02/10/25 – The SOKO Donau team has been hunting criminals an incredible 300 times since the series first aired in 2005. At the ‘station’ on Vienna’s Handelskai, Gregor Seberg, Lilian Klebow, Andreas Kiendl, Martin Gruber and Max Fischnaller reminisced about bloopers and funny moments in front of and behind the camera. ORF programme director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz, ORF television film director Katharina Schenk and Satel Film producer Heinrich Ambrosch also congratulated the entire team on this unique success in Austrian television history. The 300th episode, entitled ‘Josef’, is expected to be broadcast on ORF 1 in 2027.
Trends come and go – but SOKO Donau remains a cornerstone of Austrian television entertainment. Since 2005, the SOKO Donau team has been called out an incredible 300 times to put a stop to criminals. No other domestic production can boast such a long run and so many fans at home and abroad as the team of investigators consisting of Gregor Seberg, Lilian Klebow, Maria Happel, Andreas Kiendl, Martin Gruber and Max Fischnaller. In Austria and Germany (ZDF), around 4.5 million viewers regularly tune in to watch each episode of the crime series, which is also broadcast internationally in 25 countries under the title ‘Vienna Crime Squad’.
On set at the police station on Handelskai, producer Heinrich Ambrosch, ORF programme director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz, ORF television film director Katharina Schenk and ZDF editor Silvia Lambri congratulated the entire crew on 21 successful years.
Heinrich Ambrosch, producer at Vienna-based Satel Film, has been responsible for the successful SOKO Donau concept since 2007. “A series like SOKO Donau remains successful for over two decades because it manages to stay close to people and their everyday lives, while also telling exciting stories. We combine strong regional roots with socially relevant topics – and give a great ensemble of actors and a motivated team behind the camera the space to bring their passion to bear. It is probably this mixture that makes long-term success possible.”
ORF programme director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz: “300 episodes – what a milestone! It is impressive to see how consistently the “Soko Donau” brand has been maintained and developed during this time. The series manages to thrill its loyal viewers time and again, while also appealing to new audiences – always entertaining and with great attention to detail. I would like to thank everyone involved for their dedication, continuous passion and creativity.”
Wheelies on set and other curiosities
Gregor Seberg, who plays Soko chief Helmuth Nowak, recalls a bizarre scene during filming in Styria: “I remember an episode with “Dietz” (Dietrich Siegl) where we were looking for our hotel rooms. He went downstairs, I went upstairs. Then he came to my room and said he had found a neighbouring room with the lights on. We climbed over the balcony because we thought it was a crew room. It took us 20 minutes to realise that it was actually his own room. We were rolling on the floor laughing.”
She can no longer recall how many times she has led someone away in handcuffs, but Lilian Klebow is certain of one thing: even after years as team inspector Penny Lanz in the SOKO Donau team, she still has plenty of bite on set. “SOKO means an incredible amount to me. I’ve played many incredible scenes, but also many scenes that I never thought I would play, such as the episode “The Day Penny Lanz Died” or “Quantum Leap”, where I was my own stuntwoman and pushed myself to my physical limits. Both episodes were filmed while I was pregnant with my son and daughter – in stark contrast to the childless film character. Penny and I are growing further and further apart, but we love each other all the more for it, and I am infinitely grateful for this role!” says Klebow.
Forensic scientist Maria Happel, alias Dr Franziska Beck, recounts a turbulent start on set with her motor scooter: ‘It was my very first time riding a Vespa. Nobody had told me that it wasn’t automatic, and my first scene began with a wheelie. But I didn’t fall off and immediately won the hearts of the crew.’
Andreas Kiendl, who has been an integral part of SOKO Donau since 2021 as district inspector Klaus Lechner, sums up his deep attachment to the series: “300 episodes – that’s just incredible. I’ve been involved for a long time now and feel completely at home in my role and the series. Apart from that, the team has become like a family. An unusual luxury in our industry.”
Martin Gruber, who plays Chief Inspector Max Herzog with his analytical eye and calm presence, also recounts a scene that required more patience than expected: “The shoots are very tightly scheduled. There isn’t much time for rehearsals and improvisation. That only works with a well-coordinated team where everyone can rely on each other. Often, the seemingly simplest scenes are the most challenging. In one episode, we were filming at a swimming pond. A police diver was supposed to recover the body while we sat on the shore and waited. In the scene, we were supposed to open a beer bottle one after the other. It took a while for everyone to get the “plopp” right, which put the crew’s nerves to the test. In the end, we were able to treat ourselves to a beer after all.”
Max Fischnaller, who has been bringing a breath of fresh air to the team as forensic technician Julius Rubatsch since 2023, recalls: “In the episode “Blunzenfett durchs Leben”, Julius wants to show off his coffee-making skills; however, the brew didn’t taste particularly good (to put it mildly) and his colleague Andreas Kiendl makes a wonderfully horrified face in his role. I had to laugh about this reaction privately again and again, and in the end, this private laugh ended up in the final cut.”
Environmentally friendly production
The series is produced in accordance with the strict guidelines of the Austrian Ecolabel for ‘Green Producing (UZ 76)’. The production facilities are supplied with green electricity and diesel generators are not used. Instead of flying domestically and abroad, public transport is used if the corresponding train journey takes less than five hours. All areas, such as building materials, stage design and props, costumes and make-up, technology, catering and accommodation, are checked for sustainability.
Summary of the 300th episode: ‘Joseph’
Script: Peter Dommaschk & Ralf Leuther
Nine-year-old amateur detective Josef claims to have spotted a burglar in the house opposite at night, which leads him straight to his mum’s friend Franziska at the police station to report what he has seen. After checking with his mother Elena, the imaginative boy is taken home, while the team deals with a dead body found in a wheelbarrow in the woods, whose clothing matches Josef’s description of the intruder – could he really have seen something? Neighbour Katrin Bischoff does not know the dead man, nor has she noticed anything unusual. DNA and a dog bite mark initially lead to Sven Kruder, who has a record of previous violent offences. He admits that his dachshund attacked a possible burglar, but he has an alibi for the time of the crime. The dead man is Lukas Riedl, against whom Katrin Bischoff had just filed a complaint for stalking. She did not recognise her old friend, who wanted to take care of her too intensively after a boating accident and the death of her husband, in the photo. Could Dennis Hoffmann, with whom the woman had been in remarkably frequent telephone contact recently, have anything to do with the murder case? Josef also refuses to give up. He continues to search for clues, convinced that he can help the special investigation unit solve the case, thereby putting himself in great danger.
The 21st season of ‘Soko Donau’ is a Satel Film production in collaboration with ORF and ZDF, produced with the support of FISA+, Film in Austria (ABA), Fernsehfonds Austria, Cinestyria Film Commission and Fund, the Province of Lower Austria, and the Film Commission Graz.
Credit: Satel Film/Moni Fellner
