Unbelievable. How can something this good go under the radar for so long. A brilliant "view from the other side" story from the cold war, more to the point than Le Carre. I'm just blown away by the quality of the acting, directing, production, and writing. Sure, much of it is subtitled, but the crafting of the tale is true to the times. The only glitch...no US officer would EVER leave classified documents in an unattended room. But honestly, that was the only major screw up in an otherwise well written story.

I am German and lived in east Germany as a child and in West Berlin until 1970. The series strikes me as something of a fairy story. just to give some examples: the protagonist would, as someone else stated, have to have undergone extensive training, not only in the English language - Russian was the first foreign language in East Germany - but also in West German - by 1983 the word material had diverged, reflecting the political and cultural separation since WWII. Just one example of the credibility gap: the protagonist's flight back into GDR. Controls on entering the motorway corridor were extremely strict. If you moved house from Berlin or vice versa you couldn't just pile stuff inside or on top of the car, you had to use a removal firm and itemise your goods in triplicate, down to your books. That's how claustrophobic the times were. Also, I know there was no way of stopping on the east German motorway (at least by 1970 and I would be interested to be corrected). Travel was timed, you were fined if you broke the speed limit and arrived too soon. There are many other details that don't ring true. I accept the series is meant to be entertainment not documentary but even my husband (English) found it hard to have to suspend disbelief so often.

Absolutely amazing show. Suspenseful, amazingly well written and directed, impeccable acting... Could go on and on. This one commands all of your attention. Will not do anything else when I'm watching this show (surf web, look at magazines). Haven't been able to say that about a series since Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones.I haven't seen such good acting, since....i don't know when. Maybe GOT. This is intelligent TV - finally a show that doesn't pander to its audience.Besides all of the above, we get to hear great 80's music, which is when the series takes place.I can't wait for Season 2.

1980ies was a really critical decade in the post-WWII period, tensions were the highest since the 1960ies, as the economical gaps between the East and West started to enhance faster. The split Germany encountered apparently the biggest tensions as the nation/language was the same, NATO bases were close, and GDR intelligence was considered among the best in the world...Although I was quite young at that time, Deutschland 83 seems very realistic to me, brings forth some memories and attitudes East Germans were known in the Warsav Pact block... True, some topics were apparently "bedighted" and intensified for the sake of feature series and providing meatiness and additional warmth and humour, this mini-series is no US-type of action mockery, with constant chases and blasts. For younger generations accustomed to search engines etc., some events may seems odd and questionable, but back then all checking was much more complicated and slower.The cast is evenly strong, I found Jonas Nay as Martin Rauch / Moritz Stamm, Maria Schrader as Lenora Rauch, and Ludwig Trepte as Alex Edel most elaborated characters/performances. But still, it is good that all speak their native language (or broken German), and being made on German soil and cities, you can feel the real European/German life and background throughout the whole series.The ending could have been more twisty, but still, a good series. Special mention to those who selected songs and soundtrack - one can hardly find more suitable melodies and texts for specific events and general atmosphere.