Apparently, the scolding by author Frank Schätzing (65) did no harm: The bestseller adaptation “Der Schwarm” got off to a strong start on ZDF. According to the official AGF data, 6.82 million viewers tuned in to the start of the series on Monday. That means an impressive market share of 24.4 percent.

The good ratings on linear television are all the more remarkable given that “Der Schwarm” had already achieved high hits in the media library before it was broadcast on TV. ZDF reported a record last week. No other streaming series started better.

The first episode is said to have been viewed two million times between February 22nd and March 1st. Episode two still reached 1.5 million views, part three 1.4 million. The remaining episodes of the eight-part series were uploaded later.

Meanwhile, Frank Schätzing did not leave a good hair on the implementation of his bestseller from 2004. He had compared the adaptation to the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit” with the kitschy film adaptations by Rosamunde Pilcher (1924-2019), which are a ratings driver for ZDF. “It pilches more than it swarms,” ​​said the author.

He was bothered by the love stories that were ascribed to the characters in his eco-thriller about a mysterious threat from the sea. “Some things are ready for the cinema, other touching and talkative relationship box TV,” says Schätzing. His conclusion: the series remains “below its potential”. The writer was initially involved in the film adaptation, but left the project due to artistic differences.

ZDF defended its prestige project to the news agency spot on news. It is “a very successful and contemporary adaptation of the novel from 2004. Film adaptations of literary material always and significantly differ in narrative form and dramaturgy from the original medium of the book.”

The viewers should get their own picture of the TV broadcast, so the hope of the makers. In any case, many people followed this call.