Season 8

1. Tank & Rast: Quasi-Monopoly without Competition

Affordable fueling, enjoying a quinoa bowl, and just being human. In reality, however, rest stops are expensive, the food tastes bad, refueling is costly, and you have to pay to take a boat. Why are German rest stops such a misery?

2024-01-26 • 32 min

2. Crime Scene Flower Pot

Having plants in the home has long been more than just a trend. It's part of the personality of urban trendsetters, an important status symbol in the background of video calls. But where do houseplants actually come from?

2024-02-02 • 30 min

3. The FPÖ and its People's Chancellor

The FPÖ, the AfD's Austrian sister party, is leading in the polls. Will Austria soon have a new "People's Chancellor"? And why is someone like John Otti not in the German charts?

2024-02-16 • 34 min

4. The AfD's TikTok Star

Maximilian Krah is one of the AfD's most extreme figures and knows exactly how to appeal to the voters of the future. In addition to a "traditional" image of masculinity, he also propagates misogyny, racism, and anti-democratic thinking.

2024-02-23 • 33 min

5. Hunting: Nature Conservation or the Desire to Shoot?

Hunting is sport, hunting is tradition, and above all, hunting is pure nature. Around 436,000 people in Germany have a hunting license—can so many Germans be wrong? First of all: Yes. Because not everyone is concerned about preserving a healthy ecosystem.

2024-03-01 • 32 min

6. Everything for a Beautiful Smile

Professional teeth cleaning and braces: Only the best for your teeth, and you're happy to pay extra out of pocket. But what do the legendary studies actually say about this?

2024-03-08 • 33 min

7. Böhmermann's Borderline Cases of Justice

Germany is in a deep sleep! Society and politics fall asleep when it comes to uncomfortable decisions. Enough of that! A judge will ensure law and order. In the name of the people.

2024-03-15 • 30 min

8. Living like God in Hesse

The Bhakti Marga religious community is headquartered in the Taunus Mountains. Their guru's motto is "Just Love." But why does Bhakti Marga, alongside meditation, dancing, and yoga, generate millions in annual revenue?

2024-03-22 • 30 min

9. A Corpse in Olaf Scholz's Basement

The ZDF Magazin Royale is like a regular episode of "Die Rosenheim-Cops": There's a dead body. Who does the lifeless body belong to? Jan sets out to find clues, as there are clues as to who might be involved in this criminal case.

2024-04-05 • 30 min

10. The Boomers of the Street

Thousands of German highway bridges are in need of repair. Our bridges are like boomers: They've been working their butts off for us for a long time, but now their bones are rotten, and the government hasn't taken care of their replacements in time.

2024-04-12 • 29 min

11. This Secret makes us Sick

"If you sleep with the window open, you'll wake up with a cold" – the truth is right there on the windowsill: drafts make you sick. Yet most people in Germany turn a blind eye to the obvious danger.

2024-04-19 • 29 min

12. The German Failure in the Hanau Attack

On February 19, 2020, a right-wing extremist murdered nine people of immigrant origin in Hanau, Hesse. The night of the attack raises many questions, especially about the work of the police. Added to this is the patchy investigation following the terrorist attack.

2024-04-26 • 32 min

13. Real Dangers of False Science

The hashtag #Astrology has billions of views on TikTok. Merchandise, personal advice, and questionable medical recommendations. Where does astrology end as a harmless hobby and where does it become a dangerous alternative to science and facts?

2024-05-03 • 29 min

14. How dangerous is the Genius Cult?

Johann Sebastian Bach, Klaus Kinski, Goleo. All great names who have one thing in common: They are geniuses. Some attentive readers may have noticed that the list includes only men. So where are the female geniuses?

2024-05-10 • 32 min

15. Smoking for the Bin: Disposable Vapes

Once fashionable, now stigmatized: smoking. Can disposable e-cigarettes bring us back to the good old days? Will flavors like "Mango Guava" and "Strawberry Iced Peach" reintroduce our youth to healthy snacking?

2024-05-17 • 31 min

16. AI at the EU's External Borders: The smart Dystopia

Artificial intelligence is so ubiquitous, it's time it did something for our security. For example, protecting the EU's external borders. How brilliant would it be to finally be able to outsource inhumane actions to machines?

2024-05-24 • 30 min

17. Top, the Sports Bet is valid

Football is a passion, a fandom, a popular sport. But it's also an opportunity to earn a lot of money. There's plenty to be had not only with TV rights and merchandise, but also with sports betting. Tipico, Bwin, and Betano are some of the big players.

2024-05-31 • 32 min

18. Makers & Laughers

Behind the scenes with Jan Böhmermann and the ZDF Magazin Royale. What drives the people behind the show? A team of journalists got exclusive insights.

2024-06-07 • 31 min