Tired of watching prime time football from Qatar? We recommend three worthwhile alternative programs for those who don't like the World Cup on each evening of the World Cup: on Saturday with the mother of all blockbuster conspiracy theories, a very funny "Wilsberg" and the Yeti theory that it's impossible for people to exist.
Argentina vs Mexico is the name of the primetime game at 8 p.m. on the first. If this duel isn't fiery enough for you, if you can't do anything with the kicking game in Qatar or are simply not interested in football, you'll find three worthwhile fiction alternatives on this evening as well.
"Wilsberg: Bielefeld 23" (ZDF)
Lionel Messi vs Georg Wilsberg. What will the viewers decide on this Saturday evening? Kicking superstar vs. grumbling private detective. "Bielefeld 23" was the name of the 66th episode of the crime series "Wilsberg", which premiered in early 2020 and is now being repeated. The film (ZDF, 8:15 p.m.) is one of the funniest in recent years. Not only because an old acquaintance is returning: private investigator Wilsberg (Leonard Lansink) is once again in Bielefeld, in the East Westphalian "metropolis", which has been a popular running gag in the many "Wilsberg" years. Wilsberg's old friend, the Bielefeld building authority manager Manni Höch (Heinrich Schafmeister), has gotten into trouble. He is accused of taking bribes. Wilsberg's buddy, the tax investigator Ekki (Oliver Korittke), is of course there, but suffers from the city - he is constantly being cynically attacked here by the local commissioner Drechshage (Stefan Haschke) because of his interference. In this episode, fans were happy about the return of the charmingly goofy Manni and criminalistic tabloid theater at its finest.
"The Da Vinci Code - Da Vinci Code" (VOX)
"The Da Vinci Code - Sakrileg" (VOX, 8:15 p.m.) begins with the murder of the museum director of the Louvre, who stages his death in a special way in the minutes of his death. Strange behavior - why would a murder victim do such a thing? The question prompts Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), a professor of art history and symbolism. Together with the French police cryptographer Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), the daughter of the dead man, he takes up the investigation. A hunt across Europe begins. In 2006, Ron Howard filmed Dan Brown's mega bestselling thriller of the same name from 2003. With its cinema premiere, "The Da Vinci Code - Da Vinci Code" became one of the most successfully launched films of all time. In the end it grossed over 760 million dollars, in Germany alone more than five million cinemagoers wanted to see the blockbuster with Tom Hanks. He was widely praised for his role, although the film's reviews were mixed. Friends of conspiracy theories - meanwhile you might see this in a different light - will definitely have fun with the absurdly ingenious theses, twists and derivations of this extremely entertaining Hollywood madness.
"Smallfoot - An Icy Adventure" (SAT.1)
The animated comedy "Smallfoot - Ein Eisigartiges Abenteuer" (SAT.1, 8.15 p.m.), which was released in cinemas in 2018, pokes fun at fears, is a story about courage and a love of discovery - but it also offers highly topical social criticism: the young Yeti Migo, who in the German dubbing is spoken by Kostja Ullmann, is a curious and at the same time well-behaved guy whose destiny is to wake up his snowy village with the obligatory gong. One day he makes a momentous discovery: he witnesses a plane crash and sees a human being! He immediately delivers the message to the other Yetis, without realizing what he is triggering: his own discrediting and banishment. Because these "smallfoots" must not exist, according to the laws carved in stone, which no one is allowed to question. The film is based on the book "Yeti Tracks" by the Spaniard Sergio Pablos and is - even if it holds the mirror up to us - extremely charming. "Smallfoot - An Icy Adventure" (Director: Karey Kirkpatrick, "Over the Hedge") offers a brightly colored entertaining animated film for the whole family and is at the same time a wonderful plea against prejudice.
