefully balances its humor with high stakes, and with Nay as an anchor, promises that this is a spy caper worth a few summer weeks.

Beneath the light moments and the spy-versus-spy stuff, the series has a perspective that makes it refreshing.

It’s serious and it can be stark, but it’s also funny and brisk, a coming-of-age story with a sense of adventure.

The premiere episode of Deutschland 83 delivers an excellent mix of coming of age character drama and espionage derring-do. For viewers not allergic to subtitles, it's well worth watching.

The show manages to juggle suspense with light moments without spoiling either mood.

Nothing gets lost in translation in Deutschland 83, especially the timeless human drama.

What really makes this eight-episode series stand out is its setting, because a family divided is more impactful than strangers going at each other.

It’s certainly entertaining and well-done but, based on the first two chapters, the viewers are going to have to swallow quite a large helping of implausible sauerkraut to attain their suspension of disbelief.