Bavarian Rhapsody

If you’re new to the Eberhofer world, here’s a brief summary of what life is all about in the idyllic, zany and completely unpronounceable Bavarian town of Niederkaltenkirchen:

Franz Eberhofer is a local village cop and an easygoing creature of habit who lives in his family’s farm – the equally unpronounceable Eberhoferhof – in the small town of Niederkaltenkirchen in Lower Bavaria. Grandma Eberhofer is the heart of the homestead, serving both as an excellent cook and a down-to-earth moral authority. The farm is also home to her son, Franz’s father, Papa Eberhofer, who fully enjoys his old hippie lifestyle complete with marijuana plants and rock & roll on vinyl. His stuffy and dull first-born son, Leopold, is the exact opposite of Franz. Leopold is married to a Thai woman named Panida, and has made political correctness a personal mission. The Eberhofer family is rounded out by Ludwig, the family dog, who excels primarily at sleeping and eating.

Franz has been on and off with the same woman, a quirky provincial beauty named Susi, ever since they were teenagers. Although they never actually got around to marrying, they did manage to have a son, Paul, in the course of the series. Whereas Franz doesn’t make too much of an effort at anything, Susi is forever struggling to give their relationship some kind of solid foundation, for example by adding a house to the farmstead.

Franz is a regular guest at the village pub, where he and his buddies imbibe pint after pint of beer and display their prowess on air guitar. His pals include Wolfi, the pub owner, and Simmerl, the local butcher, who specializes in Leberkäs sandwiches, which happen to be Franz’s main source of nutrition. And then there’s Franz’s buddy Flötzinger, a heating systems installer who cultivates a reputation as a ladies’ man despite his rather limited erotic appeal. 

Franz’s closest yet most outlandish buddy is a private detective by the name of Rudi Birkenberger. Rudi used to be a colleague of Franz’s on the police force, but he got suspended from duty at the Munich Criminal Investigation Department a while back for shooting off a child molester´s balls. Rudi considers himself a highly professional investigator, despite very thin evidence to back up his claim. Still, he is decisive in helping Franz solve each and every one of the local murder cases. Rudi likes to babble and he’s constantly driving Franz up the wall with useless bits of knowledge. Rudi has no private life of his own to speak of, which is why he focuses entirely on Franz. Whenever Franz calls, Rudi drops whatever odd job he’s doing – working as a private detective or security officer – to follow his friend around with dog-like devotion. In return, Franz gives him the attention he craves, at least in small and careful doses.

In his professional life, Franz is confronted with all kinds of human nuisances as well. The Mayor of Niederkaltenkirchen enjoys interfering in police work and Franz’s boss, Moratschek, seems to love making his life as difficult as possible, whether by putting unnecessary pressure on him or by criticising his unconventional methods. Even the enthusiasm shown by Max, the butcher’s son and an aspiring policeman, is more of a burden than any kind of help. One true rival is Police Commissioner Thin Lizzy, a high-strung, super-efficient female investigator from Munich, who is Franz’s superior on particularly complex cases. The only workplace friendship Franz has is with Günther, a Munich-based pathologist who carries out his macabre duties with a good dose of black humour.

In this often bizarre world, all Franz wants is to go about his regular life, stick to his habits and engage in his own personal whims. Unfortunately, time and again, Niederkaltenkirchen becomes the scene of some kind of murder or manslaughter, which means that Franz has to get off the couch and solve the latest case – but only so that things get back to normal as quickly as possible.

A CRIME COMEDY SERIES A LA  CARTE

1- Dampfnudelblues (Bavarian Rhapsody - Sweet Buns Blues), 2013

2- Winterkartoffelknoedel (Bavarian Rhapsody - Winterpotato Dumplings), 2014

3- SchweinskopfAlDente (Bavarian Rhapsody - Porkhead al Dente), 2016

4- Griessnockerlaffaere (Bavarian Rhapsody - Wheatnoodles Affair), 2017

5- SauerkrautKoma (Bavarian Rhapsody - Sauerkraut Coma), 2018

6- Leberkäs Junkie (Bavarian Rhapsody - Leberkäs Junkie), 2019

7- Kaiserschmarrn Drama (Bavarian Rhapsody - Kaiserschmarrn Drama), 2021

8- Guglhupcake Squadron (Bavarian Rhapsody - Guglhupfcake Squadron), 2022

9- Rehragout-Rendezvous (Bavarian Rhapsody - Venison Stew Rendezvous), 2023