I might be wrong, but I think ARD and ZDF have some kind of a 'deal' with the BBC which makes them buy lots of BBC productions - and then they hide them, as you say, Susi, late at night. I think right now it's the same with "Ripper Street", I think the ZDF bought it and shows it around midnight on Friday evenings. 

I discovered Ripper Street at ZDF NEO. It really is annoying that brilliant shows like this have no chance because of the air time. Bought it on DVD now.
Sherlock will also be something for the focused fans again and won't reach a wide audience. 
If the ARD proof me wrong (is this the right translation?) I would be more than surprised.

Well especially because of the short length of each series, it is hardly ever noticed by the average viewer...
My husband discovered the preview of season 1 by accident, so he just recorded it (we got Entertain of the Telekom), so that's why I have been watching it from ARD...

Got an answer from ARD. Might I just say, it sounds like I critized them in a harsh way - I did not. It was a friendly question, definitely no accusation! Seems like they read something into it that I wasn't even suggesting (the content related stuff).
But then again, maybe they got more mails but the one about that topic, and just ran out of patience? Has anybody else been writing to them?

- - -
Vielen Dank für Ihre E-Mail und Ihr Interesse am Ersten Deutschen Fernsehen.
Ab dem 29.5. wird die neue Staffel von 'Sherlock' ausgestrahlt. Zuvor werden, wie Sie bereits wissen, Wiederholungen gezeigt, allerdings nur im Ersten. Im vergangenen Jahr wurde die Serie auf mehreren Sendern wiederholt.
Bitte berücksichtigen Sie, dass die Programmverantwortlichen nicht die Absicht haben, den Zuschauern bestimmte Filme und Dokumentationen aus inhaltlichen Gründen vorzuenthalten und diese daher zu einem späten Zeitpunkt ausstrahlen. Träfe Ihr Vorwurf zu, so wäre der aus Ihrer Sicht zu spät gesendete Beitrag überhaupt nicht im Programm des Ersten eingeplant worden.
Gerne senden wir Ihnen die gewünschte Übersicht der Ausstrahlungen der 3. Staffel:
Do., 21.45 Sherlock - Der leere Sarg
29.05.2014 90' (Sherlock - The Empty Hearse)
So., 21.45 Sherlock - Im Zeichen der Drei
08.06.2014 90'
Mo., 21.45 Sherlock - Sein letzter Schwur
09.06.2014 90'
Wir wünschen Ihnen weiterhin viel Vergnügen mit unserem Programm.
- - -
 

Last edited by Whisky (April 1, 2014 10:52 am)

Whisky, thanks for letting us know about the answer! It's nice to finally know about the exact dates and times.

Ha ha, could it be that people are not THAT satisfied with this channel? 

Whisky wrote:

Bitte berücksichtigen Sie, dass die Programmverantwortlichen nicht die Absicht haben, den Zuschauern bestimmte Filme und Dokumentationen aus inhaltlichen Gründen vorzuenthalten und diese daher zu einem späten Zeitpunkt ausstrahlen. Träfe Ihr Vorwurf zu, so wäre der aus Ihrer Sicht zu spät gesendete Beitrag überhaupt nicht im Programm des Ersten eingeplant worden.
 

Are they implying that Series 3 (or 1 and 2) is actually so bad plotwise that we are lucky that we can see it at all?!
They are practically saying that they didn't intend to show films late because of their content. If they wanted to do that they would have skipped Sherlock totally.

Imo, the title "Der leere Sarg" is not wisely chosen. Sarg is coffin. Hearse is supposed to be "Leichenwagen". But then there is neither a hearse nor a coffin in TEH.
 

Last edited by Be (April 2, 2014 11:22 am)

There is an important difference between Leichenwagen und Sarg.

Yeah, actually my husband mixed up hearse with coffin / casket...
But yeah, Der leere Leichenwagen would sound strange... also it is said by Andersson in the series, so the emp-ty hearse goes as Der lee-re Sarg and can be put above that...

I would have prefered "Die Zeichen von Drei" or "Anzeichen von Drei"...

Yeah and His last bow/vow, this also doesn't work in German...

Honestly, I am quite satisfied with the German titles. Many people will not think of the stories to which the titles allude. The important facts are there - leerer Sarg = not dead, letzter Schwur - self-explanatory and Im Zeichen der Drei exactly reflects the German title of the novel. 
I think sometimes we are trying very hard to find fault with the German version. This does not mean that I am totally satisfied with the dubbing as we have discussed in another thread. But the titles are okay IMO.