When I first heard the title How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) on Netflix, I rolled my eyes. Honestly. It sounded like another gritty, try-hard attempt to be the next Breaking Bad but for the Gen Z crowd who can't put their phones down. I expected something flashy and hollow. I was wrong. It’s actually one of the most clever, fast-paced, and strangely heartfelt shows the streaming giant has ever put out of Europe. It isn’t really about the narcotics. Not deep down. It’s about a nerd named Moritz Zimmermann who gets dumped and decides the best way to win his girlfriend back is to launch an international drug empire from his bedroom in Rinseln, Germany.
It’s loosely based on a true story. That’s the kicker.
The show captures a specific kind of modern anxiety. You know that feeling where you’re trying to build a personal brand while also just trying to survive high school? Moritz, played by Maximilian Mundt, embodies that perfectly. He’s arrogant. He’s insecure. He’s incredibly smart and also a total idiot when it comes to human emotions. Watching him navigate the dark web while trying to pass his exams is a chaotic masterclass in storytelling.
The Real Story Behind the Screen
The crazy part is that How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) isn't just a writer's fever dream. It’s based on Maximilian Schmidt. In 2013, the real-life teenager started "Shiny Flakes" from his childhood bedroom in Leipzig. He wasn't some hardened criminal with a leather jacket and a scar. He was a kid who figured out how to use the postal service to move millions of dollars worth of MDMA, cocaine, and prescription pills.
The Netflix adaptation takes that kernel of truth and runs with it. The showrunners, Philipp Käßbohrer and Matthias Murmann, didn’t want to make a documentary—though Netflix eventually did release one called Shiny_Flakes: The Teenage Drug Lord if you’re into the gritty facts. Instead, they built a vibrant, neon-soaked world that feels like a mix of The Social Network and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
It’s fast.
The editing style is frantic. You get pop-ups on the screen, Fourth Wall breaks, and cameos from random celebrities explaining how the Darknet works. It’s designed for an audience that grew up with TikTok and multiple browser tabs open at once. If you blink, you might miss a joke or a crucial plot point about Bitcoin mining.
Why Moritz is the Anti-Hero We Deserve
Moritz is hard to like sometimes. That's the point.
Most TV shows want you to root for the protagonist unconditionally. But in How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast), Moritz often becomes his own worst enemy. He pushes away his best friend, Lenny, who is arguably the soul of the show. Lenny, played by Danilo Kamperidis, is a brilliant coder with a terminal illness. He isn't interested in the power or the money; he’s interested in the challenge. He’s the one who actually builds the infrastructure for "MyDrugs," their digital storefront.
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The dynamic between them is the real hook.
You have these two outcasts who suddenly find themselves sitting on a mountain of cash they can’t even spend because they’re still living with their parents. There’s a scene where they’re trying to figure out how to launder money through a local car wash, and it’s a brilliant nod to the tropes of the genre while remaining firmly planted in the reality of being a teenager in a small German town.
The Evolution of MyDrugs
The business side of the show is surprisingly accurate. It deals with:
- The logistics of global shipping.
- UI/UX design for a drug marketplace (gotta keep those customer ratings high!).
- The volatility of cryptocurrency.
- Avoiding the "Clear Web" while maintaining a brand presence.
It’s a startup story. Honestly, if you swapped the drugs for organic dog food, it would be a standard Silicon Valley narrative. That’s where the satire bites the hardest. It mocks the "hustle culture" and the "move fast and break things" mentality that dominates the tech world. Moritz isn't a kingpin; he’s a CEO. And he’s a CEO who is desperately trying to satisfy a "board" (the dangerous Dutch drug suppliers) while keeping his "customers" happy.
Style Over Substance? Not Quite.
Don't let the bright colors and the "cool" soundtrack fool you. There is a lot of weight to the narrative. As the seasons progress, the stakes get lethally high. What starts as a way to get a girl back—Lisa, played by Anna Lena Klenke—spirals into a situation involving international syndicates and police investigations led by Moritz’s own father.
The irony is thick.
His dad is a cop. It’s a classic trope, but it works here because the tension is so personal. Every dinner table conversation is a potential minefield. The show manages to balance these high-stakes moments with genuinely funny observations about German culture, high school cliques, and the absurdity of social media.
Breaking the Fourth Wall
One of the standout features of How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) is how it talks directly to you. Characters will stop what they're doing to explain a concept like "Dead Drops" or "PGP Encryption." It’s educational in the weirdest way possible. It respects the viewer's intelligence. It assumes you’re savvy enough to understand the tech, but it provides a little context just in case you aren't a dark web regular.
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The pacing is relentless.
Episodes are usually around 30 minutes. It’s a "bingeable" show in the truest sense of the word. You can finish a whole season in an afternoon and feel like you’ve just run a marathon through a digital landscape.
The Visual Language of the Show
Visually, the show is stunning. The use of split screens and on-screen text makes the digital world feel as tactile as the real one. In many ways, for these characters, the digital world is the real one. Their relationships are forged in group chats and Discord servers. Their reputations are built on code.
When they show the MyDrugs interface, it looks like a professional e-commerce site. It’s clean. It’s user-friendly. It’s a terrifyingly accurate depiction of how the internet has commodified everything, even illegal substances. The contrast between the boring, grey architecture of their small town and the vibrant, neon-lit interface of their website is a recurring visual theme that highlights the escapism at the heart of the story.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think this show is a glorification of drug dealing. It really isn't. If anything, it’s a cautionary tale about ego. Moritz doesn't get "cool" because he sells drugs. He becomes more isolated, more paranoid, and more detached from the people who actually care about him. By the time we get to the later seasons, the "fast" part of the title starts to feel like a warning rather than a boast.
Everything is moving too fast for him to control.
The Dutch cartel characters are a great addition. They bring a level of genuine menace that reminds the audience—and Moritz—that this isn't a game. These aren't just bits and bytes on a screen. There are real-world consequences to playing at being a gangster. The introduction of characters like Buba (played by Bjarne Mädel) adds a layer of dark comedy that eventually turns quite grim.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Watch Session
If you’re planning on diving into this series, here is how to get the most out of it.
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First, watch it in the original German with subtitles. The English dub is okay, but you lose the specific cadence and humor of the original performances. The German language adds a certain "staccato" feel to the dialogue that matches the fast-paced editing.
Second, pay attention to the background details. The production design is littered with Easter eggs. From the posters on the walls to the code on the screens, there is a lot of effort put into making this world feel lived-in.
Third, watch the documentary Shiny_Flakes after Season 2. It provides a fascinating reality check. Seeing the actual "drug lord"—who looks like a totally normal, slightly awkward kid—makes the fictional version of Moritz even more compelling. It helps you separate the TV magic from the cold, hard facts of the case.
Finally, don't expect a typical "drug show." Expect a story about friendship, the terror of growing up, and the lengths people will go to when they feel invisible.
The Future of the Series
With rumors and news regarding Season 4 or potential spin-offs always floating around, the legacy of How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) is secure. It proved that German television could be global, modern, and incredibly stylish. It paved the way for other non-English language hits on the platform.
The show concludes its initial arc by forcing Moritz to face the music. Without giving away too many spoilers, the narrative loop it closes is satisfying but leaves you wanting to see just how much further this character can fall—or climb, depending on how you look at it.
It’s a wild ride. It’s funny, it’s heartbreaking, and it’s probably the most honest depiction of "internet culture" ever put to film. Whether you’re a tech nerd, a fan of crime dramas, or just someone who likes a good coming-of-age story, this one is worth your time.
Next Steps to Deepen the Experience
- Watch the Original German Version: Switch your Netflix audio settings. The nuance in Moritz's frantic delivery is much better in the original language.
- Fact-Check the Tech: Look up the history of the Silk Road and how it paved the way for sites like the one depicted in the show. It makes the "MyDrugs" evolution much more fascinating.
- Explore the Soundtrack: The music is a curated mix of European indie and electronic tracks that perfectly capture the show's energy. Search for the official playlist to get that Rinseln vibe.
- Compare with Shiny_Flakes: Watch the documentary to see the real Maximilian Schmidt. Notice how the showrunners borrowed his "efficiency-first" mindset but changed the emotional stakes.
The story of Moritz Zimmermann isn't just about selling pills; it's about the desperation of wanting to be someone in a world that feels too small. It’s about the fact that on the internet, you can be anyone—until the real world comes knocking at your door.