Tom Schilling plays a lawyer who kills people while meditating in Murder Mindfully, and it mostly works. The premise is absurd, and Netflix knows it. A defense attorney named Björn Diemel, played by Schilling, attends a mindfulness class to fix his work-life balance. He finds new ways to cope. He also finds new ways to commit murder.
The show is a German black comedy crime thriller, created by Karsten Dusse, who wrote the novels the series is based on. It premiered on Netflix on October 31, 2024, Halloween, and ran for two seasons across 16 episodes. A third season was ordered in January 2026, before the second season even aired.
Trailer, via Netflix.
Björn Diemel and His Clients
Björn Diemel is a hardworking lawyer with no chance of becoming a partner. He serves a bad client: Dragan Sergowicz, a mafia boss played by Sascha Alexander Geršak. His job takes over his life. He has little time for his wife Katharina, played by Emily Cox, or his young daughter Emily, played by Pamuk Pilavci.
Katharina urges him to see a therapist, Joschka Breitner, played by Peter Jordan. Breitner’s mindfulness coaching helps Björn learn to manage stress, though the results are not what anyone expected. Dragan gets into serious trouble and pulls Björn down with him. Now Björn is using his new skills to survive the criminal world he has entered.
The Mindfulness Hook
The show is built around the tension between Björn’s calm inner life and the chaos around him. Schilling plays the role with a deadpan precision that lands every joke. He is a defense attorney with an occupational burnout, and the show tracks his decline from a stressed professional into someone who commits murder while practicing mindfulness.
The humor comes from the contrast. Björn is meditating and murdering at the same time. The show explains the mindfulness-murder connection through Björn’s own discovery of new coping strategies during his sessions with Breitner.
Supporting Cast
The supporting cast fills out the criminal world. Amer El-Erwadi plays Murat, a mobster and one of Björn’s clients. Murathan Muslu plays Sascha, a mobster who is also a kindergarten teacher. Marc Hosemann plays Toni, another mobster. Bernd Hölscher plays Walter. Johannes Allmayer plays Klaus Möller. Friederike Kempter plays Laura. Luca Maric plays Boris. Michael Ihnow plays a prison judge.
The police side is represented by Britta Hammelstein as Nicole Eckmann / Egmann, a police officer and single mother. She is the one chasing Björn through both seasons.
First Season Review
The first season adapts the first novel in the series. It sets up the relationship between Björn, Katharina, and Dragan. It introduces Breitner and the mindfulness program. It shows how Björn’s job destroys his family life before he starts killing people.
The season builds slowly. Björn’s decision to kill is not sudden. It is a slow slide, driven by pressure from his job and his family. Katharina’s push for therapy is the engine. Without her urging, Björn might never have found Breitner, and the show would lose its hook.
Second Season Review
The second season adapts the second novel. It picks up where the first left off, with Björn already deep in the criminal world. The season raises the stakes. Dragan’s trouble grows worse. Björn’s methods become more extreme. The show keeps the same tone, but the situations get darker.
The season also introduces new characters and new threats. Björn is no longer just a stressed lawyer. He is deeper into the criminal world than ever.
Critical Reception
The show received generally favorable reviews when it premiered in 2024. The second season continued that reception. The renewal for a third season came in January 2026, ahead of the second season’s release. That timing suggests the show was performing well enough to justify more episodes.
The show’s appeal is clear. It is a crime thriller dressed as a comedy, and it does not pretend otherwise. The audience knows they are watching a man who kills people while meditating.
Technical Craft
The show is well made. The direction keeps the tone consistent across both seasons. The pacing holds up over 16 episodes. The show never drags, even when the plot slows to let the audience catch breath.
The acting is strong across the board. Schilling carries the lead, but the supporting cast delivers sharp, funny performances. The show’s ability to balance comedy and violence is its biggest strength. It never tips too far in either direction.
Where It Lands
Murder Mindfully is a strange show. It is a crime thriller about a man who kills people while meditating. It is a comedy about a lawyer whose job destroys his family. It is a drama about a man who loses everything.
The show works because it commits fully to its premise. It explains the mindfulness-murder connection through Björn’s own discovery of new coping strategies. That commitment is rare in television.
| Season | Episodes | Premiere |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 8 | October 31, 2024 |
| Season 2 | 8 | May 28, 2026 |
Murder Mindfully is a bold, confident series. It takes a ridiculous idea and turns it into something that works. The show knows exactly what it is, and it does not apologize for it. The result is a crime comedy that stands out in a crowded genre.
The show has a few rough patches. Some jokes land flat. Some scenes feel stretched. But the core is solid. The show’s commitment to its premise is the reason it succeeds.
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