Ludwig poster

Ludwig

★ 8.1 27K votes 2024–present 3 seasons · 18 episodes Returning Series BBC One
Detective mysteryCrime-solving from the investigator's side of the table.This show: 9/10Genius leadExceptional intellect as the protagonist's engine.This show: 8/10Puzzle plotNonlinear timelines, twists and structural games that reward attention.This show: 8/10British TVThe British television sensibility: tone, restraint and format traditions.This show: 8/10Dry humorDeadpan, understated wit.This show: 7/10Warm humorAffectionate comedy that genuinely loves its characters.This show: 7/10
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Starring
David MitchellAnna Maxwell MartinDylan HughesDipo OlaDorothy AtkinsonRalph Ineson
Written by
Mark Brotherhood
Starring
David MitchellAnna Maxwell MartinDylan HughesDipo OlaDorothy AtkinsonRalph Ineson
Written by
Mark Brotherhood
Ratings per Episode
246810
Votes per Episode
05001k2k2k

Ludwig Episode Ratings Heatmap

AvgE1E2E3E4E5E6E7
S18.07.97.87.77.98.18.6
S27.77.57.57.57.67.88.2
S3

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About

"A puzzle-solver's logic cracks real crimes"

A reclusive puzzle-setter agrees to impersonate his twin brother, a missing police detective, to help find him. Posing as someone he barely resembles in temperament, he stumbles into solving cases using the same logical tricks he applies to crosswords and brain-teasers. The tone is warm and wryly funny rather than grim, driven by fish-out-of-water awkwardness and a genuine emotional mystery underneath the case-of-the-week format. It's cozy but sharp, anchored by a lead performance that balances comic discomfort with real melancholy about the brother he's trying to find.

Watch it for

the clever way puzzle-solving logic gets applied to genuine criminal investigations.

Maybe skip if

you want gritty realism rather than a gentler, puzzle-box approach to crime drama.

Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.

All Seasons

▶
Series 12024
8.08K65h 44m
▶
Series 2
7.72K75h 37m
▶
Season 3
—05

Full Cast & Crew

Cast

David Mitchell John Taylor, DCI James Taylor
Anna Maxwell Martin Lucy Betts-Taylor
Dylan Hughes Henry Betts-Taylor
Dipo Ola DCI Russell Carter, DI Russell Carter
Dorothy Atkinson DCS Carol Shaw
Ralph Ineson Chief Constable Ziegler
Sophie Willan Holly Pinder
Ben Ashenden DC Ethan Cole
Gerran Howell DC Simon Evans
Izuka Hoyle DS Alice Finch

Crew

Mark Brotherhood

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