Netflix Announces Launch of ‘The Last Word’ in September


Death does not have “the last word.” The German Netflix Original Series The Last Word starring Anke Engelke airs exclusively on Netflix worldwide on Sept. 17. 

The Last Word tells the story of Karla Fazius (Anke Engelke), a woman who tries to overcome the sudden death of her husband. Longing, fear, anger, speechlessness – Karla doesn’t find her own voice until the day of the funeral. There and then she decides to become a eulogist. Together with the owner of a funeral home Andreas Borowski (Thorsten Merten), she assists those dealing with loss and accompanies them on their individual paths to bid their final farewell.

The six-part Dramedy The Last Word by showrunner, author and director Aron Lehmann (“Das schönste Mädchen der Welt”, “Die letzte Sau”, “Highway to Hellas”) airs on Sept. 17 worldwide, exclusively on Netflix. Leading actors are Anke Engelke and Thorsten Merten. Other roles are played by Nina Gummich, Johannes Zeiler, Aaron Hilmer, Claudia Geisler-Bading, Gudrun Ritter and Juri Winkler.

Executive producer Daniel Sonnabend on the development of the series:

“Subject: death. Target group: everybody.’ This slogan was written on a short presentation paper because I realized that every person I discussed this topic with, was able to relate and contribute their own experiences to the conversation. These sorts of stories exist everywhere.”

Showrunner, author and director Aron Lehmann:

“Grief is a chaotic process. There is no right or wrong. It’s different for every person. In the same way, death rarely comes at the right time. Nor do we suddenly begin to behave appropriately and with dignity when someone dies or we trust. It’s quite the opposite. Even in the saddest moments, there is comedy in our lives. Even if we don’t feel like laughing.”

About The Last Word

Death is a bleak matter, but do funerals have to be that way? After 25 years of marriage, the sudden death of her husband causes Karla Fazius’s (Anke Engelke) world to fall apart. Unexpectedly, and to the surprise of her family, she finds a new purpose: as a funeral speaker. While on her own journey to regain love for life, she begins to accompany other mourners while making every effort to break each and every rule in the funeral business. Much to the dismay of the funeral director Andreas Borowski (Thorsten Merten). At the same time, she is finding it difficult to overcome her own loss and thereby contributing to the ever-increasing chaos in her family.

The 6 episodes tell different stories of mourning, death and continuing on with life: At times funny, at others sad and always a bit absurd. Because no matter what others say – death does not have the last word!