“Sisi”
Here’s what viewers need to know about season three
Rudolf (Arian Wegener), Franz (Jannik Schümann), Sisi (Dominique Devenport) and Gisela (Kristina Schroeter, from left) in “Sisi”.
© RTL / Armands Virbulis
The third season of “Sisi” is in the starting blocks. There’s a big family drama in the RTL+ series – an overview.
A reunion with “Sisi” is coming up: RTL+ will show the new episodes of the third season from Friday, December 1st (later also on RTL). Who is starring in the series this time and what happens next for Sisi and Franz?
a review
Ever since the “Sissi” films by Ernst Marischka (1893-1963) from the 1950s, the story of Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, who, as a carefree teenager, fell head over heels for Franz Joseph I. (1830-1916), Emperor of Austria, in love, known worldwide. Not only the Netflix series “The Empress”, but also the RTL+ series “Sisi” recently took on the story again in order to re-examine the events.
“I found the reinterpretation of our series incredibly exciting,” explained Franz actor Jannik Schümann (31) in an interview with spot on news in 2021. “I wanted to show a different side of Franz – a character that everyone knows and might see on TV at Christmas.” Sisi actress Dominique Devenport (born 1996) added: “The new thing about ‘Sisi’ is that we make her human in the first place. With Sisi we are particularly familiar with the paintings of the great Empress Elisabeth or the fairy-like one and always “Happy woman from the Marischka film adaptations. We show the characters as complex people with interests, strengths and weaknesses.”
The series celebrated its world premiere in October 2021. Season one was shown in December 2021 and season two in December 2022. In the first episodes, Sisi falls in love with Franz Joseph I and the two get married. In the difficult early days at court, she has to assert herself as a strong empress. In season two, Sisi feels more trapped in a golden cage than ever. The birth of their son was actually supposed to make the imperial couple’s happiness perfect. Instead, it is the impetus for power struggles in Europe.
That’s what episodes 13 to 18 are about
In the new episodes of the third season, the situation remains unsettled. The proclamation of the Republic and the overthrow of Napoleon III. lead to unrest in Vienna, which is why Franz decides to advance his son Rudolf’s military training. Sisi wants to protect her sensitive son and leaves the farm with him. They are helped to escape by photographer Alma, who takes the two of them with her to the south of France.
Franz, who is fighting against an alliance between the German Empire and Russia, finds out the whereabouts of the two through a spy and travels to France to meet Sisi and Rudolf. He takes his son back to the court and Sisi also returns after Franz takes Rudolf out of the army. But the next disaster threatens: Sisi learns that her son has been kidnapped by a worker who demands the emperor’s life in return for the boy’s release. Will the imperial couple be able to save their son?
The new arrivals
The third season has some new additions to the cast due to the new plot. In addition to child actor Arian Wegener as Crown Prince Rudolf, the “Sisi” ensemble also includes Pauline Werner (born 1996) and Max Hubacher (30), who portray the crook couple Walli and Gustav. Werner was seen in the ZDF feature film series “Nächste Ausfahrt Glück”, Hubacher played in the films “Der Hauptmann” and “Sachertorte”. Deniz Orta (born 1991) embodies Sisi’s companion Alma; she took on roles in “Tatort” films and the crime series “A Case for Two”.
Jakob Geßner (born 1988) will star as Albert, leader of the labor movement. His previous TV appearances include series such as “For Heaven’s Sake” and “The Boss”. Daniel Friedrich (born 1949) plays Archduke Franz Karl, Franz’s father. The actor is best known for his role as Tobias Sandmann in the series “Out of the Blue”.
The returnees
But there will also be a reunion with the previous stars of the series: Désirée Nosbusch (58) will be seen as Archduchess Sophie, Tanja Schleiff (born 1973) will once again play Countess Esterhazy and David Korbmann (born 1986) will return as Count Grünne back, as well as Marcus Grüsser (57) as Duke Max in Bavaria, Bernd Hölscher (born 1971) as Otto von Bismarck, Marie Sophie von Reibnitz (born 1993) as Eugénie and Boris Aljinovic (56) as Napoleon III.
The filming
The six-part season of the RTL+ event series was filmed from April to August 2023 in Croatia, Riga, Vilnius and the surrounding area. They were produced by Jens Freels and Andreas Gutzeit, who is also responsible as showrunner. The scripts come from Elena Hell and Robert Krause. The film was directed by Andy Fetscher (43, “Tatort – Fear You”).