DOGS OF BERLIN

                                 Dogs of Berlin: A Little Too Much?

 Two cops investigate the murder of a famous Turkish-German soccer player, but one of them has underworld connections that mire the case in controversy.

This is a series with a very nice premise, it explored a relatively new and uncharted territory in the TV business; Illegal gambling, and the goings on behind the scenes. The storyline of the show itself is well crafted, but the plot theme element is everything but well crafted. It had an irregular feel, and the conflict was not identifiable after the first 2 episodes.
We felt that not only was the show paced irregularly and came off erratically at some points, we also feel that the show runner abandoned the main conflict element in pursuit of character development and depth. Character development is not such a bad idea, but usually it is done concurrently with the development of the plot element and the conflict, and not as a standalone project.

Talking about the acting and characters, it felt as though the protagonists acted in a manner that was hard to believe or relate with. As good an actor as a person may be, presented with a script that ignores the fundamental tenets of tv, such an actor and the character he is supposed to play will fail. The showrunner and the script writer sought to give character depth to the principal protagonists and ended up making the whole show unbelievably shallow. Kurt( Felix Krammer) and Birkan (Fahri Yardim) were exceptional at their roles. However the characters they portrayed didn't do much in the way of making the show relatable or compelling.

  In fact, part of the real positives of the show comes from the ability of the show runner to mix the German cast and the Turkish cast to create a community of brilliant characters, rich in culture stemming from different nationalities. It's simply amazing.

  Why did they even make the show so touchy? Why did it seem as though Erdem bore a striking semblance to Mesut Ozil? Well, we just hope this doesn't become a precursor to the unthinkable.

  The output of Amir Tarik (Mohammed Issa) did however present viewers with the much desired enigmatic villain. The lack of over elaboration on his character made him all the more mystifying and a cryptic presence throughout the show.
Our conclusion is that the show has one hell of a concept that is not well and truly explored, yet. The first season kept audience interested but never really intrigued the viewers. It was capable of making the audience want more, but never really made the viewers stay glued to their screens. It remains a good show however ,and it is one that may offer a lot of content, plot twists and potential nerve racking storyline changes in subsequent seasons.

  We at FCA will recommend this show to viewers with an FCA AppR of 7/10.

It's German based, and thus viewers may have to contend with language barriers or deal with an English dubbed version without appreciating the efforts of the actors.
  In all its a good show, not an outstanding show or an excellent one, but it's a show that you can get really interested in without necessarily loving it. The concept is unique and not otherwise over flogged ,so there is ample space for flexibility and maneuverability on the part of the creative team.