Huntress

Deniz's sequence was filmed in late 2014/early 2015. It's been on the opening since the second last version. Some casting news: Maria Kempken has left Unter Uns. Her final airdate is October 26th, 2015. Kempken joined the cast in April 2014 as Leonie Weidenfeld, a role that had previously been played by Sarah Stork from May to December 2013. When Stork didn't return from her maternity leave as planned, the character had to be recast within a short span of time. Kempken previously subbed for Juliette Greco on AWZ for 7 months during Greco's maternity leave in 2013. GZSZ has added a new teenager to its cast: Rona Özkan debuts as Selma Özgül on November 9th, 2015. Selma is Ayla's (Nadine Menz) 15-year-old cousin and comes to Berlin to finish school there. She is supposed to become Jonas's (Felix van Deventer) new love interest. With Ayla, Tayfun, Mesut and Selma, the show will have 4 contract characters of Turkish origin. The Brück family on AWZ receives a new family member: Julian Bayer has joined the cast as Leo Brück. His first airdate is November 12th, 2015. Just as Isabelle (Ania Niedieck) has realized that she's in love with Thomas (Daniel Brockhaus), she has a one-night-stand with a 20-year-old guy who turns out to be Leo, Thomas's son.

AWZ updated its opening sequence. The old one can be found here: http://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/topic/27798-opening-sequences/?do=findComment&comment=1398255 This is the first opening to feature Christoph, Veit, Tobi and Marie. Katja, Can and Maximilian have been removed. Jenny and Iva received new footage. Isabell Horn as Pia was again forgotten to be added. She is still featured on GZSZ's opening, though, even though she last appeared on that show in May. Version 2015.2/A Order: Tatjana Clasing as Simone Steinkamp (original cast member) & Silvan-Pierre Leirich as Richard Steinkamp (original cast member) – Julia Augustin as Vanessa Steinkamp (2006-2009; 2010-2012; 2013; 2014-present) / Lars Korten as Christoph Lukowski (2015-present) – Jörg Rohde as Ben Steinkamp #2 (2009-present) & Christina Klein as Iva Lukowski (2014-present) – Barbara Sotelsek as Sonja Brück (2015-present), Julia Albrecht as Flo Brück (2015-present) & Daniel Brockhaus as Thomas Brück (2015-present) – Carsten Clemens as Veit Hartmann (2015-present) & Kaja Schmidt-Tychsen as Jenny Steinkamp #4 (2011-present) – Sam Eisenstein as Marian Öztürk (original cast member) & Juliette Greco as Lena Bergmann von Altenburg Öztürk #1/#3 (2007-present) – Igor Dolgatschew as Deniz Öztürk / Alles was zählt Version 2015.2/B Order: Julia Augustin as Vanessa Steinkamp (2006-2009; 2010-2012; 2013; 2014-present) & Tatjana Clasing as Simone Steinkamp (original cast member) – Caroline Frier as Bea Meyer Steinkamp (2013-present) & André Dietz as Ingo Zadek (original cast member) – Michael Jassin as Tobi Märtz (2015-present) & Judith Neumann as Marie Schmidt (2015-present) – Igor Dolgatschew as Deniz Öztürk (2007-present) & Lars Korten as Christoph Lukowski (2015-present) – Kaja Schmidt-Tychsen as Jenny Steinkamp #4 (2011-present) & Ania Niedieck as Isabelle Reichenbach Steinkamp (2011-present) – Silvan-Pierre Leirich as Richard Steinkamp (original cast member) & Jörg Rohde as Ben Steinkamp #2 (2009-present) – Jörg Rohde as Ben Steinkamp / Alles was zählt

Yes, it is. Here's an overview on all the seasons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Brother_Germany The first season of BB was a ratings magnet during its run in the first half of 2000. It was so successful that RTL2 ordered a second season that aired three months after BB1 had concluded. BB3 started only one month after BB2. During the 3rd season, public interest waned, and it took 2 years until BB4 was launched. While the first three seasons followed the classic formula (12 housemates living in one area), the 4th season was called "Big Brother – The Battle" with two teams living in different areas competing against each other in matches. BB5 lasted 365 days, featured 60 housemates and had the housemates living in three different areas (rich, normal and poor). BB6 was "Big Brother – The Village" which was supposed to run for an unlimited time, but was discontinued after almost a year on the air (the concept was very similar to present-day "Newtopia"*). BB7 followed the classic formula, while BB8 was similar to BB4. BB9 started as "Big Brother – Heaven & Hell" with the housemates living in two different areas. The "Hell" inhabitans were basically the servants of the "Heaven" inhabitans. Because of low ratings, the concept was completely overhauled after a month and the show was now called "Big Brother – Reloaded". BB10 featured two houses: The regular BB house and the "Secret House". The housemates living in the Secret House did not know of the other house's existence. After a while, both houses were merged into one. The 10th season was the most successful season to date, so an 11th season was ordered which was called "Big Brother – The Secret". Every housemate had a secret that the others needed to uncover. Ratings of the 11th season were abyssal so RTL2 eventually gave up on the Big Brother franchise in 2011. In 2013, the Pro7Sat.1 group bought the rights for Big Brother and launched "Celebrity Big Brother" which subsequently aired on Sat.1. So far, three editions have been shown: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promi_Big_Brother Because of the huge success of "Celebrity Big Brother", Pro7Sat.1 decided to give the classic Big Brother a new try and chose sixx as the broadcaster for the 12th season. * "Newtopia Germany" ran on Sat.1 from February to July 2015 and was cancelled after 101 days.

Last Tuesday, the 12th season of "Big Brother Germany" started. After running on RTL2 for 11 seasons between 2000 and 2011, the show has moved to sixx. Daily recaps are shown at 10 pm with a 2 hour live show (nominations and evictions) taking place every Tuesday at 8 pm. On day one, 13 contestants moved into the house: Àsa (41), entertainer, from Cologne; born in Iceland Atchi (35), journalist and vlogger, from Berlin Bianca (36), personal trainer, from Hamburg Christian (23), works in IT, model, former Mr. Thuringia, from Erfurt Hans-Christian (36), actor, from Vienna (Austria) Isabell (30), hairdresser, from Nürnberg Kevin (26), car salesman, from Olpe Lusy (26), self-employed, from Vienna (Austria); born in Belarus Manuel (28), bouncer, from Essen Sharon (23), stripper, from Hamburg Sophia (33), professional dancer, from Hamburg Thomas (32), entrepreneur, from Aschersleben Tim (21), vlogger, from Leutkirch While they are not celebrities per se, most of these people have media experience – and it clearly shows. After the first six contestants had moved into the house, they had to choose a team partner from the remaining contestants. The following teams were formed: Àsa & Manuel Bianca & Sharon Isabell & Atchi Lusy & Christian Sophia & Kevin Tim & Hans-Christian Because Thomas was the last one left, he was forced to move into the penalty area which is located in the house's garden. During week one, all contestants are up for eviction.

Sat.1 has already pulled the plug on "Mila". Following disastrous ratings, the show will be taken off the channel's schedule immediately. However, "Mila" has been given a new life on sixx, a smaller channel, which also belongs to the Pro7Sat.1 group. According to a spokesperson, the story of "Mila" will receive a proper ending. sixx will show five episodes in a row on Saturday evenings where the show serves as a lead-in for "Big Brother" – which also found a new home on sixx after airing on RTL2 for eleven seasons. Sat.1 also cancelled "Mila's" lead-in "Unser Tag" (Our Day) and the primetime soap "Frauenherzen" (Women's Hearts).

"Verliebt in Berlin" was a telenovela based on the Colombian telenovela "Yo soy Betty, la fea" (the US adaption was ABC's "Ugly Betty"). It debuted in March 2005 and ran weekdays at 7.15 pm. Like all telenovelas, the show was supposed to end when the main storyline had come to a conclusion. Originally, 225 episodes were planned but because of its initial success, ViB received 140 extra episodes. Lead actress Alexandra Neldel (who had previously played a contract role on GZSZ from 1996 to 1999) was only contracted for a year. The first season concluded with a television movie which had an audience of 7.35 mliion people. Because of the huge success, Sat.1 didn't want the show to end so ViB was extended and a new main character was introduced in episode #365: Lisa's half-brother Bruno, played by Tim Sander (also of GZSZ fame). Most of the supporting cast stayed on board. However, Bruno's storyline was disliked by the audience and the show's market share sank from 22 percent to 14 percent within a short span of time. Eventually, Sat.1 pulled the plug and the final episode (#645) aired on October 12th, 2007. During the 2006-2007 season, ViB ran against newcomer AWZ with the latter outperforming ViB.

While the sets and the cast of "Mila" are brilliant, the story is boring – it's all about Mila trying to find the love of her life. It's basically a telenovela disguised as a "romantic comedy". Sat.1 neither calls it a telenovela nor a soap. It's "a new daily serial". Yeah, right. Furthermore, the show is clearly targeted at single women between 25 and 40. That's not going to work in the long run. The RTL soaps are shows for the whole family. Since the 90s, Sat.1 has tried to establish 4 daily soaps and 2 telenovelas ("So ist das Leben! Die Wagenfelds", "Geliebte Schwestern", "Eine wie keine", "Hand aufs Herz", "Schmetterlinge im Bauch" and "Verliebt in Berlin"). All of them aired in various timeslots between 6 and 7.45 pm – and none of them lasted more than a year. The only exception was "Verliebt in Berlin", which was a huge ratings success during its first year on the air. ViB even threatened GZSZ's popularity but then the show was run into the ground and was subsequently cancelled.

It will actually be the first live episode of any scripted television series as far as I remember. Yesterday, Sat.1's latest attempt at launching a new daily soap went on the air: "Mila". The half-hour show runs weekdays at 7 p,m. – and thus directly against AWZ on RTL. Most of the cast has appeared in other soaps and telenovelas before. A cast overview can be found here: http://www.deutsche-dailys.de/mila/rollen The original cast consists of: Susan Sideropoulos as Mila Zellinger, the show's heroine who is desperately looking for love and works in a hip agency Sideropoulos starred on GZSZ as Verena Koch Moreno from March 2001 to August 2011 until her character was killed off. For most of her run, she was considered to be GZSZ's leading lady as she always received the most press coverage. Laura Osswald as Sally Hauser, Mila's best friend Osswald has worked in the business steadily since 2000 and played the main part in the second season of the cancelled telenovela "Verliebt in Berlin". Jenny Bach as Luisa Zellinger, Mila's younger sister Bach played the contract role of dancer Julia Meyer on AWZ from February 2013 to February 2015 until her character was killed off. Stephan Baumecker as Hendrik Zellinger, Mila's step-father Baumecker played the male half of the central couple in the fifth cycle of the telenovela "Rote Rosen". Oliver Bender as Julian Hofer, Luisa's fiancé Bender starred as Tim Böcking on GZSZ from June 2004 to February 2009 with a guest appearance in 2010. Simone Hanselmann as Theresa Kasten, Mila's ruthless boss Hanselmann, who worked as an international model in her teens, received her first acting role on GZSZ in January 1998. Here she portrayed Anna Meisner, a model who suffered from bulimia, had a relationship with a 50-year-old man and later became schizophrenic. She exited the soap in July 1999. Frank Kessler as Bernd Ritter, Mila's father Kessler is best-known for his roles on crime and action series. Claudia Lietz as Felicitas Zellinger, Mila's mother Lietz played minor roles on GZSZ and UU, and on the cancelled telenovelas"Wege zum Glück" and "Alisa". Tino Lindenberg as Uwe Blond, a marketing director Eva Mannschott as Sylvia Dressler, Felicitas's best friend Andreas Nickl as Rudi Seeler, Mila's co-worker Florian Odendahl as Nick Schröder, a photographer Dennis Schigiol as Nils Thaler, a computer nerd Shigiol played a contract role on the cancelled soap "Hand aufs Herz". Sarah Schindler as Nadine Templin, receptionist Isabella Vinet as Antonia Krüger Nika Weckler as Kathi Tackenfeld, social media manager Despite a huge marketing campaign, only 1 million people watched the first episode. This is the opening sequence: And one of the official previews:

For me, it did, yes. But the majority of the audience obviously doesn't mind since the show is still doing well in the ratings department. There's going to be another anniversary this year as Germany's answer to Coronation Street, Lindenstraße, celebrates its 30th birthday in December 2015. For this occasion, the show will do a live episode on December 6th (episode #1559). "Lindenstraße" first aired on December 8th, 1985, and has been shown every Sunday at 6.40 pm on ARD ever since. During the past 30 years, only 7 episodes have been post-poned. . Lindenstraße has always featured a large cast. Today's ensemble consists of 41 contract roles and features 10 cast members who have been on contract since the very first episode: Domna Adamopoulou as Elena Pallas Sarikakis, Ludwig Haas as Dr. Ludwig Dressler, Hermes Hodolides as Vasily Sarikakis, Joachim H. Luger as Hans Beimer, Marie-Luise Marjan als Helga "Mutter" Beimer, Moritz A. Sachs as Klaus Beimer, Andrea Spatzek as Gabriele "Gaby" Skabowski Zimmermann Zenker, Amorn Surangkanjanajai as Gung Pham Kien, Georg Uecker as Dr. Carsten Flöter and Sybille Waury as Tanja Schildknecht Dressler Several other current cast members joined in the late 80s/early 90s. A cast overview can be found here: http://www.lindenstrasse.de/Leute/Personen/liste.jsp?fu=schauspieler_aktiv&bk=bk Most of the former cast is listed here: http://www.lindenstrasse.de/Leute/Personen/liste.jsp?fu=schauspieler_ehemalig&bk=bk (quite a few of these actors are deceased)

Jörg knows that he's very attractive and he's willing to pose half-naked every other week. He even holds the record with the most nude appearances on any German soap... last week he showed his butt again. The problem is that his character has become very chavvy and it seems that Jörg has at some point begun playing himself rather than a character. But that's a general problem on AWZ... several characters have been dumbed down or come across as being shallow, for example Ingo, Bea, Iva and Flo. The worst, however, is Pia. On GZSZ, she used to be quite volatile, but she wasn't dumb or rude. Now that she's on AWZ, she seems like a different character with no manners or respect at all. I think you mixed up GZSZ and GTST GZSZ (Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten) is the German version and GTST (Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden) is the Dutch version. Both soaps were originally based on the Australian soap "The Restless Years" and thus had the same storylines and characters during their first year on the air. After that, both soaps went their own way and are now completely different from one another. The Dutch version airs on RTL4 and has a summer break every year, while GZSZ runs through the whole year. I have never seen a single episode of the Dutch version. In Germany, we can only watch some of our neighboring countries' television channels because of licensing fees. From the Netherlands, I get NED1, NED2, and NED3, but not RTL4 since it's a commercial broadcaster. Even though our languages are closely related, I hardly understand any spoken Dutch. In written form, it's much easier but many words in Dutch are archaic in modern German. On the left are the Dutch lyrics of the GTST theme and on the right a literal translation into German.

It's not exactly a soap, but yesterday the third season of "Promi Big Brother" (Celebrity Big Brother) ended. These were the participants (from left to right): Julia Jasmin "JJ" Rühle – amateur actress on the scripted reality series "Berlin – Tag & Nacht" and singer, had a top 20 single in 2014 David Odonkor – former professional soccer player, was part of Germany's national team Anja Schüte – actress, has worked in the business since the 80s Michael Ammer – famous event manager Nina Kristin Fiutak – singer and actress, best known for taking part in several reality shows Menowin Fröhlich – took part in "German Idol" twice, known for his legal troubles, went to prison for a year Desirée Nick – comedienne and writer, won the second season of "Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!" (I'm a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here!) Nino de Angelo – Schlager singer and actor, represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1989 Judith Hildebrandt – actress and singer, starred on the soap "Marienhof" (1997-2001) and the telenovela "Sturm der Liebe" (2005-2012) Daniel Köllerer – former tennis player Sarah Nowak – "Playmate of the Year 2015", was a contestant on "Der Bachelor" (The Bachelor) Wilfried Gliem – Volksmusik singer The contestants were voted out in this order: Köllerer > Ammer > Hildebrandt > Gliem (left voluntarily) > Schüte > Fiutak > Nick > Rühle > Nowak > de Angelo > Fröhlich. David Odonkor won the 3rd season of "Promi Big Brother". Now back to the regular soaps Preview Pictures for September 2015 Unter uns 01. Till (Ben Ruedinger) tells Eva (Claudelle Deckert) about his job troubles 02. Patrick (Hanno Friedrich) threatens Tanja (Mimi Fiedler) 03. Britta (Tabea Heynig) has been kidnapped by Schrader (Alexander Milz) 04. Fiona (Olivia Burkhart) tells Irene (Petra Blossey) that she is Rolf's daughter 05. Jule (Amrei Haardt) tries to win Moritz's affection 06. Sina (Valea Scalabrino) realizes that her and Bambi's marriage is over 07. When he tries to help Britta, Easy (Lars Steinhöfel) is also taken hostage by Schrader 08. Moritz (Marvin Linke) and Tobias (Patrick Müller) free Easy 09. Till helps Fiona so that she can visit Rolf (Stefan Franz) in prison 10. Ricarda (Anna-Lena Class) seduces Moritz Alles was zählt 01.Tobi (Michael Jassin) tries to impress Tina (Tanja Tischewitsch) 02. Ben (Jörg Rohde) is shocked when he realizes that Iva (Christina Klein) and Pia (Isabell Horn) have spent the night together 03. Simone (Tatjana Clasing) is there for Vanessa (Julia Augustin) 04. Christoph (Lars Korten) and Thomas (Daniel Brockhaus) talk about women trouble 05. Veit (Carsten Clemens) tells Pia to stop snooping around 06. Even though he's the boyfriend of her mother Sonja (Barbara Sotelsek), Flo (Julia Albrecht) begins to fall for Deniz (Igor Dolgatschew) 07. Simone and Richard (Silvan-Pierre Leirich) advance their plan to buy all the houses in the neighborhood 08. Simone assures Lena (Juliette Greco) that she will find a new place to stay 09. Ingo (André Dietz) meets his half-sister Marie (new series regular Judith Neumann) for the very first time 10. Richard catches Deniz in his office Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten 01.Tayfun (Tayfun Baydar) and Ayla (Nadine Menz) tell Mesut (Mustafa Alin) about their wedding plans 02. Alexander (Clemens Löhr) helps Maren (Eva Mona Rodekirchen) who has slipped in her apartment 03. David (Philipp Christopher) gives Sunny (Valentina Pahde) an earful 04. A jealous Ayla tells Emily (Anne Menden) to stay away from Tayfun 05.Jasmin (Janina Uhse) comforts Ayla 06. John (Felix von Jascheroff) and Elena (Elena Garcia Gerlach) have to keep their affair a secret 07. Jasmin, Sophie (Lea Marlen Woitack) and Emily pitch their business idea to a potential investor 08. Chris (Eric Stehfest) and Anni (Linda Marlen Runge) have a terrible fight while David looks on 09. Katrin (Ulrike Frank) finds Jo (Wolfgang Bahro) who has just had a heart attack 10. Jasmin and Frederic (Dieter Bach) can't hide their feelings for one another In addition, AWZ celebrates 9 years on the air on September 4th, 2015. In the show's storyline, the company "Steinkamp Sport & Wellness" celebrates their 30th anniversary with a big sports festival. The current cast poses at the outdoor set: Back row (from left to right): Jörg Rohde as Ben Steinkamp #2 (2009-), Kaja Schmidt-Tychsen as Jenny Steinkamp #4 (2011-), Sam Eisenstein as Marian Öztürk (2006-), Barbara Sotelsek as Sonja Brück (2015-), Igor Dolgatschew as Deniz Öztürk (2007-), Lars Korten as Christoph Lukowski (2015-), Daniel Brockhaus as Thomas Brück (2015-), André Dietz as Ingo Zadek (2006-), Michael Jassin as Tobi Märtz (2015-) Front row (from left to right): Silvan Pierre-Leirich as Richard Steinkamp (2006-), Tatjana Clasing as Simone Steinkamp (2006-), Jonathan Elias Weiske as Kevin Möller (2015-), Christina Klein as Iva Lukowski (2014-), Isabell Horn as Pia Koch (2015-), Julia Albrecht as Flo Brück (2015-), Madlen Kaniuth as Brigitte Schnell (2006-), Caroline Frier as Bea Meyer Steinkamp Zadek (2012-), Ania Niedieck as Isabelle Reichenbach Steinkamp (2010-), Juliette Greco as Lena Bergmann von Altenburg Öztürk #1/#3 (2007-2013; 2013-), Julia Augustin as Vanessa Steinkamp (2006-2009; 2010-2012; 2013; 2014-)

Current #1 in Germany

Yesterday RTL released promotional material for the 2015/2016 season including previews for its three soaps UU, AWZ and GZSZ. Here's my translation: Unter uns (weekdays 5:30 p.m.) For more than 20 years, Unter uns (Among us) has been on RTL's schedule and has been a pivotal part of its afternoon programming. In the apartment complex Schillerallee 10 in Cologne, passion and pain, birth and death, and fortune and sorrow go hand in hand – fascinating characters are living here, with whom the audience can identify with. And this is what will happen this fall: Sina's old university friend Elli (Nora Koppen) and teenage brat Jule (Amrei Haardt) move in with Paco (Milos Vukovic) and Ringo (Timothy Boldt) into the flat-sharing community. They set up a rule that they will not have sex with each other, but rules are there to be broken: Elli develops a crush on Paco, but she has her reasons for not seducing him. Jule falls in love with Ringo, but he only sees her as "a little sister". Ringo on the other hand seems to like Elli, but he's unsure how to deal with her. Meanwhile Paco's not interested in finding a new relationship – but will he change his mind? Schillerallee's dream couple Sina (Valea Scalabrino) and Bambi (Benjamin Heinrich) hit a new low in their young marriage when Bambi cheats on Sina with Fiona (Olivia Burkhart). Bambi and Sina don't know that Olivia was just using Bambi's feelings for Rolf's (Stefan Franz) revenge plan on the Weigel family. Sina and Bambi try to mend their failing marriage, but nothing seems to work. Sina cannot have sex with Bambi because she always sees Fiona in her mind. Eventually Sina collapses. In an outburst of rage, she throws her unfaithful husband out. Fiona decides to return to being a prostitute in order to earn enough money for herself and her father Rolf so that they can flee the country. When a trick threatens her, Easy (Lars Steinhöfel) rescues Fiona and she opens up to Easy about her problems. Soon they become close friends. When Irene (Petra Blossey) learns about Fiona working as a whore, she is shocked and decides to help her financially. Fiona is happy and tries to reach Rolf, but then she hears that he has been put in a prison in the Netherlands. Fiona's world is shattered. Will she ever see her father again? Meanwhile, Ute (Isabell Hertel) and Henning's (Benjamin Kiss) marriage is also on the rocks because they have drifted in different directions. When Ute gets into a fight with D.A. Ricarda Schätzke (Anna-Lena Class), she manages to hurt Ricarda's career. Ricarda swears revenge and tries to seduce Henning. Behind Ute and Henning's back, she also gets close to Henning's son Moritz (Marvin Linke) and lures him into her bed. Will all this drama cause Ute and Henning's marriage to fall apart? Unter uns stars Petra Blossey as Irene Weigel (1994-), Stefan Bockelmann as Malte Winter (2001), Timothy Boldt as Ringo Beckmann (2012-), Olivia Burkhart as Fiona Novak (2015-), Claudelle Deckert as Eva Wagner Weigel (2001-2006; 2008-), Amrei Haardt as Jule Kasper (2015-), Benjamin Heinrich as Benno "Bambi" Hirschberger (2013-), Isabell Hertel as Ute Kiefer Kern Weigel Fink (1995-), Tabea Heynig as Britta Schönfeld (2010-), Benjamin Kiss as Henning Fink #2 (2010-), Nora Koppen as Elli (2015-), Ines Kurenbach as Caro Kasper (2014-), Marvin Linke as Moritz Schönfeld (2010-), Luca Maric as Robert Küpper (2015-), Patrick Müller as Tobias Lassner (2006-), Kai Noll as Rufus Sturm (2003-), Ben Ruedinger as Till Weigel #2 (2000-), Valea Scalabrino as Sina Uhland Hirschberger (2010-), Lars Steinhöfel as Ingo "Easy" Winter (2005-), Milos Vukovic as Paco Weigel (2000-), Anna-Lena Class as Ricarda Schätzke (2015-), Cronis Karakassidis as Nikos Karadimas (2014-) and Ramon Ademes as Roger Schmitz (2013-). * No longer listed among the cast are Joy Lee Juana Abiola-Müller as Micki Fink (2009-2015), Stefan Franz as Rolf Jäger (2002-2013; 2014; 2015), Maria Kempken as Leonie Weidenfeld #2 (2014-2015) and Alexander Sholti as Dr. Sascha Brenner (2013-2015). Sholti last aired on July 27th, 2015. Abiola-Müller went on maternity leave on May 12th, 2015. Alles was zählt (weekdays 7:05 p.m.) On Alles was zählt (All that matters), everything revolves around the Steinkamp family and their company "Steinkamp Sport und Wellness" – but big emotions don't get the short end of the stick, either. The balance of power within the family is shifted regularly, following the mantra: All that matters is "Live your dream!" This fall, the heroes of the Schotterberg neighborhood in Essen are once again faced with exciting and big challenges: Simone (Tatjana Clasing) and Richard Steinkamp (Silvan-Pierre Leirich) plan to build a luxurious spa in the neighboord – on the piece of land that is currently occupied by local bar "No.7". Thanks to a scheme by Veit Hartmann (Carsten Clemens), the Steinkamps' plans become public and they are faced with negative press. Veit continues plotting his revenge against the Steinkamps, but his plans and his marriage to Jenny Steinkamp (Kaja Schmidt-Tychsen) are in serious danger once Veit and Pia Koch (Isabell Horn) grow closer. The two feel magically attracted to each other... When it becomes evident that Richard used his position as local mayor to get his hands on the property, Christoph Lukowski (Lars Korten) forces him to resign from his post in order to avert "Steinkamp Sport and Wellness" being severely damaged. However, Richards wants to take part in the next election. Surprisingly, Bea Meyer Zadek (Caroline Frier) becomes his main opponent and the election campaign becomes a mud-slinging. Not only will Richard's children Ben (Jörg Rohde) and Jenny be involved in the matter, all employees of "Steinkamp Sport and Wellness" have to decide which side they are on. The Steinkamps are not Bea's only enemies as Isabelle Reichenbach (Ania Niedieck) plays "double agent" in order to gain profit from both sides. Isabelle wants financial security, a good life for her daughter Sophia, and a wealthy husband at her side. Currently, she has snagged Dr. Thomas Brück (Daniel Brockhaus), but he still seems to be hung up on his ex-wife Sonja (Barbara Sotelsek)... Meanwhile, Bea's husband Ingo Zadek (André Dietz) has to deal with family problems. After the death of his father, he learns that he was adopted and that he has a half-sister, Marie. Ingo begins looking for her and eventually finds her. To his surprise, Marie is a succesful figure skater. When they first meet at the ice rink, Ingo and the Steinkamps are reminded of the good old times when figure skating was their main business... Alles was zählt stars Julia Albrecht as Flo Brück (2015-), Julia Augustin as Vanessa Steinkamp (2006-2009; 2010-2012; 2013; 2014-), Daniel Brockhaus as Dr. Thomas Brück (2015-), Tatjana Clasing as Simone Steinkamp (2006-), Carsten Clemens as Veit Hartmann (2015-), André Dietz as Ingo Zadek (2007-; recurring previously), Igor Dolgatschew as Deniz Öztürk (2007-), Sam Eisenstein as Marian Öztürk (2007-; recurring previously), Caroline Frier as Bea Meyer Steinkamp Zadek (2012-), Juliette Greco as Lena Bergmann von Altenburg Öztürk #1/#3 (2007-2013; 2013-), Isabell Horn as Pia Koch (2015-), Michael Jassin as Tobi Märtz (2015-; recurring previously), Christina Klein as Iva Lukowski (2014-), Lars Korten as Christoph Lukowski (2015-), Silvan-Pierre Leirich as Richard Steinkamp (2006-), Ania Niedieck as Isabelle Reichenbach Steinkamp (2010-), Jörg Rohde as Ben Steinkamp #2 (2009-), Kaja Schmidt-Tychsen as Jenny Steinkamp #4 (2011-) and Barbara Sotelsek as Sonja Brück (2015-). Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten (weekdays 7:40 p.m.) Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten is the most successful daily serial on German television – since 1992, nobody can avoid the stories about love and hate, friendships and feuds, and schemes and jealousy. In Berlin, there's always something going on: Philip (Jörn Schlönvoigt) desperately tries to win Elena's (Elena Garcia Gerlach) affection and even secretly stalks her so that she seeks refuge at his place. However, Philip soon finds himself entangled in a web of lies. When his cover is almost blown, Philip suffers a breakdown and he decides to keep his distance from Elena. When he finds out that she is in love with somebody else, Philip becomes jealous. He doesn't even suspect that Elena's crush is no one else but his half-brother John (Felix von Jascheroff). At first, John doesn't return Elena's advances because he doesn't want to hurt Philip, but then one thing leads to another and Elena and John begin a secret relationship. What will happen once Philip finds out? Jo Gerner (Wolfgang Bahro) strikes a sad balance of his life. Because of his vendetta against the Morenos, he lost a lot of money, had to suffer from much stress and eventually even has a heart attack. Now that he is all alone, he desperately tries to make up with his granddaughter Sunny (Valentine Pahde) and wants to establish her as his successor. When Sunny reluctantly agrees to work in Gerner's real estate business, Gerner sucks up to her and even seems to accept Vince (Vincent Krüger) as Sunny's boyfriend. Sunny doesn't realize how much power Gerner has over her. This also puts Sunny and Vince's relationship in danger... Jasmin (Janine Uhse) wants to establish her new fashion brand "Tussi Attack". After a while, she finds out that her business partner Emily (Anne Menden) ripped her off. Jasmin fights back, sets up a new business contract and the two women start anew. However, when Jasmin gives Sophie (Lea Marlen Woitack) a job at the label, Emily feels threatens by Sophie's presence and goes into bitch mode once again. Will the three women find a way to work together and to win a prestigious fashion award, or will a cat fight destroy the business once and for all? Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten stars Mustafa Alin as Mesut YIldiz (2014-; recurring previously), Wolfgang Bahro as Dr. Jo Gerner (1993-), Tayfun Baydar as Tayfun Badak (2008-), Philipp Christopher as David Brenner (2014-), Felix van Deventer as Jonas Seefeld (2014-), Thomas Drechsel as Max "Tuner" Krüger (2010-; recurring previously), Daniel Fehlow as Leon Moreno (1996-1999; 2001-), Ulrike Frank as Katrin Flemming (2004-; recurring previously), Elena Garcia Gerlach as Elena Castillo Gundlach (2014-; recurring previously), Felix von Jascheroff as John Bachmann (2001-2014; 2015-), Vincent Krüger as Vince Köpke (2011-), Clemens Löhr as Alexander Cöster #2 (2009-), Anne Menden as Emily Höfer (2004-), Nadine Menz as Ayla Özgül Höfer #2 (2014-), Valentina Pahde as Sunny Richter (2015-), Eva Mona Rodekirchen as Maren Seefeld (2010-), Linda Marlen Runge as Anni Brehme (2013-), Jörn Schlönvoigt as Philip Höfer (2004-), Iris Mareike Steen as Lilly Seefeld (2010-), Eric Stehfest as Chris Lehmann (2014-), Janina Uhse as Jasmin Flemming (2008-) and Lea Marlen Woitack as Sophie Lindh Moreno (2014-)

Jo is doing ok on AWZ, but his story isn't particularly interesting. He mostly plays opposite Vanessa, Ben and Iva. I'm actually looking forward to Michael Jassin joining the show, although he will be paired with that annoying shrew Pia. I won't miss any of the three exits on GZSZ that will occur during August (Nele, Mieze and Olivia). Nele never had a storyline other than being unlucky in love, Mieze was watered down from being a though streekid to an overachiever, and Olivia only served as a plot device to break Maren and Alexander apart. While van der Heide reportedly wanted out of her contract and Jaenner only signed on for eight months, Dempsey was fired because "her character's story has come to a closure".

Some casting news: While Jo Weil (Nick Danne) is only on recurring status at AWZ, Carsten Clemens (Veit Hartmann) has become a series regular. Clemens first appeared on May 5th, 2015, as Jenny Steinkamp's new lover and partner in crime. Last year, Clemens played Dr. Lukas Kant for a few months on GZSZ. Tanja Tischewitsch has joined the cast in the role of fitness instructor Tina Gouverneur. She first appears on August 26th, 2015. Tischewitsch took part in the 11th season of "German Idol" (2014) and in the 9th season of "I'm a Celebrity – Get Me out of Here!" (2015). Michael Jassin has also been placed on contract at AWZ. Back in March, the 29-year old actor first appeared in three episodes as "Tobi28", a guy that Vanessa Steinkamp met via online dating. On July 27, 2015, Jassin returns to the canvas. His character is now called Tobi Märtz. He will move in with Pia and Iva and soon starts a romance with the former. AWZ returns to its roots when it re-introduces ice skating as its major sport. On October 7th, 2015, a new female character named Marie arrives on the scene. She turns out to be Ingo Zadek's younger half-sister and is a successful figure skater. Marie's portrayer hasn't been revealed yet. Ice skating used to be AWZ's major sport from 2006 to 2013 until it was replaced by dancing and soccer. Soccer only lasted one year, and dancing was discontinued after the bus crash which killed most of the characters that were tied to the "Dance Academy" this past February. On GZSZ, Dieter Bach has been cast in the new contract role of Dr. Frederic Riefflin. Now a successful cardiologist, Frederic originally grew up in poverty. According to a press release, he will be involved in a love story with mother-daughter-duo Katrin and Jasmin Flemming. The story is supposed to be highly controversial and there's already speculation that Frederic is Jasmin's biological father Rico who left Katrin before Jasmin's birth. Katrin's real name is Gaby Galuba and her mother owned a shabby diner in the Ruhrgebiet area. Katrin set the diner on fire, received the insurance money and started a new life under the alias Katrin Flemming. She first appeared in December 2002 when she had a one-night-stand with married man Dr. Jo Gerner. In April 2004, Katrin became a series regular. A vindictive business woman, Katrin had affairs with several men and conceived a daughter with Gerner, Johanna. For a while, Katrin and Gerner were also married. Katrin was imprisoned, suffered a stroke and had a wild relationship with history student Bommel, who was 20 years her minor. Meanwhile, Jasmin grew up in a foster family where she was sexually abused. Jasmin, who first appeared in January 2008 as a budding fashion designer, was revealed to be Katrin's biological daughter Melanie in June 2008. Before that, Jasmin thought that she was Katrin's younger sister. She suffered from several traumas and went through therapy. Jasmin found love in Dominik Gundlach, Jo Gerner's son, but she broke off the engagement because she couldn't deal with living in a committed relationship. For a while Jasmin was married to rock star Kurt Le Roy, until she embarked on a lesbian relationship with her roommate Anni Brehme. Preview Pictures for August 2015 Unter uns 01. Tobias (Patrick Müller) gives Easy (Lars Steinhöfel) legal advice 02. Sina (Valea Scalabrino) and Bambi (Benjamin Heinrich) have marriage problems 03. Rolf (Stefan Franz) comforts Fiona (Olivia Burkhart) 04. Olivia intervenes when Rolf threatens Patrick (Hanno Friedrich) 05. Robert (Luca Maric) has trouble with his mother Roswitha (Andrea Brix) 06. Tanja (Mimi Fiedler) pumps Fiona for information 07. Britta (Tabea Heynig) and Rufus (Kai Noll) 08. Jule (Amrei Haardt) and Caro (Ines Kurenbach) spent some mother-daughter-time together 09. Tanja is in trouble 10. Fiona seduces Bambi Alles was zählt 01. Tobi (Michael Jassin) wants to get closer to Pia (Isabell Horn) 02. Deniz (Igor Dolgatschew) and Sonja (Barbara Sotelsek) 03. Iva (Christina Klein) gives her first concert 04. Tobi and Pia 05. Iva, Ben (Jörg Rohde) and Nick (Jo Weil) 06. Lena (Juliette Greco) confronts Simone (Tatjana Clasing) 07. Vanessa (Julia Augustin) is scared of a dog 08. After a plane crash, Richard (Silvan-Pierre Leirich) and Simone team up against Veit (Carsten Clemens) and Jenny (Kaja Schmidt-Tychsen) 09. Marian (Sam Eisenstein), Thomas (Daniel Brockhaus) and Christoph (Lars Korten) 10. Richard has to rescue SImone and Jenny 11. Tina Gouverneur (Tanja Tischewitsch) seduces Christoph 12. Isabelle (Ania Niedieck) gives Flo (Julia Albrecht) advice how to impress a boy Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten 01. David (Philipp Christopher) and Gerner (Wolfgang Bahro) continue their vendetta against Leon 02. Jasmin (Janina Uhse) and Emily (Anne Menden) have a fight 03. David threatens Emily 04. Amar (Thando Walbaum) and Anni (Linda Marlen Runge) 05. Amar and Lilly (Iris Mareike Steen) 06. Nele (Ramona Dempsey) and Chris (Eric Stehfest) talk about their criminal which has come back to haunt them 07. Leon (Daniel Fehlow), Sophie (Lea Marlen Woitack), Sunny (Valentina Pahde) and Vince (Vincent Krüger) say goodbye to Mieze (Franziska van der Heide) who leaves for England 08. Nele tells Mesut (Mustafa Alin) that their relationship is over 09. Maren (Eva Mona Rodekirchen) and Katrin (Ulrike Frank) are back in the dating game 10. Elena (Elena Garcia Gerlach) tells Emily and Philip (Jörn Schlönvoigt) that she's being stalked, not knowing that Philip is the stalker 11. Olivia (Anna Juliana Jaenner) breaks up with Alexander (Clemens Löhr) 12. Tayfun (Tayfun Baydar), Ayla (Nadine Menz), Chris and Elena say goodbye to Nele who leaves town

Vocal House is still going strong on the Singles Chart over here... perfect music for the summer. #2 this week #5 #6 #10

Well, in the public eye ARD and ZDF have always been deemed as "old people's channels", so I guess that won't change anymore VL's former timeslot is now occupied by a romantic comedy series "Die Kuhflüsterin" (The Cow Whisperer) which is about a veterinarian in a rural town. The show had a higher market share than VL in its first two episodes, but overall the same amount of viewers. I don't think any young person wants to watch a show that is promoted like this:

That's because virtually nobody under 60 watches tv at that time. "Rote Rosen" airs at 2.10 pm and "Sturm der Liebe" at 3.15 pm. Yesterday, "Sturm der Liebe" had 2.2 million viewers and a total market share of 21.1 % ( (and that even though Germany is currently suffering from a heat wave and summer holidays have begun). However, the show is not among the 20 most watched shows in the target demo of 14-49. GZSZ only had 1.8 million viewers, but a market share of 16 % in the 14-49 target demo. The most watched program of the day, a crime series on ZDF, had 3.38 million viewers, but like "Sturm der Liebe", this program was hardly watched by anyone between 14-49. The commercial channels like RTL, Sat.1 and Pro7 want to target a younger audience (because of ad revenue), but the public broadcasters ARD and ZDF don't really care about demographics because they are financed by the state. Just compare these lists: Most watched shows – total viewers – July 3rd, 2015 01. Der Kriminalist (ZDF, crime series) – 8.15 pm – 3.38 m – 15.8 % 02. 24 Milchkühe und kein Mann (ARD, tv movie) – 8.15 pm – 3.2 m – 14.7% 03. Tagesschau (ARD, news) – 8.00 pm – 3.14 m – 15.9% 04. heute (ZDF, news) – 7.00 pm – 3.14 m – 19.2% 05. Letzte Spur Berlin (ZDF, crime series) – 9.15 pm – 3.11 m – 13.8% 06. Tagesthemen (ARD, news) – 9.45 pm – 2.95 m – 13.2% 07. Tatort: Letzte Tage (ARD, crime series, repeat) – 10.00 pm – 2.94 m – 15.4% 08. heute-journal (ZDF, news) – 10.00 pm – 2.65 m – 12.3% 09. SOKO Wien (ZDF, crime series) – 6.00 pm – 2.61 m – 18.9% 10. RTL aktuell (RTL, news) – 6.45 pm – 2.43 m – 15.9% 11. Die Bergretter (ZDF, drama series) – 7.30 pm – 2.34 m – 12.8% 12. Sturm der Liebe (ARD, telenovela) – 15.10 pm – 2.21 m – 21.1% 13. Politbarometer (ZDF, politics) – 10.10 pm – 2.2 m – 10.6% 14. Leute heute (ZDF, magazine) – 5.45 pm – 2.11 m – 17.5% 15. SOKO Kitzbühel (ZDF, crime series) – 4.15 pm – 2.00 m – 18.6% 16. hallo deutschland (ZDF, magazine) – 5.10 pm – 1.94 m – 17.1% 17. Hartwichs 100 (RTL, show) – 8.15 pm – 1.91 m – 8.8% 18. heute (ZDF, news) – 5.00 pm – 1.90 m – 17.5 % 19. Tagesschau (ARD, news) – 3.00 pm – 1.86 m – 18.8% 20. Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten (RTL, soap) – 7.40 pm – 1.81 m – 9.7% Most watched shows – 14-49 – July 3rd, 2015 01. Hartwichs 100 (RTL, show) – 8.15 pm – 1.01 m – 14.7% 02. Kaya Yanar live! (RTL, comedy) – 10.00 pm – 0.94 m – 14.1% 03. Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten (RTL, soap) – 7.40 pm – 0.89 m – 16.2% 04. RTL aktuell (RTL, news) – 6.45 pm – 0.70 pm – 16.2% 05. Vehicle 19 (Pro7, movie) – 8.15 pm – 0.65 m – 9.5% 06. RTL-Nachtjournal (RTL, news) – 0.00 am – 0.63 m – 13.0% 07. Jumper (Pro7, movie) – 10.00 pm – 0.62 m – 9.2% 08. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (VOX, crime series) – 11.00 pm – 0.61 m – 10.0% 09. Alles was zählt (RTL, soap) – 7.10 pm – 0.61 m – 12.5% 10. Der perfekte Ex (Sat.1, tv movie) – 8.15 pm – 0.61 m – 8.8% 11. Tagesschau (ARD, news) – 8.00 pm – 0.58 m – 10.2% 12. Berlin Tag & Nacht (RTL2, reality) – 7.00 pm – 0.58 m – 11.7% 13. VOX Nachrichten (VOX, news) – 0.00 am – 0.57 m – 11.3% 14. Galileo (Pro7, science) – 7.00 pm – 0.55 m – 10.7% 15. Pastewka (Sat.1, comedy) – 10.10 pm – 0.55 m – 7.7% 16. RTLII News (RTL2, news) – 8.00 pm – 0.53 m – 9.4% 17. Tatort: Letzte Tage (ARD, crime series, repeat) – 10.00 pm – 0.53 m – 7.6% 18. Sechserpack (Sat.1, comedy) – 11.50 pm – 0.53 m – 10.8% 19. Sechserpack (Sat.1, comedy) – 0.20 am – 0.53 m – 12.8% 20. Switch Reloaded (Sat.1, comedy) – 11.20 pm – 0.53 m – 8.9% As one can see, there is a huge discrepancy between the two lists. There's not a single ZDF program among the 14-49 target demo even though the channel dominates the most watched list. In turn, programs of Sat.1, Pro7, VOX and RTLII only appear on the 14-49 list.

The production company behind GZSZ, UU, AWZ, VL and some other former soaps is UFA Serial Drama, so there's not much of a quality difference between these shows. If VL had ran on RTL, the show would probably be still going strong today. The funny thing is that VL was initially pitched to RTL in 1994, but they went with UU instead and VL was given to ARD. Since ARD is a public broadcaster and RTL a commercial channel, RTL has always promoted its shows to the maximum. For a long time, there wasn't the tiniest bit of press coverage for the ARD soaps. Furthermore, ARD pre-empted VL and MH very often because of live coverage for sports events (Olympics, soccer, winter sports, track and field, swimming, etc.) or news coverage. The last time GZSZ and UU were pre-empted was in 1994 because of Wimbledon coverage. AWZ postponed a handful of episodes due to breaking news. but this was nothing compared to ARD's choppy programming. Another thing is that since ARD is a public broadcaster, they don't claim copyright on their material and anyone can upload episodes or clips on youtube. ARD's video-on-demand is for free and they are not allowed to charge for that. RTL on the other hand wants to make revenue from their shows, so you have no other choice but to pay for their video-on-demand service – otherwise you have to the episodes live. ARD's telenovelas "Sturm der Liebe" and "Rote Rosen" have a different target audience (60+), but they have more than 2 million viewers every day. Btw, here are the DVD trailers for VL's releases: 20 Years Anniversary Box Verbotene Liebe: Vergeltung (The Weekly Series) The complete first episode (original airdate January 2nd, 1995): The complete final episode (#4664, original airdate June 26th, 2015):

In the 90s and early 00s, "Verbotene Liebe" and "Marienhof" (both ARD) had a larger audience than "Unter uns" (RTL). Roughly 3 million people tuned in every day. Then somehow things fell apart. "Marienhof" started struggling in 2005 and "Verbotene Liebe" followed around 2008/2009. In 2010, "Marienhof" only attracted 1.5 million viewers and had a market share of 8 %, but "Verbotene Liebe" didn't fare much better. Initially, ARD wanted to get rid of both soaps, but then they decided to cancel "Marienhof" (which aired its finale in May 2011) and to keep "Verbotene Liebe" on the air. In the summer of 2011, VL was extended from 20 to 45 minutes to fill "Marienhof's" former time slot. The show also brought back several former characters and filmed half of its storylines on location on Mallorca for half a year. On paper, that sounded like a great idea, but most of the storylines fell flat (for example Clarissa's return), and fans were annoyed by the dominance of the von Lahnstein family. In January 2012, episodes were shortened to 35 minutes, only to return to 45 minutes six months later. In 2013, only 1.3 million watched VL regularly and the show's average market share was 6.8%. In 2014, ARD tested several new formats in VL's timeslot so that the soap had to go on hiatus for a while. The show's cancellation was made official on July 17th, 2014. Originally, the soap was to end its broadcast run in January 2015, but then ARD decided to show the final 15 episodes of the last daily season on a weekly basis. There was a long break between November 2014 and February 2015. "Verbotene Liebe" never recovered from all the damage. Unlike "Marienhof", the show will not have a real finale but end with a cliffhanger. The RTL soaps (GZSZ, UU and AWZ) still have solid ratings. UU and AWZ have increased their market share compared to recent years and GZSZ usually has a market share of 20%. ARD's telenovelas "Rote Rosen" and "Sturm der Liebe" are also still going strong. Later this year, Sat.1 will launch a new daily soap called "Mila – Allein war gestern" (roughly translated as Mila – No Longer Alone). The show's main heroine will be played by Susan Sideropoulos who portrayed Verena Koch on GZSZ from 2001 to 2011. There are also several other former soap actors among the cast, for example Simone Hanselmann (ex-GZSZ) and Jenny Bach (ex-AWZ).

Goodbye, Verbotene Liebe: One hour ago, ARD announced that the soap will not be renewed for another season. The show's final episode (#4664) will be broadcast tomorrow. Source: http://www.daserste.de/unterhaltung/soaps-telenovelas/verbotene-liebe/specials/verbotene-liebe-nach-4664-folgen-ist-schluss100.html It's really not a big surprise, considering that ratings have not improved since February. Transforming the soap into a weekly version and getting rid of almost every familiar element clearly didn't sit well with most of the remaining fanbase.

Even though the show is virtually dead, Verbotene Liebe is receiving a double DVD release at the end of June. UFA Serial Drama, Das Erste and Diamant Video issue the complete first season of the weekly version for 18 € and a 20 year anniversary box for 32 €. The content of the latter box was determined through an online poll. The cover art features Julia & Jan (the original "forbidden love"), Clarissa, Charlie, Arno, Ansgar, Elisabeth, Carla, Olli, Andi, Tristan, Tanja and Nico. Diamant Video previously published two box sets of VL with episodes 1-50 and 51-100 plus single anniversary DVDs for the 2500th, 3000th and the 3500th episodes. They also released 4 box sets of GZSZ spanning episodes 1 to 200 plus a collection of anniversary episodes, and one box of UU with the show's first 50 episodes. Because of poor sales, no other sets were released. Marienhof, which was cancelled in May 2011 (God, it's been 4 years already), had two DVD releases: One box includes the first 10 episodes from 1992 and 20 selected episodes ranging from 1995 to 2011 as well as several specials including the farewell party and the teardown of the show's sets. A second box consists of episodes 170 to 219 from 1995, which were the first 50 episodes after the show had been transformed from a weekly to a daily soap. Meanwhile, the 10th box of The Bold and the Beautiful featuring episodes 225 to 250 was released in April. Looks like this will be the last set, though, because Fernsehjuwelen has not issued any further boxes for pre-order yet. Their releases of Guiding Light and Neighbours were discontinued after one and two boxes, respectively.

Like I've written before, UU is definitely the most stable soap. It never really had a phase where it was completely unwatchable, and its fanbase is very loyal. The show's problem are its ever-changing lead-ins. From 1994 to 1998, the game show "Jeopardy" was UU's lead-in, followed by "The Nanny" from 1998 to 2002. In 2007, another soap named "Ahornallee" debuted at 5 pm, but it was cancelled after a few weeks due to low ratings. Since then, UU's lead-in have been various reality shows which don't really attract the same audience as UU does. In other news: Former GZSZ actress Yvonne Catterfeld is currently celebrating her comeback as a singer. Catterfeld starred as Julia Blum on GZSZ from 2001 to 2005. In 2001, she released her first single, but it wasn't until spring 2003 that she scored her first #1 hit with "Für dich" (For You). The song and the corresponding album "Meine Welt" (My World) went platinum. Catterfeld wasn't the only singer on GZSZ, though: Her co-star Jeannette Biedermann, who portrayed Marie Balzer from 1999 to 2004, was just as successful. Their music style was different, though, with Biedermann mainly doing pop-rock in English and Catterfeld singing in German. Biedermann eventually left the show in March 2004, while Catterfeld made her final appearance in February 2005. In 2004, Catterfeld released her second album "Farben meiner Welt" (Colors of My World), followed by "Unterwegs" (Travelling) in 2005. Both albums went gold, and Catterfeld scored three more top 10 singles, the latest being "Erinner mich, dich zu vergessen" (Remind Me to Forget You) in 2006. The following three albums "Aura", "Blau in Blau" (Blue in Blue) and "Lieber so" (Rather Like That) were commercial flops and Catterfeld turned to acting instead. Following Catterfeld's appearance on the tv show "Sing meinen Song" (Sing My Song) – a show where several musicians cover each other's songs (there are several versions of this show in different European countries, see Wikipedia – on May 19th, 2015, the album "Lieber so", which was originally released in 2013, received a major sales boost and hit the album charts at #14 this week, with the single of the same entering the singles charts at #24. I'm glad that she's having commercial success again, because Yvonne has always been a talented performer. http://youtu.be/ak2P7ukW2j0 Live performance in 2013: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_P4t6oidWI Live performance in 2005: http://youtu.be/WfRO3HULuBg http://youtu.be/TTW4rJXrE3E

Well, this period belongs to a time when German soaps were very different from today, even though it's only been ~ 13 years that these episodes were shot. The lighting was glary, the sets looked like theater stages, the camera work was static, the characters were very stereotypical, storylines were fast-paced, most cast members only stayed for 2-3 years, and the acting was hit and miss. The transformation to a more realistic approach began around 2005, and today production values and acting are top-notch (except for a few exceptions here and there). From a nostalgic viewpoint, watching these episodes can be fun. I recently watched the first year of GZSZ from 1992/1993 on DVD and I really enjoyed it for what it was, even though the acting was wooden, hardly any emotions were conveyed, and the storylines included tons of WTF moments. Back then, the shows didn't take themselves too seriously. I don't really remember much about Tom on VL other than him being unattractive (IMO) and always frowning at people. The whole squad around Tom, Jule, Nina and Simon was really boring. The only character out of that group that was a bit interesting was Isabell, and the actress was really beautiful. ––– On Monday's episode of Unter Uns, Sina (Valea Scalabrino) and Bambi (Benjamin Heinrich) eventually get married. For this occasion, the show released a new cast picture. Back row (from left to right): Claudelle Deckert as Eva Wagner Weigel (2001-2006; 2008-present), Ben Ruedinger as Till Weigel #2 (2000-present), Marvin Linke as Moritz Schönfeld (2010-present), Stefano Ligorio as Gianni (recurring, 2015-present), Lars Steinhöfel as Easy Winter (2005-present), Patrick Müller as Tobias Lassner (2006-present), Benjamin Kiss as Henning Fink #2 (2010-present), Isabell Hertel as Ute Kiefer Kern Weigel Fink (1995-present), Stefan Bockelmann as Malte Winter (2001-present), Kai Noll as Rufus Sturm (2003-present), Tabea Heynig as Britta Schönfeld (2010-present) Middle row (from left to right): Frank Voß as Uli Hirschberger (recurring, 2014-present), Petra Nadolny as Susanne Hirschberger (recurring, 2014-present), Valea Scalabrino as Sina Uhland Hirschberger (2010-present), Benjamin Heinrich as Bambi Hirschberger (2013-present), Petra Blossey as Irene Weigel (1994-present), Luca Maric as Robert Küpper (2015-present), Maria Kempken as Leonie Weidenfeld #2 (2014-present), Amrei Haardt as Jule Kasper (2015-present), Ines Kurenbach as Caro Kasper (2014-present) Front row (from left to right): Thomas Maximilian Held as Mathieu (guest, 2015), Milos Vukovic as Paco Weigel (2000-present) Missing contract cast members: Timothy Boldt as Ringo Beckmann (2012-present), Olivia Burkhart as Fiona Novak (2015-present), Alexander Sholti as Sascha Brenner (2013-present)

Wow, I didn't know that channel. The first episode that was uploaded is #1537 from June 20th, 2001 with the most recent episode being #2021 from July 21st, 2003. The main story in 2001 was the romance between Henning von Anstetten and Marie von Beyenbach. Tanja von Anstetten who had rejoined the show in early 2001 wanted to marry Henning herself and made him and Marie believe that they were siblings. Henning and Tanja's arch nemesis Clarissa uncovered Tanja's plans and staged a wedding for Henning and Tanja. In order to receive his family fortune, Tanja planned on shooting Henning, but he wore a bullet-proof vest. Tanja then tried to flee the country. When Clarissa boarded a plane to the Bahamas, Tanja was also there dressed as a stewardess. Clarissa held Tanja at gunpoint and said "Game over, Tanja!" Then the plane crashed and both Tanja and Clarissa were presumed dead. Tanja returned in 2004 (and is still part of the weekly version) and Clarissa returned in 2011 during the Mallorca storyline. 2001 to 2003 is also considered to be the von Beyenbach era. The von Beyenbachs replaced the von Anstettens as the main aristocratic family. They consisted of patriarch Martin, mother Beatrice, and their children Marie, Felix and Franziska. In 2003, Martin's evil brother Bernd and his daughter Vanessa joined the show. Beatrice fell in love with Bernd. The von Beyenbachs were gradually phased out in the summer of 2003 with Franziska leaving to New York to start a model career, Marie becoming HIV-positive and starting a new life somewhere else, and Martin and Beatrice being killed off in a boat explosion. Felix and Vanessa lasted until 2006, and Bernd until 2007. The von Beyenbachs were replaced by the von Lahnsteins in late 2003. Most storylines involved love triangles in all kinds of variations which has always been VL's main story formula. Best friends fighting for the same man/woman, father and son fighting for the same woman, sisters fighting for the same guy, a guy or a woman in a straight relationship falling in love with a gay character etc. pp. Looking at the opening credits from #1537, there were the following characters: Clarissa von Anstetten (played by Isa Jank from 1995-2001; 2011-2013): Mentioned above. Carolin von Anstetten (played by Jutta Fastian from 1998-2000): Henning's ex-wife, had an affair with Christoph and got pregnant with his child, had already left the canvas at that point Henning von Anstetten (played by Markus Hoffmann from 1995-1996; Hendrik Martz from 1998-1999; Patrik Fichte from 1999-2002): Eventually married Marie in 2002 only to fall from a tower on his wedding day. He died immediately. Christoph von Anstetten (played by Jürgen Zartmann from 1995-2000): Henning's father and Clarissa's ex-husband, had an affair with his son's wife, was pushed into suicide by Clarissa in late 2000 Christian Toppe (played by Luke Wilkins from 1999-2001): Younger brother of the late Heino Toppe, had a fling with Lara Cornelius, wanted to become a famous pop star and left town Lara Cornelius (played by Karoline Schuch from 2000-2002; Clara Gerst from 2014-2015): Grew up believing that Elisabeth Ryan Brandner was her aunt, moved in with the Branders, then found out that her cousin Nina Ryan is her biological mother and Elisabeth is her grandmother, had a fling with Christian and a brief relationship with Andi, followed Nina to Greece, came back to town for a brief time in 2014 Ulli Prozeski (played by Andreas Stenschke from 1997-2000): Youngest son of the Prozeski family, Clarissa's nephew, after brief relationships with girls he turned out to be gay and was in a relationship with Tom Seifert. eventually left for Munich, had already left the canvas at that time Charlie Schneider (played by Gabriele Metzger from 1995-2015): Clarissa's former best friend, restaurant owner, always unlucky in love (at least until she eventually got married in 2014) Daniel Fritzsche (played by Markus Prinz from 1999-2002; Dirk Moritz from 2011-2012): Andi's older brother, a sports student, was in a relationship with Gabriella Santos until it was revealed that he had a child with another woman, moves to France; the character was brought back years later for a brief period Gabriella Santos (played by Kerstin Radt from 1999-2002): Originally from Venzuela, had to endure a rape, was a in a relationship with Daniel, cheated on him with his best friend Jonas, followed Daniel to France Elisabeth Ryan Brandner (played by Martina Servatius from 1999-2015): Nina's mother, Lara's grandmother, at that time Arno Brander's wife, later she married Johannes Count von Lahnstein and after that Johannes's brother Ludwig Count von Lahnstein Arno Brandner (played by Konrad Krauss from 1995-2012): patriarch of the Brandner family, fatherly figure for everyone, died of Alzheimer's in 2012 Jonas Schilling (played by Matthias Beier from 2000-2001): Daniel's best friend, had affairs with Kati and Gabriella, had already left the canvas at that point Tom Seifert (played by Kay Böger from 1999-2003): Alexa's older brother, a doctor and openly gay, had relationships with Ulli and Olli, tried to conceive a child with his best friend Jule, grew jealous of Jule's relationship with Florian Brandner, moved to Nepal Alexa Seifert (played by Kerstin Kramer from 2000-2004): Tom's annoying little sister, Lara's best friend, wanted to become a dancer, had relationships with Felix von Beyenbach and Robin Brandner Jule Roth (played by Tanja Lanäus from 2000-2002): A bisexual woman who had relationships with Simon, Nina and Florian, conceived a child with Tom and later moved to Greece to live with Nina and Simon Simon Roloff (played by Clemens Löhr from 2000-2002): Older brother of Mark and Lukas, had a relationship with Jule, moved to Greece Nina Ryan (played by Freya Trampert from 1998-2001): A lesbian woman who had relationships with Arno's second wife Erika and later with Jule, Lara Cornelius was revealed to be her daughter, moved to Greece Marie von Beyenbach (played by Solveig Duda from 2000-2003): Mentioned above. Henning Clarissa Kati von Sterneck (played by Insa Magdalena Steinhaus in 1995; Kerstin Landsmann from 1995-2001): Daughter of Barbara von Sterneck, Christoph's step-daughter, lost her great love Heino Toppe in a plane crash, had already left the canvas at that point Christoph Mark Roloff (played by Carsten Spengemann from 1999-2003): Former bodyguard and a ladies' man, had affairs with Kati, Isabell, Marie and Cecile, felt guilty for Henning's death and eventually fell off the same tower that Henning fell down Isabell Mohr (played by Tanja Wenzel from 1999-2004): Carolin's younger sister, was stalked by her ex-boyfriend Sebastian, later married Florian Brandner, was drugged and raped, became pregnant by her rapist Carolin The opening credits changed in episode #1605 and were completely re-done, Even though this was Clarissa's final episode, she was still featured, although only for a few days. Marie Henning Martin von Beyenbach (played by Günter Clemens from 2000-2001; Gerry Hungbauer from 2001-2003) Beatrice von Beyenbach (played by Jeannine Burch from 2001-2003) Franziska von Beyenbach (played by Lina Tiedtke from 2001-2003) Clarissa Tom Oliver "Olli" Sabel (played by Jo Weil from 2000-2002; 2007-2014) Charlie Mark Felix von Beyenbach (played by Andreas Potulski from 2001-2003; Stefan Kirch from 2003-2006) Christian Alexa Lara Andi Fritzsche (played by Dominic Saleh-Zaki from 2001-2007; 2009-2015) Daniel Gabriella Elisabeth Arno Jule Isabell Lukas Roloff (played by Christoph Dostal from 2001-2002): Mark and Simon's criminal brother, had affairs with Tanja and Charlie, went to prison after a robbery Henning In episode #1617, Clarissa's shot was replaced by Cecile de Maron (played by Yvonne Burbach from 2001-2006): Was briefly engaged to Henning during his break-up from Marie, was in a relationship with Robin Brandner, later married Johannes Count von Lahnstein, but eventually fell in love with Johannes's son Leonard, was hit by a car and died The next opening update occured in episode #1902 after half of the contract cast had left the show at the end of the year 2002: Marie Lars Schneider (played by Herbert Ulrich from 2002-2005): Charlie's younger brother, Olli's uncle, a lawyer, was torn between sisters Sylvia Jones and Hanna Novak Hanna Novak (played by Katharina Dalichau from 2002-2004): Sylvia's younger sister, was once married to David, fell in love with Lars but lost him to her sister, later embarked on a lesbian relationship with Carla von Lahnstein, died of a kidney failure (Hanna was a very popular character back in the day) Florian Brandner (played by Frederic A. Komp from 1995-1998; Alex Huber from 2002-2004): Arno's youngest son, was a troublemaker during his teenage days, later became a photographer and was involved with Jule and Isabell Isabell Tom Charlie Beatrice Franziska Cecile Robin Brandner (played by Nils Brunkhorst from 2002-2005): Arno's nephew, older brother of Jana and Nico, had relationships with Cecile, Alexa and Coco Jana Brandner (played by Friederike Sipp from 2002-2005; Vanessa Jung from 2005-2008): Arno's niece, younger sister of Robin, twin sister of Nico, was originally a shy girl but ended up taking drugs and working as a prostitute, was in a relationship with Andi and later married Leonard von Lahnstein, died in a car crash Nico Brandner von Lahnstein (played by Verena Zimmermann from 2002-2007; 2010-2012; 2015) Andi Elisabeth Arno Franziska Felix Alexa Beatrice Martin Sylvia Jones (played by Heike Trinker from 2002-2005): A mysterious woman who turns out to be Martin's ex-wife and Felix's biological mother Several of these characters returned in short scenes for VL's 10th anniversary in January 2005. Except for a few instances, they did not interact with any of the current characters but appeared in the same locations. Among these characters were Carolin, Ulli, Daniel, Gabriella, Tom, Simon and Kati (and several characters pre-2000).