- Münster mix of "Tater" and "Wilsberg"?
A crossover of the crime series "Wilsberg" (ZDF) and "Tatort" (ARD) on the streets of Münster would likely be a real ratings hit, according to TV detective Leonard Lansink. "We'll air a part on Saturday during 'Wilsberg' time with 'Tatort' actors, and the other part on Sunday with 'Wilsberg' actors," the "Wilsberg" lead actor suggested in an interview with the "Westfälischen Nachrichten". "We'll call the first part '30-year War' and the second part 'Westphalian Peace'."
Lansink believes the viewing figures would be very high, but they still need a compelling idea. For any screenwriter, it would be a challenge to fit all the strong characters from both shows into a 90-minute episode.
Lansink already has some ideas for the crime story: Wilsberg, who is both a detective and a book dealer, once sold a series of forensic pathology textbooks to Professor Karl-Friedrich Boerne, the medical examiner from the Münster "Tatort". However, there's no record of payment. Wilsberg, always short on cash, asks Boerne to settle the debt.
Could Wilsberg handle the arrogant professor? Lansink says, "Wilsberg is more like Thiel, down-to-earth, not pretentious. He'd handle Boerne professionally."
Crime shows set in Münster are TV classics. "Wilsberg", featuring Leonard Lansink as the detective and book dealer Georg Wilsberg, Oliver Korittke as Ekkehardt "Ekki" Talkötter, and Rita Russek as Commissioner Anna Springer, has been running on the Second Channel since 1995 and regularly attracts more than seven million viewers.
The Münster "Tatort", featuring the detectives Thiel (Axel Prahl) and Boerne (Jan Josef Liefers), started in 2002 on the First Channel and consistently attracts around 12 million viewers. It's the most successful "Tatort".
Lansink said, "I find the Münster 'Tatort' hilarious. The fantastic actors really give each other a hard time." The "Westfälischen Nachrichten" had asked Lansink to congratulate Jan Josef Liefers on his 60th birthday on August 8.
The ARD, being the broadcaster of the successful "Tatort" series featuring Thiel and Boerne, would surely be involved in coordinating the crossover episode with "Wilsberg." Lansink's suggestion to have 'Wilsberg' actors in the first part titled '30-year War' and 'Tatort' actors in the second part named 'Westphalian Peace' suggests a collaborative effort between the two teams linked to ARD.
