Marco Girnth leaves ZDF crime series "SOKO Leipzig"

Farewell to TV detective Jan Maybach: after almost 25 years, actor Marco Girnth is leaving the Friday evening crime series "SOKO Leipzig" on ZDF. "Passing the age of 50 does something to you," he told the German Press Agency. "You take stock and discover many things that you might have wanted to do in your life. But now I'm already 55 years old and if I want to change something again, it has to happen now."

First East German "SOKO" spin-off

Since the first episode "Flucht nach Fahrplan" in January 2001, Girnth has been part of the permanent ensemble of what was then the first East German "SOKO" spin-off. He appeared in more than 500 episodes as Jan Maybach - initially alongside Andreas Schmidt-Schaller, later with Melanie Marschke, Amy Mußul and Johannes Hendrik Langer. "I'm not leaving with a light heart, but after more than 500 episodes (...) the time had come." This month marks the end of "SOKO" filming for him. He will still be seen in several episodes in the upcoming 26th season.

The series has grown a lot over the two and a half decades, said the 55-year-old. "We switched from the previous evening to the main evening back in 2003/2004, which opened up completely different possibilities in terms of storytelling."

He will miss his "boss"

The switch to digital production has made "SOKO Leipzig" more cinematic, more tightly edited and more dynamic. "The storylines became much more character-driven because we told more of the story "horizontally", i.e. the personal fates and developments of the Soko detectives were told horizontally over several episodes."

He will miss the team - especially Melanie Marschke - very much: "For me, Melanie has been a colleague, friend, companion, mentor and a source of grief over the last 25 years." She plays his superior, Detective Chief Inspector Ina Zimmermann. "In all these years, we have never once fallen out or had a lasting misunderstanding," says Girnth. "Melli was and is a constant source of joy, not just for me, but for the entire team. The kind of boss you could only wish for."