Sigmund Freud is an important name in the field of psychology. The Austrian neurologist, who died at the ripe old age of 83 in 1939, pioneered many theories and techniques that are still heavily influential today. He founded the discipline of psychoanalysis, which is the study of the unconscious mind and its relation to mental health disorders, developed the idea of the human psyche being broken down into three parts, namely the id, ego, and super-ego, and of course his work on the Psychosexual development of the human mind led to the coining the phrase “Freudian slip”, which is when you say one thing but mean your mother.

That’s just to name a few of his contributions. Oh, and he also really liked cocaine as a cure-all for mental health issues – not one of his finest moments in retrospect. While many of his theories have fallen out of favour in recent years, such as psychoanalysis being supplanted by cognitive behavioural therapy, he’s still a highly influential and recognisable name – and now he’s the subject of upcoming Netflix psychological crime thriller.

Created by Marvin Kren, Freud is Netflix’s first German-language Austrian-produced TV series (so you’ll have to read) that sees the young and controversial Sigmund Freud (Robert Finster) seconded to assist in the hunt for a serial killer that’s terrorising Vienna, a hunt that uncovers a vast conspiracy in the process.

The official plot synopsis is as follows:

In 1886 Vienna, the revolutionary theories of young Sigmund Freud (Robert Finster) face heavy opposition – and gain the interest of famous psychic medium Fleur Salomé (Ella Rumpf) and Alfred Kiss (Georg Friedrich), war veteran and police officer. With them at his side, Freud soon finds himself in the midst of a murderous conspiracy that kept Austria in suspense.

Let’s take a look:

I’m honestly intrigued by this – it reminds me strongly of The Alienist, but with a dash of Hannibal and a pinch of Penny Dreadful. I think it looks excellent visually, and as someone who loves psychological thrillers I’m keen to see how deep this series goes into the fractured psyches of its characters, and what we’ll find there.

What do you think?

Freud’s first season will premiere on Netflix on 23 March. It also stars Christoph F. Krutzler, Brigitte Kren, Marisa Growaldt, and Nadiv Molcho.

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