Sweeping historical dramas, beguiling mysteries, engrossing police procedurals, and much more await you in these foreign-language programs.

From a woman breaking down barriers within a revolutionary 20th-century art movement in Weimar-era Germany to romance and intrigue unfolding in late 1960s Barcelona under Franco’s dictatorship to a French detective with Asperger’s syndrome solving Paris’ unsolved crimes, there’s a unique story for everyone to sample.

Stream our picks for foreign-language dramas on your schedule with PBS KVIE Passport. And be on the lookout for part II!


Astrid

 

Astrid, a young woman with Asperger’s syndrome, uses her brilliant mind in her work as a criminal records specialist within a Parisian police department. With rigid preferences and a knack for remembering important details and spotting patterns, she is every bit the opposite of Commander Raphaëlle, a talented detective with a messy personal life. Together, this unlikely sleuthing pair takes on some of Paris’ toughest unsolved homicides. In French with English subtitles.

How to Watch:  Stream season 1 on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport.


Bauhaus

Follow the journey of Lotte Brendel in this Weimar-era drama inspired by the real life of designer Alma Siedhoff-Buscher. The artistically gifted and headstrong Lotte dreams of a new future for herself – one apart from her family’s strict expectations and society’s predetermined roles for women. She joins the visionary Bauhaus Design Academy, having been immediately drawn to its modernist school of design and free-spirited students. Romance, heartbreak, and self-determination await her in this coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of 1920s and 1930s Germany on the cusp of fascism. In German with English subtitles.

How to Watch:  Stream the 2-part series on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport.


The Hunter

 

Italy, 1993: The country and its mafia are at war. Enter Saverio Barone, an ambitious young prosecutor with an instinct for tracking down top Mafiosi and a determination to fight for the innocents caught in the crossfire. In this crime thriller based on a true story, follow Saverio as he attempts to bring down the Mafiosi, becoming known as “The Hunter” along the way. In Italian with English subtitles.

How to Watch:  Stream seasons 1-3 on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport.


La Otra Mirada

A vibrant new teacher with a mysterious past makes her mark at a traditional girls’ boarding school on this drama set in 1920s Seville. Forward-thinking and independent, Teresa arrives in Seville after fleeing scandal in Lisbon. She takes on a mentoring role, leading her young students to find their own voice and to take control of their destinies at a time when women’s roles outside the home were beginning to change, all while investigating a mystery of her own. In Spanish with English subtitles.

How to Watch:  Stream seasons 1 and 2 on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport.  Watch a preview for season 1 and season 2.


Our Miracle Years

Follow the journeys of sisters Ulla, Gunde, and Margot from an industrialist family in post-war Germany of the late ‘40s and early ‘50s. In a politically, morally, and economically destroyed country reckoning with its all too recent past, these young women reinvent themselves and set the course for their future. Beginning in the summer of 1948, the Deutsche Mark, or “D-Mark,” is introduced, presenting new economic opportunities. Ulla is torn between wanting to study medicine and playing a greater role in her father’s company, who is hiding a secret of his own. Gunde has ambitions to run the company herself. Margot dreams of Argentina. All three sisters and the town of Altena must come to terms with the past, even as the German Economic Miracle, the Wirtschaftswunder, plunges West Germany into the future. In German with English subtitles.

How to Watch:  Stream the 6-part series on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport.


Seaside Hotel

 

From the late ‘20s and into the ‘30s, it seems the world is heading for disaster. But at the charming Andersen’s Seaside Hotel by the North Sea, it’s business as usual for the wealthy guests. In this richly detailed Danish drama, follow the lives of the hotel’s regulars and the local staff as the mood swings from optimism to crisis. Meet the chambermaid Fie, the merchant’s daughter Amanda, and the local fisherman Morten, and more as they seek to carve out a life for themselves. In Danish with English subtitles.

How to Watch: Stream all 8 seasons on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport.  Season 9 arrives on January 13!


The Wall

In the middle of Quebec’s winter, detective Céline Trudeau investigates a strange murder in a small mining town where no one is safe. Set in Fermont, which is more of an enormous structure that protects the inhabitants from the freezing Arctic wind than a town itself, a local exotic dancer is found dead, prompting Quebec City to send DS Trudeau to review the case. She is paired up with the rule-following detective Alex Théberge, but once the team starts investigating, Céline thinks they have a serial killer on their hands. In French with English subtitles.

How to Watch:  Stream season 1 on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport.


What the Future Holds

Poor but ambitious Justo Gil arrives in Barcelona of the late ‘60s – a bustling hub of opportunities and strife under the Francoist dictatorship. Seeking to save his ailing mother’s life by striking it big, Justo’s charm and entrepreneurial instincts open unlikely new doors to him. Meeting the charming, pragmatic Carme along the way, Justo’s persistence takes him all the way into the ranks of Barcelona’s elite. But when an unexpected turn of events forces Justo to live a double life, one mistake may cost him everything. In Spanish with English subtitles.

How to Watch:  Stream the 6-part series on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport.

 

Foreign-language Dramas Available to Stream: Part I
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