Polizeiruf 110: New Munich Case Tackles the Ethics of Purchased Redemption

The new episode of the German crime series Polizeiruf 110 titled "Ablass" (Redemption) will air on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at 20:15 on Das Erste. The Munich-set episode centers on a scheme in which individuals confess to crimes they did not commit and serve prison sentences on behalf of the actual perpetrators in exchange for money. Two mysterious deaths and a hit-and-run accident in which a cyclist was killed form the backbone of the plot. The episode was written and directed by Christian Bach. According to web search results, the episode was described as exploring themes of guilt and atonement with unexpected depth.

The investigative duo of Chief Inspector Cris Blohm, played by Johanna Wokalek, and her colleague Dennis Eden, played by Stephan Zinner, will take on the case. This marks the fifth Polizeiruf 110 case for the Wokalek and Zinner pairing. The cast also includes Shenja Lacher, Tobias Moretti, Yoli Fuller, and Sophie Rogall. Lacher plays a father who confesses to the hit-and-run in order to provide financially for his family through the payment he receives for serving the prison term in place of the actual offender. The episode's title, "Ablass," carries a double meaning in German, referring both to redemption and to the historical concept of indulgences — paying for the remission of sins.

Polizeiruf 110 was first broadcast in 1971 by the East German broadcaster DFF and was conceived as a counterpart to the West German crime series Tatort. After the dissolution of the DFF, the series has been continued since 1993 by various regional ARD broadcasters. The Munich team is one of several regional investigative pairings that produce episodes within the broader Polizeiruf 110 franchise.

The episode's central premise — that justice can be purchased and that the wrong person can end up behind bars through a financial arrangement — drives the moral tension of the story. According to a web search result citing a preview, the episode could be set anywhere, but Munich and the Polizeiruf format were the creative team's preferred setting from the outset. The N-tv preview described the episode's theme with the headline "Right Goes to Whoever Pays," capturing the transactional nature of the guilt-and-punishment dynamic at the heart of the plot. The episode will be available to viewers on Das Erste as part of the broadcaster's Sunday evening prime-time slot.