Derrick is a German TV crime series produced between 1974 and 1998, starring Horst Tappert as Detective Chief Inspector (Kriminaloberinspektor) Stephan Derrick, and Fritz Wepper as Detective Sergeant (Kriminalhauptmeister) Harry Klein, his loyal assistant. They solve murder cases in Munich and surroundings (with three unsolved cases in total). It was produced by Telenova Film und Fernsehproduktion in association with ZDF, ORF, and SRG. Derrick is considered to be one of the most successful television programmes in German television history; it was also a major international success, with the series sold in over 100 countries. It has been claimed ZDF would no longer carry reruns of the show, after Tappert was found to have been quiet about his service in the Waffen-SS in World War II. However, ZDF has denied that claim. History All 281 60-minute episodes were written by veteran screenwriter Herbert Reinecker and produced by Helmut Ringelmann. As a rule, new Derrick episodes were broadcast on Friday night at 20:15. The series received enormous popularity, and was aired in more than 100 countries worldwide. The series' discontinuation in October 1998 came as Horst Tappert had reached the age limit he had set himself. Derrick had many fan clubs abroad, including the Netherlands and France. In France, Derrick is known as Inspecteur Derrick. In Italy, the show is called L’ispettore Derrick. In Chinese, it is known as Dé li kè. Evolution of concept Some episodes follow a whodunit structure, while others follow a howcatchem structure. The series took a noticeable turn towards psychological drama as time progressed, and Derrick approached retirement age. Acting on a hunch, Derrick would ignore a number of possible suspects right from the start, and instead of doing the legwork often shown in police movies, would follow the main suspect to his or her favourite haunts and involve them in lengthy conversations, claiming that he had to get to know them better. Towards the end of the show, the murderers, now revolted by what they had done, would then be prepared to confess to their crimes without Derrick having to produce any further evidence. Generally, the show has little violence or bloodshed, and no shoot-out at the end. Final episode This philosophy also held true to the last episode, "Das Abschiedsgeschenk" ("The Farewell Gift"). Originally, Derrick was supposed to die by the hands of one of the criminals he had incarcerated, just as he is about