Tatort
Amateur detectives have to find other ways to spend their Sunday evenings than with a new crime in First until mid-September. The last "Tatort" first broadcast took place before the annual summer break in May. This year's "Tatort" break is the longest ever, according to current planning from the ARD programming department, lasting a record-breaking 17 weeks.
The years 2020 and 2012 previously held the record for longest summer breaks with their 13-week pauses. In the previous year, the summer break lasted eleven weeks, and two years ago it was ten weeks.
There will only be 32 new "Tatort" crimes this year - the fewest in a long time. Last year, there were 35, the year before that 36, 2021 had 33, and there were usually around 36 to 37, with as many as 40 in 2015.
Since Pentecost Monday (May 20), there has been no new "Tatort" first broadcast. The first fresh "Tatort" crime is currently scheduled for September 15. Until then, there are repeats in the prime-time slot on Sundays or sport broadcasts, such as the live broadcast of Athletics from the Paris Olympics on August 4.
Repeats or Olympics
The "Tatort" summer pause, during which there are mostly "Tatort" repeats on Sundays at 8:15 pm on First, has gradually established itself. Repeats in the summer have been a regular occurrence since 1996. The number of repeats in the summer increased but was often interrupted by first broadcasts (also from "Police Call 110"). The first continuous "Tatort" summer pause on First began in 2007 and then again after 2010.**
The ARD cites the two major sporting events in 2024 as the reason for the long summer pause this year. The European Football Championship in Germany took place from June 14 to July 14, and the Olympics in Paris will take place from July 26 to August 11. The Paralympics follow from August 28 to September 8.
Since the last "Tatort" before the summer pause (May 20), there had been a new Munich "Police Call 110" on May 26. However, no new Sunday crime from the ARD television has been seen since then.
The "Tatort" series has existed since almost 54 years (in the Federal Republic), and the crime series "Police Call 110" has been around for roughly 53 years (initially as a production of the East German television). The "Tatort" series, with around 20 different teams from the various ARD broadcasting stations and from Swiss and Austrian television, is undoubtedly Germany's most popular TV series.
A total of 1,271 films have been labeled and broadcast under this title since 1970.
Despite the absence of new "Tatort" crimes during the summer break, enthusiasts can still indulge in crime-themed entertainment with repeat broadcasts of past cases. The annual "Tatort" Crime Scene repeats on ARD have become a staple, filling the Sunday evening slot during the summer pause.
The extensive summer break, filled with repeats and major sports events like the European Football Championship and the Olympics, has given rise to an unusual situation in ARD's entertainment schedule, temporarily letting go of the usual crime-solving routines featured in shows like "Tatort" and "Police Call 110."
