UFA Fiction managing director and executive producer Nataly Kudiabor discusses the dark comedy's popularity, maintaining momentum and the elements that set it apart, including its star-studded ensemble cast “Where’s Wanda?” Apple TV’s first German series, proved a major hit for the streamer. The show’s creative team at UFA Fiction have now raised the stakes with Season 2.Set in the town of Sundersheim, the series’ first season followed parents Carlotta (Heike Makatsch) and Dedo (Axel Stein) Klatt on their desperate search for their missing daughter (Lea Drinda), with the help of tech-savvy son Ole (Leo Simon). Obtaining gear from the darknet, they spy on their neighbors and local residents, uncovering in the process many of the town’s hidden secrets.
Wanda was finally found at the end of Season 1. But, found standing over a dead body, Wanda ends up behind bars in Season 2. The series was co-created and based on a story by Zoltan Spirandelli (“Vaya con Dios”) and is directed by Tobi Baumann (“Faking Hitler”) and Christian Ditter (“How To Be Single”).
Speaking to Variety about the success of “Where’s Wanda?” Kudiabor discusses the hit show’s popularity, the challenges of maintaining momentum and an ensemble cast that boasts some of Germany’s top acting talent. Season 2 picks up at “a fantastic starting point,” Kudiabor notes. Without revealing spoilers, it’s suffice to say a major plot twist at the end of Season 1 “opened up a whole new set of possibilities.” “Wanda’s parents Carlotta and Dedo are once again desperately trying to protect their daughter, this time by proving her innocence and finding the real killer.
Meanwhile, Wanda finds herself in prison, where she encounters some familiar enemies and faces threats of her own. The question of how far parents would go to save their child is a universal one, she adds. This was also something our co-creators Zoltan Spirandelli and Oliver Lansley felt strongly about.
Even though Sundersheim is a heightened, somewhat absurd version of a German small town, we wanted audiences to feel that this story is genuinely rooted in Germany. You don’t have to make something less local to make it more universal.” Identifying the key elements that have contributed to the show’s success, Kudiabor says: “I think our secret ingredient is dark comedy. Alongside a genuinely gripping and emotionally grounded crime story, humor has always been an essential part of the DNA of the show: particularly for our writer and creator, Oliver Lansley.
You find yourself laughing at moments when you probably shouldn’t, while still being completely invested in the characters and their struggles.” It’s precisely that balance that gives the show “its distinctive tone and sets it apart from other crime and mystery shows,” she adds. Another element that has made the show so appealing is its star-studded cast. This season Sam Riley (“Mint”), Alexandra Maria Lara (“All Those Things We Never Said”) and David Schütter (“Barbarians”) join the series.
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