German Netflix Shows: The Best Series for Learning German

Your German study routine doesn’t have to entail endless grammar drilling and flashcards (with oddly long words). In fact, your language learning routine can be enjoyable. Netflix is a goldmine to study German. There’s a sizable selection of German Netflix shows to discover, spanning reality TV to suspenseful historical dramas.

If you’re curious about learning German with Netflix, we’ve created a lineup of the best German Netflix shows for learners, organized by difficulty. Some series are predictable, lexically simpler, and easier to follow despite a lower grasp of the language. Others are a bit richer, both linguistically and plot-wise. Overall, the best German Netflix show for you is the one that you genuinely enjoy (and potentially binge).

Why Watching German TV Actually Builds Comprehension

Textbooks teach you grammar rules. German shows help you catch how people actually talk, including the filler words, regional accents, and speed that no course ever fully prepares you for. You may be comfortably watching from your couch, but consistently engaging with native-level content trains your ear and strengthens your grasp of the language.

The catch is that your content should be mostly understandable and genuinely interesting. If you don’t actually enjoy the show, you’ll become bored and somehow make watching Netflix a chore. If you don’t understand enough of what’s going on, you’ll become discouraged. In short, the content matters. It needs to be an appropriate match for you regarding German level and personal interests. This is a key principle of comprehensible input.

Should You Use Subtitles to Learn German with Netflix?

Subtitles are a powerful tool for language learning, especially if they’re in the target language. Here’s some suggestions for how to use subtitles with German Netflix shows by level.

• Beginners: If you’re a novice learner, native-level content in German is a bit of a reach. Watch the series with English subtitles to follow the plot and enjoy the content. You may not internalize the expressions and vocabulary, but you’re still building your familiarity with the language’s rhythm and sounds. If you’re feeling particularly motivated, watch an episode more than once, with and without subtitles!
• Intermediate learners: Use German subtitles. You’ll miss some things, but German subtitles enhance your understanding and eliminate your dependence on English. Reading along while listening trains your ear and your reading speed at the same time.
• Advanced learners: Try an episode without subtitles. As an advanced learner, you’ll really benefit from immersing yourself in native-level German without any “training wheels”. If you want to rewatch an episode with German subtitles, go for it.

Remember the overarching goal is to enjoy immersing yourself in the language in a way that works for you. If watching a German Netflix show with subtitles is more enjoyable, activate the subtitles. Get to know yourself as a learner, and use the methods that keep you motivated and consistent.

The Best German Netflix Shows, Ranked by Difficulty

1. Love Is Blind: Germany (Easy)

This reality dating show is one of the easiest entry points into German Netflix shows. Conversations are casual, repetitive, and predictable. Honestly, you can usually guess meaning from tone and context alone. As a German learner, this allows you to focus less on the language and more on the drama. This show is a good first import since casual dialogue is easy to follow in LingQ’s reader.

2. How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) (Easy)

A fast-paced, humorous coming-of-age series about a teenager building an online drug empire from his bedroom. The dialogue is modern and youthful, and it leans heavily on English loanwords, quite advantageous for the German language learner. The English loanwords are easy to spot/skip in LingQ’s word tracking.

3. Die Kaiserin (The Empress) (Intermediate)

A historical drama about Empress Elisabeth of Austria. The dialogue is clear, formal, and well-enunciated. In other words, it’s linguistically more approachable for a German learner despite the higher complexity in plot.

4. Skylines (Intermediate)

A German sci-fi series set in Frankfurt. Follow Jinn, a music producer who enthusiastically signs with Skyline Records, only to discover the label’s ties to organized crime. Although the story is more complex, the dialogue is approachable.

5. Dogs of Berlin (Intermediate–Advanced)

A police procedural following two detectives investigating the murder of a German-Turkish soccer star. The dialogue is modern, urban, and fast, with a fair amount of street and police jargon. Great for learners who want to understand how Germans actually argue and negotiate under pressure and it’s great for building out street/slang vocabulary in your LingQ word list.

6. Beat (Intermediate–Advanced)

Set in Berlin’s club scene, Beat mixes fast, colloquial German with the kind of nightlife-specific vocabulary you won’t find in a textbook. This series may not be currently available on Netflix, but it can be found on Amazon Prime.

If you’re particularly interested in the informal side of German, our guide to German swear words breaks down the expressions native speakers actually use along with regional variations.

7. Unorthodox (Advanced)

A miniseries about a young woman leaving her ultra-Orthodox community in Brooklyn, partly set in Berlin. Worth noting: the dialogue switches between German, English, and Yiddish, so it’s not a pure German-immersion watch, but the German sections are substantial, rich and worth the effort for advanced learners.

8. Dark (Advanced)

This is the show that put German Netflix originals on the map. Dark is a dense, time-travel thriller with layered dialogue and a large cast. It’s demanding to follow even for native German speakers. However, it’s also one of the most rewarding watches. So much of the plot lives in subtle dialogue. Importing Dark episodes lets you replay the same dense dialogue with word lookups rather than losing the plot.

9. Perfume (Parfum) (Advanced)

A psychological thriller with complex, literary dialogue that pushes even strong learners. Follow Nadja Simon and her team as they investigate the murder of a singer. The series explores friendship, emotional manipulation, and sexual arousal.

10. Babylon Berlin (Advanced)

Set in 1920s Berlin, this is the most linguistically demanding show on this list, blending formal period German with era-specific slang. It’s a fantastic watch for advanced learners who want exposure to historical registers of the language, but it’s not the place to start. LingQ’s word tracking is especially useful here given how much period-specific vocabulary this one throws at you. Currently, this series is not available on Netflix, but MHz Choice.

A Note on Availability

Netflix catalogs shift by region and licensing agreements change without much warning, so a title that’s streaming today might rotate off next quarter. If Netflix is your sole streaming platform, do a quick search before to confirm that it’s still available before committing to it. Regardless, if something on this list has moved, most of these titles should still be findable on other platforms.

How to Turn Any of These Shows into a German Lesson on LingQ

Watching with subtitles helps, but you can take the immersion a step further with LingQ. Immerse yourself in authentic German content, but also save and review the words and phrases with one click. LingQ’s browser extension lets you import Netflix subtitles directly, turning any episode into an interactive lesson where you can translate unknown words instantly and save them to review later.

Once a show is imported, LingQ tracks which words you already know and which ones are new, so you can visualize your vocabulary grow automatically as you power through the series. Learning with LingQ is the difference between passively enjoying a show and actually retaining significant amounts of German.

FAQ

Start Learning German with LingQ

Picking the right show is only half the equation. Maximize the benefit of watching German Netflix shows by turning a passive experience into something more interactive and strategic. Capture vocabulary and actually retain it. Import your favorite German Netflix show into LingQ, save the words that come up, and watch your comprehension grow episode by episode.

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Writer Bio

Tyler is an American language teacher and language learner. He’s taught Spanish, French and Latin in the K-12 system since 2018. Tyler also speaks Thai and Italian. Currently, he’s learning German and Polish on LingQ!