Stromberg (TV series)


Stromberg is a German mockumentary comedy television series which is produced by Brainpool and broadcast on the commercial television channel ProSieben. The series stars Christoph Maria Herbst as Bernd Stromberg and is written mainly by Ralf Husmann. It has become one of the most popular comedy shows in German-speaking countries and was honored with many awards such as the Deutscher Fernsehpreis. Its success also spawned other media such as a book and a feature film.

Synopsis

The show takes place at the office of the fictional insurance company "Capitol Versicherung AG", where the trivial day-to-day events take place in an eerie atmosphere oscillating between bullying and sycophancy.

Cast

Broadcast

The first season, which appeared in 2004, was made up of eight episodes. A second season of ten episodes, although not initially planned, was launched on 11 September 2005. A third season of eight episodes was launched on 5 March 2007. A fourth season was launched on 3 November 2009, with the entire season being available on DVD on 6 November. All four seasons can be watched online for free, courtesy of Brainpool. In 2011, a 5th season of Stromberg was aired and concluded on January 2012.

Copyright controversy

The series was proclaimed to be a copy of the BBC series The Office, although initially the producers claimed it was based on a character from a past ProSieben comedy, despite many elements resembling The Office. An "inspired by" credit was given to the creators of The Office, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, after the BBC threatened ProSieben with legal action.

Book

In 2007, the success of the show spawned the mock "Chef - Deutsch / Deutsch - Chef. Klartext am Arbeitsplatz". It was published under the advertising pseudonym of "Bernd Stromberg" by German dictionary publishing company Langenscheidt shortly before the third season. The book became a bestseller in Germany and topped the non-fiction charts of Der Spiegel.

Film

In December 2011 one million Euro was collected with a crowd funding project to create a feature film of Stromberg. Production was started in spring 2013, according to producer Ralf Husmann. On 20 February 2014, Stromberg - Der Film was released in German cinemas. The film was the highest-grossing film in Germany for its first two weeks of release.