"The Killers' Finest Hour": Czech Television airs a detective drama about the end of the Protectorate

Czech Television (ČT) is airing, in late September, a two-part detective miniseries titled "The Killers' Finest Hour," about a serial killer stalking Prague in the final months of the Nazi Protectorate. The adaptation of Pavel Kohout's novel was made as an international co-production, with German actor Jonas Nay and Austrian actor Nicholas Ofczarek in the lead roles; critics have given the series a rating of 70%.

The story opens with the discovery of the mutilated body of a German national — the widow of a well-known military officer. The investigation is handed to detective Jan Morava (Jonas Nay), but before he can even get to grips with the first case, another murder occurs: it's clear he's up against a killer who won't be easy to stop. Matters are complicated further by a partner forced on him by the Nazis — Gestapo officer Erwin Buback (Nicholas Ofczarek).

An authentic Prague and a compelling acting duo

The central thread of the story is the relationship between Morava and Buback — both actors manage to play their characters convincingly. The authenticity of their mutual (mis)understanding is reinforced by the historical Prague sets: thanks to the international co-production, the series was made without the budget constraints that usually plague Czech historical projects.

Viewers will surely appreciate the Czech actors in supporting roles — among them Karel Dobrý as Chief Inspector Beran and Diana Dulínková as Jitka Modrá. One of the series' strengths is that it's more of a "relationship story" than a bloody action thriller — there isn't much blood on screen.

The source material — Pavel Kohout's novel — was popular with readers precisely because it doesn't take sides: the good Czechs don't take revenge on the evil Germans, there's room for love in the plot too, and it isn't the kind of classic page-turning whodunit that keeps readers up at night. The story, reworked for dramatic purposes, takes precedence over the plot, and the murders — while central — are just one of its threads. Even the killer turns out not to be quite who the story is really about.

All of this holds true for the two episodes ČT made from the novel. If you can find the time, the series won't disappoint, though don't expect nail-biting tension from start to finish. It's more of a stroll through the past, one that repeatedly makes the viewer wonder who, in an era of war when almost everyone faces death, counts as a hero and who doesn't — with a knife-wielding serial killer roaming the city on top of it all. The Buback storyline will probably be the most memorable, and how it all plays out in the end is best left as a surprise. The second episode airs next Sunday.

The dubbing won't suit everyone

The project's biggest flaw is the dubbing. With an international cast, something inevitably has to be done about it, but here the odd Czech-accented delivery from every character is grating to the ear. With projects like this, you'd normally expect the Germans to speak German, with subtitles provided for anyone who doesn't understand the language.

A premiere that came too late

The most serious complaint concerns ČT's release schedule. The Canal+ platform has had "The Killers' Finest Hour" available on demand since February, German-speaking audiences saw the series around the end of March and start of April, and Czech Television is only showing it now, at the end of September — last of them all.

It's understandable that this kind of international cooperation benefits everyone involved, but from the point of view of someone paying the television licence fee, it looks like a bit of a "swindle": in the 21st century, a viewer eager for the premiere will simply watch the series somewhere else instead of waiting for ČT to show it. The same is true of another of the channel's projects — the series "Herta Schnirch" (premiering October 11), which was already available on HBO Max back in February.

On top of that, ČT's autumn schedule is already overloaded, so it will be interesting to see how "The Killers' Finest Hour," with its "online past," competes with broadcast television. Experience from another Canal+ co-production — the series "Daughter of the Nation" — has already shown that this approach doesn't do much to get most viewers to sit down in front of the screen at a specific day and time.

The Killers' Finest Hour, ČT, two episodes with a total running time of 3 hours. Directed by Christopher Schier, based on the novel by Pavel Kohout. Starring: Jonas Nay, Nicholas Ofczarek, Karel Dobrý, David Strizov, Jeanette Hain, Gerhard Liebmann, Matthias Böhm, Diana Dulínková, Denny Exnar and Caroline Frank. Critics' rating — 70%.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz