Outlook - What to expect in the television year 2024
The new television year begins with the change that the previously one-hour "Mittagsmagazin" program on the first and second channels is now two hours long and starts at 12 noon instead of 1 pm. ARD and ZDF will alternate weekly. As of January 8, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) will be responsible for ARD. The crisis-ridden RBB (Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg) preferred to hand over the format as an ARD house.
There is also a lot in store for TV viewers in the new year. Many of the broadcasters' plans are still secret or have only been roughly announced. Exact dates are usually only known a few weeks in advance. That's why this is only an incomplete selection:
"House of the Dragon"
The prequel to the fantasy series "Game of Thrones" will be broadcast on free TV for the first time from January 8. ProSieben will show a double episode of the global hit, which was previously only shown on Sky in Germany, every Monday.
Silbereisen
There will also be five of the popular "Feste" shows in 2024, commissioned by MDR and broadcast on ARD First. The format with Florian Silbereisen had been in limbo for weeks at the end of 2023, with the exception of the first live show "Schlagerchampions" on January 13.
Two Bachelors
When roses are handed out on RTL again in 2024, it will no longer be just one "Bachelor", but two "Bachelors". The broadcaster wants the dating show to feature more dating, more snogging and more fighting. RTL will air the show in linear format from January 17 (RTL+ will stream from January 10).
Jungle camp
From Friday, January 19, the classic "Ich bin ein Star - Holt mich hier raus!" will be back on RTL - it's the 17th season. Camp residents such as footballer David Odonkor, No Angels singer Lucy Diakovska, influencer twenty4tim, model Cora Schumacher and actor Heinz Hoenig promise plenty of laughs from Australia's jungle. The final will take place on February 4.
Helene Fischer
Following ZDF's Christmas show, the German TV channel Erste will also be featuring pop queen Helene Fischer in January - as the Saturday evening show "Rausch Live - Die Arena-Tour". "ARD will be showing the pop icon's concert highlight unabridged and with all the hits, thrilling acrobatics and fire and water elements in a perfectly staged show on January 27, 2024 at 8.15 pm."
Heidi Klum
The 19th season of the ProSieben show "Germany's Next Topmodel - by Heidi Klum", which is known for the sensation that Klum is no longer just about "girls", will start on February 15. "It's very exciting for me that many men have come to the casting this year for the first time. The atmosphere at the shoot is noticeably different. I'm really looking forward to this new dynamic," Klum was quoted as saying in a statement on New Year's Day.
Roland Kaiser
ZDF will broadcast an anniversary show recorded in Offenburg (scheduled for February 24) to celebrate the 50th stage anniversary of pop king Roland Kaiser (71). The gala for Kaiser ("Santa Maria", "Joana", "Dich zu lieben", "Warum hast Du nicht Nein gesagt?") will be presented by Giovanni Zarrella.
"Who's stealing my thunder?"
Hazel Brugger, Matthias Schweighöfer and Florian David Fitz recently tried to steal the show from Joko Winterscheidt. Sarah Connor, Lena Meyer-Landrut and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf have been announced for the seventh season in 2024.
"TheVoice Kids"
Filming for the 12th season starts on January 7 in Berlin. For the coaches (once again Lena, Wincent Weiss, Alvaro Soler as well as Smudo and Michi Beck from the Fantastischen Vier), the blind auditions mean: Onto the red chairs. Turn away. Listen - and hit the buzzer at the right moment for the best young voices. The broadcast is planned for spring.
Change at the Frankfurt "Tatort"
After almost ten years and 19 episodes, the current Frankfurt "Tatort" team Janneke and Brix (Margarita Broich and Wolfram Koch) will come to an end in 2024. However, Hessischer Rundfunk wants to continue investigating on the Main in the future. The successor has probably already been decided by HR and will be announced soon.
Farewell Göttingen "Tatort"
Maria Furtwängler is returning to Hanover as Charlotte Lindholm after her transfer - and colleague Florence Kasumba is leaving the popular series as Göttingen character Anaïs Schmitz. Lindholm and Schmitz investigate together one last time in the film "Geisterfahrt" (February 11).
Exit from the Franconian "Tatort"
The tenth Franken "Tatort" is the last with Dagmar Manzel. In the eleventh "Tatort" from Nuremberg and the surrounding area, which will be filmed in 2024 for 2025, Felix Voss, played by Fabian Hinrichs, will investigate without Manzel's character Paula Ringelhahn.
Exit from the Dortmund "Tatort"
Inspector Jan Pawlak only investigates once more (February 18). After 13 crime thrillers, actor Rick Okon says goodbye. According to WDR, Peter Faber (Jörg Hartmann) and Rosa Herzog (Stefanie Reinsperger) will continue to investigate as a duo.
Return of "Supertalent"
The show "Das Supertalent" returns to the screens - Victoria Swarovski and Jens "Knossi" Knossalla are the presenting duo. Dieter Bohlen and Bruce Darnell will be joined on the jury by "Let's Dance" winner Anna Ermakova and professional dancer Ekaterina "Ekat" Leonova, who is well-known from "Let's Dance".
DSDS
In recent years, the casting show "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" (DSDS) has always started in January - this time it will be later. For the first time, there is no upper age limit. In addition to Dieter Bohlen, who is back on board as if nothing had ever happened, and Pietro Lombardi, the jury also includes singer Beatrice Egli (DSDS winner 2013) and rapper and influencer Loredana.
Passion
After the first edition in Essen in 2022, RTL is planning its live event "The Passion" about the suffering of Jesus in Kassel this Easter. The last days in the life of Jesus Christ will once again be staged on a "spectacular stage" and transported into the present day with well-known pop songs. Who will take part: still unclear.
25 years of "Who wants to be a millionaire?"
At the beginning of September, it will be a quarter of a century since Günther Jauch first hosted the quiz "Who wants to be a millionaire?" on RTL. It is unclear how the anniversary will be celebrated or whether Jauch will slowly say goodbye.
Series farewells at ZDF
The two crime series "SOKO Hamburg" and "Letzte Spur Berlin" will end in 2024. ZDF wants to invest more money in formats for younger audiences and is likely to make some changes to its programs in the near future.
Series "Köln 50667" ends
The soap "Köln 50667" on private broadcaster RTLzwei will end in early summer. The performance of the series, which was launched in 2013, is no longer consistently satisfactory.
Public science fiction
ARD is set to broadcast a new season of the series "Charité" about the famous Berlin hospital in April. A lot is being ventured, because this time the episodes are set in the future. The authors explore the question: "How will knowledge and medicine, climate and society have developed in the year 2049?"
Kafka series
This spring, ARD will be broadcasting a mini-series about Franz Kafka, who died 100 years ago. Author Daniel Kehlmann wrote the scripts in collaboration with director David Schalko. This should mean high quality and good entertainment.
SchleFaZ
Satirists Oliver Kalkofe and Peter Rütten have found a new home for their project "Die schlechtesten Filme aller Zeiten" ("#SchleFaZ"). After Tele5 canceled the cult show, it will continue on RTL's special interest channel Nitro and the streaming service RTL+.
Eurovision
Malicious tongues would say that Germany is once again looking for someone to take last place in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024. But maybe this time it will be raining points. The preliminary decision ("The German Final") is scheduled for February 16 with Barbara Schöneberger. This time, NDR is relying on Conchita Wurst, among others, for the selection process. The international final in Malmö will then take place on May 11.
Read also:
- Caught up in the present: the end of "The Crown"
- Through New Year's Eve with TV shows
- What's next for the series hits?
- A coming and going in the teams
The MDR will take over the responsibility for the ARD's "Mittagsmagazin" program starting January 8, 2024.
The prequel to the fantasy series "Game of Thrones," titled "House of the Dragon," will be broadcast on free TV for the first time on ProSieben, starting January 8.
ARD will air the popular "Feste" shows, featuring Florian Silbereisen, five times in 2024, with the exception of the first live show "Schlagerchampions" on January 13.
RTL will feature two "Bachelors" in their dating show, starting January 17, 2024, offering more dating, snogging, and fighting.
The classic "Ich bin ein Star - Holt mich hier raus!" will return to RTL with its 17th season from January 19, 2024.
ZDF will broadcast an anniversary show for pop king Roland Kaiser on February 24, 2024, celebrating his 50th stage anniversary.
The ProSieben show "Germany's Next Topmodel - by Heidi Klum" will start its 19th season on February 15, 2024, featuring more male contestants.
Lena Meyer-Landrut, Sarah Connor, and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf have been announced for the seventh season of "Who's stealing my thunder?" in 2024.
The "TheVoice Kids" season 12 will be filmed in Berlin from January 7, 2024, featuring coaches Lena, Wincent Weiss, Alvaro Soler, Smudo, and Michi Beck.
The change at the Frankfurt "Tatort" team Janneke and Brix (Margarita Broich and Wolfram Koch) will end in 2024.
The "Passion" live event, about the suffering of Jesus, will return to RTL screens in Kassel during Easter in 2024.
The ZDF crime series "SOKO Hamburg" and "Letzte Spur Berlin" will end in 2024, with the channel planning to invest more in formats for younger audiences.
Source: www.stern.de
