The two actors who once played the old police officers in the ARD series “Pensionnercops” have died in recent years. Now it goes on anyway – with a new line-up.
Cologne – Forensic doctor Rosalind Schmidt is actually no stranger to human abyss because of her profession. Nevertheless, she looks deeply into the eyes of her colleague, Chief Detective Vicky Adam. And is amazed.
“This is slowly becoming a fetish,” she notes, emphasizing every syllable. What? “With the old men.” Next to the policewoman there are already two graying copies. Two that you didn’t even know before.
The ARD series “Pensionnercops” is known for not taking itself completely seriously. This is also advisable, because otherwise you would have to make higher demands on the plausibility of the plot and that would not be good for its entertainment value. The crime series is always comedy as well. In short, it is about two retired police officers who are allowed to go on hunted down criminals because there are no people in Police Station 5 in Cologne.
Originally, Tilo Prückner (“Adelheid and her murderers”) and Wolfgang Winkler (“Polizeiruf 110”) filled the roles of the two former police officers. Winkler got out in 2019 and died a little later. At that time, Peter Lerchbaumer took over his role. Tilo Prückner initially stayed, but then died unexpectedly in 2020 – just before a new season was to be shot. “Of course we asked ourselves how we want to deal with it,” says producer Peter Güde. “But it was clear to us: the audience’s bond with the series is so strong that we want to try to bring it into the future.”
The future is now Bill Mockridge (“Lindenstrasse”) and Hartmut Volle (Saarbrücker “Tatort”), both around 70 years old. The two actors play completely new ex-police officers, but – oh wonder – like their predecessors, they slip into the team around Commissioner Adam (Katja Danowski). The fact that there have already been other “pensioner cops” is not concealed. The new season begins at the grave of Edwin, who was played by Tilo Prückner.
The first case, which can be seen on Wednesday (November 3, 6:50 p.m., Das Erste), is located in the mafia milieu. In the absence of other specialists, the police chief quickly brought Reinhard Bielefelder – type of history teacher and old 68er – into the team, played by Mockridge (74), whose hobby was once organized crime. In addition, Klaus Schmitz, played by Volle (67), is reactivated. Reason: He speaks Italian – because he is married to an Italian. Sometimes it’s that easy to get back to work.
However, the two leave behind the feigned, latent activity of their predecessors. “I have a huge need to be a more modern retiree on the show,” says Mockridge. “We can use a computer, we discuss gender, we live in today’s world.” The 74-year-old is very satisfied with his role. He became known throughout Germany as Erich Schiller, who was married to mother Beimer in the series “Lindenstrasse”.
“Erich Schiller in“ Lindenstrasse ”was a great role and I am grateful to WDR that I was able to get on board in 1991,” he says. “But let me put it this way: Actually it wasn’t a huge challenge.” Overall, he often played nice characters. “Now I’m playing a scratchy loner.”
Around two years ago, his colleague Hartmut Volle had to get used to the feeling of being “retired”. As a pensioner he feels – apart from being a “pensioner cop” – but not at all, as he says. He, too, thinks that the subject should be told without sadness. “We are already addressing the complaints of old age, but without making a geriatric broadcast out of it,” he says.
In one episode, for example, he had to run after someone. “The fact that the air gets a little shorter is part of the story,” says Volle. “But then you just say: We’ll get it in a different way.” Dpa
