The Defeated

Berlin's ruined streets are more than a backdrop in The Defeated. The city needs a police force while its inhabitants are still trying to secure food, shelter and some control over their lives.

Taylor Kitsch plays an American brought into that reconstruction, with Nina Hoss providing a strong presence on the German side of the investigation. Occupation authorities, surviving criminal networks and ordinary desperation complicate the idea of simply restoring order. Establishing who has authority is often a problem before anyone gets to exercise it.

The series combines a crime story with a setting in which institutions are being assembled from damaged pieces. Its historical circumstances are more distinctive than the familiar personal secrets running through the plot. Worth considering if you want a detective drama outside the usual contemporary city, especially one where the location continually changes what an investigation can achieve.