New Season Premiere Sundays, Jan. 9 - Feb. 13, 2022 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV + Encore Tuesdays, Jan. 11 - Feb. 15 at 10 p.m. on KPBS 2 / All Episodes On Demand Jan. 9 with KPBS Passport!
Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt and Psychoanalyst Max Liebermann Return to Solve a Series of Murders During the Golden Age of Vienna
VIENNA BLOOD, the cerebral crime drama set in glittering 1900s Vienna, returns for a second season featuring three new two-part mysteries. Written by acclaimed screenwriter Steve Thompson (SHERLOCK, DEEP STATE, JERICHO) and based on the best-selling novels by Frank Tallis, Season 2 of VIENNA BLOOD premieres on six consecutive Sundays, Jan. 9-Feb. 13, 2022.
VIENNA BLOOD is set in the early 1900s in the dangerous and dazzling European capital, where radical new ideas about philosophy, psychology and art are espoused in the city’s opulent cafes and opera houses. But beneath the genteel glamour, a dangerous undercurrent of nationalism and anti-Semitism is on the rise — and murder is afoot.
Joining forces to solve the crimes are Max Liebermann, a brilliant young doctor and disciple of the controversial psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, and world-weary Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt. Combining Max’s extraordinary understanding of deviant human behavior and Oskar’s practical crime-solving experience, this odd couple has become a detective duo to be reckoned with, solving Vienna’s most mysterious and baffling cases.
Filmed on location, VIENNA BLOOD stars Matthew Beard as Max. Beard is best known for his performances in "The Imitation Game," and "When Did You Last See Your Father?" and his Tony-nominated Broadway performance in "Skylight." He will also be seen on PBS in MASTERPIECE’s upcoming MAGPIE MURDERS in 2022. Also starring is Austrian actor Jüergen Maurer as Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt. Season 2 is directed by Academy Award® and Emmy® nominee Robert Dornhelm (ANNE FRANK: THE WHOLE STORY).
EPISODE GUIDE:
Episode 1: “The Melancholy Countess” (Part 1) Premieres Sunday, Jan. 9 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV + Encore Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 10 p.m. on KPBS 2 - When a depressed Hungarian countess drowns in the bath of her lavish hotel suite, it looks like suicide. Intense scrutiny falls on her psychoanalyst, Max. Oskar teams up with Max to solve the riddle of the countess’s death and clear Max’s professional reputation.
Episode 2: “The Melancholy Countess” (Part 2) Premieres Sunday, Jan. 16 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV + Encore Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 10 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Circumstantial evidence points to the countess’s young friend having poisoned her, but without a motive, Oskar and Max must widen the search. A breakthrough in Max’s analysis of the countess’s dreams opens a new line of investigation.
Episode 3: “The Devil’s Kiss” (Part 1) Premieres Sunday, Jan. 23 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV + Encore Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 10 p.m. on KPBS 2 - When a beggar girl finds a mutilated corpse in the slums, Oskar’s superior informs him that the investigation is not their concern. But when Oskar receives anonymous messages relating to the murder, he can’t resist delving further.
Episode 4: “The Devil’s Kiss” (Part 2) Premieres Sunday, Jan, 30 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV + Encore Feb. 1 at 10 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Oskar instigates a surveillance operation to catch the assassin and uncovers an intricate foreign plot. Can Max and Oskar defuse the scheme in time to save innocent lives? Meanwhile, Max’s personal life faces yet more complications.
Episode 5: “Darkness Rising” (Part 1) Premieres Sunday, Feb. 6 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV + Encore Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 10 p.m. on KPBS 2 - A monk is found brutally murdered in his monastery. Suspicion falls on a religious Jew who recently reprimanded the monk for spreading anti-Semitic rhetoric. The scandal reaches Clara, who pleads with her ex-fiancé Max for help.
Episode 6: “Darkness Rising” (Part 2) Premieres Sunday, Feb. 13 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV + Encore Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 10 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Max discovers a clue that reveals a hint at the murdered monk’s behavior. The atmosphere intensifies when another monk is found dead. To untangle the truth, Max will need to become acquainted with the devil, dressed in all his finery.
Watch On Your Schedule:
VIENNA BLOOD will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.
All episodes of VIENNA BLOOD Season 2 will be available on demand on the night of the premiere, January 9, with KPBS Passport, a benefit for members supporting KPBS at $60 or more yearly, using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn how to activate your benefit now.
Credits:
Produced by Endor Productions and MR Film in co-production with Red Arrow Studios International, ZDF Germany and ORF (Austria), with the assistance of Fernsehfonds Austria, Film Fonds Vienna and Kultur Niederöesterreich.