Deutschland83 Renewed for Second Season on SundanceTV, Amazon

Deutschland83, the Cold War period drama that was widely beloved upon its American release in 2015, has been given a second season, Variety reports. The political thriller, set in 1983, follows an East German soldier (Jonas Nay) who is reluctantly forced to become a spy in West Germany for the Stasi.

The German-language political thriller will return with Deutschland86, which jumps three years ahead to 1986, when Nay’s character is sent to Africa to fight in Angola, where communism was then making its final push.

Deutschland83 earned decidedly positive reviews for its first season, although we had a few bones to pick with it. The show also earned a Peabody Award, and has been picked up by Amazon for its second season, which will produce the show in conjunction with SundanceTV.

Show creators Anna and Joerg Winger originally envisioned three seasons for the show, with the series culminating around the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989. By 1986, East Germany was in dire need of economic assistance, and they were afraid that the Soviet Union would soon abandon them.

“By 1986 East Germany was doing anything that was necessary to stay afloat,” says Anna Winger. Deutschland86 will have a bigger budget and a wider scope than its predecessor, and will look at the lives of West Germans and some Americans in addition to the stories in Africa.