Okay, so we let it slide when seemingly every network decided to take Sherlock Holmes and bring him to a modern setting to solve crimes. The idea of taking a well-known detective IP and updating him for a modern audience is annoying but also makes sense. But now, we have to take a stand. Does anyone really need to see Sigmund Freud team with a psychic and a police officer to solve crimes in a TV series?
According to Variety, Netflix has signed on to be the international distributor of the Austrian TV series “Freud.” And as mentioned above, the series decides to take some very interesting liberties with the real-life psychologist, by adding a supernatural element and the typical procedural drama of a cop show. The series will follow Sigmund Freud as he teams with a medium and a “surly war veteran”/police officer as they track a serial killer.
This sounds like it could be absolute garbage. What’s next? Albert Einstein teams with a young hotshot scientist and a police officer to save the world from an asteroid? Ugh.
Let’s just hope that there’s a “CSI: Miami”-esque campy quality to “Freud.” Maybe while the trio of Freud, the psychic and the cop have their witty banter, the psychologist will slip up and say something inappropriate. Then the psychic turns to him, puts on her sunglasses, and says, “There you go, with another Freudian slip.” (Insert The Who song)
The series will be directed by Marvin Kren, coming off his work on the hit German drama, “4 Blocks.” He will write the series alongside Stefan Brunner and Benjamin Hessler.
“Freud” is yet another example of Netflix branching out into bringing European series to the rest of the world. They’ve had huge success with the recent series “Dark,” which was picked up for season 2, and has seen the desire for international TV rise around the world.
There’s no word on a release date for “Freud,” but production is scheduled to begin in the fall.
(PS – the series won’t star Viggo Mortensen, as pictured above from the Freud film “A Dangerous Method,” but that looks better than any of the other Sigmund Freud pictures I could find. So sue me.)
