Overview
- ZDF made all seven episodes of season 18 available in its Mediathek on 22 October 2026, with the weekly TV broadcast beginning on Thursday, 29 October 2026.
- Actor Luise Bähr will leave the series after this season and her character Katharina Strasser is diagnosed with leukemia during the run, a storyline the network confirmed ahead of the broadcast.
- Long‑time cast member Heinz Marecek is written out of the show in early episodes, a planned exit the coverage says the production stages as part of the season’s emotional arc.
- The opener, “Stimmen der Vergangenheit,” features guest star Birte Hanusrichter in a life‑threatening rescue plot, and producers have lined up several other known guest actors across the seven episodes.
- Filming remains on location in Ramsau am Dachstein and nearby Austrian sites, the season’s promotion ties lead Sebastian Ströbel’s off‑screen documentary climb and family priorities to the show, and the Mediathek‑first release underscores ZDF’s streaming‑led distribution approach.