Set against the real events, culture wars and political realities of Germany in the 1980s, the series is a stylish coming of age story, about East German solider Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) who is sent to the alien world of the west on his first spy mission.
’86 catches up with Rauch, his Aunt Lenora (Maria Schrader) and their colleagues at the East German foreign intelligence agency (HVA).
Abandoned by Moscow and desperate for cash, the East German leadership pushes their secret operatives to experiment with global capitalism and save their sinking socialist ship.
Long banished to Africa for his sins in 1983, Martin Rauch is now sent back into the field.
Dark deals and a dangerous mission lead him to South Africa, Angola, Libya, Paris, West Berlin and finally back to East Berlin, where he must make an impossible decision.
Our hero’s journey plays out to a soundtrack of international pop music – against a backdrop of Perestroika, proxy Cold Wars, the struggle to end Apartheid, a year of terror in Western Europe, and the creeping feeling back home in East Germany, that the end just might be near.
Anna Winger and Jörg Winger, Creators and Executive Producers, said: “We’re thrilled to bring the series back.
“This time, we’re sending our East German heroes further afield.
“It’s 1986. It’s the beginning of the end of the world as they know it.
“But mafioso-style capitalism just might save the socialist project! The clock is ticking and the beat goes on.”