The Best TV Shows on ORF 1

Every ORF 1 Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Leading the pack on ORF 1 are Eurovision Song Contest and Scene of the Crime, with their initial broadcasts in 1956 and 1970. ORF 1’s extensive portfolio includes more than 20 shows, spanning the years from 1956 to 2025. Dive into our updated selection of ORF 1’s finest, featuring more than 20 series as of August 2026.

  • 1, 2 oder 3
    1, 2 oder 3 (1977)9.0

    The quiz show for the whole family with Elton and Piet Flosse: Three teams from Austria, Germany, and a changing third country compete against each other. Each team consists of a mixed group of three kids – smart minds and quick legs are required. 1, 2, or 3? If you know the answer, you’re in!

  • Suburbia - Women on the Edge
    Suburbia - Women on the Edge (2015)7.6

    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?

  • Rise of the Raven
    Rise of the Raven (2025)7.5

    The story of János Hunyadi is the epic tale of a hero born into modest circumstances, who, in 1456, with relentless determination and against all odds, vanquished the much larger Ottoman army, halting its drive to conquer the Vatican and overrun Western Europe. In so doing, Hunyadi not only shaped the history of Hungary, but that of all Europe.

  • Vienna Blood
    Vienna Blood (2019)7.3

    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.

  • Eurovision Song Contest
    Eurovision Song Contest (1956)7.2

    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.

  • Inspector Rex
    Inspector Rex (1994)7.2

    After his handler is killed, police dog Rex teams up with recently-divorced inspector Richard Moser to investigate crimes and solve mysteries on the streets of Vienna. And they sometimes get help from their two-legged friend, Inspector Stockinger.

  • The Onedin Line
    The Onedin Line (1971)7.0

    The Onedin Line is a BBC television drama series which ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham. The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and deals with the rise of a shipping line, the Onedin Line, named after its owner James Onedin. Around this central theme are the lives of his family, most notably his brother and partner, shop owner Robert, and his sister Elizabeth, giving insight into the lifestyle and customs at the time, not only at sea, but also ashore. The series also illustrates some of the changes in business and shipping, such as from wooden to steel ships and from sailing ships to steam ships. It shows the role that ships played in affairs like international politics, uprisings and the slave trade.

  • Murder by the Lake
    Murder by the Lake (2014)7.0

    Murder by the Lake is a German-Austrian TV crime series that has been produced since 2014 by Rowboat Film- und Fernsehproduktion and Graf Filmproduktion in cooperation with the German television broadcaster ZDF and the Austrian television broadcaster ORF. The series is filmed and set in the adjacent towns of Bregenz, Austria, and Lindau, Germany, which are both located on the southeastern shore of Lake Constance.

  • Liebesg'schichten und Heiratssachen
    Liebesg'schichten und Heiratssachen (N/A)7.0

  • Woman of the Dead
    Woman of the Dead (2022)7.0

    In a vengeful quest to find out who killed her husband, a woman ends up exposing her small community's deepest and ugliest secrets.

  • Kaisermühlen Blues
    Kaisermühlen Blues (1992)6.5

    Kaisermühlen Blues is an Austrian television series.

  • Die Bergretter
    Die Bergretter (2009)6.3

    Die Bergwacht is a German mountain rescue television series, broadcast since 26 November, 2009 on ZDF.

  • 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.

  • Vienna Crime Squad
    Vienna Crime Squad (2005)5.1

    SOKO Donau is an Austrian television series.

  • Murder in the Mountains
    Murder in the Mountains (2001)4.6

    SOKO Kitzbühel is an Austrian television series produced by ORF and ZDF. It is a spin-off of the German crime series SOKO 5113. It is set in the renowned Tyrolean tourist centre of Kitzbühel. The production company "beo-Film" has produced the show since 2001. The German abbreviation SOKO stands for Sonderkommission, "special commission", a task force with specific duties.

  • Barbara Karlich – Talk um 4
    Barbara Karlich – Talk um 4 (1999)4.5

    A talk show produced by ORF since 1999 and broadcast on ORF 2.

  • Schnell ermittelt
    Schnell ermittelt (2009)4.1

    Angelika Schnell is the head of homicide and living proof that chaos is just another form of order. Nevertheless, she is a brilliant investigator - even if her methods are sometimes quite unconventional: In addition to hard facts, she also allows her distinctive inner voice to apply, which often leads to incomprehensible but very important conclusions...

  • Schlosshotel Orth
    Schlosshotel Orth (1996)3.7

    Schlosshotel Orth is an Austrian television series.

  • Im Zentrum
    Im Zentrum (2007)N/A

  • Stöckl
    Stöckl (2013)N/A