Set in a jam-packed hospital, Berlin ER is a grimy peek into the lives of a group of doctors attempting to stay sane while avoiding catastrophe, as patients turn into medical emergencies. Co-created by former emergency room physician Samuel Jefferson, alongside Viktor Jakovleski, the eight-part German series examines the strain that underfunding and substance abuse can place on medical staff. 

The drama revolves around newly minted head of department Dr Zanna Parker (Haley Louise Jones) who discovers the fever pitch of A&E and strange camaraderie its employees share; only to be dragged into bureaucracy by the administration and haunted by the life she left behind. By Zanna’s side, Slavko Popadić of Crooks fame plays Dr Ben Weber, a physician burdened with the addiction issues he and his patients face. The entire cast give riveting performances as caregivers who burn the candle at both ends, resorting to drastic measures to cope with the unbearable challenges they face. Desperate to escape or suffering between sweat-ridden raves, questionable ethics arise amid mysteriously dwindling opiate supplies and violence from the people they’re tending to.

Somewhere between Scrubs and Orange Is The New Black, the tense, visually moody and at times delirious chaos of Berlin ER ultimately strays far from those more chipper counterparts. A dark, party-like atmosphere descends over characters’ lives as an eclectic soundtrack accompanies a veritable horde of split-second decisions with harrowing consequences. Despite the constant commotion, the series still manages to hold on to several entangled storylines with ease while retaining a pitch-black comic edge. Combined with a completely unexpected conclusion, this is a compelling and perfectly bingeable watch.

Berlin ER is on Apple TV+, new episodes available every Wednesday.