How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)
Genre
Created by
Written by
  • Sebastian Colley
  • Philipp Käßbohrer
  • Stefan Titze
Starring
Composers
  • Konstantin Gropper
  • Markus Winter
Country of originGermany
Original languageGerman
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes18
Production
Executive producers
  • Philipp Käßbohrer
  • Matthias Murmann
  • Lars Montag
Producers
  • Stefan Titze
  • André Zoch
Cinematography
  • Armin Franzen
  • Borris Kehl
Editors
  • Marc Schubert
  • Rainer Nigrelli
  • Alex Kutka
  • Christoph Cepok
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time25–36 minutes
Production company
  • bildundtonfabrik
Original release
NetworkNetflix
Release31 May 2019 (2019-05-31) –
present

How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) is a German coming-of-age dark humor crime streaming television series co-created by Philipp Käßbohrer and Matthias Murmann. The first season, consisting of six episodes, was released on 31 May 2019, on Netflix.[1][2] The series stars Maximilian Mundt, Anna Lena Klenke, Danilo Kamperidis, Damian Hardung, Luna Baptiste Schaller, Leonie Wesselow and Bjarne Mädel. The second season premiered on Netflix on 21 July 2020. On 28 July 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a third season.[3] It premiered on July 27, 2021.[4] On 12 August 2022, for dwdl.de, creators Matthias Murmann and Philipp Käßbohrer said in an interview that Netflix gave the green light for a fourth season.[5]

Overview

How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) is set in fictional Rinseln, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and told from the perspective of high-school outcast and nerd Moritz Zimmermann. The series follows Moritz and his friend Lenny Sander attempting to rekindle Moritz's love for ex-girlfriend Lisa Novak, through selling ecstasy online. Starting off as a small time business, it quickly spirals out of control and Moritz and Lenny learn to deal with the consequences of large scale drug trafficking.

The series is inspired by a true story that took place in Leipzig in 2015. Maximilian Schmidt, the inspiration for the television series, was sentenced to seven years in prison.[6]

Cast and characters

  • Maximilian Mundt as Moritz Zimmerman, a nerdy high school student and CEO of MyDrugs. His desire for power and control from MyDrugs causes as many failures for the group as successes. He acts as the narrator throughout the series, telling his story from within prison.
  • Anna Lena Klenke as Lisa Novak, Moritz's ex-girlfriend. Her liking for ecstasy is the main catalyst in Moritz's plans to take her back.
  • Danilo Kamperidis as Lenny Sander, Moritz's best friend. An adept hacker and video game junkie, he becomes the CTO of MyDrugs. He is a wheelchair user as a result of osteosarcoma.
  • Damian Hardung as Daniel Riffert, Lisa's presumptive boyfriend and typical high-school jock. Whilst a rival to Moritz early on, he later becomes a partner in MyDrugs.
  • Luna Baptiste Schaller as Gerda Schwerdfeger, one of Lisa's friends at school, who takes a liking to Moritz.
  • Leonie Wesselow as Fritzi Neuhaus, another one of Lisa's friends.
  • Bjarne Mädel as Jakob 'Buba' Otto (season 1), a small-time drug dealer who is the main source of ecstasy in Rinseln. He owns a local farm which is the centre of the Albanian gang present in Rinseln. He is the primary antagonist for Season 1.
  • Roland Riebeling as Jens Zimmermann, Moritz's father and a police officer. He is part of the investigation in stopping the drug situation in Rinseln and later on, MyDrugs.
  • Jolina Amely Trinks as Marie Zimmermann, Moritz's younger sister. The more social of the Zimmermann family, she has a moderate size following on Instagram. She is also an avid horse rider, riding at the stables owned by the Albanian gang.
  • Jonathan Frakes as Himself, reprising his part as host of the show Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
  • Lena Urzendowsky as Milena 'Kira' Bechtholz[7] (season 2–), Lenny's online girlfriend. In Season 2, she becomes part of Lenny's life and becomes infatuated with MyDrugs.
  • Maren Kroymann as Doro Otto (season 2-), Buba's mother and leader of the Albanian gang.
  • Langston Uibel as Joseph Kammerlander[3] (season 3)
  • Erik Range, AKA Gronkh, as himself, a YouTuber in Season 3 Episode 3, playing Animal Crossing.

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesOriginally released
1631 May 2019 (2019-05-31)
2621 July 2020 (2020-07-21)
3627 July 2021 (2021-07-27)

Season 1 (2019)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Nerd Today, Boss Tomorrow"Lars MontagSebastian Colley, Philipp Käßbohrer, Stefan Titze31 May 2019 (2019-05-31)
Moritz Zimmerman, a high-school outcast, is dumped by his girlfriend, Lisa Novak, upon her return to Germany after a year studying in America. Learning that Lisa has taken up ecstasy during her time in America, and has seemingly set her eyes on high-school jock Dan Riffert, Moritz enlists the help of his friend Lenny Sandler to win her back. Moritz finds Dan's dealer, Jakob 'Buba' Otto, and buys the entire stock of ecstasy in hopes that Dan will have none to offer Lisa. Later on, Moritz crashes Lisa's party to win her back, only to be humiliated in front of everyone by Dan. In debt from Buba, and left with a full bag of ecstasy, Moritz plans to sell them online.
22"Life's Not Fair, Get Used to It"Lars MontagSebastian Colley, Philipp Käßbohrer, Stefan Titze31 May 2019 (2019-05-31)
Lisa's parents find an ecstasy pill from the previous night's party, so she contacts Dan to help her. As Moritz has access to her Facebook account, he deletes the messages to and from Dan, and he goes round to help instead. Moritz then reconfigures his and Lenny's game marketplace, 'MyTems', to sell ecstasy pills on the dark web under the name 'MyDrugs'. Lenny is reluctant at first due to being fed up of Moritz's failed attempts, but he is won over and drug orders start to come in. Dan is questioned by police over his possession of ecstasy and is asked to reveal his dealer or face a sentence.
33"Failure is Not an Option"Lars MontagSebastian Colley, Philipp Käßbohrer, Stefan Titze31 May 2019 (2019-05-31)
Buba tracks down Moritz and Lenny, and demands the money that Moritz owes. Finding out about MyDrugs, Buba asks for €10,000 from the profits made. It turns out that whilst orders are high, the reviews for the pills are rated low, and Moritz accepts help from a user called 'PurpleRain'. In an attempt to offer the pills to Lisa, Moritz is turned down, and it is revealed that the substance inside Buba's supply is PMA, of which Lenny experiences the side effects first hand. Dan questions Lisa over her ignoring him, which Lisa denies. Dan attempts to text again, but Lisa sees Moritz delete them, and calls him out over the school intercom. Buba is arrested and placed into detention, and Moritz and Lenny pick up the first package from PurpleRain.
44"If This is Reality, I'm Not Interested"Arne FeldhusenSebastian Colley, Philipp Käßbohrer, Stefan Titze31 May 2019 (2019-05-31)
This episode concentrates on the emotional problems that the characters face. Moritz' actions leave him being vilified throughout the high-school, being blocked by Lisa on social media, and are starting to strain his relationship with Lenny. Moritz and Lenny plan to move MyDrugs from the dark web to the clear web. Furthermore, Moritz is contacted by the police and asked by his policeman father to help them crack Buba's laptop. As the information on Buba's laptop contains links to Lenny and Moritz, Moritz deletes the contents, feigning to the police that the contents are lost. Lenny deals with the possibility that his mother may replace him with a foster child when he passes, and Lisa and Dan deal with problems relating to stress and social status through therapy.
55"Score Big or Don't Score at All"Arne FeldhusenSebastian Colley, Philipp Käßbohrer, Stefan Titze31 May 2019 (2019-05-31)
MyDrugs is ready to go live on the clear web, and both Moritz and Lenny celebrate with a formal dinner. Moritz reveals to Lenny that he is making a deal with manufacturer GoodTimes in Rotterdam to increase the product range of MyDrugs, but Lenny snaps at Moritz, claiming that Moritz has forgotten the relationship they both had and is only interested in business. Fed up, Lenny leaves Moritz. Moritz accepts an invitation to classmate Gerda's birthday party and sees Dan and Lisa kiss. Moritz leaves in a sulk, and allows MyDrugs to go live on the clear web. Gerda overdoses on ecstasy, and Buba (now out of detention due to the lack of evidence against him) locates Lenny.
66"If You Are the Smartest One in the Room, You're in the Wrong Room"Arne FeldhusenSebastian Colley, Philipp Käßbohrer, Stefan Titze31 May 2019 (2019-05-31)
Lenny has gone missing, and Moritz attempts to contact him after finding out about Gerda's overdose. He enlists Dan to help find Lenny, and they find him captured at Buba's farm. A rescue attempt fails, and all three are imprisoned by Buba. As Buba attempts to kill one of the trio, Lenny pulls out a concealed Liberator and misfires at Buba, which Buba takes and then kills himself by accident. The three decide to put differences aside and work together on MyDrugs. MyDrugs on the clear web is an instant hit. GoodTimes decides to send the pills directly, and kills middle-man PurpleRain. Lisa and Moritz make amends, with Lisa telling Dan that their relationship should be on 'pause'. The credits show older versions of Lisa and Lenny in doubt of Moritz's version of events. Lenny begins to tell what happened afterwards.

Season 2 (2020)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
71"Think Different"Mia SpenglerSebastian Colley, Mats Frey, Philipp Käßbohrer, Stefan Titze, Natalie Thomas21 July 2020 (2020-07-21)
MyDrugs has turned into more of a success than the boys ever imagined, notorious for their operations and the mystery behind the ring leader, m1000 (Moritz). But the trio are unhappy with continuing the website and want out of the trafficking life, intending GoodTimes to take control. Lisa has shown an intense dislike for her father's partner. Dan's influence in the group causes Lenny to have an impromptu date with Kira, his online sweetheart. Embarrassed to show his true self to her, Lenny uses Dan as his catfish on the date, but she manages to spot Lenny regardless, and the date goes well. Moritz goes to Rotterdam to try and negotiate a deal, but changes his mind about giving over control and chooses to extend the current business with GoodTimes. He agrees that the trio will develop a fake business in order to launder the money earned. Moritz is shocked when he returns home to find out that Lisa will be living with him.
82"Where Do You Want to Go Today?"Mia SpenglerSebastian Colley, Mats Frey, Philipp Käßbohrer, Stefan Titze, Natalie Thomas21 July 2020 (2020-07-21)
MyDrugs operations have proved difficult with the introduction of Lisa into Moritz's homelife. Moritz is reluctant to tell Lisa the truth after her mother was admitted to rehab, but Lenny has let Kira know of MyDrugs, and hopes that the fake business will prolong his life - already hampered by his bone cancer. Back in Rotterdam, Moritz's initial ideas fail to impress GoodTimes. Dan, however, steps in and introduces 'BonusLife', a vitamin supplement service for gamers. GoodTimes praises the idea, but Moritz disapproves, and is worried Dan will undermine him as the leader, but he begrudgingly goes along with the plan. Unable to admit to Lisa his involvement with MyDrugs, and their lives starting to complicate one another, he decides to break up with her at a party.
93"Inspired by Real Life"Mia SpenglerSebastian Colley, Mats Frey, Philipp Käßbohrer, Stefan Titze, Natalie Thomas21 July 2020 (2020-07-21)
Moritz is not taking the breakup well, whilst Lisa has moved to Fritzi's house. The results of a personality test at school inspire Moritz, Dan and Lenny to become better in their business, until Lenny mentions that Kira should join the team. Scared over the fact that she might leak their identities to the world, Moritz discovers Kira's true identity: Milena Bechtholz, a runaway teen who blackmails porn addicts for bitcoins. Moritz tracks down Kira, who has 'taken a break' from Lenny. She admits to hiding her past from him, and calls their relationship off, blocking Lenny on every platform. This tension reaches breaking point when Lenny and Dan find news from Lisa that Kira and Moritz kissed. Dan and Moritz are also shocked when Lenny admits to telling Kira of their involvement with MyDrugs. During a call with GoodTimes, Buba's former gang (the Albanians) find the trio.
104"Buy It. Sell It. Love It."Arne FeldhusenSebastian Colley, Mats Frey, Philipp Käßbohrer, Stefan Titze, Natalie Thomas21 July 2020 (2020-07-21)
A tense standoff with Buba's mother, Doro, only proves worse for the trio, forcing them to deal cocaine on the side and acquire 50,000 euros for the Albanians as retribution for Buba's death. They decide to mix the bitcoins earned with cash, setting up a separate bank account for the gang to use. Things get complicated with the introduction of Susi, a former police dog who becomes part of the Zimmerman residence. Susi sniffs out the ecstasy stash and ruins it, so Moritz and Lenny take her to the forest and abandon her. Dan finds out he may have to repeat the school year if he fails his Biology exam for his Abitur, so he enlists Moritz to help him. Attempting to meet Dan falls apart when Jens finds out about the drugs. Although Moritz manages to hide his association with MyDrugs, Jens notes that the federal police are starting to get involved in finding the mastermind behind MyDrugs and acknowledges Mortitz's link to Buba. Kira and Lenny manage to reunite after Kira admits to lying, with Lenny allowing Kira to work on the laundering scheme.
115"Move Fast and Break Things"Arne FeldhusenSebastian Colley, Mats Frey, Philipp Käßbohrer, Stefan Titze, Natalie Thomas21 July 2020 (2020-07-21)
Lisa is shocked to find out the truth behind MyDrugs, insisting that Moritz should do what he should've done originally, get out. Since the destruction of the office, the reputation of MyDrugs has faltered with orders delayed and copycat dealers popping up. Angered at Moritz's failure to help him for his revision, Dan refuses to speak to Moritz. GoodTimes stages a visit to Moritz, offering him a position in Rotterdam at the cost of losing Lenny and Dan. Giving the 50,000 euros to the Albanian gang only cements them as valuable partners in Moritz's mind. Dan finds out his family is bankrupt, and Lenny manages to get approved for an experimental therapy. In a tense discussion over the deal, Moritz admits to Lenny and Dan that threats of being killed were a ruse, and that they could have gotten out of trafficking, but Moritz chose not to, out of greed. Dismayed, Lenny kicks him out of MyDrugs. When Moritz joins the Albanians on a hunt, he accidentally wounds Susi. Bringing her back home, he finds out that the office has been completely cleared out, and his former partners have ended their association with him.
126"Don't Be Evil."Arne FeldhusenSebastian Colley, Mats Frey, Philipp Käßbohrer, Stefan Titze, Natalie Thomas21 July 2020 (2020-07-21)

Skipping his exam, Moritz takes back control of MyDrugs by hacking into Lenny's account, and accepts the office deal in Rotterdam. Back at school, Lisa manages to delay the mock Abitur exam with a minor arson in the bathroom, giving Moritz a chance to sit it. A GoodTimes member, Mia, gets personal with Moritz and states that she is going to resign. However, associate Maarten kills her. Moritz manages to buy the family house, much to his family's happiness. With no money going to his account after Moritz stopped his bitcoin address being linked, Lenny is forced to cancel the experimental treatment. Back at school, Moritz tries to warn that Maarten and the rest of GoodTimes will kill the three of them if they try and stop the trafficking, but Lenny and Dan don't believe him and chastise him for mixing business with friendship. Maarten attempts to kill Lenny and Dan, but is stopped by the Albanians (who Moritz had sent for). Kira manages to salvage the former business under a new name, CandyBay. The final nail in the coffin for Moritz's and Lenny's relationship is struck when Lenny decides to use a killswitch, ending MyDrugs once and for all.

At the end, the 'interview' room is revealed to be an interrogation room. When the interviewer asks if he wanted friendship or business at the end of it all, Moritz simply states that his time is up, before getting handcuffed by the German police.

Season 3 (2021)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
131"A single failure, a little slip"Arne FeldhusenSebastian Colley, Philipp Käßbohrer, Natalie Thomas, Mats Frey27 July 2021 (2021-07-27)
142"A misdemeanor, a little trip"Arne FeldhusenMichael Schilling, Philipp Käßbohrer, Mats Frey, Natalie Thomas27 July 2021 (2021-07-27)
153"Does this condemn me, lock me away?"Arne FeldhusenPeter Furrer, Philipp Käßbohrer, Stefan Titze, Natalie Thomas, Mats Frey27 July 2021 (2021-07-27)
164"Before you turn the key, I have one more thing to say"Arne FeldhusenMichael Schilling, Philipp Käßbohrer, Mats Frey, Natalie Thomas, Stefan Titze27 July 2021 (2021-07-27)
175"To make amends, maybe be friends"Arne FeldhusenMats Frey, Stefan Titze, Philipp Käßbohrer, Natalie Thomas27 July 2021 (2021-07-27)
186"Everybody gets a second chance"Arne FeldhusenStefan Titze, Mats Frey, Philipp Käßbohrer, Natalie Thomas27 July 2021 (2021-07-27)

Production

Development

On 25 October 2018, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order for a six-episode first season.[8][9] The series is created by Philipp Käßbohrer and Matthias Murmann who will be credited as executive producers.[9] Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of bildundtonfabrik.[9] On July 9, 2019, the series was renewed by Netflix for a second season, which was released on 21 July 2020.[10][3][11][12] On 28 July 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a third season, which premiered on 27 July 2021.[4][3] On 12 August 2022, for dwdl.de, creators Matthias Murmann and Philipp Käßbohrer announced that Netflix gave the green light for a fourth season.[5]

Casting

Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Maximilian Mundt, Anna Lena Klenke, Danilo Kamperidis, Damian Hardung, Luna Baptiste Schaller, Leonie Wesselow and Bjarne Mädel would star in the series.[9] In June 2020, Lena Urzendowsky was cast in the role of Kira on the second season.[7] On 28 July 2020, Langston Uibel was announced to have joined the third season's new main cast.[3]

Filming

On 17 December 2018, Netflix announced that filming for the first season was completed.[9] Principal photography for the second season took place on location in Bonn, Germany in 2019.[13] Filming for the third season took place on location in Cologne, Germany in 2020.[14]

Premiere

On 6 April 2019, the series held its official premiere with the screening of the first two episodes at the Cannes International Series Festival in Cannes, France.[2][15]

Release

Marketing

On 6 April 2019, the teaser trailer for the series was released.[1] On 17 May 2019, the official trailer for the series was released by Netflix.[16] On 23 June 2020, the official trailer for the second season was released.[17] On 6 July 2021, the official trailer for the third season was released.[18]

Spin-offs

On August 3, 2022, Netflix released Buba, a spin-off film for the character of the same name.[19]

References

  1. 1 2 "Netflix Tells us How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast) With New Teaser Trailer". New on Netflix. 6 April 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  2. 1 2 Hopewell, John (6 April 2019). "Netflix's 'How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)'s' Creators on the New German Original". Variety. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Grater, Tom (28 July 2020). "Netflix Renews Its Most-Streamed German Original Series 'How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast)' For Third Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  4. 1 2 @NetflixDE (28 June 2021). "So Leute, mir hat da ein Vöglein was gezwitschert... How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast), Staffel 3, ab 27. Juli!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. 1 2 Lückerath, Thomas (12 August 2022). "Netflix setzt "How to sell drugs online (fast)" mit 4. Staffel fort". dwdl.de. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  6. ↑ "Germany's Most Notorious Darknet Drug Dealer Sentenced to Only 7 Years". www.vice.com. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  7. 1 2 "How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) season 2 launches on July 21st". Netflix Media Center. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  8. ↑ "Netflix Boosts German Output With 5 New Series". The Hollywood Reporter. 25 October 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Don't try this at home". Netflix Media Center. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  10. ↑ @btf (9 July 2019). "How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast) - Season 2 is coming soon" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 July 2019 – via Twitter.
  11. ↑ "Now loading... How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) coming to Netflix, July 21st". Instagram. 17 June 2020. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  12. ↑ Ralph, Pat (22 June 2020). "ESPN's 'The Last Dance' among new titles coming to Netflix in July". Philly Voice. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  13. ↑ "Filming for the new Netflix series in Bonn". General-Anzeiger (in German). 10 October 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  14. ↑ Pardiwalla, Tanzim (27 August 2020). "Exclusive: Maximilian Mundt From 'How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast)' On the Makings Of a TV Drug Dealer". Mashable India. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  15. ↑ "Cannes Series Festival Lineup Includes Netflix, Amazon, Starz, AMC, ITV; Diana Rigg, Steven Knight Masterclasses". Deadline Hollywood. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  16. ↑ Lundgren, Amanda (10 June 2019). "The True Story Behind Netflix's 'How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)' Is Way Darker Than the Show". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  17. ↑ Bachhlia, Sonali (4 July 2020). "How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast) Season 2: Trailer Out! Cast & Plot Details, Release Date". TechRadar247. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  18. ↑ "How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast) Season 3 Official Trailer". Netflix. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  19. ↑ Moore, Kasey (3 August 2022). "What's New on Netflix & Top 10s: August 3rd, 2022". What's on Netflix. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
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