Balko
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Balko'' is a German
prime time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
broadcast on the private TV channel RTL. It is a police
detective story Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specu ...
with comical twists featuring two inspectors of the
Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
police, Balko (played by
Jochen Horst Jochen Horst (born 7 September 1961 in Osnabrück) is a German film, TV and theater actor. Horst graduated in 1986 from the state Academy of Music and Performing Arts (''Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst'') in Graz, Austri ...
until episode 48, then by Bruno Eyron) and his colleague Klaus Krapp (
Ludger Pistor Ludger Pistor (born 16 March 1959) is a German actor. Career Born in Recklinghausen, Pistor has played many roles in numerous German-language films and TV productions. He has also appeared in English-language films including the Academy Award- ...
). Balko's main characteristics are his coolness and his consistently laid-back appearance, whereas Krapp is a typical mama’s boy and very clumsy. The series started in 1995 and has won several television awards.


Characters

Kriminalhauptkommissar Balko Balko, the main character of the series, is an easygoing and friendly police officer not always sticking to working rules. He is a
conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...
and holds no high school diploma. Most of the time he is surrounded by incompetent colleagues he cannot rely on in cases of emergency. Balko originally comes from Wetter, a small village in the Ennepe Ruhr district, near Dortmund. His parents still live there. So far his Christian name has not been mentioned in any episode. Kriminalhauptkommissar Klaus Krapp Krapp, also called "Krappi", is a thoroughly honest
public servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
. He is never dressed improperly, is always up to date in his profession and well-educated. He graduated from a German
high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
(
Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...
) and is a
reserve officer A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...
of the ''
Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...
''. Despite his many skills, in the domestic area as well as many others, he has no luck with women. His attempts to score with the opposite sex are legendary but have mostly been a failure. Krapp seems to cling to his mother, who is mentioned repeatedly and lives in Dortmund-Huckarde, though she never appears in person. Kriminaloberrätin Katharina Jäger After a series of changes in the leadership of the homicide division (during the first years the part of the chief executive was played by Dieter Pfaff as well as for a short time by Horst A. Fechner and
Arthur Brauss Arthur Brauss (born 24 July 1936) is a German actor, perhaps best known for his work in Sam Peckinpah's ''Cross of Iron''. Brauss was born in Augsburg, Germany. Partial filmography * '' Stop Train 349'' (1963, directed by Rolf Hädrich), as I. ...
), Kriminaloberrätin Katharina Jäger (played by Sabine Vitua) became Balko's boss from 1998 to 2000. After her death caused by assassination with a sabotaged car, which was originally directed at Balko, Wittek became the new chief detective. Polizeikommissar/Polizeiobermeister/Erster Kriminalhauptkommissar Hans "Quittek" Wittek Kriminalhauptkommissar Wittek, called "Quittek", was a patrolman until he is promoted to be Erster Polizeihauptkommissar and head of the homicide division of Dortmund by skipping five ranks. The reason for this is his marriage with the daughter of the Polizeipräsident. He is very simple-minded and often messes up inspections but because of his lack of competence he also always gives his investigators plenty of leeway. Polizeiobermeister Marek Polizeiobermeister Marek is the ultimate simple-minded patrolman, assigned to the Dortmund homicide division. His first name has never been mentioned in any episode. Polizeiobermeister Schafranek Polizeiobermeister Schafranek is a clumsy, not particularly clever, but very likable patrolman who was assigned to the homicide division after Wittek's promotion. His first name also remains unknown. Schafranek is Marek's best friend. Kriminalrat Holtmann When Wittek retired, Kriminalrat Holtmann became his successor and was appointed chief of the homicide division for the last seven episodes. He was clearly stricter than his predecessor, kept a tighter rein and appeared to be a very competent detective.


External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0111889 1995 German television series debuts 2006 German television series endings German drama television series 1990s German police procedural television series 2000s German police procedural television series Television shows set in Dortmund German crime television series German-language television shows RTL (German TV channel) original programming