Netflix offered us a surprise this morning with the announcement that it had acquired the streaming rights to the popular German TV drama Charité and instead of making us wait for its release, all six episodes of the first season are available to stream now.
Set in Berlin in 1888, Ida undergoes an operation without a penny to her name and in order to pay back the money she owes, she must work off her debt at the Charité Hospital.
While the conditions under the strict rule of Deaconess Martha proves troublesome, Ida discovers her love for medicine and does her part to help cure the growing number of tuberculosis and diphtheria patients.
Charité quickly became a massive hit in Germany when it premiered on public broadcaster ARD/Das Erste last year. With the first episodes bringing in an audience share of 25.9%, the series was the network’s best launch in over 25 years and delivered the best ratings for a German primetime series in 13 years.
Netflix also announced this week that it will be producing the TV adaptation of the popular German film The Wave, set to be released in 2019, and has made it clear that this is only the beginning of its German TV plans.
