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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/acasefortwo.png]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:The private eye, Josef Matula (left) and the attorney, Dieter Renz (right).]]
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4''A Case for Two'' (German: ''Ein Fall für zwei'') is a UsefulNotes/{{German|y}} (originally UsefulNotes/{{West German|y}}) detective television series, which premiered in September 1981 on the [[UsefulNotes/GermanTVStations ZDF]] channel. Music/KlausDoldinger (of ''Film/DasBoot'' fame) composed the main theme just like he did for fellow popular German crime & punishment series ''Series/{{Tatort}}''. The original show [[LongRunners lasted until 2013]], and it has a new version with new leads since 2014, ''A Case for Two: Reloaded''.
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6The series, set in Frankfurt am Main ([[UsefulNotes/TheSixteenLandsOfDeutschland Hesse]]), features two main characters who solve criminal cases -- a private detective and a defense attorney :
7* The detective, Josef Matula (played by Creator/ClausTheoGartner for the entirety of the show's existence), a former police officer who has ventured into the private investigation business, has a very effective and direct method, and he sometimes even resorts to dirty tricks. Gärtner reprised the role for three TV movies.
8* By contrast, the attorney character has changed several times. The first was Dr. Dieter Renz (played by Creator/GunterStrack). Renz retired in episode #60 and was replaced by Dr. Rainer Franck (played by Rainer Hunold). In episode #149, Dr. Franck took a job as a law school teacher, and was replaced by Dr. Johannes Voss (played by Mathias Herrmann). In episode #182, Dr. Voss was shot dead by an escaping criminal, and was in turn replaced by Dr. Markus Lessing (played by Paul Frielinghaus).
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10!!This series provides examples of:
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12* ActionHero: Matula often gets into fights and chases while investigating.
13* CharacterAgedWithTheActor: Inevitably happened for Matula, since Claus Theo Gärtner portrayed him for 32 years straight and then some TV films.
14* CrammingTheCoffin: An episode has the criminal hides a body by killing a dog and burying it above the corpse (so when the scene is dug up, the cops only find the dog and think it's a waste of time). Only when Matula has a EurekaMoment and thinks to dig deeper does he confess.
15* FatAndSkinny: Matula always kept himself in good shape (as an ActionHero he better had to). Renz, meanwhile, was quite heavyset.
16* GoodLawyersGoodClients: Most of the time, the people the attorney defends turn out to be truly innocent.
17* InstrumentalThemeTune: The [[https://youtu.be/oWwAWbZlmyo show's theme]] by Klaus Doldinger is purely [[ElectronicMusic synth]] and electric guitar.
18* TheHeroDies: Dr. Johannes Voss ended up shot dead by an escaped criminal.
19* LawProcedural: The court sequences with the attorney defending the suspect.
20* LocalHangout: Matula loves playing pool, always in the same bar. And he always ends up "converting" his partners to that hobby.
21* PrivateDetective: Josef Matula, a former police officer who ventured into the private investigation business.
22* RedHerring: The original suspect usually ends up not being the culprit.
23* RedLightDistrict: Matula has had to investigate in quite a few strip clubs and brothels of Frankfurt.
24* RevolversAreJustBetter: Matula's trusted sidearm is a revolver.
25* RhythmTypewriter: The start of the main theme is played on a typewriter.
26* SpiritualAntithesis: Was conceived as this to ''Series/{{Tatort}}''. The series doesn't directly involve the police (Matula is a former cop), kept the same leading investigator and it has only one location (Frankfurt am Main), whereas ''Tatort'' directly involves the police, has had multiple leading investigators and has expanded in pretty much every major German city.
27* StrictlyFormula: Most episodes follow the same pattern: Someone get murdered, and the police arrest the most likely suspect. The suspect claims to be innocent and hires the attorney (Renz, Franck, Voss or Lessing) as his lawyer. The attorney does all the paperwork, talks with the police and attends court. Meanwhile, Matula does all the actual research and investigation work, often getting into fights and knocking out one or several bad guys, if not the true culprit. In the end, the [[RedHerring original suspect]] usually (but not always) turns out to be innocent after all, and the real culprit is found.
28* WunzaPlot: One's a private detective, one's an attorney. They solve criminal cases.

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