Police major Adolf Kottan was played by three actors (Peter Vogel, Franz Buchrieser, Lukas Resetarits) who each gave the character a distinct 'flavor'.
His closest collaborators are the one-legged, phlegmatic Schremser (Walter Davy), who later becomes department chief, and the extremely stupid and incompetent Schrammel (C. A. Tichy), who is responsible for many of the more exhilarating moments of the series.
Kottan is married to Ilse (Bibiana Zeller), and they have two children, daughter Sissi (Birgit Machalissa) – who disappears without explanation and is not mentioned in the later episodes – and son Walter (Florian Böhm).
1: Hartlgasse 16a (8 August 1976) 2: Der Geburtstag (5 June 1977) 3: Wien Mitte (19 April 1978) 4: Nachttankstelle (16 November 1978) 5: Drohbriefe (27 September 1979) 6: Räuber und Gendarm (31 October 1980) 7: Die Beförderung (25 October 1981) 8: So long Kottan (5 November 1982) 9: Die Einteilung (19 November 1982) 10: Kansas City (3 December 1982) 11: Die Entführung (17 December 1982) 12: Hausbesuche (7 January 1983) 13: Fühlt wie Du (21 January 1983) 14: Genie und Zufall (8 April 1984) 15: Die Enten des Präsidenten (29 April 1984) 16: Smokey und Baby und Bär (26 August 1984) 17: Mein Hobby: Mord (18 October 1984) 18: Der Kaiser schickt Soldaten aus (15 November 1984) 19: Mabuse kehrt zurück (6 December 1984) Writer Helmut Zenker first created the character of police major Kottan in 1974.
Another six (of what was planned by Zenker and Patzak to be the last season) had been already fully scripted and cast, when then-ORF-boss Gerd Bacher cut short the life of Kottan ermittelt.
(There's no such thing as an inspector), when being called "inspector" by other characters; bikers or cars crashing against the doors of Kottan's car when they are opened; a TV speaker (played by real-life TV speaker Chris Lohner) interacting with the viewers or commenting on them; the coffee machine that refuses to sell coffee to police chief Pilch etc.