Huntress

This is the official promo video for the primetime episode: Backstage:

No problem Now's a good time to tune in because at the end of May, there's going to be another special primetime episode. Episodes #6515 to #6517 will air on Tuesday, May 29th, 2018 as a 90-minutes episode between 7.40 and 9.15 pm, followed by a 60-minutes backstage special. The special was filmed on the Spanish island of Mallorca. John, Emily, Philip, Sophie,. Maren, Paul and Shirin travel to Mallorca to celebrate Emily and Philip's 30th birthday. Of course all hell breaks loose...

Currently there are several good storylines: Anni has fallen in love with Katrin, her ex-girlfriend Jasmin's mother... the two women will share a kiss soon. On paper, the whole storyline is absurd because Katrin has never shown any bisexual tendencies before, but the two actresses are definitely going to make this work. Then there's Maren, a mother of 3 adult kids, who's now pregnant from a one-night-stand with Leon. The problem is, Leon's married to Sophie, and Maren's been in relationship with Alexander for a couple of years. Nina has recently gotten a divorce from her abusive husband Martin and is growing closer to Jo Gerner. Jo and Katrin are battling for Johanna's custody. John is fighting for Shirin's affection, but Shirin is still faithful to her criminal husband Erik, who had been in prison for several years. Emily and Paul are going to get married, but Paul's sister Miriam, who had been kidnapped as a child and has only resurfaced recently, is causing trouble. Maybe she's not the real Miriam after all? --- Episode Counts April 2018 Actor names in italics denote recurring roles or guest appearances. One-shot characters do not appear in this list, even though they were listed in the closing credits. Unter uns A total of 20 episodes aired this month. No new episode on 04/01/2018 (= Easter Monday) Who's who? http://www.soapsworld.de/unter-uns-uu/besetzung 01. Nora Koppen (Elli Weigel) : 20 02. Jens Hajek (Benedikt Huber) : 18 *** Astrid Leberti (Andrea Huber) : 18 04. Alexander Milo (Jakob Huber) : 17 *** Patrick Müller (Tobias Lassner) : 17 06. Milos Vukovic (Paco Weigel) : 15 *** Benjamin Heinrich (Benno "Bambi" Hirschberger) : 15 *** Antonia Michalsky (Saskia Weigel) : 15 *** Lars Steinhöfel (Easy Winter) : 15 10. Timothy Boldt (Ringo Beckmann) : 14 *** Isabell Hertel (Ute Kiefer) : 14 *** Ben Ruedinger (Till Weigel) : 14 13. Petra Blossey (Irene Weigel-Küpper) : 13 *** Luca Maric (Robert Küpper) : 13 *** Kai Noll (Rufus Sturm) : 13 16. Claudelle Deckert (Eva Wagner) : 11 17. Valea Katharina Scalabrino (Sina Hirschberger) : 10 *** Linda König (Larissa Huber) : 10 19. Andrea Brix (Roswitha Küpper-Pütz) : 7 *** Aaron Koszuta (Valentin Huber) : 7 21. Ramon Ademes (Roger Schmitz) : 6 22. Lena Klöber (Sarah Fuchs) : 5 *** Stefano Ligorio (Gianni Aurino) : 5 24. Cronis Karakassidis (Nikos Karadimas) : 4 25. Pauline Angert (Kay-C Schneider) : 3 26. Finn Luca Cramer (Noah Weigel) : 1 CONTRACT ARRIVALS: Linda König (Larissa Huber) [04/10/2018] CONTRACT DEPARTURES: Pauline Angert (Kay-C Schneider) [04/05/2018] Final cliffhanger of April 2018: Saskia doesn't know how to react when Jakob declares his love to her. Alles was zählt A total of 20 episodes aired this month. No new episode on 04/01/2018 (= Easter Monday) Who's who? http://www.soapsworld.de/alles-was-zaehlt-awz/besetzung 01. Silvan-Pierre Leirich (Richard Steinkamp) : 20 02. André Dietz (Ingo Zadek) : 18 *** Igor Dolgatschew (Deniz Öztürk) : 18 *** Christian Feist (Damian Steinkamp) : 18 *** Bela Klentze (Ronny Bergmann) : 18 *** Francisco Medina (Maximilian von Altenburg) : 18 *** Kaja Schmidt-Tychsen (Jenny Steinkamp) : 18 08. Franziska Benz (Michelle Bauer) : 17 *** Lars Korten (Christoph Lukowski) : 17 10. Jörg Rohde (Ben Steinkamp) : 15 11. Ania Niedieck (Isabelle Pachlhuber) : 14 12. Tatjana Clasing (Simone Steinkamp) : 13 *** Maike Johanna Reuter (Pauline Reusch) : 13 *** Heike Warmuth (Carmen Bauer) : 13 15. Sam Eisenstein (Marian Öztürk) : 12 *** Cheyenne Pahde (Marie Schmidt) : 12 17. Juliette Greco (Lena Öztürk): 11 18. Marko Drylich (Ralf Rottmann) : 9 *** Roni Zorina (Ekaterina Osimowa) : 9 20. Tanja Szewczenko (Diana Sommer) : 6 21. Ralf-Maximilian Prack (Alexander Öztürk) : 5 22. Julia Augustin (Dr. Vanessa Steinkamp) : 4 23. Maxine Meutgens (Nurse Svenja) : 3 24. Christoph Gareisen (DA Björn Seifert) : 2 *** Philipp Stier (Kai Reusch) : 2 26. Kerstin Kramer (Dr. Kerstin Maschke) : 1 *** Daniel Kremner (Real Damian Steinkamp) : 1 CONTRACT ARRIVALS: Francisco Medina (Maximilian von Altenburg) [01/04/2018] (3rd return) CONTRACT DEPARTURES: Daniel Buder (Vincent Thalbach) [02/26/2018] Francisco Medina (Maximilian von Altenburg) [04/30/2018] (4th departure) Final cliffhanger of April 2018: Michelle says goodbye to Maximilian and watches as he drives away. Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten A total of 20 episodes aired this month. No new episode on 04/01/2018 (= Easter Monday) Who's who? http://www.soapsworld.de/gute-zeiten-schlechte-zeiten-gzsz/besetzung 01. Ulrike Frank (Katrin Flemming) : 20 02. Valentina Pahde (Sunny Richter) : 16 03. Wolfgang Bahro (Dr. Jo Gerner) : 15 04. Thomas Drechsel (Max "Tuner" Krüger) : 14 *** Daniel Fehlow (Leon Moreno) : 14 *** Jörn Schlönvoigt (Dr. Philip Höfer) : 14 07. Felix von Jascheroff (John Bachmann) : 13 *** Clemens Löhr (Alexander Cöster) : 13 09. Felix van Deventer (Jonas Seefeld) : 12 *** Anne Menden (Emily Höfer) : 12 *** Eva Mona Rodekirchen (Maren Seefeld) : 12 *** Gamze Senol (Shirin Akinci) : 12 *** Iris Mareike Steen (Lilly Seefeld) : 12 14. Lea Marlen Woitack (Sophie Lindh) : 11 *** Niklas Osterloh (Paul Wiedmann) : 10 *** Eric Stehfest (Chris Lehmann) : 10 17. Maximilian Braun (Luis Ahrens) : 9 *** Maria Wedig (Nina Ahrens) : 9 *** Patrick Heinrich (Erik Fritsche) : 9 20. Chryssanthi Kavazi (Laura Weber) : 8 *** Linda Marlen Runge (Anni Brehme) : 8 22. Florian Stiehler (Dr. Oliver Brückner) : 6 23. Thaddäus Meilinger (Felix Lehmann) : 5 24. Marcus Staiger (Stefan Wiedmann) : 2 *** Susanne Szell (Silke Wiedmann) : 2 *** Luisa Wietzorek (Miriam Althoff) : 2 CONTRACT ARRIVALS: Gamze Senol (Shirin Akinci) [02/22/2018] (recurring previously) CONTRACT DEPARTURES: ––– Final cliffhanger of April 2018: Sunny finds Johanna's farewell note.

Here's an Interview – in English! – with current GZSZ producer Petra Kolle and actress Ulrike Frank (who plays Katrin Flemming). Behind the Scenes of the Anniversary Photo Shoot: UU's Timothy Boldt (Ringo) and Lars Steinhöfel (Easy) aka "Ringsy" send a "Thank You" message to their fans:

"Golden" debuted at #1 in the UK and in Australia, and at #3 in Germany. My favorite songs are "Dancing", "Stop Me From Falling", "Music's Too Sad Without You" and "Every Little Part of Me".

On May 4th, 2018, GZSZ celebrates its 6500th episode. However, that particular episode will be a regular half-hour episode. Apparently, there will be another 90-minute primetime special at the end of May (episodes #6515-#6517). The show has released new promotional pictures. Half of the male cast was absent from the shoot, while the ladies look stunning as usual. 1. Iris Mareike Steen (Lilly) / Gamze Senol (Shirin) / Valentina Pahde (Sunny) / Felix van Deventer (Jonas) & Daniel Fehlow (Leon) 2. Ulrike Frank (Katrin) / Linda Marlen Runge (Anni) / Chryssanthi Kavazi (Laura) / Jörn Schlönvoigt (Philip) & Maximilian Braun (Luis) 3. Maria Wedig (Nina) / Anne Menden (Emily) / Eva Mona Rodekirchen (Maren) / Felix van Deventer (Jonas) & Clemens Löhr (Alexander) 4. Lea Marlen Woitack (Sophie) / Valentina Pahde & Lea Marlen Woitack / Iris Mareike Steen & Anne Menden / Chryssanthi Kavazi & Wolfgang Bahro (Jo)

GZSZ – Current Opening (3 versions) GZSZ – Opening 1993 Only one cast member is still part of the cast as of today. Unter uns – Opening 2004 Sturm der Liebe – Opening Cycle 14 Dahoam is Dahoam – Opening 2017 This daily soap has been on the air since October 2007. So far 2900 episodes have been shown. "Dahoam is Dahoam" (Standard German: "Daheim ist Daheim" / "At Home is at Home") airs weekdays at 7.30 pm (against AWZ and GZSZ) on BR (Bayerischer Rundfunk) and attracts an audience of ~ 1 million every day. The show is set in Lansing, a rural village in Bavaria, and has quite a traditional look compared to the other soaps. Several characters speak in a Bavarian dialect which is sometimes hard to understand in other parts of Germany. Schloss Einstein – Opening Season 20 The long-running childrens' soap is still on the air and just finished its 21st season with 26 new episodes.

Episode Counts March 2018 Actor names in italics denote recurring roles or guest appearances. One-shot characters do not appear in this list, even though they were listed in the closing credits. Unter uns A total of 21 episodes aired this month. No new episode on 3/30/2018 (= Good Friday). Who's who? http://www.soapsworld.de/unter-uns-uu/besetzung 01. Jens Hajek (Benedikt Huber) : 19 02. Nora Koppen (Elli Schneider) : 18 *** Patrick Müller (Tobias Lassner) : 18 04. Pauline Angert (Kay-C Schneider) : 17 *** Timothy Boldt (Ringo Beckmann) : 17 *** Lars Steinhöfel (Ingo "Easy" Winter) : 17 *** Milos Vukovic (Paco Weigel) : 17 08. Luca Maric (Robert Küpper) : 16 09. Petra Blossey (Irene Weigel-Küpper) : 15 *** Benjamin Heinrich (Benno "Bambi" Hirschberger) : 15 *** Astrid Leberti (Andrea Huber) : 15 *** Alexander Milo (Jakob Huber) : 15 *** Valea Katharina Scalabrino (Sina Hirschberger) : 15 14. Isabell Hertel (Ute Kiefer) : 14 *** Antonia Michalsky (Saskia Weigel) : 14 *** Ben Ruedinger (Till Weigel) : 14 17. Claudelle Deckert (Eva Wagner) : 13 18. Kai Noll (Rufus Sturm) : 12 19. Ramon Ademes (Roger Schmitz) : 11 20. Andrea Brix (Roswitha Küpper-Pütz) : 8 21. Stefano Ligorio (Gianni Aurino) : 7 *** Moritz von Zeddelmann (Hauke König) : 7 23. Chronis Karakassidis (Nikos Karadimas) : 5 24. Lena Klöber (Sarah Fuchs) : 3 25. Finn Luca Cramer (Noah Weigel) : 2 *** Antje Koch (Sandra Wachtelberg) : 2 Alles was zählt A total of 21 episodes aired this month. No new episode on 3/30/2018 (= Good Friday). Who's who? http://www.soapsworld.de/alles-was-zaehlt-awz/besetzung 01. Christian Feist (Damian Steinkamp) : 21 02. Lars Korten (Christoph Lukowski) : 18 *** Kaja Schmidt-Tychsen (Jenny Steinkamp) : 18 04. Sam Eisenstein (Marian Öztürk) : 17 *** Juliette Greco (Lena Öztürk) : 17 *** Francisco Medina (Maximilian von Altenburg) : 17 *** Ania Niedieck (Isabelle Pachlhuber) : 17 08. André Dietz (Ingo Zadek) : 15 *** Maike Johanna Reuter (Pauline Reusch) : 15 10. Franziska Benz (Michelle Bauer) : 14 *** Jörg Rohde (Ben Steinkamp) : 14 12. Philipp Stier (Kai Reusch) : 13 13. Heike Warmuth (Carmen Bauer) : 12 14. Igor Dolgatschew (Deniz Öztürk) : 11 *** Bela Klentze (Ronny Bergmann) : 11 *** Cheyenne Pahde (Marie Schmidt) : 11 17. Silvan-Pierre Leirich (Richard Steinkamp) : 10 18. Tanja Szewczenko (Diana Sommer) : 9 19. Tatjana Clasing (Simone Steinkamp) : 7 *** Stefania Kavas (Aylin Öztürk) : 7 *** Ralf-Maximilian Prack (Alexander Öztürk) : 7 22. Christoph Gareisen (DA Björn Seifert) : 5 23. Christian Concilio (BDE President Thorsten Heck) : 4 24. Roni Zorina (Ekaterina Osimowa) : 3 25. Marko Drylich (Ralf Rottmann) : 2 *** Kerstin Kramer (Dr. Kerstin Maschke) : 2 27. Julia Augustin (Dr. Vanessa Steinkamp) : 0 Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten A total of 21 episodes aired this month. No new episode on 3/30/2018 (= Good Friday). Who's who? http://www.soapsworld.de/gute-zeiten-schlechte-zeiten-gzsz/besetzung 01. Ulrike Frank (Katrin Flemming) : 16 *** Anne Menden (Emily Höfer) : 16 03. Clemens Löhr (Alexander Cöster) : 15 *** Iris Mareike Steen (Lilly Seefeld) : 15 05. Niklas Osterloh (Paul Wiedmann) : 14 *** Maria Wedig (Nina Ahrens) : 14 07. Maximilian Braun (Luis Ahrens) : 13 *** Thomas Drechsel (Max "Tuner" Krüger) : 13 *** Eva Mona Rodekirchen (Maren Seefeld) : 13 10. Felix von Jascheroff (John Bachmann) : 12 *** Valentina Pahde (Sunny Richter) : 12 *** Eric Stehfest (Chris Lehmann) : 12 *** Lea Marlen Woitack (Sophie Lindh) : 12 14. Wolfgang Bahro (Dr. Jo Gerner) : 11 *** Gamze Senol (Shirin Akinci) : 11 16. Felix van Deventer (Jonas Seefeld) : 10 *** Thaddäus Meilinger (Felix Lehmann) : 10 *** Luisa Wietzorek (Miriam Althoff) : 10 19. Daniel Fehlow (Leon Moreno) : 8 *** Linda Marlen Runge (Anni Brehme) : 8 *** Florian Stiehler (Dr. Oliver Brückner) : 8 22. Chryssanthi Kavazi (Laura Weber) : 6 *** Patrick Heinrich (Erik Fritsche) : 6 24. Susanna Okonowski (Lea Reibitz) : 5 25. Andrea Schneider (Meike Werner) : 3 25. Joana Schümer (Rosa Lehmann) : 2 *** Susanne Szell (Silke Wiedmann) : 2 28. Jörn Schlönvoigt (Dr. Philip Höfer) : 1

According to recent reports, Sat.1 will launch a new daily soap this fall. Grundy UFA, which also produces the RTL soaps GZSZ, AWZ and UU, has pitched three ideas to the network. Since the 90s, Sat.1 has tried to establish a successful rival to the RTL soaps, but failed miserably every time. All soaps were cancelled after less than one year on the air. Their last effort was "Mila" which debuted on September 7th, 2015 and was taken off the network's schedule only three weeks later. The remaining 60 episodes, which already had been filmed, were shown on Sat.1's sister channel sixx. UU: Behind the scenes: Easy and Ringo's happy ending The videos shows that while filming on-location in front of Cologne Cathedral, some people expressed anti gay slurs. GZSZ has just started a #MeToo storyline involving Lilly Seefeld (Iris Mareike Steen) who is sexually harrassed at work by her boss Dr. Brückner.

Preview Pictures for March 2018 Unter uns 01. Benedikt (Jens Hajek) lures Saskia (Antonia Michalsky) into an abandoned building... 02. Jakob (Alexander Milo) suspects that his brother Benedikt knows something about Saskia's disappearance 03. Benedikt and Jakob get into a physical fight 04. It is all too much for her: Irene (Petra Blossey) has a heart attack 05. Andrea (Astrid Leberti) and Eva (Claudelle Deckert) fight over a dress 06. After finally leaving his wheelchair behind, Paco (Milos Vukovic) undertakes his first walk in ages 07. Easy (Lars Steinhöfel) reads Ringo's farewell letter 08. Kay-C (Pauline Angert) departs for Los Angeles. She hopes that Tobias (Patrick Müller) stops her from leaving, but he doesn't [and Angert obviously departs the show]. 09. Eva, Ute (Isabell Hertel) and Andrea make peace 10. Bambi (Benjamin Heinrich [who had a full frontal nude scene in a recent Netflix show]) is upset that Sina's (Valea Scalabrino) obnoxious colleagues treat him like crap Alles was zählt 01. Christoph (Lars Korten) wants Simone (Tatjana Clasing) to admit that she evaded paying taxes 02. Marian (Sam Eisenstein) and Lena (Juliette Greco) argue about Maximilian's presence in their lives 03. At Alexander's birthday party, the tensions between Marian and Maxmilian heat up 04. Pauline (Maike Johanna Reuter) is surprised to receive a visit from her brother Kai (Philipp Stier) 05. Isabelle (Ania Niedieck) appeals to Damian's conscience regarding his aversion to Kai 06. Ingo (André Dietz) tells Lena that the Steinkamp Zentrum will probably close down and that everyone will lose their jobs 07. Deniz's cousin Aylin (Stefania Kavas) tells Jenny (Kaja Schmidt-Tychsen) that she has a crush on her 08. Deniz is surprised when Jenny and Aylin flirt in his presence 09. Aylin visits Jenny at the Steinkamp mansion and is greeted by Frau Scholz (Ingeborg Brings) 10. Damian burns his childhood photos Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten 01. Alexander (Clemens Löhr) suspects that Maren (Eva Mona Rodekirchen) is hiding something from him – well, how could he know that she slept with Leon! 02. Paul (Niklas Osterloh) is glad to have his sister Miriam aka Annike (Luisa Wietzorek), who was kidnapped as a young child, back in his life 03. Lea (Susanna Okonowski) feels neglected by Jonas (Felix van Deventer) 04. Nina (Maria Wedig, right) tries to find reasons why Katrin (Ulrike Frank) can't move in with her and Luis (Maximilian Braun) 05. John (Felix von Jascheroff) and Shirin (Gamze Senol [who is now on contract]) have trouble with their latest business venture 06. Paul proposes to Emily (Anne Menden) and she says "yes" 07. Rosa (Joanna Schümer) is happy that her sons Chris (Eric Stehfest) and Felix are finally getting along... 08. ...but Sunny (Valentina Pahde) still has problems with Felix's presence in Chris's life 09. John gets to know Shirin's husband Erik (Patrick Heinrich) 10. Felix (Thaddäus Meilinger) is surprised that Laura (Chryssanthi Kavazi) has obviously changed her revenge plans

Oh, definitely. I can't stand Maximilian, and it sucks that everytime the actor decides to come back (this is his fourth stint), storylines get rewritten so Maximilian can emerge as the knight in shining armor even though he's a criminal himself. Vincent was a welcome change, and the actor was capable and nice to look at. I don't know if Jenny and Deniz are that popular as a couple, but they've clearly become one of the show's main couples and have had shared frontburner storylines for almost two years, mostly involving their business. The relationships and family ties on AWZ are a bit obscure and incestuous, I admit. It's very similar to B&B, actually. Only taking into consideration the current cast, there are... Richard Steinkamp and Simone Steinkamp, née von Altenburg, have two daughters together: Jenny Steinkamp and Dr. Vanessa Steinkamp Lukowski. Richard and Simone are currently divorced. They have broken up several times since the show began, and remarried several times as well. Jenny is in a relationship with Deniz Öztürk, and Vanessa is married to Christoph Lukowski. They have a little son named Henry who was born last year. Jenny has a little daughter named Annabelle from a previous relationship. Annabelle is roughly 4 years old. Richard Steinkamp has another son, Ben Steinkamp. He's currently single (and on the backburner, it seems). Carmen Bauer is Simone's half-sister. She is Ben's ex-girlfriend and is currently dating his father Richard. Michelle Bauer is the daughter of Carmen and Vincent Thalbach. She's Jenny and Vanessa's cousin. Michelle is Ronny Bergmann's ex-girlfriend. Maximilian von Altenburg is Simone's son. He's Jenny and Vanessa's half-brother. He was once married to Lena Bergmann von Altenburg Öztürk and they have a son named Alexander together. Alexander lives with Lena. He was also once married to Isabelle Reichenbach Steinkamp von Altenburg Pachlhuber and they have a daughter named Sophia together. Lena Bergmann von Altenburg Öztürk is married to Marian Öztürk. She is also Ingo Zadek's ex-girlfriend and Ronny Bergmann's cousin. She's best friends with Diana and Carmen. Marian Öztürk is Deniz's father. Ingo Zadek is currently involved with Diana Sommer. He is Marie Schmidt's half-brother. Diana is Marie's figure skating coach. Ingo, Ben and Marian are best buddies. Marie is in a relationship with Ronny Bergmann. She hates Michelle and vice versa. Isabelle Reichenbach Steinkamp von Altenburg Pachlhuber was married to Richard Steinkamp, Maximilian von Altenburg and Ben Steinkamp (among others). She had an affair with Vincent. She's enemies with everyone. Currently she's dating Damian Steinkamp. Damian Steinkamp is a distant cousin of Richard Steinkamp. He's dating both Isabelle and Pauline Reusch. The latter is Vanessa's best friend.

Some casting news: Daniel Buder departs AWZ on February 26th, 2018, when his character Vincent Thalbach is sent to prison. The 40-year old actor joined the show in September 2016. Vincent is Michelle Bauer's (Franziska Benz) estranged father, and after years of no contact, he reached out to her one day. Even though her mother Carmen told her to be careful, Michelle bonded with her father, but he was up to no good: He wanted Michelle to become the next figure skating star and did a lot of awful things to advance her career. Vincent also worked against the Steinkamps, mainly Jenny and Deniz, and used the "Pumpwerk" gym as a place to sell drugs. (Now that writers' pet Francisco Medina is back on contract, it was only a matter of time before Buder had to go. In a press release, the show even stated that "there is only place for one bad guy in town".) On UU, Tabea Heynig (Britta Schönfeld) has gone on maternity leave. The 47-year old actress, who has been on contract with the show since January 2010, is expecting her first child. In the show's storyline, Britta went to Singapore for a new job. She's supposed to return later this year (but only time will tell if she really does). Also on UU, Aaron Koszuta briefly returns as Valentin Huber in late April 2018 – just in time to introduce his on-screen sister Larissa Huber. The new contract role will be played by 20-year old actress Linda König. Koszuta departed the show last fall when his character moved to Hamburg to become a police officer. How AWZ films its vast figure skating scenes: In addition, AWZ updated its opening two weeks ago. Version A: Order: Tatjana Clasing as Simone Steinkamp (original cast member) & Silvan-Pierre Leirich as Richard Steinkamp (original cast member) / Cheyenne Pahde as Marie Schmidt #2 (2016-present), André Dietz as Ingo Zadek (original cast member) & Tanja Szewczenko as Diana Sommer (2006-2009; 2016-present) / Kaja Schmidt-Tychsen as Jenny Steinkamp #4 (2011-present) & Igor Dolgatschew as Deniz Öztürk (2007-present) / Julia Augustin as Vanessa Steinkamp Lukowski (2006-2009; 2010-2012; 2013; 2014-present) & Maike Johanna Reuter as Pauline Reusch (2017-present) / Franziska Benz as Michelle Bauer (2016-present) & Bela Klentze as Ronny Bergmann (2016-present) / Sam Eisenstein as Marian Öztürk (original cast member) & Juliette Greco as Lena Bergmann von Altenburg Öztürk #1/#3 (2007-2013; 2013-present) / Igor Dolgatschew as Deniz Öztürk (2007-present) / Alles was zählt Version B Order: Julia Augustin as Vanessa Steinkamp Lukowski (2006-2009; 2010-2012; 2013; 2014-present) & Lars Korten as Christoph Lukowski (2015-present) / Sam Eisenstein as Marian Öztürk (original cast member) & André Dietz as Ingo Zadek (original cast member) / Heike Warmuth as Carmen Bauer (2016-present) & Tatjana Clasing as Simone Steinkamp (original cast member) / Ania Niedieck as Isabelle Reichenbach Steinkamp (2010-present) & Francisco Medina as Maximilian von Altenburg (2007-2013; 2014-2015; 2017; 2018-present) / Franziska Benz as Michelle Bauer (2016-present), Bela Klentze as Ronny Bergmann (2016-present) & Cheyenne Pahde as Marie Schmidt #2 (2016-present) / Silvan-Pierre Leirich as Richard Steinkamp (original cast member) & Christian Feist as Damian Steinkamp (2017-present) / Jörg Rohde as Ben Steinkamp #2 (2009-present) / Alles was zählt

RTL is a bit late as GZSZ celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, but they have released a few new videos on GZSZ's official website, ranking the show's best moments in several categories: Some of their choices are a bit weird, though, since the show had a lot more to offer over the years. Best Cliffhangers Video: https://www.rtl.de/cms/gzsz-die-25-besten-cliffhanger-4138264.html #25: In a parking garage, Saskia Rother (Saskia Valencia) steps into an elevator to meet one of her clients on the upper floor. She doesn't know the man's planning to kill her. Tom Lehmann (Jan Sosniok) wants to rescue Saskia. [1995] #24: Senta Lemke (Hanne Wolharn) walks home to find a cluster of people in front of her house. Senta is shocked when she realizes that her daughter Sandra (Anna Frenzel-Röhl) is about to jump from a window. [2001] #23: Jo Gerner (Wolfgang Bahro) and Katrin Flemming (Ulrike Frank) are desperately trying to their daughter Johanna, who has been kidnapped. In the cold and snowy forest, the police finds Johanna's beanie. [2007] #22: During one of their bizarre BDSM sessions, Tina Zimmermann (Sandra Keller) tries to choke Claudius Mohr (Andreas Krätzig) by pushing a cushion onto his face. "Now you get what you've deserved for a long time," she says. [1996] #21: During a press conference, Sonja Wiebe (Tina Bordihn) accuses Jo of having molested several children. [1998] #20: In Sonja's apartment, Barbara Wiebe-Graf (Maren Thurm) and Frank Richter (Torsten Stoll) find Sonja on the bathroom floor after a suicide attempt. [1997] #19: When Katrin provokes Jo to the utmost, Jo is about to hit her in the face. [2006] #18: Elisabeth Meinhart (Lisa Riecken) tries to kill herself by turning on her gas oven. [Cliffhanger of the very first episode in 1992] #17: Katrin confronts Jasmin's adoptive father Dieter Nowak with a gun. She wants him to suffer for what he did to Jasmin all of these years. "You little piece of s*it!" she screams into his face. [2009] #16: During his brief stint as a journalist, John Bachmann (Felix von Jascheroff) wants to write a story about life in prison. Suddenly, he is threatened by an inmate. [2007] #15: Jo is arrested for fraud and betrayal. [2007] #14: During a family gathering in Christmas Eve, Senta spills the beans about having an affair with Hannes Bachmann (Klaus-Dieter Klebsch), her sister Patrizia's (Christin Baechler) ex husband. "He's a hypocrite, and I'm a hypocrite. But don't think you can crawl back into my bed tonight!" she says. Everyone else is shocked and ashamed. [2002] #13: In prison, Jo is brutally beat up. [2007] #12: Patrick Gerner (Björn Harras) is kidnapped in front of Dominik's (Raul Richter) eyes. [2011] #11: Standing at Sonja's grave, Marie Balzer (Jeanette Biedermann) hears strange noises. There's a man in the bushes. Is it Fabian Moreno (Ralf Benson)? [2003] #10: Katrin and Leon Moreno (Daniel Fehlow) are shocked: A baby doll has been placed in Johanna's stroller. But where's Johanna? [2006] #09: David Brenner (Philipp Christopher) is sure that the police will find Frederic Riefflin's corpse at the construction site. Katrin and Jo are nervous as hell, but then the police tells them that no body has been found. Katrin is relieved. But what happened to the corpse? [2017] #08: On a rooftop, a stoned Patrick celebrates the revelation that he's Jo's biological son. He pees from the rooftop and screams "I'm the king of the world!" Suddenly he loses his balance and falls to his death. [2012] #07: Leon finds Johanna in a nursery in Switzerland. It was Jo who had kidnapped his own daughter! Leon informs Katrin via phone. Jo appears and knocks Leon down. "You will regret this," he says. [2007] #06: On the houseboat, Sandra wants to play a prank on her ex-boyfriend Moritz Demand (Hendrik Borgmann). Then she catches him in bed with her mother Senta! [2001] #05: Robert König (Norbert Hülm) wants to blow up Jo with dynamite – which he strapped onto Jo's body. [1996] #04: During a school dance, teacher Jonas Vossberg (Dominic Boeer) and student Julia Blum (Yvonne Catterfeld) are about to have sex on the school toilet. [2004] #03: Cora Hinze (Nina Bott) and Nico Weimershaus (Raphael Vogt) are looking for their daughter Antonia who has gone missing in a shopping mall. When Cora eventually finds the stroller, it is empty. [2000] #02: Jo and Katrin hold each other at gunpoint. Both want the other one to stay out of Johanna's life forever. They don't notice that Johanna's stroller is about to collide with an ambulance. [2007] #01: The cult "Ring der Welt" (The Ring of the World) is about to commit a mass suicide. Andy Lehmann (Raphael Schneider), Nico, Nataly Jäger (Nadine Dehmel) and Cora are among the victims. "What you drank ... is poison. In a few minutes you will all be dead," the cult leader tells Andy. [1999] Most Dramatic Moments Video: https://www.rtl.de/cms/gute-zeiten-schlechte-zeiten-die-25-dramatischsten-gzsz-momente-4138278.html #25: In an accident, Charlie Fierek (Julian Scheunemann) had killed Katja's then-boyfriend Oliver. He was acquitted of charge. In the courthouse, Charlie is shot by Oliver's mother Dorothea. [1998] #24: André Holm (Matthias Matz) pushes Lilo Gottschick (Susanne Ziellenbach) down a flight of stairs. "You apparently don't know who you're dealing with!" Lilo says. "You clearly don't know, either," André replies. Push forward. [1993] #23: After a physical fight with Tayfun, Leon Moreno (Daniel Fehlow) has trouble with his vision. At the "Mauerwerk" nightclub, he faints and falls down the stairs. [2009] #22: Silke Balzer (Susanne Evers) is threatened by her ex-husband David. When she tells him that it's over and that she's now with Fabian Moreno, David grabs her and breaks her neck. "You belong to me!" he screams. [1999] #21: When Iris Gundlach (Andrea-Kathrin Loewig) starts her car, a bomb detonates, killing her instantly. [1994] #20: Jörg Reuter (Daniel Enzweiler) has kidnapped Sonja Wiebe (Tina Bordihn) in his car. Andy Lehmann (Raphael Schneider) follows them on his motorcycle. Both vehicles almost collide. Andy crashes into a ditch and the car crashes against a tree. (In the aftermath, Andy was left paralyzed and Sonja's face was destroyed.) [1998] #19: Another car crash involving Tim Böcking (Oliver Böcking), Caroline Neustädter (Jessica Ginkel), Verena Koch (Susan Sideropoulos) and heavily pregnant Isabel Eggert (Natalie Alison). (In the aftermath, Isabel gave birth to her son and died two episodes later.) [2006] #18: David Brenner's (Philipp Christopher) traumatic experience in a Malaysian prison. [2015] #17: After having found out that Friederic Riefflin (Dieter Bach) has an affair with his own daughter Jasmin, Katrin Flemming (Ulrike Frank) begs Frederic to leave the country and to stay away from Jasmin. Frederic threatens Katrin. Katrin's best friend Maren Seefeld (Eva Mona Rodekirchen) appears and kills Frederic in self-defense. [2016] #16: Only a few hours after his wedding to Elena Castillo (Elena Garcia Gerlach), Dominik Gundlach (Raul Richter) dies in a motorcycle accident. [2014] #15: Emily Höfer (Anne Menden), Philip Höfer (Jörn Schlönvoigt), Lena Bachmann (Uta Kargel), John Bachmann (Felix von Jascheroff) and Paula Rapf (Josephine Schmidt) are trapped in a subway tunnel. [2005] #14: On the beach, Katrin finds Till's clothes after Till has walked into the ocean to commit suicide. [2017] #13: In a nightly forest in Poland, Jo Bahro (Wolfgang Bahro) is shot by one of his former business partners. [2012] #12: High on coke, Emily and Franzi (Jasmin Weber) cause an explosion at the "Fasan" restaurant. Franzi dies in the fire. [2008] #11: Cora Hinze (Nina Bott) and Nico Weimershaus (Raphael Vogt) are looking for their daughter Antonia. In the forest, they find a shrine with candles and baby clothing. [2000] #10: Katrin wants to know where Jo has been keeping their daughter Johanna and turns to brutal methods. [2007] #09: A bomb placed by the mafia detonates in Fabian Moreno's (Ralf Benson) trailer. [2000] #08: The "Mocca" café is left in ruins after a landslide. Philip Höfer, Ayla Özgül (Sila Sahin), Lucy Cöster (Sarah Tkotsch) and Carsten Reimann (Felix Isenbügel) are trapped inside. [2010] #07: The mafia has taken over the "Mauerwerk" restaurant. Tayfun (Tayfun Baydar) is shot. [2014] #06: Nataly Jäger (Nadine Dehmel) wants to castrate Jo. "It's called justice," she says. "I have nothing to lose." [2000] #05: Almost the whole cast is on board of a plane that is about to crash. [2004] #04: Kai Scholl (Tim Sander) dies in the arms of his best friend Moritz Demand (Hendrik Borgmann). #03: Hannes Bachmann (Klaus-Dieter Klebsch) and Senta Lemke's (Hanne Wolharn) first flight with their new plane ends in disaster as they crash into a field. "We are not dead?," a heavily injured Senta asks Hannes. She doesn't know that a huge piece of metal is stuck in her body. (Senta died in the same episode and Hannes died a few episodes later.) [2007] #02: "Daniel's Bar" is the scene of a huge explosion that changed the show forever. [2002] #01: After being hit by Philip's car, dearly beloved Verena Koch (Susan Sideropoulos) dies at the hospital. [2011] Most Romantic Moments Video: https://www.rtl.de/cms/gzsz-die-25-schoensten-liebesmomente-4138271.html Half of them weren't romantic at all, but who am I to judge. #25: Jo Gerner (Wolfgang Bahro) joins Patrizia Bachmann (Christin Baechler) for a karaoke duet. [2001] #24: Xenia di Montalban (Mia Aegerter) and Ben Bachmann (Peer Kusmagk) meet for the first time. [2002] #23: Ricky Marquardt (Oliver Petszokat) gives Nataly Jäger (Nadine Dehmel) a snow globe. [1998] #22: Jasmin Flemming (Janina Uhse) and Dominik Gundlach (Raul Richter) have steamy shower sex. [2009] #21: In an empty cinema, Kai Scholl (Tim Sander) tells Marie Balzer (Jeannette Biedermann) that he loves her. [2000] #20: Nataly and Jörg Reuter (Daniel Enzweiler) pose as mannequins at a furniture store. Jörg proposes to Nataly. [1997] #19: After a lot of trials and tribulations, Ayla Özgül (Nadine Menz) and David Brenner (Philipp Christopher) leave Berlin together. [2016] #18: Being wanted for Claudius's death, Heiko Richter (Andreas Elsholz) says goodbye to his former high school flame Tina Zimmermann (Sandra Keller). He promises to call her when he's safe – but ultimately, Heiko stayed missing. [1996] #17: Frederic Riefflin (Dieter Bach) proposes to Jasmin (who turned out to be his own daughter later on). [2016] #16: Tuner (Thomas Drechsel) and Emily Höfer (Anne Menden) share a romantic kiss. [2011] #15: Katja Wettstein (Alexandra Neldel) surprises Leon Moreno (Daniel Fehlow) in Finland. (Leon had gone into a witness protection program a few weeks earlier.) [1999] #14: Tayfun Badak (Tayfun Baydar) surprises his wife Emily with a romantic dinner. [2016] #13: John Bachmann (Felix von Jascheroff) doesn't want to give up on Pia Koch (Isabell Horn). [2013] #12: Philip Höfer (Jörn Schlönvoigt) and Lucy Cöster (Sarah Tkotsch) have sex. [2009] #11: Katrin Flemming (Ulrike Frank) and Till Kuhn (Merlin Leonhardt) in the sauna. [2014] #10: Jasmin and Anni Brehme (Linda Marlen Runge) kiss passionately. [2014] #09: Lilly Seefeld (Iris Mareike Steen) and Amar Akram (Thando Walbaum) in bed. [2015] #08: Verena Koch (Susan Sideropoulos) and Leon Moreno (Daniel Fehlow) celebrate the birth of their son Oskar. [2010] #07: Paula Rapf (Josephine Schmidt) and Franzi Reuter (Jasmin Weber) kiss. [2008] #06: David and Ayla have wild sex. (It was surely the raciest sex scene on GZSZ ever – including butt grabbing and stuff.) [2016] #05: Cora Hinze (Nina Bott) gives birth to her daughter Antonia. [2000] #04: Lenny Cöster (Alexander Becht) and Carsten Reimann (Felix Isenbügel) have sex for the first time. In his mind, Lenny hears his ex Emily say: "Have fun with your sweety pie. Maybe he'll visit you in prison." [2010] #03: Jasmin and Anni have a great time at an open-air swimming pool – which they entered illegaly. [2013] #02: During her audition at a music school in London, Julia Blum (Yvonne Catterfeld) is torn between her boyfriend Nico Weimershaus (Raphael Vogt) and her former teacher Jonas Vossberg (Dominic Boeer). (She eventually reconciled with Nico and all three characters left the show in the same episode.) [2005] #01: Till sprays a romantic graffiti for Katrin. [2014] Best Weddings Video: https://www.rtl.de/cms/gzsz-die-25-schoensten-hochzeiten-4138280.html #25: Marina Geppert (Natascha Pfeiffer) und Karsten Richter (Thomas Gohlke) [1992] #24: Elisabeth Meinhart (Lisa Riecken) and Clemens Richter (Frank-Thomas Mende) [2009] #23: Elisabeth Meinhart and A.R. Daniel (Hans Christiani) [1997] #22: Ricky Marquardt (Oliver Petszokat) leaves Nataly Jäger (Nadine Dehmel) on their wedding day [1998] #21: Ayla Özgül (Sila Sahin) and Tayfun Badak (Tayfun Baydar) (the scenes are from their engagement party – eventually, they didn't get married) [2011] #20: Iris Gehbauer (Andrea Kathrin Loewig) and Michael Gundlach (Udo Thies) [1993] #19: Patrizia Bachmann (Christin Baechler) and Jo Gerner (Wolfgang Bahro) [2002] #18: Elke Opitz (Claudia Weiske) and Patrick Graf (Alexander Kiersch) [1995] #17: Anni Brehme (Linda Marlen Runge) and Amar Akram (Thando Walbaum) (fake marriage) [2015] #16: Sunny Richter (Valentina Pahde) and Vince Köpke (Vincent Krüger) (wedding was cancelled) [2016] #15: Dascha Petrova (Lena Ehlers) and Tayfun Badak [2011] #14: Ayla Özgül and Philip Höfer (Jörn Schlönvoigt) [2012] #13: Katrin Flemming and Marc Hansen (Arne Stephan) [2007] #12: Elena Castillo (Elena Garcia Gerlach) and Dominik Gundlach (Raul Richter) [2014] #11: Katrin Flemming and Jo Gerner (2nd attempt) (wedding was cancelled) [2016] #10: Paula Rapf (Josephine Schmidt) and John Bachmann (Felix von Jascheroff) [2005] #09: Katrin Flemming and Jo Gerner (1st attempt) [2008] #08: Flo Spira (Rhea Harder) and Andy Lehmann (Raphael Schneider) [1998] #07: Sandra Lemke (Maike von Bremen) and Viktor Hansen (Arne Stephan) (fake/hostage wedding) [2006] #06: Sophie Lindh (Lea Marlen Woitack) and Leon Moreno [2015] #05: Cora Hinze (Nina Bott) and Leon Moreno [2002] #04: Sandra Lemke and Deniz Ergün (Ismail Sahin) [2005] #03: Verena Koch (Susan Sideropoulos) and Leon Moreno [2010] #02: Pia Koch (Isabell Horn) and John Bachmann / Emily Höfer (Anne Menden) and Tayfun Badak (double wedding) [2014] #01: Katrin Flemming and Till Kuhn (Merlin Leonhardt) (symbolic wedding) [2016]

Some news: On Unter uns, Ute and Till's son Conor Weigel receives a recast when Moritz Bäckerling steps into the role on December 6th, 2017. The 18-year old actor is the first adult performer to portray Conor. The character was born in January 2003 and was shipped off to a boarding school in Spain a few years ago. Conor last appeared on-screen in 2012 and was roughly 12 years old back then. Moritz Bäckerling previously appeared for two seasons on the Nickelodeon series "Spotlight". Also on UU, Moritz von Zeddelmann plays Easy's new love interest Hauke König. The two guys meet via an online dating app. Hauke first appears on December 11th, 2017. He's a professional ice hockey player who hasn't come out of the closet yet. In February 2018, Alles was zählt will feature a crossover storyline with the popular ice show Holiday on Ice. In the soap's storyline, Marie (Cheyenne Pahde) toys with the idea of giving up her career as a professional figure skater after failing badly in an important competition. Then Marie and her coach Diana (Tanja Szewczenko) meet former Olympic champion Robin Cousins, who now works as a choreographer for "Holiday on Ice". He invites them to watch one of their shows. Will this eventually bring back Marie's passion for figure skating? In real life, Cheyenne Pahde and her twin sister Valentina – who stars as Sunny Richter on GZSZ – are currently part of the ensemble of "Holiday on Ice: Atlantis". Both actresses are also professional figure skaters. --- And since the soap year 2017 is almost over, it's time for a little retrospective. All in all, it was an average year. The biggest shocker was clearly Janina Uhse's exit on GZSZ. Ratings are still solid. On average, GZSZ had a market share of 19 % in 2017, AWZ had ~ 14 %. UU, SdL and RR are roughly the same as 2016. The scripted reality shows "Berlin – Tag & Nacht" and "Köln 50667" (both RTL2) which air against GZSZ and AWZ have a market share of ~ 10 %. Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten (1992-present, RTL) Total episodes in 2017: 253 (#6161 to #6414 [#6255, #6256 and #6257 were shown as a 90 minute episode for the show's 25th anniversary on the same day]) Current cast: http://www.soapsworld.de/gute-zeiten-schlechte-zeiten-gzsz/besetzung Contract arrivals: Maximilian Braun as Luis Ahrens (August 2017-present) Oliver Franck as Martin Ahrens (August 2017-present) Chryssanthi Kavazi as Laura Weber (June 2017-present) Maria Wedig as Nina Ahrens (August 2017-present) Contract departures: Mustafa Alin as Mesut Yildiz (January 2014-March 2017; recurring previously) Luise von Finckh as Jule Vogt (November 2016-November 2017) Elena Garcia Gerlach as Elena Castillo Gundlach (October 2014-May 2017; recurring previously) Merlin Leonhardt as Till "Bommel" Kuhn (January 2014-July 2014; August 2016-January 2017; recurring previously) Janina Uhse as Jasmin Nowak Flemming LeRoy (January 2008-July 2017) Unter uns (1994-present, RTL) Total episodes in 2017: 251 (#5514 to #5765) Current cast: http://www.soapsworld.de/unter-uns-uu/besetzung Contract arrivals: Andrea Brix as Roswitha Küpper-Pütz (September 2017-present; recurring previously) Astrid Leberti as Andrea Huber #2 (April 2017-present) Antonia Michalsky as Saskia Weigel (July 2017-present) Alexander Milo as Jakob Huber (September 2017-present) Contract departures: Stefan Bockelmann as Malte Winter (September 2001-September 2017) Aaron Koszuta as Valentin Huber (April 2016-October 2017) Ines Kurenbach as Caro Kasper Winter (August 2014-September 2017) Kristin Meyer as Andrea Huber #1 (May 2016-March 2017) Alles was zählt (2006-present, RTL) Total episodes in 2017: 251 (#2592 to #2843) Current cast: http://www.soapsworld.de/alles-was-zaehlt-awz/besetzung Contract arrivals: Christian Feist as Damian Steinkamp (November 2017-present) Maike Johanna Reuter as Pauline Reusch (October 2017-present) Contract departures: Julian Bayer as Leo Brück (November 2015-March 2017) Daniel Brockhaus as Thomas Brück (January 2015-June 2017) Christina Klein as Iva Lukowski (October 2014-October 2017) Robert Maaser as Tim Hayer (March 2017-September 2017) Rote Rosen (2006-present, ARD) Total episodes in 2017: 228 (#2344 to #2572) Current cast: http://www.daserste.de/unterhaltung/soaps-telenovelas/rote-rosen/darsteller/index.html Sturm der Liebe (2005-present, ARD) Total episodes in 2017: 231 (#2607 to #2838) Current cast: http://www.daserste.de/unterhaltung/soaps-telenovelas/sturm-der-liebe/darsteller/index.html Lindenstraße (1985-present, ARD) Total episodes in 2017: 45 (#1610 to #1655) Current cast: https://www1.wdr.de/daserste/lindenstrasse/personen/aktive/index.html

The previous "Terra X" opening was fantastic: Last year, they changed it into this. It's not bad, but a bit flat. This was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid. I think it also ran in the US, but apparently the episodes were heavily edited there. And who could forget the lovely Fraggles! They're adorable in every language.

I don't think there was an age issue. Valentin and Ringo are roughly the same age. Valentin was supposed to be 18 and Ringo is ~ 21. Easy is in his late 20s (although some characters on UU never seem to age. Easy was tied to the teenage crowd for years, and Paco Weigel celebrated his 18th birthday twice in different years.) Regarding Jule's departure on GZSZ, it seems as if her exit was initially only planned as a short break, but then they decided to write her out entirely. The actress filmed her last scenes in September. There was a similar case in 2014, when Sila Sahin departed the role of Ayla Özgül Höfer. She was supposed to be gone for a month or two, but then decided to quit and didn't return to the set. Storylines had to be rewritten and the role was recast a few weeks later with Nadine Menz. Earlier this year, Mustafa Alin (Mesut Yildiz) was written off the show after being on contract for 3 years. Mesut left town with his new girlfriend (some chick he met only a few episodes prior to his exit) in March 2017. Even though Mesut as a character was quite popular – he fulfilled the cliché of a typical Turkish macho (dumb, but with a heart of gold) and was usually used as comic relief –, the writers struggled to give him compelling storylines. The actor was supposed to return during the summer months and even filmed scenes for the new opening credits which debuted in May. However, he was quietly dropped from the opening before the opening premiered on tv, and he was also removed from the cast page on the official website. On his Instagram account, Alin hinted on several occasions that he'd return. In a strange move, the opening featuring Mesut was then used between June and September before it was pulled again. A few days ago the show released a statement via Twitter that Alin would not return after all. GZSZ has always had a strange policy when it comes to publicizing exits. There have been quite a few instances where actors were only supposed to take a break before they'd return to the canvas, but in most cases it never materialized. Some of them only returned for a few weeks to give closure to their storylines before they left for good. Others were taken off the opening credits months before they'd eventually leave, others remained on the opening for ages after their departure, and in rare instances they'd update the opening just because one character left (liked it happened now with Janina Uhse's Jasmin).

Easy suddenly being gay still doesn't make sense. I think the writers originally wanted a Valentin/Ringo pairing in the long run, but that story was abruptly dropped in August. At the same time, Easy met Finn and came out of the closet. Now Valentin is gone and Easy realizes that he's fallen in love with Ringo. However, Ringo only pretends to be friends with Easy because he wants to buy the local kiosk that Easy's been running for some years. Ringo secretly works for Valentin's devious father Benedikt. --- In an unsual move, Luise von Finckh left GZSZ in yesterday's episode. The show only announced her departure after the episode had aired. Von Finckh joined the cast in November 2016 as Anni's 18-year old half-sister Jule Vogt – a character that was hated by the majority of the audience from the get-go. Jule was paired up with Tuner (Thomas Drechsel), but didn't want a steady relationship with him. She also had brief flings with Jonas and John. Then, when Tuner hooked up with his good friend Lilly (Iris Mareike Steen), Jule became jealous and wanted Tuner back. It was all very annoying to watch.

Not much going on at the moment so the recent highlight was that GZSZ and UU updated their openings. For GZSZ, it's the first update to the "Berlin Style" variant that debuted in May 2017. The original versions can be found here: In Version A, Janina Uhse (Jasmin) has been replaced by Maria Wedig (Nina). Order: Valentine Pahde as Sunny Richter – Ulrike Frank as Katrin Flemming – Wolfgang Bahro as Dr. Jo Gerner – Berlin, Alexanderplatz – Jörn Schlönvoigt as Dr. Philip Höfer & Felix von Jascheroff as John Bachmann – Thaddäus Meilinger as Felix Lehmann – Brandenburg Gate – Maria Wedig as Nina Ahrens – Eric Stehfest as Chris Lehmann – Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten Version B was left unchanged. In Version C, Janina Uhse (Jasmin) has been replaced by Valentina Pahde (Sunny). Pahde's scenes in this version resemble her shots in version 1, albeit slightly altered. Order: Anne Menden as Emily Höfer – Clemens Löhr as Alexander Cöster – Eva Mona Rodekirchen as Maren Seefeld – Berlin, Alexanderplatz – Felix van Deventer as Jonas Seefeld & Niklas Osterloh as Paul Wiedmann – Lea Marlen Woitack as Sophie Lindh Moreno – Brandenburg Gate – Daniel Fehlow as Leon Moreno – Valentina Pahde as Sunny Richter – Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten --- For UU, its the second update to the "Ghosts of Cologne" variant. The previous versions can be found here: This is the first opening to feature Pauline Angert (Kay-C Schneider), Andrea Brix (Roswitha Küpper), Astrid Leberti (Andrea Huber #2), Antonia Michalsky (Saskia Weigel) and Alexander Milo (Jakob Huber). Stefan Bockelmann (Malte Winter) and Ines Kurenbach (Caro Winter) were removed. Strangely enough, they also removed the recently departed Aaron Koszuta (Valentin Huber) from version A, but left him in version B. The order of the scenes was also slightly modified. 3 scenes: Sina 2 scenes: Bambi, Elli, Eva, Till 1 scene: Andrea, Benedikt, Britta, Easy, Irene, Jakob, Kay-C, Paco, Saskia, Ringo, Robert, Roswitha, Rufus, Ute, Tobias, (Valentin) Version 2017.1/A Order: Claudelle Deckert as Eva Wagner Weigel (2001-2006; 2008-present) & Ben Ruedinger as Till Weigel #2 (2000-present) – Nora Koppen as Elli Schneider (2015-present), Antonia Michalsky as Saskia Weigel (2017-present), Pauline Angert as Kay-C Schneider (2016-present) & Valea Scalabrino as Sina Uhland Hirschberger (2010-present) – Kai Noll as Rufus Sturm (2003-present) & Tabea Heynig as Britta Schönfeld (2010-present) – Benjamin Heinrich as Benno "Bambi" Hirschberger (2013-present), Valea Scalabrino as Sina Uhland Hirschberger (2010-present), Lars Steinhöfel as Ingo "Easy" Winter (2005-present), Patrick Müller as Tobias Lassner (2006-present) & Aaron Koszuta as Valentin Huber (2016-2017) – Astrid Leberti as Andrea Huber #2 (2017-present), Jens Hajek as Benedikt Huber (2016-present) & Alexander Milo as Jakob Huber (2017-present) Version 2017.1/B Order: Benjamin Heinrich as Benno "Bambi" Hirschberger (2013-present) & Valea Scalabrino as Sina Uhland Hirschberger (2010-present) – Timothy Boldt as Ringo Beckmann (2012-present), Milos Vukovic as Paco Weigel (2000-present) & Nora Koppen as Elli Schneider (2015-present) – Claudelle Deckert as Eva Wagner Weigel (2001-2006; 2008-present) – Isabell Hertel as Ute Kiefer Kern Weigel Fink (1995-present) & Andrea Brix as Roswitha Küpper (2017-present; recurring previously) – Petra Blossey as Irene Weigel (original cast member), Luca Maric as Robert Küpper (2015-present) & Ben Ruedinger as Till Weigel #2 (2000-present)

Regarding previews and detailed synopses of upcoming episodes: Starting October 1st, all channels belonging to the RTL group (affected channels: RTL, RTLII, VOX, n-tv, NITRO, RTLplus, Super RTL, RTL Crime, RTL Passion, RTL Living, Geo Television and TOGGO plus) have changed their formula of publishing their programming schedules. From on now, only the next 4 weeks (instead of 6) will be published in advance. The decision was made because main rival Pro7Sat.1 (affected channels: Pro7, Sat.1, kabel eins, sixx, Sat.1 Gold, Sat.1 Emotions, Pro7 MAXX, Pro7 FUN, kabel eins Doku, kabel eins CLASSICS, PULS 4, PULS 8) started to publish their programming schedules only 3 weeks in advance earlier this year. Both companies have stated that this change needed to be made in order to keep their schedules more up to date. Some news: The secret that the Ahrens family on GZSZ is harboring has been revealed: It's domestic abuse. Martin (Oliver Franck) hit his wife Nina (Maria Wedig) in the face after a heated argument – and it wasn't the first time that this had happened. In front of their teenage son Luis (Maximilian Braun), the couple tries to play a happy family, but Luis seems to know that something's wrong. Also on GZSZ, Turkish actress Gamze Senol has been cast in the new role Shirin Akinci. Shirin becomes John's (Felix von Jascheroff) co-owner at the "Mauerwerk" nightclub. Her first airdate is October 17th, 2017. Shirin is a tough young woman who enjoys illegal car races. On UU, Aaron Koszuta departs the show on October 18th, 2017. His alter ego Valentin Huber decides to become a policeman and departs Cologne to study at a police academy in Hamburg. Koszuta was part of the contract cast for 1 1/2 years. On AWZ, five new characters have joined the cast: Dorothee Föllmer plays nurse Linda Engels, who has come between Dr. Vanessa Steinkamp (Julia Augustin) and her husband Christoph Lukowski (Lars Korten). Linda slept with Christoph but acts as if she was Vanessa's friend. But behind her back, Linda tries to destroys Vanessa's personal and professional life. Föllmer is recurring. Maike Johanna Reuter plays nurse Pauline Reusch, who becomes a true friend to Vanessa and even moves in with her. Her first airdate is October 18th, 2017. Reuter will be on contract. The Steinkamp family is extended once again with "Sturm der Liebe" alum Christian Feist stepping into the role of Damian Steinkamp, a distant cousin of Richard Steinkamp (Silvan-Pierre Leirich). Apparently working as a lawyer, he quickly becomes entangled in the scheming of the other Steinkamps. Because we all know how devious and sneaky Simone (Tatjana Clasing), Jenny (Kaja Schmidt-Tychsen) and Richard can be... Romantically, Damian will be torn between nerdy Pauline and bitchy Isabelle (Ania Niedieck), who has already bedded every male member of the Steinkamp family. Feist will be on contract and first appears on November 27th, 2017. In addition, Dirk Moritz and Nassim J. Avat will appear as Martin Zobel and Thilo Spiegelmann, respectively. Both Martin and Thilo are drug dealers and will be involved in the "Dragon Haze" storyline. Both actors are on recurring status. Dirk Moritz was the second Daniel Fritzsche on "Verbotene Liebe" from 2011 to 2012 and also appeared on "Rote Rosen", while Avat has previously played smaller roles on AWZ and UU. Also on AWZ, Francisco Medina will once again return as the dangerous Maximilian von Altenburg later this year. Medina was on contract from 2007 to 2013, returned for several weeks between 2014 and 2015, and again in early 2017.

Season 5 of 90210 and season 5 of Melrose Place were very similar in the respect that they isolated characters in their storylines and the group feeling went missing. People didn't hang out at the Peach Pit anymore, and if they went out to After Dark (where else would they be going? ) half of the gang was missing. Even when there was some group event, for example the Rolling Stones concert, everyone was busy doing their own thing instead of them enjoying the concert together. I liked Kelly best between seasons 2 and 4 when she was fun and had some sort of conscience. However, I didn't mind her becoming a backstabbing, hypocritical, insecure baby-voiced low life in the later seasons because this is what the show needed at that point. Kelly and Valerie's feud was the most intense and interesting relationship the show had to offer – because deep down they knew they were so much alike, but would never admit that. Speaking of relationships... what I found really weird was that Brenda called Donna "her best friend" shortly before leaving the series. I don't remember them ever having a meaningful conversation. Did Donna ever voice her opinion about Dylan being torn between Kelly and Brenda? I don't think so, and neither did Donna take sides for anyone. Another "friendship" I didn't get was Donna and Dylan. Every scene only the two of them shared felt weird – thank God there weren't that many. There was one instance in early season 5 where Donna tried to convince Dylan to return to college and I was like "Okay, and why exactly should Dylan listen to your advice?"

Val didn't come into her own until season 6. I think this is due to the fact that the producers weren't sure if they'd keep her in the long run. There was a lot of speculation in the media back then that TAT would be fired at the end of season 5. It's like they already had the first half of the 5th season planned before they knew SD would be leaving for good, and then they basically gave Brenda's storyline to Val with a few tweaks here and there. Val only got her claws out during the 2nd half of the season when she went after Ray, and even that storyline came out of nowhere (I liked it nevertheless).

Well, even though Germany was reunited 27 years ago, life in the 5 (or 6, if count East Berlin) states that formerly composed the former German Democratic Republic is still different than in the rest of the country. The unployment rate in the East is almost twice as big as in the West, and the total income per household is also drastically different. In addition, before reunification there were hardly any foreigners in the former East, while in the West, many immigrants from Southern Europe arrived as early as the 1960s. Nowadays over 20% of the population was either born abroad or comes from a non-German background. However, ~ 9 million of these "foreigners" live in the West, while only 500.000 of them live in the East. The people in the East, who have felt neglected since reunification, fear that the influx of refugees will lessen their chances to become equal with the West even more. Same goes for the people in the poorer regions in the West. It's basically just jealousy that somebody might get something you think you're entitled to have. Of course there have been many (criminal) incidents involving immigrants and refugees. But people always act as if these problems have only arisen in the last 2 years, and they tend to forget that native Germans commit horrible crimes as well. But these type of crimes of course don't create as much buzz in the media as anything involving immigrants.

The AfD was only founded 4 years ago. Everyone in Germany expected the AfD to gain enough votes to get into the Bundestag, so it's not that surprising. They basically gained votes thanks to fueling fear and hate among the public. In some parts of the former East Germany, mainly in rural parts, they were even the strongest party. That's so ironic considering that in these areas the percentage of immigrants has always been the lowest. The people there have never experienced multicultural life and are full of prejudices. They mostly get their (fake) news from Facebook and other social media. In turn, in the big cities most people who voted for the AfD live in suburbs that have had a lot of immigrants for decades. I live in the fourth-largest city of the country, Cologne, and in the poorer suburbs the AfD always got between 10 and 16 % of the votes. In the richer suburbs, it was always less than 5 %. In Berlin, most people who were originally born in Berlin, voted for CDU. In the suburbs with the most immigrants, the Lefts were the big winners. Purple: Left Blue: AfD Red: SPD Black: CDU Green: Greens Yellow: FDP Results of the AfD by State: Saxony: 27.% (strongest party) (former East Germany) Thuringia: 22.6% (former East Germany) Brandenburg: 20.2% (former East Germany) Saxony-Anhalt: 19.6% (former East Germany) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: 18.6% (former East Germany) Baden-Württemberg: 12.2% Bavaria: 12.4% Berlin: 12.0% (partly former East Germany) Rhineland-Palatinate: 11.2% Bremen: 10% Hesse: 11.9% Saarland: 10.1% North Rhine-Westphalia: 9.4% Lower Saxony: 9.1% Schleswig-Holstein: 8.2% Hamburg: 7.8% I personally think that the AfD will fall apart very quickly. Frauke Petry, one of the party's figureheads before the election and co-party leader, has just announced that she will not be among the party's representatives in the Bundestag because she doesn't agree with the direction the party is heading to anymore. Instead she will join the Bundestag as an independent representative. That must be a real slap in the face for everyone who voted for her and the AfD. http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/25/europe/german-election-result-afd-walkout/index.html I'm sure Petry won't be the only one to leave the party. She's been one of the more moderate members of the party and has always distanced herself from the radical wing. CDU will most probably form the majority in the Bundestag in a coalition with the Greens and FDP.

The 90s are back – in a different way The original of Rhythm is a Dancer is of course by SNAP! from 1992. Alex Christensen was one of the most successful Eurodance producers in the 90s. The singer is Ivy Quainoo, the winner of the 1st season of The Voice of Germany. Also still love this one... was a #1 hit in my country last week.

The two remaining telenovelas are still on the air. While "Sturm der Liebe" will shorten its 13th cycle due to a ratings slump, "Rote Rosen" has been renewed until at least 2019. Sturm der Liebe Opening of the 13th cycle (Main protagonists: Ella, Rebecca & William) Rote Rosen Opening of the 14th cycle (Main protagonists: Helen and Peer)