What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedBabylon Berlin
Tom Tykwer · Series · 2017
If you loved Babylon Berlin, start with The Batman (Matt Reeves, 2022) — a film on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 films and 2 podcasts, each matched to Babylon Berlin across media.
You were drawn to Babylon Berlin by the way it mirrors the decay of a society through complex, atmospheric investigations.
Books on the same thread
Berlin Alexanderplatz
Alfred Döblin · Book · 2004
Explores: urban alienation, criminal underworld, fragmented identity.
Like Babylon Berlin, this novel captures the frantic, fragmented pulse of the Weimar Republic, grounding its deep social disintegration in the gritty reality of the Berlin urban experience.
Millennium
Stieg Larsson, David Lagercrantz · Book · 2005
Explores: Corruption, Journalism, Misogyny.
Fans of Babylon Berlin will recognize the same blend of investigative grit and systemic corruption, where individual detectives must confront dark secrets buried deep within their nation's history.
The Big Sleep
Raymond Chandler · Book · 2017
Explores: Moral ambiguity, Urban cynicism, Femme fatale.
This foundational text provides the same cynical, hard-boiled atmosphere found in Babylon Berlin, showcasing a detective navigating the moral ambiguity and corruption lurking behind high society's pristine facade.
The Black Dahlia
James Ellroy · Book · 2014
Shares 2 threads with Babylon Berlin: Police Corruption, Moral Decay.
If you appreciated the dark, obsession-driven investigations of Babylon Berlin, you will find this exploration of post-war corruption and human passion to be a haunting, atmospheric successor.
Films on the same thread
Se7en
David Fincher · Film · 1995
Shares 2 threads with Babylon Berlin: Moral Decay, Neo-Noir.
This film mirrors the sense of urban decay and moral rot present in Babylon Berlin, following detectives through a grim, relentless environment that demands everything from those tracking evil.
The Batman
Matt Reeves · Film · 2022
Shares 2 threads with Babylon Berlin: Moral Decay, Neo-Noir.
The Batman captures the same heavy, rain-slicked atmosphere of Babylon Berlin, focusing on a detective unearthing systemic corruption that reveals the deep-seated rot within his own city's history.
Chinatown
Roman Polanski · Film · 1974
Shares a thread with Babylon Berlin: Neo-noir.
This masterpiece echoes the conspiracy-laden mystery of Babylon Berlin, where a private investigator struggles against the crushing weight of power and moral ambiguity in a rapidly changing city.
Metropolis
Film · 1927
Explores: Class struggle, Industrialization, Human-machine interaction.
For those captivated by the visual grandeur and social tension of Babylon Berlin, this film offers an essential look at the industrialization and class struggle defining the era.
Podcasts on the same thread
1619
The New York Times · Podcast · 2019
Explores: systemic racism, national identity, legacy of slavery.
If Babylon Berlin piqued your interest in the historical forces shaping national identity, this investigative podcast provides a similarly rigorous look at the systemic legacy of the past.
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
Dan Carlin · Podcast · 2025
Explores: civilizational collapse, human nature, moral ambiguity.
Those who enjoyed the political intrigue of Babylon Berlin will appreciate this deep dive into the consequences of power and the patterns of collapse that define human history.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Babylon Berlin based on a specific time period?
Yes, Babylon Berlin is set in 1929 during the era known as the Golden Twenties. The series explores the political and social changes occurring in the German capital during this historical decade, focusing on the underworld of sin that existed beneath the city's surface.
What is the premise of Babylon Berlin?
Babylon Berlin follows police investigator Gereon Rath after his transfer from Cologne to Berlin. He arrives at the epicenter of political and social change in 1929, where he must navigate the city's decadence and a dangerous underworld of sin hidden beneath the surface.
Who created the series Babylon Berlin?
Babylon Berlin is a television series created by Tom Tykwer. It debuted in 2017 and centers on the experiences of a police investigator named Gereon Rath as he navigates the complex social and political landscape of 1929 Berlin.
Where does the investigator in Babylon Berlin come from?
The protagonist of Babylon Berlin, Gereon Rath, is a police investigator who was transferred from Cologne. Upon his arrival in Berlin, he finds himself immersed in the epicenter of the city's political and social changes during the Golden Twenties.