Sundersheim is a safe, sleepy German town where everyone vaguely knows each another and nothing too out of the ordinary ever goes on. But during an annual folkloric celebration of the town’s monstrous mascot to whom a young virgin is sacrificed, 17-year-old Wanda Klatt goes missing. After an initial narrated opening from Wanda herself, she skips ahead to a few months into her disappearance where we find her family in deep distress, working with the police to investigate their beloved daughter’s disappearance.

As the days pass and no evidence is found, the family’s denial that Wanda is gone turns into mania as they decide to take matters into their own hands. The plot is wittily stitched together with slick editing and dynamic storytelling, leaving its audience with fun breadcrumbs to follow while performances from the main cast always successfully balance comedic slapstick with earnest drama. This is particularly true of Wanda’s parents, played by Heike Makatsch and Axel Stein. 

Apple TV+’s first German-language series combines the eerie parts of classic television mystery dramas with the light-hearted entertainment of a teen comedy: think Pretty Little Liars meets Search Party with the visual saturation of Sex Education. There’s a clear intention to universalise (read Americanise) the world which the Klatts inhabit, particularly in how the town’s high school is portrayed. However, clear nods to German culture and the introduction of queer storylines give a fresh twist to an otherwise derivative tale.

Where's Wanda? is out now on Apple TV+.