Max Liebermann, a student of Sigmund Freud, helps Detective Rheinhardt in the investigation of a series of disturbing murders around the grand cafes and opera houses of 1900s Vienna.
"Max" (Matthew Beard) is a doctor with a penchant for the as yet unproven science of psychopathy as espoused by Sigmund Freud at the start of the twentieth century. Living in Imperial Vienna - a city renowned for being at the leading edge of medical advances, he gets involved with under-pressure local police detective inspector "Rheinhardt" (Juergen Maurer) who is investigating a bizarre series of killings. The latter man is just as sceptical of his new friend as just about everyone else, but "Max" is undeterred and as their investigation progresses, both characters realise that together they make quite a formidable team combining traditional policing with the beginnings of psychological profiling. As the series' progress, a friendship gradually develops between the two men. Meantime, "Max" is finding his rather procedural relationship with girlfriend "Clara" (Luise von Finckh) increasingly compromised by his infatuation with a fellow scientist "Lisa Linder" (Miriam Hie) who isn't exactly reciprocative of his enthusiasm. With that romantic on/off scenario bubbling through series one, it does rather interfere with what is otherwise an enjoyable and a times quite intriguing collection of Holmesian-style dramas that look great and pace out well over ninety minutes an episode. Beard looks about twelve, which does take a bit of getting used to - but as he and Maurer start to get their teeth into what would appear not to be the safest city in Austria, their adventures prove a little quirkier than the norm. There's a little gentle humour, well augmented by Roman Kariolou's score and their habit of one saying "welcome to the investigation" to the other when things start to hot up a bit is quite fun, too. Curiously, they mustn't have had much faith in there being a second series as that starts with both men clearly having become somewhat estranged, and that also applies - though not as distinctly, from series two into three but these moments in the dramatic wilderness soon abate and we revert to a successful two-friend formula using this glorious Hapsburg city as a solid vehicle for crimes of murder that may have militaristic, aristocratic and/or religious aspects as well as plenty of smokescreens, superstition, paganism and mysticism to them too. The storylines also benefit from not overly involving the regular supporting cast too extensively, and when it does there's usually some fun to be had - especially from Conleth Hill as the frequently perplexed but enthusiastic father of "Max". Our protagonists do have (complicated) love lives, but these are fleetingly included leaving, thankfully, well written mysteries that are their best when it's just the pair of them going a-sleuthing together. There are certainly some familiarities amongst the nine episodes that I have seen - but they were always going to be quite hard to avoid given the genre and the investigative focus on the cerebral rather than just the physical but that doesn't spoil the enjoyment at all, really. Both men are very softly spoken which can make the audio a little difficult to hear at times, but the successful mix of new and the established attitudes and techniques works well and no one series leaves us bored or tired or weary. More please.
