Well, that was one hell of a fourth season of Vienna Blood. Unlike previous outings, Vienna Blood season 4 chronicled one overarching story, unraveling a massive conspiracy with the power to topple the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Of course, Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard) and Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt (Juergen Maurer)—well, mostly Oskar, as Max was … incapacitated—saved the day, and Vienna remained standing. So, now that the stressful fun is over, what does the future of Vienna Blood look like?
Will ‘Vienna Blood’ return for season 5?
![Max (Matthew Beard) and Oskar (Juergen Maurer) in Vienna Blood season 4](https://www.themarysue.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Max-and-Oskar-in-Vienna-Blood-season-4.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200%2C675)
The thing is, nobody currently knows if the show will return for season 5. Though the historical detective series hasn’t officially been canceled at the time of writing, some believe that, since Vienna Blood season 4 was based on author Frank Tallis’ final Liebermann Papers novel, The Mephisto Waltz—hence the episode title in season 4—there’s nothing left for the writers to adapt, so the show has reached its natural conclusion.
This could technically mean it’s the end, but the season 4 finale certainly left enough room for the series to continue; the criminal mastermind behind the conspiracy is still at large, and the only (decent) police officer who knows the truth is Oskar, who will have to deal with the fallout of their vendetta. Can the empire ever truly be safe with this person still running around? (I’m trying hard not to spoil the villain for those who haven’t seen it yet). Probably not, I’d say. There’s so much more the series could do, especially now that it’s discovered this new and highly effective overarching format. If anything, it feels like Oskar’s journey is only beginning, and he’ll likely rely on Max more than ever.
Tallis has previously mused about keeping himself at a distance from the series. Speaking to Watch to Watch, the author explained:
“Right from the beginning I made the decision I was going to take a backseat in the BBC’s adaptation. For me, the test of whether an idea is good or not is if you can hand it over and other people can run with it, but the core remains the same. TV is a very different medium to a novel and a production like this is a group accomplishment. Having a novelist too heavily involved could constrain the talent and be an obstacle to the group’s creativity. When you exhaust the books, if you’ve let the idea develop and gain its own momentum, in a way it doesn’t need the novels or the author anymore … but doesn’t in any way stop me from writing proposals or plot ideas!”
As Tallis said, there’s no reason the show can’t continue, even if there isn’t a set narrative blueprint to follow. At this point, the Vienna Blood writers know the characters inside and out—and if Tallis is willing to provide input, I don’t see any reason why we can’t have a more … definitive conclusion for this fun, intense, historical detective drama. We need to see the real Mephisto fall, right?
All episodes of Vienna Blood are available to watch on BBC iPlayer in the U.K. and PBS in the U.S.
Published: Jan 29, 2025 4:20 PM UTC