Part II is here! From Cold War espionage in 1970s Germany to a mother-daughter duo solving crimes in France to a young Spanish seamstress swept up in political intrigue, these six dramas are sure to transport you through time and around the globe.
Stream our picks for foreign-language dramas on your schedule with PBS KVIE Passport.
Agathe Koltès: Murder in Brittany
At 50, police commander Agathe Koltès is beautiful, funny, and charming. She takes a job in a small town in Brittany, where everybody anxiously awaits the arrival of this great veteran cop. What nobody knows is that Mathilde Sirach, the young police captain who was fiercely opposed to Koltès’ coming, is actually her daughter. As expected, the mother-and-daughter reunion is stormy, but soon their investigations will lead them to rediscover their relationship. In French with English subtitles.
How to Watch: Stream season 1 on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport.
For Fans of: Astrid and The Nordic Murders.
Hotel Sacher
Aristocracy sets the tone in the Hotel Sacher, Vienna’s most distinguished hotel. However, as the imperial era begins to end and a new epoch begins, social upheaval follows with it. Anna Sacher, the domineering proprietor and unchallenged “Queen of Vienna,” is intent on making sure “upstairs” and “downstairs” stay in their respective places. At the center of all this are two couples: the independent-minded publisher Martha and her unsuccessful writer-husband Max; and the romance novel authoress and princess, Konstanze, and her husband Georg. In German with English subtitles.
How to Watch: Stream the 2-part series on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport.
For Fans of: Downton Abbey on Masterpiece and Vienna Blood.
Paradise
Follow Teresa Iorio, a headstrong young woman who leaves her rural Sicilian hometown for Milan to find work – and much more – at a newly opened department store: The Ladies’ Paradise. Adapted from Emile Zola’s novel “Au Bonheur des Dames,” Paradise explores the tight-knit relationships between store workers amidst the societal expectations of the 1950s. The store’s owner, Pietro Mori, a suave risk-taker who has returned from the U.S. with new ideas to implement, is immediately drawn to Teresa. As is his right-hand man, Vittorio Conti, yet both men are competing with Teresa’s fierce desire for independence. In Italian with English subtitles.
How to Watch: Stream season 1 on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport.
For Fans of: The Hour and Mr. Selfridge on Masterpiece.
The Same Sky
East Germany, 1974. Lars Weber is a young talent just emerging from his espionage training program when he is sent to West Berlin on a “Romeo” mission: to seduce and spy on women who work in government or defense institutions. His target is Lauren Faber (Sofia Helin, Atlantic Crossing on Masterpiece), a lonely NATO intelligence analyst at the Devil’s Mountain listening station. Under the supervision of his handler, Lars quickly works his way into Lauren’s life and begins to win her trust – yet an unexpected event soon changes the course of his mission. In German with English subtitles.
How to Watch: Stream the 6-episode series on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport.
For Fans of: Ridley Road on Masterpiece and What the Future Holds.
Sisters 1968
Karin and Lottie are young women in a world poised for change: the surge of progressive politics, free thinking, and radical transformation of the late ‘60s. Ambitious Karin is a young journalism graduate hungry for her first assignment and drawn to the counterculture. Offered a position at the Ystad Herald for the summer and lodging at the estate of its owner, Georg, Karin is determined to make her time in her new small town count. Along with her free-spirited friend Lottie, who struggles between her aspirations as an artist and motherhood, Karin soon discovers a secret at the local hotel – and family secrets of her own. In Swedish with English subtitles.
How to Watch: Stream the 3-part series on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport.
For Fans of: Bauhaus and Frankie Drake Mysteries.
The Time In Between
Follow the life of Sira Quiroga, a young Spanish seamstress from a poor background, who finds herself living a double life as a spy for British Intelligence as World War II approaches. Consumed with love for the dashing Ramon, Sira leaves behind her single mother and conventional fiancé to follow Ramon to Tangier, Morocco. When things don’t turn out as planned, Sira is trapped there as the Spanish Civil War breaks out – and she must learn to survive in a new country far from everything she has ever known. In Spanish with English subtitles.
How to Watch: Stream the series on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport.
For Fans of: Hotel Portofino and La Otra Mirada.