Hasselhoff Is a Big Part of CBS' Plans for Germany

He will star as himself in international co-production Ze Network
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 22, 2021 12:20 PM CDT
Hasselhoff Is a Big Part of CBS' Plans for Germany
David Hasselhoff poses for media during a presentation event for his audio book "Up against the Wall - Mission Mauerfall' in front of a painting of the East Side Gallery, a part of the former Berlin Wall, in Berlin, in 2019.   (Jens Kalaene/dpa via AP)

David Hasselhoff remained a huge star in Germany as his career slowed down in the US—and CBS is hoping the Knight Rider and Baywatch star will be a major boost for its production arm's expansion into international programming. The 69-year-old, who is better known as a singer than an actor in Germany, will star in Ze Network, a series for the TV Now video-on-demand platform. In the series, Hasselhoff, playing himself, will travel to Germany to headline a stage production "east of Berlin," only to become caught up in a conspiracy involving Cold War assassins, Variety reports. The co-production with Berlin-based Syrreal Entertainment will have dialogue in both German and English, and CBS plans to distribute it worldwide.

"It will either be a massive hit worldwide or a major flop," Hasselhoff tells the Wall Street Journal. "I know it will be a hit in Germany." CBS also has plans to produce series in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Africa, Australia, and Israel, the Journal reports. In 2017, Hasselhoff discussed his German fame with the Hollywood Reporter. His song "Looking for Freedom" topped the charts months before the Berlin Wall came down. He recalled being in a sauna in Sweden during a European tour. "Two guys were in there with me," he said. "'We’re Germans!'" one of the men told the actor. "I’m from East Berlin and he’s from West Berlin. You are a legend in our country. We had nothing, and this man, an American who drove a talking car and sang about freedom, became our hero.'" (More David Hasselhoff stories.)

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