streaming review
“The King of Palma” on RTL +
More “crime scene” than “naked hairdressers” – this Ballermann series is “Hossa”
He is “The King of Palma”: Matti Adler (Henning Baum) sometimes grabs the microphone himself in his pub.
© RTL
A series on Ballermann: “The King of Palma” with Henning Baum in the leading role sounds like a pure cliché. But instead of “naked hairdressers”, the six-part surprises as a multi-layered drama.
The ARD should have come up with this idea long ago: A “crime scene” on the beach of Mallorca, in the so-called 17th federal state, more precisely on the notorious Ballermann: Sun, beach and a bit of mafia. The German “CSI” is ready. But the title melody of “Der König von Palma” doesn’t bode well. “Buenas Dias Matthias we’re back” is the original from the Cologne band Paveier, “with all hands on the Ballermann, just Amore and sunshine”. Phew, that sounds like a pure cliche, like drunken German tourists and desperately naive “Goodbye Germany” emigrants. But viewers are in for a welcome surprise.
The new six-part RTL series “Der König von Palma” is not a Ballermann-Bums, but a multi-layered and successful drama with crime thriller elements. Script, cast and look – the creators of UFA Fiction and RTL have put a lot of effort into making the material as cliché-free as possible. That sometimes seems a bit tedious, mainly because the story about the Ballermann pub “Bieradler” is told in a rather long-winded and cumbersome way. But inserted original footage of Ballermann from the 90s and a lot of attention to detail more than make up for the weaknesses.
Matti Adler (played by Henning Baum), a car salesman from Dortmund, emigrates to Mallorca to realize his dream of owning his own pub. Once there, he gets caught up in a whirlwind of mafia-like structures and his wife Sylvie (Sandra Borgmann) tries with all means to torpedo the emigration plan. Thanks to his waitress Bianca (Pia Micaela Barucki), Costa Cordalis (played by his son Lucas in the series) will soon be appearing in the “Bieradler”. The beginning of a success story were it not for the envious and criminal competition.
Lucas Cordalis plays his father Costa
Baum, who stands at the counter with colorful Hawaiian shirts and gold chains, is an ideal choice. Also thanks to his Ruhrpott idiom, the role of the emigrant is immediately taken from him. A macho, but no bon vivant. Type hard shell, soft core. It is all the more questionable how he can stand it with his Sylvie. She sits on the beach with her blouse buttoned up and seems to fit more into the “House on Eaton Place” (a precursor to “Downton Abbey”) than the Ballermann. Sandra Borgmann could not have put on the bitchy wife better. But the real stars are the surprising supporting actors: Martin Semmelrogge as the shady car rental king and Lucas Cordalis as his father Costa (with a wonderful curly wig and a lot of “Hossa”) round off the series.
Unfortunately, the series also has weaknesses. Too much is explained, especially at the beginning. Above all, the narrative perspective is annoying: everything is described from the point of view of the East German waitress Bianca. The constant sound reinforcement with hits from the 80s and 90s makes an effort to try not to let any Ballermann flair arise at first. And as much as the creators placed value on the equipment (the pub actually looks like a Ballermann original), they afford blatant weaknesses in their main characters, especially Sylvie. She is portrayed as an emancipated mother and wife who has a lover. But in truth, she lets herself be constantly subdued. That is not correct. At most funny.
“The King of Palma” was overdue
Shooting a series about Ballermann was overdue. The phenomenon of telling the emergence of mass tourism at Balneario 6 beyond documentary series is the best script material. The “Bierkönig”, the pub in which Jürgen Drews and Co. made the small beach on Mallorca their own genre, served as a historical model. The screenwriters researched the milieu meticulously. This blurs fiction and reality and benefits the plot. Yes, many things could have been exactly the same back then.
The title of the series is reminiscent of “Der König von St. Pauli”, a Wedel series from the 90s that tells the story of Hamburg’s Reeperbahn. “The King of Palma” does not come close to the class and finesse of the original. But Henning Baum can already call himself the Prince of Palma. The six-part is the best series that RTL + currently has to offer. For Ballermann haters and lovers alike. The surprising ending calls for a sequel. There are definitely enough hits and material. Hossa.
“The King of Palma” is now on the streaming service RTL+ to see.