Eurocops

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Multinational television series

title: "Eurocops" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1988-german-television-series-debuts", "1993-german-television-series-endings", "fictional-police-officers", "zdf-original-programming", "german-crime-television-series", "1980s-german-police-procedural-television-series", "1990s-german-police-procedural-television-series"] description: "Multinational television series" topic_path: "geography/germany" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocops" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Multinational television series ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox television"]

FieldValue
runtime60 minutes
starringHeiner Lauterbach
countryGermany
networkZDF
first_aired
last_aired
num_seasons6
num_episodes70
::

| image = | caption = | camera = | runtime = 60 minutes | creator = | starring = Heiner Lauterbach | country = Germany | network = ZDF | first_aired = | last_aired = | num_seasons = 6 | num_episodes = 70 | list_episodes =

Eurocops is a European television crime TV-series produced between 1988 and 1992. It is a co-production between seven European TV stations in which each station produced a number of episodes which were then pooled, dubbed and otherwise adapted when needed and broadcast by all participating stations, a format used earlier in the German crime series Tatort. The participating networks were ZDF from Germany, ORF from Austria, SRG from Switzerland, RAI from Italy, Televisión Española from Spain, Antenne 2 from France and Channel 4 from the United Kingdom.

A direct consequence of the 'pooled production' format was that all episodes by one particular network had a strong local or national feel and were distinctly different from the episodes produced by other networks. Not only were they filmed in the network's own country with local actors, but they were also written by local screenwriters, thus reflecting that nation's specific taste for crime dramas. With national networks at that time still relying on self-produced programs, a big part of ''Eurocops''' allure was that it offered viewers in one country a first-hand look at what crime series in other countries looked like.

Despite being a pan-European TV series, the three German speaking networks did more than half of the filming with Germany and Austria filming 15 episodes on their own and one more joint production. Switzerland contributed another 12. Of the four non-German speaking countries, Italy made 13 episodes and France made 8, whereas Spain and the UK made only 4 and 3 episodes respectively.

All in all, in a span of five and a half years, seventy-one episodes were produced. Typically they were broadcast once a month. In Germany, ZDF broadcast the series on every fourth Friday as part of its Friday night crime lineup. (The three other Fridays it would broadcast episodes from other homemade crime series). Its first broadcast was on November 6, 1988 with a Swiss production called "Tote reisen nicht" (English: The dead don't travel).

Introduction and title music

The title sequence is an electronic theme composed by Jan Hammer in which a camera circles over a map of Europe, showing the different cities in which the episodes take place accompanied by a picture and name of the local detective. Finally the camera zooms out into a picture of the police badge of the country for that episode. Still a novelty for this time, the title was completely computer generated.

Cast and crew

Germany

Austria

  • Produced by: ORF
  • Directors: Rud'i Nemeth, Peter Müller
  • cast:
  • City: Vienna

Switzerland

Italy

France

Spain

United Kingdom

References

References

  1. (22 January 2024). "Heiner Lauterbach". vip.de.
  2. (November 8, 1988). "Extending the long arm of the law". The Daily Telegraph.
  3. (January 29, 1991). "Eurocops: Night Pay". The Perthshire Advertiser.
  4. (March 5, 1990). "Unhappy beat of a Eurocop". The Liverpool Echo.

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1988-german-television-series-debuts1993-german-television-series-endingsfictional-police-officerszdf-original-programminggerman-crime-television-series1980s-german-police-procedural-television-series1990s-german-police-procedural-television-series