New series on RTL+
“Herzogpark” dives into the abysses of a Munich residential area
Trystan Pütter, Felicitas Woll, Jeanette Hain, Heiner Lauterbach, Heike Makatsch, Lisa Maria Potthoff, Tim Seyfi and Antje Traue play in “Herzogpark” (from left)
© Marc Reimann/RTL+/dpa
It is idyllic to live in Munich’s Herzogpark district. But even in the posh area there is material for scandals. The series “Herzogpark” on RTL + dives into these abysses.
A chic villa, a big car, the champagne flows freely and the pool glitters in the garden. There are many clichés about the life of the super-rich, but only a few get insights. As of Tuesday, the streaming portal RTL+ shows how things could be in high society in the series “Herzogpark” with Heiner Lauterbach, Heike Makatsch, Felicitas Woll, Lisa Maria Potthoff and Antje Traue.
In it, four women seek the life of a corrupt building contractor. An amusing pleasure about power, money, sex and scandals, to which Patricia Riekel has contributed many experiences and ideas, both as editor-in-chief of “Bunte” for many years and as a resident of Munich’s noble district of Herzogpark.
Lauterbach skillfully gives the building mogul and macho van der Bruck. In order to push through his favorite project in Herzogtower, he uses any means, bribes flow anyway. He relies on the help of the lawyer Hannah (Potthoff), who is supposed to ensure that the lawsuit against the mammoth project fails. But Hannah of all people hatches a murder plot with her friends Annabelle (Woll) and Elisabeth (Traue) and the cook Maria (Makatsch). All four women hate van der Bruck, who puts pressure on them with spicy secrets.
“Herzogpark”: Entertaining social satire
It’s not the first series from the rich world of Munich. “Herzogpark” doesn’t quite come close to Helmut Dietl’s chic cult series “Kir Royal”. The six episodes by director Alexander Freydank, who received an Oscar in 2009 for the short film “Spielzeugland”, are nevertheless enjoyable. His series is an entertaining, light and humorously staged social satire, which joyfully picks up numerous clichés and plays with them.
Woll, Potthoff and Traue obviously enjoy appearing as society ladies, in high heels and smart clothes. As the owner of a catering business, Makatsch is more down-to-earth and lends her figure something mysterious. Lauterbach’s van der Bruck, on the other hand, seems lurking, restless, unpredictable.
Abysmal in the villa district “Herzogpark”? The famous writer Thomas Mann already resided here and called the area with its lots of greenery a “magic garden, no more and no less”. “People live discreetly and withdrawn here,” explains Riekel. “But that doesn’t mean that there are no dramas, affairs and scandals. But only behind closed doors.” Did the journalist reveal insider knowledge about her neighbors? “No one will recognize each other,” she reassures. All characters are fictional. But real people and events were an inspiration. “My fear is more that some residents don’t recognize each other and are offended because of it.”
“Herzogpark” is available from Tuesday, May 3, on the streaming portal RTL+ ready