Inspira, espira, uccidi

It consists of 8 episodes and is based on a bestselling novel following Björn Diemel, a defence lawyer entangled with a mafia boss, who turns to mindfulness to regain control over his chaotic life. However, his newfound serenity leads him down a dangerous path, as he begins to or is involved at eliminating those disrupting his peace and endangering the existence of his own and people close to him. Björn's meditative practices are combined with violent acts, creating a darkly humorous tone reminiscent of shows like Barry and Dexter and depiction elements like in The Office or Alo.

The writing walks a fine line between absurdity and insight, often leading viewers to genuinely reflect on mindfulness techniques while chuckling at the ridiculous situations the protagonist finds himself in. The direction maintains a balance between suspense and character development, with smooth transitions between comedic and dramatic moments: crimes are never funny, but the parties to it can be.

Tom Schilling's portrayal of Björn is central to the series' success. His splendid performance captures the character's internal conflict and descent into moral ambiguity. Several supporting actors provide emotional grounding amidst the chaos, although their presence on screen is often limited. Special mention goes to Peter Jordan as mindfulness coach with an almost hypnotic calmness that's both soothing and comically out of place amid the darker elements.

In short, Achtsam Morden is a fresh, genre-blending surprise that turns out to be both thought-provoking and entertaining. As Season 1 ended in an intriguing manner, I am looking forward to Season 2.

Unexpectedly, I enjoyed this series a lot.

Excellent acting, script, directing, production value. There were some pretty big plot holes, however, but they could be overlooked for the overall engrossing story.

I love that the conceit of the series uses the popularity of mindful meditation in Germany, with many people practicing it during commutes and at work.

The Netflix series is based on a series of novel - and both share the same name - that has a different protagonist and a completely different plot.

In the TV series the main character is a lawyer involved in murders. In the novels the main character is a mindfulness coach solving murders.

Which is better? I don't know, because I have never read the novels. But I do like the TV series.

I recommend watching this in German with subtitles.

This is an 8-ep, 30 mins each, dark comedy thriller that has steadily been gaining some popularity by word of mouth. Call it a...'breezy' crime thriller; which doesn't make sense, because you'd use 'breezy' for something lighthearted and not for shows/films about murder but here we are.

The protagonist is an overworked, undervalued employee at a law firm whose life is beginning to fall apart, and his asks him to sign up for a series of classes on Mindfulness. As expected, he's totally against, as he calls it, 'such BS' but as the plot goes on, he buys into the idea of mindfulness to get rid of his 'problems' in life. Can't reveal anything more without getting into spoilers.

As he attends these classes, you hear everything you've seen/heard/practiced on mindfulness. The writing is so well done that you're likely to take deep breaths and follow along with the class instructor. Wh...how?

While the show isn't mind-blowing, in fact, one may even find several flaws, but if you're looking for something quick and different to watch, I'd totally recommend this show on Netflix. It's surely worth a watch.

Imagine you are a lawyer who can't find proper work-family balance, who gets no respect at work, is mistreated by his clients and whose family is falling apart. Would you go to a class that teaches you how to be mindful, how to live in the now, how to reduce stress? Yes? Well, that's what our hero does, albeit reluctantly at first.

And it helps, it truly does! He uses his newly learned skills to deal with dead bodies, suspicious mafia lieutenants, rival crime bosses, police.... And at home, with his family.

There are some plot holes in terms of how his actions play out, how others treat him and the like, but if you take the series as a comedy operating on comedic rules that don't always correspond with real life rules this is a funny series worth your time. Bite sized length episodes help in that each subplot doesn't drag out too much.

After a long time I watched a really good and well made series I can't wait for season 2 already, Each episode pulls you deeper into the plot, keeping you hooked with unexpected twists and emotional depth. The acting, direction and screenplay are mind blowing it just gets better and better. Hope it gets renewed for season 2. I think the main lead and all the actors have done a fabulous job and it is very mature and modern. Also the series does not play around and is not afraid to put characters in the most difficult position they can deal with is jst amazing to see unlike other shows where they favour their main lead. It's undoubtedly one of the best shows in recent memory.