Duisburg typifies those cities once dependent on heavy industry but now undergoing a prolonged period of structural change. A number of large-scale urban redevelopment projects have already been launched with a view to fostering this change and to rebranding Duisburg as a postindustrial location ("Standort"). Light is shed on this planning process by showing Duisburg as a crime scene ("Tatort") and thereby depicting the city as the home of fictional police inspector, Horst Schimanski. Since the introductory TV episode was first aired, in 1981, the character has had a significant impact on the city’s public image. Our parallel study of branding efforts and filmmaking shows how the selected backdrops and the social conscience of the fictional hero problematize both the speed and the course of structural change. The public debate surrounding Schimanski is indicative of the rather one-dimensional nature of urban development efforts in Duisburg.