Kanzleramt (TV series)

Kanzleramt
Title card
Created byHans-Christoph Blumenberg
Martin E. Süskind
StarringKlaus J. Behrendt
Robert Atzorn
Herbert Knaup
Country of originGermany
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Running time45 minutes
Original release
NetworkZDF
Release23 March (2005-03-23) 
29 June 2005 (2005-06-29)

Kanzleramt (engl: "Chancellery") is a German serial political drama television series created by Hans-Christoph Blumenberg and Martin E. Süskind that was originally broadcast on ZDF from 23 March to 29 June 2005. The show is based on the template of the American TV series The West Wing.

The series is set primarily in the office of fictional Chancellor of Germany Andreas Weyer (Klaus J. Behrendt), telling stories about the German head of government's political career and private life as a widower and father of a teenage daughter. "Chancellery is entertaining, exciting and interesting," said Friedrich Bohl (CDU), former chief of the Federal chancellery. Compared with the multi-award winning US template The West Wing, Chancellery appeared to most critics but rather shallow and trivial. It was written by the former speechwriter of German statesman Willy Brandt, Martin E. Süskind, but they deemed unrealistic.

It was neither a critical nor ratings success, and was cancelled after twelve episodes. It opened with 4.87 million viewers (market share of 15.2 percent), but the viewing numbers dropped relatively quickly to 1.5 to 1.7 million.