Fact Check: Is Where's Wanda? based on a true story? Explained

On September 12, 2024, Apple TV Plus released the official trailer for its first German-language series, Where's Wanda? The approximately 2-minute clip garnered significant traction among audiences, resulting in over 100,000 views as of the writing of this article.

After Where's Wanda? premiered on Apple TV Plus on October 2, 2024, it gained additional fans with many of them wondering about the authenticity of the events depicted in the show.

It must be noted that the show's plot is entirely fictional, as are its characters. However, some viewers may notice certain co-incidental similarities between the show's plot, characters, and real-life stories.

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Where's Wanda? is a work of fiction

The story of Where's Wanda? is fictional (Image via Apple TV Plus)

As previously mentioned, the dark comedy show is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real-life stories and people is entirely coincidental.

Some people have noted that the makers of the show have carefully spawned a fictional story about a missing 17-year-old and the police's inaction by implementing comic elements that do not necessarily highlight the strong similarities between the show's events and existent problems in society.

The audiences believe that this was skillfully done to highlight these aspects without making a big deal about it. They also believe that this was done to make the show more appealing to the larger audience.

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About the show

Apple TV+ Press released an elaborate and descriptive synopsis for Where's Wanda? highlighting its plot a few weeks before its release. The logline mentions:

"Apple’s first German-language series “Where’s Wanda?” is a dark comedy that tells the story of Dedo and Carlotta Klatt, who are desperate to locate their missing 17-year-old daughter Wanda, who disappeared months ago without a trace.

It also notes:

"When the police fail to find her, the family takes matters into their own hands, obtaining surveillance devices with the help of their tech-savvy son Ole. Disguising themselves as employees of an electrical company, they bug their neighborhood and then half their suburb, finding out that behind closed doors, none of their neighbors are who they pretend to be."

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The talented cast of Where's Wanda?

Lea Drinda is Wanda in Where's Wanda?(Image via Apple TV Plus)

The show's cast is headlined by Axel Stein who plays Dedo, Heike Makatsch who plays Carlotta, and Lea Drinda who plays the titular Wanda who goes missing. Others included in the cast of the show are:

• Nikeata Thompson as Detective Michelle Rauch
• Leo Simon as Ole
• Robert Maaser as Sixpack
• Devid Striesow as Rüdiger
• Palina Rojinski as Katarina Vinson
• Kostja Ullmann as Jonas Vinson
• Joachim Król as Harald Hessel
• Jasmin Shakeri as Küchler
• Carolin Karnuth as Magdalena

Those featured in the show's cast in unnamed characters according to IMDb include:

• Gisa Flake
• Torsten Michaelis
• Kathrin Angerer
• Nilam Farooq
• Jasmin Shakeri
• Benito Bause
• Uke Bosse
• Petra Zieser
• Britta Steffenhagen
• Thomas Niehaus
• Milena Dreißig
• Anton Dreger
• Harriet Herbig-Matten
• Robert Maaser
• Heiko Pinkowski
• Senita Huskic
• Aaron Maldonado-Morales
• Frederic Balonier
• Rony Herman

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The first two episodes of Where's Wanda? with a run time of approximately 41 and 48 minutes each are currently available on Apple TV Plus. The next episode of the show is scheduled for release on the platform on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. The rest of the show's episodes are expected to be released in a weekly format until November 13, 2024.