Overview
- The third season of WaPo Elbe will begin airing on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, with eight weekly episodes scheduled for 18:50 on ARD.
- The premiere episode, titled "An der Magnetangel," centers on a jeweler murder whose fleeing perpetrators hide stolen goods in the Elbe while the investigation is complicated by sabotage to police equipment and a local magnet‑fisher's conspiratorial claims.
- The principal four‑person team returns, led by Maike Junghans (Carina Wiese) with Sami Fares (Adnan Maral), Moritz Krätschmer (Ferdi Özten) and Jana Macourek (Barbara Prakopenka) continuing as the core investigators.
- Season three was produced by regional broadcaster MDR together with Polyphon and filmed in the Sächsische Schweiz, around Pirna, and in the Czech Republic, supporting local crews and regional locations on screen.
- WaPo Elbe is the fourth entry in ARD's Wasserschutzpolizei franchise and typically delivers strong total evening reach for the public network while attracting a smaller audience in the 14–49 age group, which will shape how the season's ratings are judged.