German soaps: GZSZ, UU & AWZ

[Adamski]

This is so fascinating, thanks again @AMCOLTLLover

[AMCOLTLLover]

Yeah sure of course. You’re welcome

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[Huntress]

Some news:

Thomas Drechsel (Tuner) is departing GZSZ in late February/early March 2024 after having being on contract for almost 14 years. In the past few years, the character hasn't had a major storyline and he should have been written out ages ago.

Last year, the same could have been said for Felix van Deventer's Jonas, but they finally managed to turn the tables and gave Jonas a major arc with his sudden paralysis.

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Making of the updated opening credits:

The actors' favorite scenes of 2023:

Outtakes:

 

Edited June 12, 2024 by Huntress

[AMCOLTLLover]

Tuner has been there for 15 years and I always thought they could’ve sent his character packing for the last few years. U have to give it to the show: they tried! They really tried to keep him around as much as possible.

I remember when he joined the show and they were ganging up Carsten coz he was gay

[Huntress]

On April 15th, 2024, GZSZ will celebrate its 8000th episode. In contrast to previous anniversaries, this episode will be of regular length.

The 8000th episode will focus on the murder trial against Carlos (Patrick Fernandez), with Alicia (Josefin Bressel), Katrin (Ulrike Frank) and Tobias (Jan Kittmann) also being front and center.

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The show is also having a "back from the dead" moment since Lara Dandelion Seibert returns to the show a few episodes before the anniversary. Last summer, Seibert recurred as Zoe Vogt, a professional killer. In September 2023, Zoe was severely injured after a hostage situation and seemingly died off-screen. Fast forward to now, when an unsuspecting Yvonne runs into a vitally alive Zoe at a gas station ... Seibert is now on contract with the show.

Current Contract Cast (as of #8000):

• Pauline AFAJA as Flo Kästner (March 2024-present; recurring previously)
• Wolfgang BAHRO as Dr. Jo Gerner (February 1993-present)
• Lennart BORCHERT as Moritz Bode (June 2020-present)
• Josefin BRESSEL as Alicia Bäumler (October 2023-present)
• Felix van DEVENTER as Jonas Seefeld (July 2014-present)
• Patrick FERNANDEZ as Carlos Lopes (November 2022-present)
• Ulrike FRANK as Katrin Flemming (April 2004-present; recurring previously)
• Patrick HEINRICH as Erik Fritsche (May 2019-present; recurring previously)
• Felix von JASCHEROFF as John Bachmann (July 2001-February 2014; February 2015-present)
• Jan KITTMANN as Tobias Evers (October 2020-present)
• Olivia MAREI as Toni Ahrens (July 2018-November 2022; October 2023-present)
• Anne MENDEN as Emily Wiedmann (December 2004-present)
• Niklas OSTERLOH as Paul Wiedmann (December 2016-present)
• Lars PAPE as Michi Bode (July 2022-present; recurring previously)
• Eva Mona RODEKIRCHEN as Maren Seefeld (December 2010-September 2022; June 2023-present)
• Jörn SCHLÖNVOIGT as Dr. Philip Höfer (December 2004-present)
• Lara Dandelion SEIBERT (April 2024-present; recurring previously)
• Iris Mareike STEEN as Lilly Seefeld (December 2010-present)
• Timur ÜLKER as Nihat Güney (September 2018-present)
• Marc WEINMANN as Luis Ahrens #2 (September 2021-present)
• Gisa ZACH as Yvonne Bode (January 2019-present)

Currently on maternity leave:

• Nina ENSMANN as Jessica Reichelt
• Chryssanthi KAVAZI as Laura Bachmann
• Maria WEDIG as Nina Ahrens

Meanwhile, the other two RTL soaps are ... just there. I think AWZ has introduced a new figure skater and has a lesbian wedding coming up, but they're absolutely building no momentum. Maximilian has returned for the umpteenth time, but no one cares. UU is bringing back another forgotten character from the distant past in the form of Charlotte Sommer, a contract role from 2008 to 2010. At least she will be played by her original portrayer Anna Julia Antonucci.

Edited June 12, 2024 by Huntress

[DRW50]

Thanks as always @Huntress

[AMCOLTLLover]

Unter Uns has become so boring. AWZ has been dead weight for ages. I didn’t even noticed that Maximilian has been gone again lol 

GZSZ is doing OK but it’s not as entertaining as it used to be. 

[Huntress]

Here's a "behind the scenes" video of GZSZ's anniversary photo shoot:

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And some new outtakes:

 

[DRW50]

@Huntress Is Deniz still on AWZ? Does he do anything?

[Huntress]

Yes, Deniz is still on AWZ. He's been working as a figure skating coach for the Steinkamps for quite some time, and at some point he got married to Imani, but I'm not sure if they are still together 

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AWZ's contract cast as of April 2024:

• Suri ABBASSI as Leyla Öztürk (2021-present)
• Berrit ARNOLD as Daniela Bremer (2021-present; recurring previously)
• Stefan BOCKELMANN as Henning Ziegler (2021-present)
• Matthias BRÜGGENOLTE as Justus Albrecht (2020-present)
• Tatjana CLASING as Simone Steinkamp (2006-present)
• Igor DOLGATSCHEW as Deniz Öztürk (2007-present)
• Marc DUMITRU as Kilian Reichenbach (2022-present)
• Shaolyn FERNANDEZ as Charlotte Beer (2024-present)
• Dominik FLADE as Yannick Ziegler (2020-present)
• Alexandra FONSATTI as Chiara Nadolny (2019-present)
• Féréba KONÉ as Imani Okana (2022-present)
• Silvan-Pierre LEIRICH as Richard Steinkamp (2006-present)
• Francisco MEDINA as Maximilian von Altenburg (2007-present with innumerable breaks)
• Jasmin MINZ as Kim Steinkamp (2020-present)
• Ania NIEDIECK as Isabelle Reichenbach (2010-present)
• Jörg ROHDE as Ben Steinkamp #2 (2009-present)
• Sarah Victoria SCHALOW as Hanna Kern (2023-present)
• Kaja SCHMIDT-TYCHSEN as Jenny Steinkamp #4 (2011-present)
• Julia WIEDEMANN as Lucie Ziegler (2020-2023; 2023-present)

[DRW50]

Thank you. Just saw your reply. I appreciate it.

[Huntress]

Filming for the new GZSZ "spin-off" began at the end of May. The official title is "Uferpark – Gute Zeiten, Wilde Zeiten" (= "Uferpark – Good Times, Wild Times").

Official synopsis (translated):

"In the heart of Berlin, teenagers Amina, Yunis, Lea, Pepe, and Milo take over an old skatepark (= the aforementioned 'Uferpark') for themselves. The friends form a tight-knit clique, sticking together through thick and thin while grappling with the challenges of growing up: Amina is torn between her best friend Yunis and the enigmatic Ben, whose crew constantly causes trouble in the neighborhood. Lea is questioning her professional skating career, Milo is determined to find his own path in music, and Pepe unexpectedly proves to have managerial skills. Together, the group develops an unwavering determination to defend "their" skatepark against all odds. They stand together for their place in society, for unity, and for themselves as a group."

The first official press release didn't mention any crossovers with the main show at all. They could have used some of GZSZ's legacy children for one of the main roles (for example Kate, Oskar Moreno, or even John's son Benjamin), but I guess they don't want to establish too many connections since this new show is aimed at a completely different target audience and will also air on a different channel. The press release also doesn't call it a spin-off, but rather a show that is "set in the GZSZ universe".

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Meanwhile, one of RTL2's trashy pseudo soaps has been given the axe – at least on linear television. "Köln 50667", which has aired weekdays at 6 pm since 2013, has moved to streaming only. The show will continue on RTL+ for at least six months, and two new episodes will be released every week. "Köln 50667" is a spin-off of "Berlin – Tag & Nacht" which was launched in 2011. Both shows boomed when reality shows flooded the television landscape, and for a time they almost had a higher market share than the regular soaps on rivalling channels – but it didn't last long. In 2022, "Köln 50667" only had a market share of 2 %. In a desperate attempt to attract new viewers, half of the cast was fired and replaced by new characters, and even the setting was changed. It didn't work out.

In contrast, "Berlin – Tag & Nacht", which airs weekdays at 7 pm (against AWZ and GZSZ on RTL), is still doing okay.

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Some new GZSZ outtakes:

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Edited June 12, 2024 by Huntress

[DRW50]

Thanks as always @Huntress

[AMCOLTLLover]

But I can’t say that I’m sorry for Köln. I’m even more surprised that they still keep it going even if it’s streaming only. That show has been dead since 2019/2020.. BUT I have to say that RTL2 really tried with Köln 50667. Bringing back OG cast member, revamping locations etc. Even create a whole new cast and setting and just keep like 4 from the old cast. They tried but this show had run its course.

 

I got my ticket for the “Unter Uns” Fan event in August. Can’t wait to meet Miriam Lahnstein that plays on it for a while but is more well known for her legendary character “Tanja von Lahnstein” from old soap “Verbotene Liebe”.. Im so hyped to meet her. And Paco Weigel portrayed by Milos Vucovic since 2000 (he only took a 4 month break since then)

[Huntress]

So what has happened during the summer months on our beloved RTL soaps?

Not much, I'd say, although the fall previews do look good, at least for GZSZ and UU.

GZSZ introduces a new main character at the end of September: Matilda Kaltenbach, a 29-year-old lawyer who grew up in both Germany and Spain. She comes to Berlin for work and unexpectedly finds family connections there. Apparently, she is another illegitimate child of Dr. Jo Gerner (Wolfgang Bahro) – but is she really? Matilda is also said to have a twin brother.

Matilda's mother is seemingly none other than Elinor Schwarz, who had an affair with Gerner in 1995. According to her management, actress Mariella Ahrens, who had her breakthrough back then, is returning to GZSZ after 29 years. She was seen as Elinor for a few months in 1995. Elinor drained Gerner financially just hours before a planned wedding and then fled abroad.

Matilda will be played by AWZ alum Anna Katharina Fecher. On AWZ, she played the contract role of Melanie Wendt (2011 – 2012 and 2013 – 2014). Melanie was, among other things, in a relationship with Deniz during her second run.

This month, Gerner's youngest child, Johanna, just left the show, as actress Charlott Reschke, who had portrayed her since 2015, finished school and is now taking an extended break. The actress literally grew up on screen.

Until now, Gerner has had the following children:

• Vanessa Richter, née Moreno (contract: 1996 – 1998; guest appearances: 2015 – 2017 and in the spin-off "SUNNY" [2020]) – Vanessa came to the city with her adoptive brothers Fabian and Leon. The three worked as carnival workers. Gerner and Vanessa found out they were father and daughter when Vanessa was diagnosed with leukemia. Later, Vanessa fell in love with Frank Richter. Due to a porn scandal, she left the city in 1998 in a hurry. She has been living in Southeast Asia ever since. Vanessa and Frank had a daughter named Sunny, who came to Berlin as an adult in 2015 and lived with her grandfather Jo Gerner for several years.
• Dominik Gundlach, née Felix Löpelmann (born in the series in 1994; contract: 2007 – 2014) – Dominik is the son of Gerner and Claudia Löpelmann. He was born in 1994 and was originally named Felix. Claudia gave him up for adoption, and he was subsequently adopted under the name "Dominik" by Michael and Iris Gundlach. After Iris's violent death (she was killed in a car bomb explosion), Claudia returned to find her child. She fell in love with Michael, and the three left the city at the end of 1994. Thirteen years later (Dominik was now an adult), Claudia also passed away, and Dominik learned from Michael that Jo Gerner was his biological father. Dominik moved to Berlin, reconciled with his father, and had numerous love stories, including with Jasmin Flemming, the daughter of Gerner's on-and-off wife, Katrin Flemming. Later, he married Elena Castillo, but tragically died in December 2014 shortly after the wedding in a motorcycle accident.
• Patrick Gerner, née Graf (born in the series in 1996; contract: 2009 – 2012) – He was originally the son of Gerner's half-brother Patrick Graf and his wife Elke Opitz-Graf. Patrick Sr. died of a brain tumor in early 1996. Shortly after, Elke discovered she was pregnant, and young Patrick Jr. was born a few months later. In 1997, Elke moved to South America with her new partner and Patrick. In 2009, the now-adult Patrick returned to Berlin and tried to claim his place in the Gerner family, often clashing with Dominik. Gerner eventually adopted Patrick. In 2012, a letter from Elke revealed that Gerner was, in fact, Patrick's biological father*. Shortly after, Patrick fell drunk from a rooftop to his death.
  *This made no sense at all and was a retcon, as Elke and Gerner only had a brief affair in 1994, hated each other afterward, and too much time had passed for her to be pregnant by him.
• Johanna Flemming-Gerner (recurring: 2005 – 2024) – She is the daughter of Gerner and Katrin Flemming, who hated each other for a long time. Gerner had Johanna kidnapped shortly after birth and declared her dead. When Johanna became seriously ill, Gerner and Katrin called a truce and even formed a small family for a while. In the meantime, they have divorced (multiple times? I'm not sure how often Gerner and Katrin married), and both have new partners.
  * Fun fact: So far, Johanna (as played by Charlott Reschke) has been the only recurring character to have been included in the show's opening credits.

Johanna's whole story in a nutshell:
So, basically Gerner and Katrin wanted to take over Rosa Lehmann's bank (the Lehmann Bank) and really went to war with her. Rosa dug into the past and brought all of Gerner's and Katrin's dirty laundry to light. Rosa tells Johanna the harsh truth: "Your mother didn't want you and sold you to your father for 2 million! The deal fell through. After that, your father kidnapped you and made your mother believe you were dead!"
The flashbacks / summary of the whole story start around 2:50.

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Some new outtakes:

Current Contract Cast (as of 09/2024):

• Pauline AFAJA – Flo Kästner
• Wolfgang BAHRO – Dr. Jo Gerner
• Lennart BORCHERT – Moritz Bode
• Josefin BRESSEL – Alicia Bäumler
• Felix van DEVENTER – Jonas Seefeld
• Nina ENSMANN – Jessica Reichelt
• Patrick FERNANDEZ – Carlos Lopes
• Ulrike FRANK – Katrin Flemming
• Patrick HEINRICH – Erik Fritsche
• Felix von JASCHEROFF – John Bachmann
• Chryssanthi KAVAZI – Laura Bachmann (on maternity leave)
• Jan KITTMANN – Tobias Evers
• Olivia MAREI – Toni Ahrens
• Anne MENDEN – Emily Wiedmann
• Niklas OSTERLOH – Paul Wiedmann
• Lars PAPE – Michi Bode
• Eva Mona RODEKIRCHEN – Maren Seefeld
• Jörn SCHLÖNVOIGT – Dr. Philip Höfer
• Laura Dandelion SEIBERT – Zoe Vogt
• Iris Mareike STEEN – Lilly Seefeld
• Timur ÜLKER – Nihat Güney
• Maria WEDIG – Nina Ahrens (on maternity leave)
• Marc WEINMANN – Luis Ahrens (leaving soon)
• Gisa ZACH – Yvonne Bode

–––

UU loves bringing back old characters only to write them off again: Charlotte Sommer, who had returned in the spring after a 14-year absence, portrayed again by Anna Julia Antonucci (contract: 2008 to 2010), was run over by Stella (Bettine Langehein) and died. Stella, of course, fled the scene. To take part in Charlotte's funeral, her brother Mars also returned after 14 years. The production brought back Marcel Saibert, who was part of the main cast from 2005 to 2010, to reprise the role.

For its 30th anniversary, UU seems to be diving into the history of the core Weigel family. In 1994, when the show started, the family consisted of baker Wolfgang, his wife Irene and their children Chris (19 y/o), Till (16 y/o), and Anna (12 y/o). There was also Wolfgang’s mother Margot, who had owned the Schillerallee 10 apartment house for decades, and Margot’s good-natured sister, Sophie. Margot and Sophie hated each other because Sophie once had an affair with Margot's husband Werner. All residents called Margot "der Hausdrache" (literally: the house dragon, meaning something like "shrew"). Irene’s brother Olaf and his teenage daughter Antonia, who had arrived from former East Berlin, also moved to the apartment building. In the first year, the supposedly dead Werner Weigel reappeared after many years but soon fell to his death from the roof of the house.

Over the following years, the family changed constantly. Members moved away or died under dramatic circumstances, while new relatives appeared. Some characters were recast once or multiple times. One of the most infamous family members was Wolfgang's illegitimate son, Rolf Jäger, who committed countless terrible deeds, such as blackmail, kidnapping, and even murder. Margot, perhaps the most iconic character from the early years, was buried in 2006 after actress Christiane Maybach had passed away. Wolfgang, Irene, Sophie, and some spouses also passed away, most recently Chris's wife, Corinna Weigel (née Bach).

Currently, only four "biological" Weigels still live at Schillerallee 10: Ulrich Weigel's son Paco Weigel (since 2000), Wolfgang's illegitimate daughter Sina Hirschberger (née Uhland) (since 2010), Chris' and Corinna's daughter Cecilia Weigel (born on-screen in 1998; since 2021), and Rolf's son David Junker (since 2022).

Now, actors have been cast to play younger versions of Margot and Werner Weigel. What the production has planned is still unknown, but previews feature Cecilia being confronted with messages and dreams from Margot.

Current Contract Cast (as of 09/2024):

• Maxim AGNÉ – Henry Gerlach
• Sharon BERLINGHOFF – Vivien Lassner
• Timothy BOLDT – Ringo Huber
• Julius DOMBRINK – Theo Wolters
• Floriane EICHHORN – Nadine Pfeiffer
• Jens HAJEK – Benedikt Huber
• Benjamin HEINRICH – Benno "Bambi" Hirschberger
• Isabell HERTEL – Ute Huber
• Tabea HEYNIG – Britta Schönfeld-Küpper
• Carina KOLLER – Cecilia Weigel
• Miriam LAHNSTEIN – Patrizia Neumann-Goldberg
• Bettine LANGEHEIN – Stella Richter
• Patrick MÜLLER – Tobias Lassner
• Valea SCALABRINO – Sina Hirschberger
• Diego Carlos SEYFARTH – David Junker
• Lars STEINHÖFEL – Easy Winter
• Theresa TRASER – Ronja Pfeiffer
• Milos VUKOVIC – Paco Weigel

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AWZ, meanwhile, is once again in the process of reinventing itself. Producer Guido Reinhardt, who brought the show to the screens 18 years ago, has been back on board for six months and is trying to turn things around after a dip in ratings. Apparently, a new generation of the core Steinkamp family is being developed, which will become part of the show in 2025. Reinhardt admits that after 18 years, it’s simply difficult to write for characters like Simone, Richard, and Jenny Steinkamp, who have been part of the show since the very beginning, as they don’t want to repeat storylines over and over again. Ice skating as a sport will continue to be a central focus. Currently, the characters Leyla, Charlie, and the newly introduced Valea are part of the squad.

Current Contract Cast (as of 09/2024):

• Suri ABBASSI – Leyla Öztürk
• Riccardo ANGELINI – Matteo Borazio
• Berrit ARNOLD – Daniela Bremer
• Stefan BOCKELMANN – Henning Ziegler
• Matthias BRÜGGENOLTE – Justus Albrecht
• Tatjana CLASING – Simone Steinkamp
• Igor DOLGATSCHEW – Deniz Öztürk
• Marc DUMITRU – Kilian Reichenbach
• Shaolyn FERNANDEZ – Charlie Beer
• Dominik FLADE – Yannick Ziegler (leaving soon)
• Amrei HAARDT – Nathalie von Altenburg
• Antonia KOLANO – Valea Borazio
• Féréba KONÉ – Imani Okana
• Silvan-Pierre LEIRICH – Richard Steinkamp
• Francisco MEDINA – Maximilian von Altenburg
• Jasmin MINZ – Kim Steinkamp
• Ania NIEDIECK – Isabelle Reichenbach
• Jörg ROHDE – Ben Steinkamp
• Sarah Victoria SCHALOW – Hanna Kern
• Kaja SCHMIDT-TYCHSEN – Jenny Steinkamp
• Julia WIEDEMANN – Lucie Ziegler

Edited September 7, 2024 by Huntress