Series on the main evening
With the most successful fictional series on German television according to ARD, Tuesdays at 8.15 pm stand for the best series entertainment at the cutting edge. The programme is aimed at the whole family and, in our diverse society, provides viewers of all ages and from different walks of life with true-to-life stories full of suspense, emotion and humour.
With charismatic characters, captivating narratives and a contemporary style, the series reach an average of more than 4 million viewers every week and are also successful in the ARD media library. The mix includes long-running series with 13 episodes per season as well as horizontally narrated event series and regular new series in the drama, comedy, legal, medical and crime genres.
Current titles include, for example, "Tierärztin Dr Mertens", "Die Kanzlei", "Die Heiland" and "Mord mit Aussicht". 32 first-run programmes are produced each year. The gross price per minute of the episodes averages 16,000 euros gross.

Series at 18:50
Suspense, emotion and drama: this is how ARD describes its "Series at 18:50". The stories are set all over Germany, from the Alps to Lake Constance, Cologne and Erfurt to the Waterkant, emphasising the broadcaster's federal diversity. All productions are united by a high standard of quality, from the concept to the scripts to the cinematic realisation. In this way, valuable repertoire is created.
Now in its 35th season, "Großstadtrevier" from Hamburg is undoubtedly a flagship of the early evening series. Together with "Morden im Norden", it forms the North German crime drama day on Monday.
Tuesday's series is set on the water: the hunt for criminals in the border triangle on Lake Constance, around the industrial harbour in Duisburg, on the Elbe between Dresden and the German-Czech border or on Berlin's waterways is the focus of the "WaPo" series.
In the middle of the week, things are primarily humorous and familiar: both "Hubert ohne Staller" and "Rentnercops" take a rather unconventional approach to the hunt for criminals. "Watzmann ermittelt", on the other hand, is set in the picturesque Alpine scenery around Berchtesgaden.
"In aller Freundschaft - Die jungen Ärzte" is a spin-off of the successful main evening series "In aller Freundschaft" and is broadcast weekly on Thursdays on the German TV channel Ersten. The stories about the young junior doctors at the Johannes Thal Clinic in Erfurt are closely linked to the plot of the main evening series.
In 2022, ARD broadcast a total of around 134 first-run fiction programmes on Mondays to Thursdays at 6:50 pm at an average gross price per minute of 9,880 euros.

Real series
ARD sees its "high-quality, attractive real-life series" as a unique selling point in the family programme. The fictional slots on weekend mornings are among the most successful in the ARD children's and family programme. The half-hour series "Tiere bis unters Dach" and "Die Pfefferkörner" are not only broadcast as premieres on the first channel, but also as repeats on KiKA and in some cases on the third channels. They offer identification opportunities for all age groups and tell both everyday relationship stories and adventures. The stories also appeal to the whole family and provide a shared viewing experience for parents, children and grandparents. With emotional, humorous and exciting entertainment, the series ensure a successful start to the day and weekend.
Around 160 episodes of the real-life series are broadcast on ARD every year. Several seasons of the series can also be found in the ARD Mediathek and on KiKA Online. The average price per minute of the real series is 12,200 euros.
Whether "Red Roses", "In aller Freundschaft" or "Charité": Here is a Overview of all ARD soaps and series.

Source: ARD, further information is available here.