Germany Kiel "Tatort": Karoline Schuch succeeds Axel Milberg

Karoline Schuch will be the new "Tatort" investigator in Kiel. The 42-year-old actress ("Die zweite Welle") will play police psychologist Elli Krieger. This was announced by Norddeutscher Rundfunk in Hamburg on Tuesday. The "Bild" newspaper had previously reported.

Schuch will form a new "Tatort" duo with Almila Bagriacik (34), alias Chief Inspector Mila Sahin. Schuch succeeds Axel Milberg, who is bidding farewell to his role as Inspector Klaus Borowski after more than 20 years. His last case is expected to be broadcast in 2025. The NDR "Tatorten" from Kiel and Lower Saxony as well as "Polizeiruf 110" from Rostock will therefore feature all-female duos.

"I am delighted and excited to be part of the Kiel "Tatort" from the fall," said Karoline Schuch according to the NDR press release. "It has always had a very special color for me and I hope and wish that we can keep it that way. I'm particularly looking forward to Almila, who I've known since her very first case in Kiel, because we were in front of the camera together then."

The special thing about her role as Elli Krieger is that she joins the police force as a psychologist. "This fact particularly appealed to me because it means I no longer have to do the classic police work and there will be an exciting contrast to the character of Mila Sahin," says Schuch, who lives in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

According to the broadcaster, Bagriacik and Schuch will both be in front of the camera in leading roles for the Sunday crime series for the first time this fall. It's déjà vu for fans of the series: Schuch already appeared as a guest star in the Kiel "Tatort" case "Borowski und das Haus der Geister" in 2018. She made her "Tatort" debut back in 2001 as the film daughter of WDR detective Freddy Schenk (Dietmar Bär).

The actress, who was born in Jena, Thuringia, made a name for herself more than 20 years ago with the daily soap "Verbotene Liebe" (Forbidden Love) on the first German TV channel, before embarking on a career as a character actress. She has already played more than 60 roles. Audiences know her from "Das Geheimnis des Totenwaldes", for example. For her performance in the multi-part thriller, she received the Bavarian Television Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2021.

Grimme Award winner Almila Bagriacik says she is delighted "that we will be breaking new ground with the next films". She feels closely connected to her role. "All the more reason to be curious about the next cases with the wonderful Karoline Schuch - a challenging and wonderful incentive. With this comrade-in-arms at my side, it is guaranteed to continue to be exciting and thrilling in the Kiel "Tatort"."

Fans of Axel Milberg can still experience him in three new "Tatort" episodes: According to NDR, the case "Borowski und das ewige Meer" airs on November 10 on the first channel. This will be followed next year by "Borowski and the Hungry Heart" and "Borowski and the Head of Medusa".

SDA