Liebling Kreuzberg

Liebling Kreuzberg
Created by	Jurek Becker
Starring	Manfred Krug, Corinna Genest, Anja Franke
Country of origin	Germany
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	58
Production
Running time	45 min
Release
Original network	SFB, WDR, NDR
Original release	1986 – 1998

Liebling Kreuzberg was a television series on ARD, which was first aired in five seasons with a total of 58 episodes from 1986 to 1998.

The scripts of seasons one through three and five were written by Jurek Becker, who tailor-made the role of idiosyncratic Berlin Kreuzberg attorney Robert Liebling for his friend Manfred Krug, the fourth season was written by Ulrich Plenzdorf. The series was directed by Heinz Schirk (first season), Werner Masten (second to fourth season) and Vera Loebner (fifth season). It was produced by SFB, NDR and WDR. The music of the first season was composed by Hans-Martin Majewski, in the later seasons by Klaus Doldinger.

The eponymous main character, Robert Liebling (born June 12, 1939) is an attorney and notary, who has his office in Berlin's Kreuzberg district. In the first four seasons he has a three-day beard, wears a hat, drives a motorcycle (a Honda first, then a BMW) and convertibles (4th season, a Mercedes-Benz W124 series, season 5, a Mercedes-Benz W111), smokes cigar and consumes götterspeise in large amounts, which his secretaries Paula (Corinna Genest) and Senta (Anja Franke) always have to keep in stock. Sometimes Liebling has several girlfriends simultaneously, which often leads to trouble. While he does these things quite easily, he reacted with jealousy when one of his liaisons moved into the vicinity of infidelity.

As a matter of principle, Liebling only takes cases that interest him. In the first episode of the 1st Season, he explains that he has sold a real estate business inherited from his father and is now, in his capacity as a notary, documenting any resulting sales contracts. This secures him a degree of financial independence, so that he can afford to avoid work if possible. Much rather he goes for a walk during the day along the river Spree or sleeps in his office. Much of the remaining work he delegates to his associates. In the first three seasons, this is Michael Kausch in the role of Dr. Giselmund Arnold, later Jenny Gröllmann as Isolde Isenthal "Issi" and finally Stefan Reck as Dr. Bruno Pelzer. They are often idealistic, while at the same time more conventional and serve as antagonists of pragmatic, but unconventional Liebling. Most funny dialogues in the series result from this contrast. However, the contrast is often only a seeming one, because Liebling—although a cynic—has also idealistic traits.

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