Austrian TV shows: Where dark humour meets social satire and wit

Austrian TV series have little interest in glossy, picture-perfect worlds. Instead, they are firmly rooted in real life: from council estates and small towns to the corridors of power – and they tackle these subjects with a distinctly Austrian blend of dark humour, social satire and wit.

Shows like "Vorstadtweiber" (Suburban Women) have gained cult status for their sharp, unsparing look at upper-middle-class life in Vienna's suburbs. "Braunschlag" is another celebrated example – a black comedy set in a dying Lower Austrian village that became one of the most acclaimed Austrian TV productions of recent decades.

Austrian TV also offers a great opportunity for German language learners – the local dialect and authentic everyday speech heard in these shows provide invaluable exposure to how German is actually spoken in Austria.