Crap Happens Review
Director: Jano Ben Chaabane and Alex Schaad
Date Created: 2026-02-26 20:49
3.5
Crap Happens Review: Directed by Jano Ben Chaabane and Alex Schaad, Netflix’s German comedy series Kacken an der Havel is a nine-episode, 35-minute-per-episode rollercoaster that thrives on absurdity. Starring Anton Schneider as struggling rapper Toni Fleischer, alongside Veronica Ferres as a wildly exaggerated version of herself as the town’s autocratic mayor, Dimitrij Schaad, Sky Arndt, Jördis Triebel, Taneshia Abt, Edin Hasanovic, Marc Hosemann, Matthias Brandt, Vincent Redetzki and others.
Crap Happens Review
The German series Crap Happens centres on Toni, a thirty-something wannabe rapper who moved from a small town years ago to become famous in Berlin. Instead, he’s stuck in a never-ending cycle of bizarre performances and pizza delivery. But his life turns upside down: his mom dies in some weird fashion, he’s literally rescuing a duck from a tree, and he’s forced to return home. What begins as a serious funeral procession turns into a crazy ride: secret children, ghostly appearances, corrupt politicians, asparagus-based drugs, and a duckling narrator named Tupac.
The show’s biggest strength is its complete and utter commitment to the absurd. It goes all in on its own ridiculousness, even making fun of streaming services and traditional storytelling. This is a show that never stops going for broke, which is what keeps it from becoming exhausting. The humour is completely, utterly ridiculous, but it’s presented in a way that’s so confident and cool, you almost want to be down with it.
Anton Schneider gives a phenomenal performance as Toni. He’s simultaneously infuriating, childlike, and egotistical, but also somehow strangely likeable. His failed Berlin venture and his inflated sense of self-importance as an “artist” are both hilarious and, at the same time, surprisingly sad. The underlying message resonates deeply with everyone: the terror of being forgotten. Toni’s struggle isn’t just professional, it’s existential.
One of the more earthy elements of the show is Toni discovering he has a teenage son named Charly. He begins in denial, resists accepting the truth, and is, of course, terrible at being a father. His fixation on a record deal keeps getting in the way of fatherhood. The show puts him in a series of hare-brained misadventures involving kidnappings and a lake accident to make a point about his selfishness, but the emotional beats work. Seeing Toni realise that success is meaningless without a genuine human connection is a welcome respite in an otherwise bonkers journey.
The real stars of this show are the dynamics of a family like those in the show, Toni’s sister Nancy, who is the only police chief the town has and also becomes involved in a crazy criminal plot involving asparagus that has an unusual feature of being fragrant.
As things unfold in a bit of a tongue-in-cheek way typical to Crap Happens, the very ordinary vegetable becomes the unstable base for a fake drug ring that the mayor of the town and her son run. The comedy has broad stings, as well as pinpoint accuracy in its humour, regarding greed, vanity, and the political landscape of a small town, with reckless abandon.
As if to amplify the effect of the joke, Veronica Ferres (playing the role of the Mayor of the town) exaggerates the character’s persona throughout her performance. She plays a very wacky and exaggerated version of herself, and her role has been enhanced by the fact that the town is devoted to her; therefore, a lot of the public places in the town are named for her. The sense that the Mayor has escaped full-blown retribution supports and continues with the craziness of the show, where the visual/film and story lines sometimes surpass real life.
But even amidst all the bedlam, the show manages to deliver some actual character beats. Toni’s decision to pass on a lucrative record deal in favour of spending time with his kid feels surprisingly authentic. It also gives the show’s central theme a whole new spin: Is the price of ambition too high to pay? The show ultimately gives Toni both professional fulfilment and personal happiness, but it takes the long way around, which is at least consistent with his past mistakes.
Netflix’s Crap Happens isn’t a perfect show. Sometimes the never-ending deluge of zaniness can be downright draining, especially when multiple plot threads are pulling you in different directions. Some of the jokes feel like they’re dragging on a bit, and some of the more serious moments get overwhelmed by the rapid-fire barrage of gags. If you’re in the market for something with a little more subtlety and a lot more realism, the series might end up feeling more like a chore than a pleasure.
There is also the asparagus drug story. It is quite humorous, but at times, it overshadows Toni’s story. The series hits the perfect note between satire, crime spoof, and family drama, although the middle episodes are slightly off in terms of pacing.
What makes Netflix series Crap Happens so unique is that it takes risks. It does not play it safe. German comedies tend to be quite dry, but this one goes all out for flamboyant absurdity with cartoonish elements. The presence of a ghost mom who gives advice, a duck narrator who holds a grudge, and a school play that parodies Armageddon all show that the series is not afraid to go all out.
Netflix Crap Happens Review: Summing Up
The problem with Crap Happens is that the chaos, although entertaining, sometimes goes too far. A little more attention to narrative and a little more attention to pacing would have sent it over the edge into pure greatness. However, these are but small complaints in light of what the series does right. Ultimately, the show is a glorious mess that is loud, absurd, and strangely endearing. It goes all out for its own brand of weird and expects you to go along for the ride. If you are looking for something different that combines emotional highs with sharp satire, then this series is definitely worth checking out.
