Sheep are the pinnacle of creation and have domesticated humans. At least that's what the flock of sheep in the miniseries Sheep is firmly convinced of. The German-Austrian production launches on ZDF's streaming portal on July 13. Viewers can expect a colorful mix of comedy, tragedy, and a touch of philosophy.
Sheep tells the story of a flock of sheep on an Austrian farm. Firmly believing that the farmer is their servant, the animals hopefully await the day when they can finally realize themselves at the legendary Obermoser's place. Only sheep Oliver finally sees behind the facade and recognizes the truth: At Obermoser's, what awaits is by no means paradise, but the slaughterhouse. But initially, no one wants to believe him. After all, who would eat sheep?
A Wild Genre Mix
Biting humor meets philosophical questions. Sheep scores above all with wit when sheep behave like humans. Their view of the world seems amusing. From the eyes of a sheep, however, something as mundane as meat consumption almost seems like an act from a psychological thriller. Thus, with many a biting punchline, there's a danger of choking on your sandwich. Meanwhile, the sheep develop their very own perspective on their own being, life, death, and how they die.
"Perhaps this fable about four-legged creatures who are under the delusion of having domesticated humans contains a small parable about what it means to be a living being, to strive for freedom, and to stand up for oneself and others," reads a statement from the directing duo Leni Gruber and Alex Reinberg to the network. Together with co-author Sebastian Huber, the two were also responsible for the scripts.
Stylistically, the young filmmakers incorporated allusions to other genres. The series plays humorously with core elements of well-known horror films and sitcoms.
Real Sheep with Prominent Voices
The five-part miniseries is therefore a wild mix in every respect. Sheep also comes with a very distinctive visual look. According to the production, CGI animals were not used. Instead, real sheep stood in front of the camera. Only their mouths were digitally animated to make them speak. They do so with prominent voices from Merlin Sandmeyer, Jella Haase, Verena Altenberger, Birgit Minichmayr, and many others.
The sheep appear humanized primarily through accessories like glasses and hats. The human characters, on the other hand, are staged almost animalistically. The focus is on eating and thus primarily on the mouth. The camera usually cuts off their faces above the nose. Dialogues between them are virtually non-existent.
Already Award-Winning Multiple Times
With this unusual project, the creators have already celebrated successes. At Canneseries 2026, the series festival on the French Riviera, Sheep was honored with the Student Award in the Short Form competition. At this year's Seriencamp in Cologne, the series also won the Short Form Competition.
The TV broadcast of the five 15-minute episodes follows on August 24 at 12:00 AM on ZDF.
