Apple TV+ Sets October Launch Date For German Drama Series ‘Where’s Wanda?’

Apple TV+‘s debut German original drama Where’s Wanda? will launch globally on Wednesday, October 2.

The first two episodes will drop that day, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through to November 13.

The series was Apple’s first German scripted series order and the industry has been awaiting its launch, with some suggesting its success or otherwise will color how the global streamer approaches commissioning in the country going forwards. “The show has been in post for ages, and everyone is really hoping is does well when it launches,” a source in Germany told us this summer as part of our deep dive into German TV drama.

The eight-part dark comedy stars Heike Makatsch (Love Actually), Axel Stein (The Vault), Lea Drinda (The Gryphon), Leo Simon, Nikeata Thompson (How to Dad), Palina Rojinski (Welcome to Germany), Kostja Ullmann (My Blind Date with Life), Harriet Herbig-Matten, Devid Striesow (All Quiet on the Western Front), Jasmin Shakeri (The Magic Flute) and Joachim Król (The Most Desired Man).

It tells the story of Dedo (Stein) and Carlotta Klatt (Makatsch), who are desperate to locate their missing 17-year-old daughter Wanda (Drinda), who disappeared months before without a trace. When the police fail to find her, the family takes matters into their own hands, obtaining surveillance devices with the help of their tech-savvy son Ole (Simon). Disguising themselves as employees of an electrical company, they bug their neighborhood and then half their suburb, finding out that behind closed doors, none of their neighbors are who they pretend to be.

Where’s Wanda? comes from Fremantle-owned producer UFA Fiction and is created, written and executive produced by British writer Oliver Lansley (Flack), alongside executive producers Nataly Kudiabor (Arthur’s Law) and Sebastian Werninger (The Physician). The series is co-created and based on a story by Zoltan Spirandelli (Vaya con Dios) and is directed by Christian Ditter (How to Be Single) and Tobi Baumann (Faking Hitler). Ditter also serves as an executive producer.

Last month, we revealed that Apple TV+ had boarded KRANK Berlin, the medical drama series starring Haley Louise Jones (Dear Child). The series was one of the last Sky Deutschland ordered before it pulled out of original scripted commissioning a year ago. Dozens of projects then returned to the market, with pubcaster ZDF jumping on KRANK Berlin and Apple subsequently taking exclusive global rights. ZDFneo will get it following a 12-month window.