Fans of classic Sherlock Holmes stories and a good mystery might enjoy checking out an historical procedural show with a unique setting and premise. It’s the still relatively unknown period crime drama, Vienna Blood. Based on the Liebermann novels by Frank Tallis, Vienna Blood features a compelling cast and an extraordinary setting, making the highly underrated series the perfect television binge option for fans of shows such as Sherlock, Ripper Street, and Peaky Blinders.
‘Vienna Blood’ Also Follows an Investigator and a Doctor
Set in the early 1900s, Vienna Blood follows the investigations of police inspector Oskar Reinhardt (Jurgen Maurer) and Doctor Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard), a student of Doctor Sigmund Freud. The early 20th century was a time of great leaps in forensic science and psychoanalysis, thanks to the teachings of Dr. Freud. In the series, Liebermann assists Inspector Reinhardt using his apt psychological skills to solve unusual cases. In 1906, psychology was still viewed as a nontraditional field, so Liebermann’s methods seem unusual. Although medical fields like psychology are widely accepted now, during their early years, some individuals were resistant to Dr. Freud’s teachings regarding psychoanalysis, viewing the study as radical and disreputable. As a result, many individuals in power, unfortunately, look down upon Liebermann due to his practices in criminal psychopathy, as well as his Jewish heritage.
Collider Exclusive · James Bond Personality Quiz Which James Bond Actor Are You Most Like? Connery · Moore · Dalton · Brosnan · Lazenby · Craig
Six actors. Six completely different visions of the same man — dangerous, charming, complicated, and almost certainly wearing a very good suit. Only one of them shares your particular way of moving through the world. Eight questions will figure out which Bond you really are.
🏴Connery
😄Moore
🎭Dalton
✨Brosnan
🤵Lazenby
💠Craig
01
How do you carry yourself when you walk into a room? Bond is always the most interesting person in the room. The question is how he makes you feel it.
02
How do you handle a dangerous situation? Every Bond faces it differently. What does your version look like?
03
How do you charm someone you need on your side? Bond always gets what he needs. The method varies considerably.
04
How do you handle your emotions on the job? Every Bond deals with this differently. Most of them not particularly well.
05
How would your colleagues describe your working style? MI6 has opinions about all of its 00s. What are theirs about you?
06
How do you feel about operating within the rules? The licence to kill comes with terms and conditions. Not everyone reads them.
07
What is your relationship with love? Every Bond has a different answer. None of them have found it easy.
08
When the mission is over, how do you want to be remembered? The name is Bond. The rest is entirely up to the man behind it.
The Name Has Been Determined Your Bond Is…
Six actors. One role. Your answers point to the Bond who shares your presence, your method, and your particular way of carrying the weight of being the most dangerous person in the room.
Dr. No — You Only Live Twice · 1962–1967
Sean Connery
You are the original — and you carry that fact without needing to announce it. There is an authority in the way you occupy a room that others spend careers trying to replicate.
You don’t explain yourself, justify yourself, or soften yourself for anyone’s comfort. The confidence is structural, not performed.
Connery’s Bond established everything — the tone, the danger, the cool — because Connery himself had the innate presence to make something that had never existed feel inevitable.
You share that quality: the sense that you were always going to end up exactly here, doing exactly this.
The name is Bond. In your case, it always was.
Live and Let Die — A View to a Kill · 1973–1985
Roger Moore
You understand something that more serious people miss: that wit is its own form of intelligence, and that making people laugh is not a retreat from danger but a way of mastering it.
Moore’s Bond is underrated precisely because the effortlessness looks easy — and effortlessness is the hardest thing to manufacture.
You have the same quality: a lightness that disarms people before they realise how sharp you actually are.
The raised eyebrow, the perfectly timed quip, the refusal to be rattled — these are not affectations. They are a philosophy about how to move through a world that would like to take itself too seriously.
You have never let it.
The Living Daylights · Licence to Kill · 1987–1989
Timothy Dalton
You took the role seriously when everyone wanted you to coast — and that refusal to take the easy version of anything is the most defining thing about you.
Dalton’s Bond has genuine moral weight: he feels the cost of what he does, he has lines he won’t cross, and he is not interested in the version of himself that pretends otherwise.
You share that intensity. You push harder than the situation technically requires, because you have a standard and you hold yourself to it.
He was ahead of his time — the Bond the franchise wasn’t quite ready for yet, arriving exactly when he was meant to.
You know what that feels like.
GoldenEye — Die Another Day · 1995–2002
Pierce Brosnan
You are the complete package — and you know it, which is part of what makes you so effective and occasionally so infuriating to the people around you.
Brosnan arrived at the role looking exactly like Bond was supposed to look, and he delivered on that expectation with a professionalism that made it seem effortless.
You have the same quality: a smooth competence, a charm that operates like a precision instrument, and the ability to make even difficult things look like they weren’t.
His era was the most commercially successful in the franchise’s history. There is a reason for that.
The reason is that some people simply fit their moment perfectly. You are one of those people.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service · 1969
George Lazenby
You stepped into something enormous with less preparation than anyone around you thought was sufficient — and you delivered something genuine anyway, which is the more impressive achievement.
Lazenby’s single outing is, by many measures, one of the finest Bond films ever made — and he is not a small part of why.
You share his quality of raw authenticity: less polished than the alternatives, more honest for it, capable of something real that technique alone can’t produce.
He was underestimated, and then he wasn’t, and then history caught up with him.
You are the kind of person history catches up with. Give it time.
Casino Royale — No Time to Die · 2006–2021
Daniel Craig
You stripped everything back and found what was underneath — and what was underneath was harder, more honest, and more human than anyone expected.
Craig’s Bond is the franchise’s most psychologically complete: a man doing a brutal job, carrying its costs imperfectly, capable of love and loss in ways that can’t be dismissed.
You share that depth. You don’t hide behind the role or the charm or the suit — you let the work show what it actually costs.
He was controversial from the moment he was announced and definitive by the time he was finished. The sceptics became the believers.
That arc — of being underestimated and then undeniable — is one you know intimately.
It’s rare to have a period mystery drama or crime thriller set in a city such as Vienna, Austria, at the turn of the 20th century, and that makes Vienna Blood intriguingly different from a show such as Ripper Street, which is set in London in the late 19th century, or Coppers, which was set in New York City in the 1860s. The trailblazing years of psychology stand out as a major component of the series, as Dr. Liebermann’s methods are inspired by the teachings of Freud, and Liebermann utilizes his studies in human behavior to solve unique cases, such as the first two episodes, “The Last Seance,” where Liebermann and Reinhardt seek to solve a psychic medium’s bizarre murder. She has a lone gunshot wound and a suicide note, but there’s no bullet, exit wound, or weapon. The show’s mysteries feature a fun mix of Holmesian-style intrigue, Liebermann’s then cutting-edge psychoanalysis, and the refreshing setting.
The Series Features a Great Lead Detective Duo
Jürgen Maurer and Matthew Beard are decked out in suits and ties in ‘Vienna Blood’Image via BBC
Vienna Blood’s cast and detective leads highlight the old-fashioned inspector, Oskar Reinardt, and the young visionary pioneer in criminal psychology, Max Liebermann, who seeks to study “the psychopathy of the criminal mind.” Although Reinhardt typically prefers to rely on traditional methods and build a case “brick by brick,” he’s open to Liebermann’s more unconventional and breakthrough ideas. Maurer delivers a fantastic performance, showcasing Inspector Reinhardt’s haunted trauma over the loss of his daughter, a recurring subplot throughout the series. He excellently portrays the pathos of a strong and hard man trying to cope with the loss of a child.
Beard disappears exceptionally into the role of Max Liebermann, delivering a believable and immersive performance. The actor excellently portrays the style of the era, showcasing his plight as a Jewish student of Dr. Freud. His father, Mendel (Conleth Hill), seeks to elevate the Liebermann family’s status by associating with elite Austrian industrialists. Beard’s performance skillfully showcases his turmoil in facing prejudice from his radical psychology practice, his progressive ideology, and his religious Judaism, due to the rising antisemitism in Austria and Europe during the time period. Though they’re not a perfect reflection of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, Liebermann and Reinhardt ultimately make a compelling, idiosyncratic crime-solving duo.
Why ‘Vienna Blood’ Is Worth a Look
Vienna Blood features consistently strong, high-quality writing from veteran Sherlock and Doctor Who scribe Steve Thompson. With the first three seasons running at six episodes each and Season 4 at only four episodes, it’s a very digestible series that’s perfect for late-night and weekend television binge sessions. In the first two seasons, most of Liebermann and Reinhardt’s mysteries are split into two parts for U.S. broadcasting purposes. In the UK and Europe, the seasons are formatted into three-part, ninety-minute movies, so each episode covers a complete case.
Although the U.S. viewing format breaks up the series into a more traditional episodic length, having multipart cases gives various plots and storylines room to breathe. In the first season, “The Lost Child” easily stands out as Reinhardt and Liebermann investigate the mysterious death of a young student at an affluent military academy, Saint Florian’s, which Max’s nephew, Daniel, also attends. The mystery is sparked after Daniel is psychologically traumatized by the death of one of his classmates, causing him to self-harm. The investigation reveals uncomfortable truths and hazing rituals from the academy, exploring themes of toxic masculinity and generational trauma brought upon youth by longstanding, respected institutions. The stories and mysteries are well-paced throughout the series, along with the more intriguing ongoing storylines surrounding Liebermann and Reinhardt’s personal lives, making it a worthy weekend binge for anyone who loves detective stories.
