Overview
Series synopsis
The Old Fox, also known as Der Alte is a German crime drama television series that premiered on ZDF on April 11, 1977. It was created by Helmut Ringelmann. It stars Siegfried Lowitz, Michael Ande, Rolf Schimpf and Markus Böttcher.
A police department, lead by an older, experienced detective solve crimes together.
Premise
A police department, lead by an older, experienced detective solve crimes together.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Siegfried Lowitz as Erwin Köster
- Michael Ande as Gerd Heymann
- Rolf Schimpf as Leo Kress
- Markus Böttcher as Werner Riedmann
- Charles M. Huber as Henry Johnson
- Pierre Sanoussi-Bliss as Kriminaloberkommissar Axel Richter
- Jan Hendriks as Martin Brenner
- Henning Schlüter as Franz Millinger
Supporting cast
- Ulf J. Söhmisch as Polizeiarzt
- Wolfgang Zerlett as Meyer Zwo
- Christina Rainer as Dr. Franziska Sommerfeld
Guest cast
- Walter Kreye as Kriminalhauptkommissar Rolf Herzog
- Anatole Taubman as Ansgar Groll
- Harry Meyen as Frank Brack
- Hanne Wieder as Gertrud Kaminsky
- Judy Winter as Gabriela Sartorius
- Friedrich G. Beckhaus as Untersuchungsrichter
- Luitgard Im as Marie Sandtner
- Helen Vita as Konstanze
- O.E. Hasse as Konsul Karst
- Gerhart Lippert as Zweiter Polizist
- Sigmar Solbach as Helmut Staufen
- Karl Lieffen as August Ströbel
Episodes
This series spans 20 seasons with 221 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 9 | April 11, 1977 | November 27, 1977 |
| Season 2 | 13 | January 27, 1978 | December 29, 1978 |
| Season 3 | 13 | January 19, 1979 | December 28, 1979 |
| Season 4 | 12 | January 18, 1980 | November 14, 1980 |
| Season 5 | 8 | January 9, 1981 | November 27, 1981 |
| Season 6 | 10 | January 8, 1982 | November 12, 1982 |
| Season 7 | 10 | February 18, 1983 | December 16, 1983 |
| Season 8 | 12 | January 6, 1984 | December 7, 1984 |
| Season 9 | 12 | January 4, 1985 | December 27, 1985 |
| Season 10 | 12 | January 12, 1986 | December 12, 1986 |
| Season 11 | 12 | January 16, 1987 | December 11, 1987 |
| Season 12 | 12 | January 22, 1988 | December 9, 1988 |
| Season 13 | 10 | January 20, 1989 | December 22, 1989 |
| Season 14 | 11 | January 19, 1990 | December 7, 1990 |
| Season 15 | 11 | January 18, 1991 | December 27, 1991 |
| Season 16 | 11 | January 24, 1992 | December 18, 1992 |
| Season 17 | 11 | January 29, 1993 | December 10, 1993 |
| Season 18 | 11 | January 21, 1994 | December 30, 1994 |
| Season 19 | 11 | January 20, 1995 | December 29, 1995 |
| Season 20 | 10 | January 19, 1996 | December 20, 1996 |
Season 1 preview
9 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | April 11, 1977 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | April 17, 1977 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | May 1, 1977 |
Season 2 preview
13 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 27, 1978 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 17, 1978 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | March 17, 1978 |
Season 3 preview
13 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 19, 1979 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 16, 1979 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | March 16, 1979 |
Season 4 preview
12 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 18, 1980 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 1, 1980 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | March 14, 1980 |
Season 5 preview
8 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 9, 1981 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 13, 1981 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | March 10, 1981 |
Season 6 preview
10 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 8, 1982 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 12, 1982 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | March 26, 1982 |
Season 7 preview
10 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spuren einer Unsichtbaren | February 18, 1983 |
| 2 | Kalt wie Diamant | March 18, 1983 |
| 3 | Der vierte Mann | April 26, 1983 |
Season 8 preview
12 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alleingang | January 6, 1984 |
| 2 | Zwei Särge aus Florida | February 3, 1984 |
| 3 | Perfektes Geständnis | March 9, 1984 |
Season 9 preview
12 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 4, 1985 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 1, 1985 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | March 15, 1985 |
Season 10 preview
12 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 12, 1986 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 28, 1986 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | March 7, 1986 |
Season 11 preview
12 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 16, 1987 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 20, 1987 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | March 13, 1987 |
Season 12 preview
12 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 22, 1988 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 12, 1988 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | March 18, 1988 |
Season 13 preview
10 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 20, 1989 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | March 3, 1989 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | April 25, 1989 |
Season 14 preview
11 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 19, 1990 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 16, 1990 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | March 16, 1990 |
Season 15 preview
11 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 18, 1991 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 22, 1991 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | March 22, 1991 |
Season 16 preview
11 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 24, 1992 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | March 6, 1992 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | April 3, 1992 |
Season 17 preview
11 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 29, 1993 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 26, 1993 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | March 12, 1993 |
Season 18 preview
11 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 21, 1994 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 25, 1994 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | March 25, 1994 |
Season 19 preview
11 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 20, 1995 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 10, 1995 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | April 21, 1995 |
Season 20 preview
10 episodes total
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | January 19, 1996 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | March 11, 1996 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | March 29, 1996 |
Production
Genres
Crime, Drama
Country
DE
Original language
de
Release
| Original network/platform | ZDF |
|---|---|
| First aired | April 11, 1977 |
| Last aired | May 22, 2026 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | Returning Series |
| Schedule | Friday at 20:15:00 |