A bang on the anniversary - 25 years of "SOKO Leipzig"

The ZDF crime series "SOKO Leipzig" is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a big bang at the end of January. Not only is Marco Girnth, alias Commissioner Jan Maybach, an investigator from the very beginning, leaving the series. His departure will also be "dramatic on all levels", as the 55-year-old told the German Press Agency. It is already known: Detective Superintendent Maybach will be shot dead.

The double episode "Was bleibt" has been staged for the anniversary and exit - it will be available for streaming on the ZDF platform from January 16 and 23. Part one will also be broadcast in classic form on January 23 at 9.15 p.m. on the second channel, followed by part two at the same time on January 30.

Farewell planned together

"We planned this exit long in advance," said Girnth. Together with fellow actress Melanie Marschke (56), who plays "SOKO" boss Ina Zimmermann, he was involved in the development of the exit episodes. "In the end, it turned out the way we imagined it."

After Girnth's departure, Marschke will be the only actress who has been with the show since the first episode. Episode one aired on January 31, 2001. "It's a really big break. An era has really come to an end. We were the last two to be involved in the series from the very beginning. Now something has come to an end," said Marschke.

Successor still a secret

ZDF and the production company Ufa Fiction have so far left it open as to who will replace Commissioner Maybach in "SOKO Leipzig" in the future. In addition to Marschke and Girnth, the cast most recently included Amy Mußul as Detective Inspector Kim Nowak and Johannes Hendrik Langer as Detective Inspector Moritz Brenner. Filming is already underway, but the secret will not be revealed until the summer.

For Melanie Marschke, it is definitely a new situation after a quarter of a century. "I have to see how I sort myself out. How do I feel as the last one? And how do I fit my character into this newly installed team? I'm completely open to that. I have to experience it," she said.

Producer Katharina Rietz explained that patience was required above all in the search for Girnth's successor: "We took our time with both the character concept and the casting." The new character should be good for the ensemble and the series in the long term. Viewers should be able to trust the character. "But she should also provide new impetus, bring an independent temperature."

Shooting for new season soon

"SOKO Leipzig" was once the first spin-off of the crime series "SOKO 5113". It is now also the most successful. Of the "SOKO" formats currently running on television, the Leipzig series is the longest-serving. A sequel has already been secured, as Rietz announced. Filming for the 27th season will begin this spring.