Rex is coming home: Production on “Rex – Vienna Calling” is underway, bringing the world’s most successful TV dog back to Vienna for six feature-length episodes.
Beta Film, MR Film, Seven.One and ORF have joined forces for the fresh take on the Rex franchise.
In “Rex – Vienna Calling,” the crime-fighting canine joins his partner, Detective Max Steiner, played by Maximilian Brückner (“War Horse,” “Cherry Blossoms – Hanam”), to solve even the hardest cases in the Austrian capital.
Within the last 30 years, the German shepherd Rex has become the ultimate four-legged detective and a worldwide phenomenon, inspiring numerous international adaptations, which add up to a total of 750 episodes.
The original “Rex – A Cop’s Best Friend” started its journey in Vienna in 1994, starring Tobias Moretti as the first “dog dad” detective. All 123 episodes were dubbed into dozens of languages — from Spanish to Mandarin — and sold by Beta to almost every country in the world. Multiple international adaptations joined the original: “Hudson & Rex,” currently starring Luke Roberts, established the IP in North America with 136 episodes over eight seasons. Current airing on Canada’s Citytv, and produced by Shaftesbury, Pope and Beta Film, “Hudson & Rex” was sold in more than 120 territories to date. In Italy, “Il Commissario Rex” (aka “Rex – A Cop’s Best Friend – Rome”; Beta/RAI/ORF) spans 92 episodes, while “Komisarz Alex” (aka “Inspector Alex”; Water Color Studios/TVP) in Poland counts 255 episodes.
Catrin Strasser and Oliver Auspitz, producers for MR Film, said: “Vienna is known for many things, its rich cultural heritage, stunning architecture, and vibrant art scene. But there’s one TV series that stands out: ‘Rex.’ The beloved franchise has been around for more than 30 years, with Rex solving crimes not only across Europe but even in North America. Now, it’s time for the most famous four-legged police detective to return home — back to where it all began.”
Oliver Bachert, chief distribution officer at Beta Film, said: “Rex is one of the most celebrated and successful television franchises in the world, truly a much-loved classic. And now, ‘Rex – Vienna Calling’ will keep bringing people of all ages together in front of their screens. Its broad appeal crosses cultural barriers, ‘bridging gaps between languages,’ as The New Yorker stated about the Austrian original ‘Kommissar Rex.’ We believe Rex’s success story will continue and remain just as remarkable as it was when it first began.”
In “Rex – Vienna Calling,” it’s not long before the four-legged detective gets a lead on any criminal with his sharp instincts and astonishing intelligence. And when push comes to shove, Rex is always there to back his partner Max Steiner up. Together with Max’s colleague Felix Burger (Ferdinand Seebacher, “Other People’s Money”), they are ready to prove their nerves of steel when a bomb threatens to rip through a high-rise in the middle of the city, solve a spectacular diamond robbery, and find the murderer of a baker who is pushed into his own oven.
The homicide unit is supported by Evelyn Leitner (“Doris Golpashin”). Esther Rauch (“Snow, Without a Trace – The Case of Nathalie B.”) and Andreas Kopriva (“Jeanny: The Fifth Girl”) share directing credits. The show will air 2026 on Austria’s ORF and Germany’s SAT.1 (linear) as well as on the digital channel Joyn.
“Rex – Vienna Calling” is produced by MR Film in co-production with Seven.One and ORF, funded by Fisa+, Fernsehfonds Austria, Vienna Film Fund, and Lower Austria. Beta Film handles international sales.
