In the old Federal Republic of Germany, Friday evening in front of the television was the counterpart to the much-cited feel-good ritual the following day, in a bathrobe before “Wetten, dass..?”. At 8:15 p.m., “Derrick”, “Der Alte” and “Aktenzeichen XY” ran alternately, later “Ein Fall für Zwei” was added, and in addition to the horror of the real crimes that Eduard Zimmermann reported on in his television studio, the main concern was the quiet, sedated criminal cases of Stephan Derrick, often located in the better neighborhoods of Munich, for anxiety. The atmosphere in the bungalows and city apartments was immediately eerie in all episodes. Every doorbell, every phone call made the residents startle; the relationship between the protagonists, family members, work colleagues or neighbors, seemed to be burdened with underlying secrets in the deadly chamber plays. The writer Frank Witzel and the cultural historian Philipp Felsch found the beautiful formula “BRD Noir” for this mood in a 2016 volume of conversations.
Derrick and Abstract Art: Frank Witzel’s Essay “Art as Indication” – Culture
