| CATEGORY | FAMILIARITIES | DIFFERENCES | THEORY |
| CHARACTERS | Deutschland’83 – The detective who has a ‘natural’ instinct for law and order Basic characters of the Hero of Martin and Princess of Annett Capital – | Capital – Petunia is a victim as she has a tumour | PROPP |
| NARRATIVE | Both end with a cliff hanger or mystery for what will follow. Deutschland – The first episode often introduces a lot of different characters Being trapped in unfamiliar place at end of episode Family always separated | TODOROV | |
| THEMES | The use of binary oppositions around familiar themes: family, community, law and order, justice. One person saving many of East Berlin Capital – Has themes of family, unity and loss | LEVI-STRAUSS | |
| REPRESENTATION | Reactionary representations of police, family, law and order, urban/rural | Different view of Communism as good | SEMIOTIC |
| TECHNICAL CODES / LANGUAGE OF MOVING IMAGE (music, setting, props, lighting, use of camera, editing etc) | Opening montage sequence that often gives clues as to the whole series – themes, locations, characters, events etc. |
