© 2026 The Couch Critic
After many years abroad, lawyer Thomas Borchert makes a surprise return to his hometown of Zurich. He wants to gain some distance in a trailer on his family's once stately estate, and escape the clutches of the German authorities. His former employer, the FonSonic Group, has fired him without notice due to a bribery scandal in South America. Two of Borchert's colleagues were also involved in the company's dirty dealings. But since one committed suicide and the other went into hiding, Borchert is to be branded the sole scapegoat. Although he is prepared to take responsibility for his misdeeds, he also tries to put a stop to FonSonic's activities. To do so, he wants to find evidence at a Swiss bank. But soon Borchert finds himself in new trouble.
Attorney Thomas Borchert is in custody, where he is accused of bribery and embezzlement. His former supervisor Horst Zeidler advises him to take the blame in order to then make a deal with the public prosecutor. Borchert rejects the offer. He wants to prove his innocence by legal means and is looking for a suitable defense for himself in court.
Anton Schneider says goodbye to his wife Luise in tears and dies. Schneider was seriously ill with multiple sclerosis and was diagnosed by neurologist Dr. Hoffer medically treated. Luise Schneider reports the doctor and accuses him of incorrect treatment of her husband, which ultimately led to his death. The mandate against Dr. Hoffer takes over Dominique Kuster, who entrusts her employee Thomas Borchert with the investigation.
The building contractor Hubert Thalmann is found stabbed to death by the young burglars Tim and Robin in his villa. The next day Tim goes to the police, the lawyer Thomas Borchert and his superior Dominique Kuster represent the youth in all subsequent instances. They believe in his innocence because he is also covering his friend Robin. During the investigation it turns out that both Thalmann's wife Vera and his brother Bernard have a motive.
The lawyers Borchert and Kuster are investigating a case involving a young student who has come under the crosshairs of a terrorist group.
Borchert and his boss Dominique can't believe it: Captain Furrer, respected top investigator of the Zurich Criminal Investigation Department and fair opponent of the unorthodox lawyer duo, is now himself under urgent suspicion of murder! Corrupt colleagues want to pin the murder of young policewoman Emmi, who could have been dangerous to them as a witness, on him. Emmi had confided in her mentor Furrer that brothel owner Jean Berger had been deliberately shot during a raid by colleagues. Now Furrer fears he will be eliminated himself. With Dominique's help, the suspended captain goes into hiding to prove his innocence on his own.
Borchert wants to toast three years of successful cooperation with his superior Dominique Kuster and her father, Reto Zanger. The evening is canceled because Reto Zanger is called to Geneva at short notice for a mandate. His daughter is therefore supposed to represent him at a court hearing in Zurich. The trial takes a dramatic turn when inmate Alexander Böni takes those involved as hostages.
Lawyer Dominique Kuster can feel a professional success for herself when her underage client Stefan, the oldest of three foster children, receives mitigating circumstances. After the court hearing, however, she found out that the foster father Christian Hunziker had a fatal accident in a car. An autopsy reveals that it was murder. Someone has swapped the dead man's insulin for ineffective water. Christian's wife Martina comes under suspicion.
Thomas Borchert is already looking forward to his goddaughter Jenny, who is completing a practical semester in Albania. At the airport, as part of the baggage check, half a kilo of hashish is seized from her, which Jenny claims she did not know anything about. Borchert and Dominique Kuster want to find out who could have put the hash on her. They also have to solve the murder of an entrepreneur who was involved in crooked business.
When Borchert receives an anonymous message that a certain Franz Brosi is innocent, law firm boss Dominique can hardly believe it. After all, Brosi was her first client as a public defender a few years ago and had actually confessed. The two are investigating the case.
Borchert and Dominique Kuster take over the defense of the taxi driver Jrg Zollinger. Captain Furrer suspects him of the murder of a passenger, the African investigative journalist Nuka Baluba. All the evidence incriminates the uncontrolled suspect, whose testimony initially seems unreliable. Borchert is suspicious of the fact that public prosecutor Dietrich is quick to commit to Zollinger. The "lawyer without a license" suspects that Baluba's research into child labor in cobalt mines in the Congo has something to do with the murder.
Thomas Borchert, the unlicensed lawyer, and his colleague Dominique Kuster take on the case of Anna Sutter, who wants to contest the will of her father, watchmaker Ludwig Sutter, following his unexpected death. Shortly thereafter, Anna Sutter's half-brother René is found murdered in his office, and the young woman becomes a suspect in the murder. The evidence points to her guilt, particularly the fact that her fingerprints are found on the murder weapon and that, according to a witness statement, she was the last person to be with him before his death. Dominique Kuster attempts to represent her as a lawyer in the murder trial and prove her innocence.
What begins as a routine assignment develops into a dramatic kidnapping case involving difficult detective work for the "lawyer without a license." The title character finds himself caught between his loyalty to the family of an old friend, his relentless pursuit of the truth, and his lifelong trauma of having failed as a father himself.
Thomas Borchert stands by his conviction as an "unlicensed lawyer" never to neglect humanity when representing a client. This distinguishes him from his friend and colleague Reto, who, as a victim, witness, and legal counsel, is accused of always being "more lawyer than human being." What begins with a robbery at a pharmacy develops into an unusual case of drug crime: the trafficking of high-priced medicines.
At the opening of photographer Corinna Riemer's exhibition, Borchert finds a dead body outside the door. Suspicion falls on caterer Giovanni Lazzari, who had previously had a heated argument with the murdered art patron Jürg Altweger. Although Borchert does not completely trust Lazzari's assurances, he agrees to defend him at the request of his wife Cristina. Once again, the "unlicensed lawyer's" instincts prove correct: Lazzari not only possesses an illegal weapon, he also harbors another incredible secret. But is he really Altweger's murderer? Together with his boss Dominique, Borchert attempts to unravel the complex case.
Youth psychologist Julia Egger causes a traffic accident, seriously injuring a man, and drives away in panic. Her explanation that she was deliberately forced off the road by an SUV initially sounds unconvincing to Borchert and Dominique, especially since Julia has a history of drunk driving.
Borchert and his office manager Dominique know little about Regula Gabrielli's past. The youthful indiscretions of his highly esteemed legal assistant come to light when she becomes involved in a murder case.
Hans Siegenthaler is firmly convinced that Bernadette Schanz stabbed his daughter to death out of jealousy. However, the woman was acquitted in a criminal trial. When Schanz and her husband Beat are shot with Siegenthaler's rifle, the man comes under suspicion. Instead of trusting the justice system, he goes into hiding, making himself even more suspicious. Borchert and Dominique believe in his innocence and want to help him.
Borchert hates it when people lie to him. From his very first meeting with murder suspect Xavier Schliemann, he has doubts about the man's sincerity. The smart diamond dealer is accused of shooting his ex-business partner. Instead of testifying to Captain Furrer as agreed, Xavier goes into hiding. Then, contrary to expectations, the enraged Borchert stumbles upon evidence that exonerates his client.
Captain Furrer asks Thomas Borchert for help in hunting down a serial killer.
After six murder victims, Hoft and Furrer are hoping for a confession from a suspect.
A covered-up family tragedy and criminal machinations surrounding arms deals are at the center of the 22nd "Zurich Crime". Borchert must tie up the loose ends of a case whose tragic tone hits the unconventional investigator personally.
