The Best TV Shows on Das Erste

Every Das Erste Show Ranked From Best To Worst

As of January 2026, our compilation of Das Erste’s top-rated series boasts over 20 unique shows. Highlighting Das Erste’s quality programming, Bambi and Tagesschau stand out, premiering in 1948 and 1952. Showcasing over 20 shows from 1948 up until 2015, Das Erste stands as a beacon of television excellence.

  • Bambi
    Bambi (1948)9.0

    The Bambi, often called the Bambi Award and stylised as BAMBI, is a German award presented annually by Hubert Burda Media to recognize excellence in international media and television to personalities in the media, arts, culture, sports, and other fields "with vision and creativity who affected and inspired the German public that year", both domestic and foreign. First held in 1948, it is the oldest media award in Germany. The trophy is named after Felix Salten's book Bambi, A Life in the Woods and its statuettes are in the shape of the novel's titular fawn character. They were originally made of porcelain until 1958, when the organizers switched to using gold, with the casting done by the art casting workshop of Ernst Strassacker in Süßen.

  • Die Sendung mit der Maus
    Die Sendung mit der Maus (1971)8.6

    The children's show has been a fixed Sunday morning ritual in German living rooms since 1971. Not only children, but also many adults sit in front of the television every week when the clever orange mouse, his blue elephant buddy and the yellow duck lead the way with short, funny cartoon clips between the "funny and factual stories".

  • Suburbia - Women on the Edge
    Suburbia - Women on the Edge (2015)7.7

    Vienna suburb. Better society. Appearance and reality. A golden cage. But is everything that glitters really gold? Actually, the five "suburban women" of the title couldn't be doing any better in their supposedly perfect, affluent world – could they?

  • Eurovision Song Contest
    Eurovision Song Contest (1956)7.3

    The Eurovision Song Contest is an international song competition, organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and featuring participants representing primarily European countries. Each participating country submits an original song to be performed on live television and radio, transmitted to national broadcasters via the EBU's Eurovision and Euroradio networks, with competing countries then casting votes for the other countries' songs to determine the winner.

  • Sandokan
    Sandokan (1976)7.1

    In this mini-series in six parts from 1976 the Indian actor Kabir Bedi plays the lead role. Carol Andre plays Lady Marianna Guillonk and as Sandokans best friend Yanez de Gomera we see Phillipe Leroy. The noble prince Sandokan is a fighter of the first rank who are cruel to their enemies, but always loyal to his friends.

  • In aller Freundschaft - Die jungen Ärzte
    In aller Freundschaft - Die jungen Ärzte (2015)7.1

    The spin-off to the original series 'In aller Freundschaft' focuses on the young doctors in a fictional clinic in Erfurt. In this emotional drama series, hospital staffers and patients navigate life's challenges.

  • Tagesschau
    Tagesschau (1952)6.8

    German daily news program, the oldest still existing program on German television.

  • The Peppercorns
    The Peppercorns (1999)6.8

    Die Pfefferkörner is a German television series produced by Der Kinderkanal. The peppercorns are five friends from Hamburg: Jana Holstein Coutre, Natasha "Tascha" Jaonzäns, Philip "Fiete" Overbeck, Cem Gülec and Vivien "Vivi" Overbeck, Fiete's eight year old sister. After school, the young detectives meet at a high level of a spice warehouse of the company Overbeck & Associates, which belongs to Fiete and Vivi's parents in the first part, but is later given to Fiete and Vivi to look after. Here, in the historic warehouse district, the five friends have their headquarters. With smarts, combined delivery and support of the Internet, they find their cases here. The detectives convict polluters, animal dealers and drug smugglers. They also help each other with personal problems they encounter. Cem has lost his parents in a car accident and sometimes feels sad and lonely. Jana lives with her divorcee mother, a lawyer who is rarely at home. Natasha comes from Latvia. Her parents initially have very strict rules in terms of her education, that make Natasha unhappy. Fiete has problems showing his feelings and hides them behind grumpiness and hostility towards girls, until he falls in love with Natasha. Vivi is suffering from her role of the youngest member of the group. She believes that she must constantly struggle for recognition.

  • For Heaven's Sake
    For Heaven's Sake (2002)6.5

    Sister Hanna is a spirited, witty, resolute, warm-hearted, and - attractive nun. With her wit and street cred, she takes charge of Kaltenthal Cloister, transforming it into a popular refuge for all those seeking help of one kind or another. She also brings new life to the sleepy provincial community, proving herself quite a match for her great rival and opponent, the mayor Wolfgang Wöller.

  • Polizeiruf 110
    Polizeiruf 110 (1971)6.3

    Polizeiruf 110 is a long-running German language detective television series. The first episode was broadcast 27 June 1971 in the German Democratic Republic, and after the dissolution of Fernsehen der DDR the series was picked up by ARD. It was originally created as a counterpart to the West German series Tatort, and quickly became a public favorite.

  • Menschen bei Maischberger
    Menschen bei Maischberger (2003)6.3

  • Scene of the Crime
    Scene of the Crime (1970)6.2

    Tatort is a long-running German/Austrian/Swiss, crime television series set in various parts of these countries. The show is broadcast on the channels of ARD in Germany, ORF in Austria and SF1 in Switzerland.

  • Hubert und Staller
    Hubert und Staller (2011)6.2

    A show about two Bavarian police officers, Franz Hubert and Johannes Staller, who sometimes work a bit differently. Where Franz wants to follow regulations, Johannes likes to do things his own way.

  • Graf Yoster gibt sich die Ehre
    Graf Yoster gibt sich die Ehre (1967)6.1

    Graf Yoster gibt sich die Ehre [French title: Le comte Yoster a bien l'honneur] is a TV series which followed the adventures of the title’s amateur gentleman detective. It was a success in particular in Germany and in France. Originally the show was a German production in black-and-white but it evolved into a European co-production in colour.

  • In aller Freundschaft
    In aller Freundschaft (1998)6.0

    German soap opera about the staff of the fictional hospital "Sachsenklinik" in the city of Leipzig.

  • Sturm der Liebe
    Sturm der Liebe (2005)6.0

    These are the stories of relationships taking place in the fictional five-star hotel Fürstenhof, located in Feldkirchen-Westerham near Rosenheim with the plot revolving around members of the family room area, the hotel owners, and employees.

  • Großstadtrevier
    Großstadtrevier (1986)5.8

    Follow the everyday work of a fictional police station on the Kiez of Hamburg.

  • Morgenmagazin
    Morgenmagazin (1992)3.5

  • Beckmann
    Beckmann (1999)2.0

    Reinhold Beckmann hosts a weekly talk show.

  • Tigerenten Club
    Tigerenten Club (1996)N/A

    Tigerenten Club is a German children's television programme. The programme involves a mix of games, quizzes, cartoons and outside reports from the presenters and children, with the aim to educate and entertain. It is produced by SWR in co-operation with other regional broadcasters, and is broadcast on ARD and KiKa. The logo and the name of the programme is based upon the Tigerente or 'Tigerduck', created by German cartoonist Janosch.