There’s a new crime thriller out on Channel 4 which has proven divisive among those that have already watched it.
The German drama Hellground – originally titled Höllgrund when it aired in Germany in 2022 – is described as a ‘dark’ eight-part tale which is set in the seemingly idyllic Black Forest village.
That is until the popular village GP dies and the coppers start to think there was some foul play afoot in the death. Then, one murder leads to others –at which point it becomes clear there is indeed something afoot.
Local police officer Tanja Hartholz (Lou Strenger) launches an investigation which encompasses the Schwarzwald village’s past.
The deeper she begins to dig, the more pushback she gets from the community, and the more evident it becomes that this spate of violence is connected to a decades-old event in the village’s history.
At just thirty minute episodes a pop, this latest addition to Channel 4’s Walter Presents platform is one you’ll be able to breeze through easily enough.
What you make of the show might depend though, since it’s garnered mixed reaction from viewers so far. Hellground currently holds a 6.3 rating out of 10 on IMDb.
Hellground viewers have taken to Google reviews to share their take on the series, with some criticising elements of the show while others lept to its defence.
One of those on the ante camp was Uwe Mohs, who described the show as ‘unbelievably unbelievable’ and awarded it two stars on account of the show’s soundtrack.
Mohs wrote: ‘The story would be good if it weren’t so completely out of touch with reality. All the protagonists’ actions are so unbelievably stupid that it’s infuriating.
What else is free to watch on Channel 4?
- Under Fire. Plenty of work/life balance drama in this fire fighting station, set in Belgium.
- The Shadow. This haunting crime drama follows a young journalist called Norah (Deleila Piasko) on assignment. Things take a sinister turn when a strange beggar warns Norah that she will kill a man sometime in the future.
- Promethea. In this French thriller, the titular teen survives a violent car crash but is left with no memory, only to be haunted by flashbacks of a recent murder.
- The Devil’s Leap. A former special forces father must find a way to save himself and his daughter from the terrifying forces threatening to end them before it is too late in this hike-gone-wrong.
‘The village idiot of a police officer is the icing on the cake.’
Joshi H savagely echoed: ‘I’ve rarely seen such nonsense. If only the ending had been halfway decent, but here too, it wasn’t surprising that it wasn’t.’
However, others were quick to defend the show against the hate, with Marie Beckers writing: ‘So I have no idea what’s wrong with everyone. I’m watching it for the second time now. Really the best German series.’
‘It starts off a bit slow, but develops into a blast,’ added Frank Wolfram. ‘I found it very entertaining.’
R. H. simply wrote: ‘Great, great, great. Great series.’ as Peter Utzschneider added in their review: ‘A highly successful German thriller series with fantastic acting, great dialogue, plot, and a great score. Definitely recommended if you like a bit of off-the-wall action.’
Hellground is available to stream on Channel 4.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.