"Whereabouts of Wanda," a flawed pseudo-drama featuring subpar humor.
Apple TV+'s first original German production, starring Heike Makatsch and Axel Stein, aims for uniqueness but fails to reach its goals. Rarely has humor been so forced and unamusing!
With a budget exceeding 20 million euros, "Where's Wanda?" is currently Germany's most costly comedy series. Over eight episodes, the mystery of Wanda Klatt's (Lea Drinda) disappearance is expected to be solved, with her parents Carlotta (Heike Makatsch) and Dedo (Axel Stein) employing some creative methods in their search. The series attempts to impress with dark humor and eccentric characters, but it falls short in numerous aspects.
At times, "Where's Wanda?" feels overly cluttered and gets lost in tired jokes and one-dimensional characters that seldom prompt genuine feelings of empathy. The storyline is complex and lacking in both a sense of timing and depth. This is not clever satire! Instead of offering authentic entertainment, there are often only crude and labored attempts at making the audience laugh. In the end, "Where's Wanda?" is a series that, despite its ambition for originality, unfortunately falls short of its own expectations.
For a deeper analysis of "Where's Wanda?" by Ronny Rüsch and Axel Max, listen to the latest episode of ntv's podcast "Oscars & Himbeeren". Also featured: the animated series "Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft", the spy series "Citadel: Diana", and the comedy-drama "Sweet Dreams".
Despite its intention to provide unique entertainment through dark humor and eccentric characters, "Where's Wanda?" often falls back on worn-out jokes and one-dimensional characters, failing to evoke genuine emotional responses. Instead of delivering genuine laughter, the series often relies on crude and forced attempts at humor.
