A German TV show where barely anyone speaks just beat bigger budget series at a major festival. The Flaws won the main competition award at Seriencamp 2026 in Cologne. The show comes from the Das Manko Collective, an 11-person theater group. It won against bigger productions like the sci-fi series All Heroes Are Bastards and Westend Girl starring Helena Zengel.
Why a Comedy With Almost No Words Works
The creators decided to leave out dialogue because they thought it was too hard. Bastien Reiber, a member of the collective, explained the thinking behind the unusual choice.
“We had done some similar plays where there were hardly any words. At the time we weren’t writers and we thought dialogue was the hardest part, so let’s leave out the dialogue.”
— Bastien Reiber, Das Manko Collective
Reiber joked that it was not much easier without words. The show uses slapstick, body language, and visual jokes instead. It takes inspiration from comedy legends like Charlie Chaplin, Peter Sellers, Buster Keaton, and German comedian Loriot.
What The Flaws Is About
The Flaws follows regular employees at a German government office. They are quiet, obedient, and very bad at their jobs. Their kind boss protects them for years. But then consultants come to audit the department. Everyone faces possible firing. A lucky mistake sends them to an advanced training program instead. The team ends up stuck on a self-driving bus. What follows is an absurd trip full of work disasters, hospital chaos, a forklift revolution, and a failed attempt to get into heaven.
The Show’s Journey From Zoom to ZDF
The idea grew out of many Zoom meetings during the pandemic. The collective spent hours online shaping a show that would let them do what they do best. They made a 10-minute short film about an office trip with no speaking. ZDF bought the show. Arne Feldhusen, who directed the German version of The Office called Stromberg, came on board to direct.
Feldhusen loved working with the group. He called it “paradise” despite having 11 actors to manage.
“I was a bit afraid of 11 actors coming together and being a collective in a very democratic way. If they had a problem they tried and solved it with 11 people and if you had a better idea then everyone accepted it and moved on.”
— Arne Feldhusen, Director
One Character Who Actually Talks
Only one cast member has anything close to a normal speaking part. Amelie Willberg plays a goody-two-shoes character who talks very fast. Reiber called her performance a “miracle” and said she seems like she is from another planet.
How to Write a Show With No Dialogue
Writing a show without words created unique problems. The team had to convince ZDF to give them money first. Then they had to write it down. But you cannot just write “and then he comes in and falls on his nose” and expect it to be funny. They had to find a way to make the script funny on paper.
Jakob Zimmerman, a ZDF commissioning editor, said the script was punchy, well written, and very clear about how scenes would play out. When Zimmerman gave notes, Reiber would politely nod, say he would get back to the collective, and come back weeks later with something completely different but very cool.
ZDF Takes Creative Risks
Zimmerman runs a ZDF department that mostly makes first-time feature films. He also heads the Quantum label, which makes lower budget comedies and shorts. He said German TV is willing to take risks.
“We are allowed to take risks because we don’t have the pressure of the shows always having to be a success. If they’re not then we learn something. We say, ‘Let’s do this and it’s wonderful if it’s so radical’.”
— Jakob Zimmerman, ZDF Commissioning Editor
The Quantum label focuses on new voices, modern topics, and shows for younger and international viewers.
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Other Winners at Seriencamp 2026
The short form competition had two winners. Sheep, an Austrian-German co-production, won alongside Buried. Sheep features real sheep with animated mouth movements. The sheep mistakenly believe they have domesticated humans. The voice cast includes Jella Haase, Birgit Minichmayr, and Merlin Sandmeyer. Buried follows an Australian single mom trying to hide a body after a deadly accident on the school route while managing her daily to-do list.
Seriencamp 2026 runs from June 9 to 11. The festival takes place in Cologne, Germany.
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