Kottan ermittelt

This is one of the rare examples of an Austrian TV series with a definite cult status. People strongly disagree about which of the three Kottan incarnations was the best, typically either favouring the subtle Peter Vogel or the wacky Lukas Resitaris. I always favoured Resitaris' interpretation, i.e. when the series went completely over the top.

The real star though was not the title hero, but one of his main adversaries: Polizeipräsident (police commissioner) Pilch, a man possessing the combined egos of Margaret Thatcher and John Shaft. In particular, I was always looking forward to his news conferences, held in that special room in which the ceiling lights created the impression of a halo.