Inspector Ellen Lucas joins an elite group, women police officers  – Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect and Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Lee Johnson in The Closer – who battle crime as well as discrimination in the workplace. Kommissarin Lucas, with twenty 90-minute episodes available on MHz Choice, is in German with English subtitles. 

Played by the talented Ulrike Kriener, Lucas possesses all the attributes that make for a skilled detective. She’s observant, tenacious, tough, and organized. But like Jane and Brenda, a working style that helps men advance often results in women being ostracized and held back. Lucas doesn’t worry about being liked, knowing that getting results is the key to earning respect among those she supervises.

Lucas left a high visibility position in Cologne to relocate to the smaller city of Regensburg, Bavaria, so that her husband, in a coma for three months, could be cared for in a special facility. The medical professionals expect her to spend long days at her husband’s bedside, talking and reading to him. But her new position, heading up a police task force, demands that she be on call 24/7. The first case she takes on, the disappearance of a five year-old girl, tests not only her expertise, but also how well she will lead her new team. 

Cast changes are frequent in this series, either because the actors involved are moving on or the writers are making a statement that Lucas’ management style invites turnover. (Again, men are rarely criticized for being tough bosses.) The one who does stick around: Michael Roll as Boris Noethen, Lucas’ boss who takes advantage of her husband’s death to bed her, but fails to make that relationship last. While Lucas is able to put their brief affair aside and resume a working partnership, Boris suffers lover’s remorse and takes to the bottle. After Lucas threatens to report him for his drinking, he agrees to enter a rehab program.

Lucas’ landlord, Max (a terrific Tilo Prückner), gives her a hard time, but beneath that crusty exterior beats the heart of a loyal friend. That friendship is tested with the arrival of Ellen’s sister, Rike (Anke Engelke), who has a history of drug abuse and attracting the wrong mates. Max, however, soon bonds with Rike, buying into some of her crazy money-making schemes. He serves as a bridge between the two women, helping them to heal some of their past hurts.

Regensburg’s streets are dark and threatening, the perfect setting for many of the grisly murders Lucas and her officers must investigate. On more than one occasion, bodies end up in the Danube, the river becoming another character in the drama. 

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All photos courtesy of MHz Choice.

Watch Kommissarin Lucas on MHz Choice.