German soaps: GZSZ, UU & AWZ

[Huntress]

I would get rid of the dead wood on all three soaps. There are quite a few characters that have long run their course but are kept on nevertheless. Some of them haven't had a decent storyline in over a year.

 

On AWZ, nobody cares about Leo, Thomas, Iva, Carmen, Ben, Lena or Marian. Even Diana and Ingo are a bore. The only entertaining characters right now are Vanessa, Christoph, Jenny, Marie, Michelle and Vincent. Deniz has become unrecognizable due to his relationship with Jenny. He's now just as corrupt and scheming as her. And they still look like mother and son to me. (Kaja and Igor are only two years apart in real life, but Kaja looks so much older.)

 

On GZSZ, half of the cast is dispensable. They are just "there" with no meaningful purpose. Newcomer Paul, who has been forced into an instalove storyline with Emily, is a huge bore and a weak actor.

 

But apparently GZSZ ommitted a controversal storyline from the previews: Last fall, Till "Bommel" Kuhn as played by Merlin Leonhardt was brought back after an absence of two years. Katrin (Ulrike Frank) and Bommel reunited, but then a few weeks ago Bommel learned that he has a deadly disease which slowly paralyzes his nerves. The storyline culminates in early February when Bommel decides to kill himself. Katrin supports his decision.

 

UU did the same when they ommitted the fact that Ute and Till's baby will be born with trisomy 21 (Down's syndrome). They completely cut that story from the daily synopses.

 

---

 

These were results of the biggest annual online poll regarding German soaps:

 

AWZ

Favorite Male Character 2016

Deniz Öztürk 24.8 %
Christoph Lukowski 18.8 %
Tobi Märtz 11.5 % **
Ingo Zadek 10.2 %
Ben Steinkamp 9.27 %
Richard Steinkamp 8.27 %
Ronny Bergmann 4.30 % *
Thomas Brück 2.98 %
Vincent Thalbach 2.64 % *
Leo Brück 2.64 %
Marian Öztürk 2.31 %
Veit Hartmann 1.98 % **

 

Favorite Female Character 2016

Vanessa Steinkamp Lukowski 26.3 %
Marie Schmidt 26.3 % (character received a recast in July 2016)
Jenny Steinkamp 12.7 %
Diana Sommer 9.00 % (character was brought back after an absence of 7 years)
Simone Steinkamp 8.69 %
Isabelle Reichenbach 5.27 % (has been on maternity leave since April 2016)
Carmen Bauer 3.41 % *
Michelle Bauer 3.10 % *
Lena Öztürk 1.86 %
Pia Koch 1.24 % **
Bea Meyer Zadek 1.24 % **
Sonja Brück 0.31 % **
Iva Lukowski 0.31 %
Flo Brück 0 % **

 

Most hated male character: Veit Hartmann

Most hated female character: Jenny Steinkamp

Best actor: Lars Korten as Christoph Lukowski

Best actress: Cheyenne Pahde as Marie Schmidt

Best looking actor: Igor Dolgatschew as Deniz Öztürk

Best looking actress: Cheyenne Pahde as Marie Schmidt

Newcomer of the year: Cheyenne Pahde as Marie Schmidt

Departure of the year: Michael Jassin as Tobi Märtz

Best supporting character: Ingeborg Brings as Frau Renate Scholz

Best couple: Marie & Tobi

Worst couple: Jenny & Veit

 

UU

Favorite Male Character 2016

Robert Küpper 19.3 %
Tobias Lassner 14.4 %
Benno "Bambi" Hirschberger 12.7 %
Ringo Beckmann 11.4 %
Till Weigel 9.50 %
Easy Winter 8.85 %
Rufus Sturm 6.55 %
Benedikt Huber 3.93 % *
Rolf Jäger 3.60 % **
Valentin Huber 3.27 % *
Malte Winter 3.27 %
Paco Weigel 2.62 %
Moritz Schönfeld 0.32 % **
Henning Fink 0 % **

 

Favorite Female Character 2016

Sina Hirschberger 34.6 %
Britta Schönfeld 30.0 %
Eva Wagner 24.9 %
Fiona Jäger 3.94 % **
Irene Weigel 2.43 %
Ute Fink 1.65 %
Caro Winter 0.93 %
Elli Schneider 0.77 %
Andrea Huber 0.25 % *
Jule Kasper 0.20 % **
Kay-C Schneider 0.10 % *

 

Most hated male character: Malte Winter

Most hated female character: Eva Wagner

Best actor: Luca Maric as Robert Küpper

Best actress: Tabea Heynig as Britta Schönfeld

Best looking actor: Ben Ruedinger as Till Weigel

Best looking actress: Valea Scalabrino as Sina Hirschberger

Newcomer of the year: Jens Hajek as Benedikt Huber

Departure of the year: Olivia Burkhart as Fiona Jäger

Best supporting character: Lena Klöber as Sarah Fuchs

Best couple: Irene & Robert

Worst couple: Eva & Till

 

GZSZ

Favorite Male Character 2016

Jo Gerner 34.3 %
Till "Bommel" Kuhn 21.0 %
David Brenner 9.37 % **
Max "Tuner" Krüger 7.55 %
Chris Lehmann 6.77 %
Mesut Yildiz 5.20 %
Philip Höfer 4.68 %
John Bachmann 2.60 %
Leon Moreno 2.34 %
Felix Lehmann 1.82 % *
Vince Köpke 1.04 % **
Tayfun Badak 1.04 % **
Jonas Seefeld 1.04 %
Alexander Cöster 1.04 %

 

Favorite Female Character 2016

Jasmin Nowak Flemming LeRoy 22.3 %
Sunny Richter 19.5 %
Anni Brehme 17.7 %
Katrin Flemming 14.3 %
Emily Höfer Badak 9.58 %
Maren Seefeld 5.38 %
Elena Castillo Gundlach 3.39 %
Sophie Lindh Moreno 2.59 %
Lilly Seefeld 2.39 %
Selma Özgül 0.99 % **
Ayla Özgül Höfer 0.99 %
Jule Vogt 0.59 % *

 

Most hated male character: Felix Lehmann

Most hated female character: Elena Castillo Gundlach

Best actor: Wolfgang Bahro as Jo Gerner

Best actress: Janina Uhse as Jasmin Flemming

Best looking actor: Wolfgang Bahro as Jo Gerner

Best looking actress: Janina Uhse as Jasmin Flemming

Newcomer of the year: Luise von Finckh as Jule Vogt

Departure of the year: Tayfun Baydar as Tayfun Badak

Best supporting character: Joana Schümer as Rosa Lehmann

Best couple: Katrin & Bommel

Worst couple: Elena & John

 

* Character debuted in 2016

** Character departed in 2016

[Huntress]

R.I.P. Till. He committed suicide in yesterday's episode of GZSZ by walking into the open sea and left a heart-broken Katrin behind.

 

Please register in order to view this content

[DRW50]

Thanks for the screencaps. Looks very powerful.

[Huntress]

Some background info:

 

A few weeks ago, Till had been diagnosed with a terminal disease. Katrin and his friends tried to find some cure, but Till already had settled his affairs. During a trip to Sweden, he told Katrin that he wanted to end his life. She assured her lover that she would support him. Till broke down at the beach because he couldn't feel his legs anymore. Later, he told Katrin that he could walk again, but he didn't tell her that the pain hadn't gone away.

 

Till called his best friend Chris in Berlin and told him that he would end his life soon. Chris visited Maren and informed her about Till's plan. Till also asked Maren to be there for Katrin after his death. Maren and Jasmin tried to reach Katrin, but to no avail. That night, Till quietly said goodbye to Katrin and left the cottage. The next morning, Katrin woke up only to find out that Till was gone. She ran to the beach, but only found his shoes and his jacket. In a flashback, we saw Till at the beach, taking off his shoes and his jacket and walking into the water. The episode ended with Katrin weeping over his clothes.

Edited March 8, 2017 by Huntress

[Skylover]

I think I'm going to start watching GZSZ regularly again.

[Huntress]

 

Yeah, why not 

Please register in order to view this content

 

Some minor casting news:

• Rumours about her departing the show already surfaced last fall, now RTL has confirmed that Elena Garcia Gerlach will indeed leave GZSZ in May 2017. The 31-year-old actress joined the cast in the recurring role of Elena Gundlach (née Castillo) in July 2013. Garcia Gerlach left in September 2013, returned for a few weeks in early 2014, and was then offered a contract in October 2014.
• Julian Bayer makes his last appearance on AWZ on March 29th, 2017. He joined the cast in the contract role of Leo Brück in November 2015. In an interview Bayer stated that the producers decided to drop Leo because the character was not important enough.
• The vacant slot among the contract cast has been filled with actor and stuntman Robert Maaser who has joined the soap in the role of extreme athlete Tim Hayer on March 8th, 2017.

Preview Pictures March/April 2017

 

Unter uns
01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10.

 

 

Alles was zählt
01. Deniz (Igor Dolgatschew) and Jenny (Kaja Schmidt-Tychsen) are happier than never before 02. Leo (Julian Bayer) has to flee the country and says goodbye to his father Thomas (Daniel Brockhaus) and Marian (Sam Eisenstein) 03. Thomas finds consolidation in Isabelle's (Ania Niedieck) arms 04. Ronny (Bela Klentze), Tim (Robert Maaser), Marie (Cheyenne Pahde), Michelle (Franziska) and Iva (Christina Klein) spend a spa day together 05. Michelle and Ronny grow closer ... 06. ... as do Tim and Marie 07. Vincent (Daniel Buder, left) tricks Maximilian (Francisco Medina) during a confrontation with a cop 08. After having found out that Simone and Vincent spent a night together, Richard (Silvan-Pierre Leirich) is furious and has to be calmed down by Ben (Jörg Rohde) 09. Lena (Juliette Greco) watches as Maximilian says goodbye to their son Alexander 10. The gang has ruined Richard's portrait

 

Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten

01. With Maren's (Eva Mona Rodekirchen, right) help, Katrin (Ulrike Frank) finds the strength to clear out Till's room 02. Even though they know it's wrong, Elena (Elena Garcia Gerlach) and Jo (Wolfgang Bahro) can't resist their feelings anymore 03. Anni (Linda Marlen Runge), who's still suffering from sudden deafness, doesn't listen to Jasmin's (Janine Uhse) and Sophie's (Lea Marlen Woitack) advice that she should spare herself 04. Paul (Niklas Osterloh) and Emily (Anne Menden) celebrate a romantic reunion 05. Felix (Thaddäus Meilinger) succeeds in antagonizing Sunny (Valentina Pahde) against Chris 06. Sunny tries to intervene when Chris (Eric Stehfest, left) and Felix have a fight 07. Sunny asks Lilly (Iris Mareike Steen) about Chris's whereabouts 08. Alexander (Clemens Löhr, right) tries to talk some sense into Jonas (Felix van Deventer) who's about to fail his A-Levels 09. Lilly, Elena, Sunny, Jasmin and Sophie are shocked that Sunny's engagement has been stolen during a subway ride 10. Rosa's (Joana Schümer) trust in Chris dwindles

Edited March 8, 2017 by Huntress

[wingwalker]

Huntress, so I was reading on another site that Ringo on Unter Uns might be finally getting a male love interest, Valentin. Does it sound worth checking out? I was vastly disappointed in how the Ringo and Yannick story turned out a few years ago. 

[Huntress]

Actually, many fans were rooting for Ringo and Valentin's father Benedikt to hook up – that would've been quite a twist. Benedikt and Valentin have a lousy father-son relationship because Benedikt is a ruthless businessman and Valentin doesn't want to become like his father. Then Ringo came along, and he was the "perfect son" in Benedikt's eyes, so he took him under his wings while dismissing Valentin.

 

So far there have been no signs that Valentin might be gay or bi, but since Valentin has always been written as someone who is looking for his true self, it kind of makes sense for him to turn experiment with men.

 

---

 

Tomorrow, GZSZ will reveal the details about its upcoming 25th anniversary which is due in May 2017. Apparently there will be another 90-minutes primetime special.

 

Back in 1996, GZSZ celebrated its 1000th episode... only two cast members are still on board. Shortly before the 1000th episode aired, half of the contract cast had been replaced by new faces.

 

Please register in order to view this content

 

Back row: Julian Scheunemann as Karlheinz "Charlie" Fierek † (recurring 1993-1994, contract 1994-1998), Hans Christiani as Argamennon Rufus "A.R." Daniel (contract 1992-2009), Lisa Riecken as Elisabeth Meinhart Daniel Buhr Richter (contract 1992-2010, guest 2011), Daniel Enzweiler as Jörg Reuter (contract 1996-1998), Sandra Keller as Tina Ullrich Zimmermann #1 (contract 1992-1996), Raphael Schneider as Andreas "Andy" Lehmann † (contract 1995-2000), Claudia Weiske as Elke Opitz-Graf † (contract 1992-1997, guest 1999, killed off-screen 2012), Raphael Vogt as Nico A. Weimershaus (contract 1996-2005), Frank-Thomas Mende as Clemens Richter (contract 1992-2010, guest 2011)
Middle row: Nicole Diercks as Carolin Carnet (recurring 1996), Wolfgang Bahro as Dr. Hans-Joachim "Jo" Gerner (contract 1993-present), Maren Thurm as Barbara Wiebe-Graf #2 (contract 1996-1999), Ralf Benson as Fabian Moreno (contract 1996-2000, recurring 2003-2004), Nadine Dehmel as Nataly Jäger (contract 1996-2000), Daniel Fehlow as Leon Moreno (contract 1996-1999, 2001-present), Angela Neumann as Vera Richter (contract 1992-1997)

Front row: Rhea Harder as Princess Florentine "Flo" Spirandelli di Montalban (contract 1996-2002, guest 2002)

Not pictured: Anne Brendler as Vanessa Moreno Richter (contract 1996-1998, recurring 2015-2016)

[DRW50]

That cast photo is really something. No wonder they look awkward. It looks more like the '80s though...

[Skylover]

Who's the guy in the yellow? Looks hot.

[wingwalker]

 

Thanks Huntress! Let me how or if it develops into anything! 

 

 

[Huntress]

 

That's Daniel Fehlow. He's played Leon Moreno since April 1996 (with a short break between 1999 and 2001). Now he's of course 20 years older. Leon's character page on GZSZ's official website: http://www.rtl.de/cms/gzsz-rolle-leon-moreno-631685.html

 

Leon's a professional cook, owner of the "Mauerwerk" restaurant, and a former ladies' man. His ex-wives include Cora Hinze Moreno and the late Verena Koch Moreno. Currently he's married to Sophie Lindh Moreno. Leon has two children: An illegitimate son, Vince, and another son, Oskar, with Verena. He's definitely not the most exciting character, but he's not annoying, either.

 

Some casting news:

• Elena Garcia Gerlach's final airdate on GZSZ is May 16th, 2017 – so she leaves one episode before the show celebrates its 25th anniversary. Her alter ego Elena Gundlach realizes that she must end her relationship with her dead husband's father Jo Gerner. Elena breaks up with Jo and moves back to her native Spain.
• Also on GZSZ, Clemens Löhr (Alexander Cöster) and Felix von Jascheroff (John Bachmann) have extended their contracts *yawn*. They join the list of actors who have long overstayed their welcome. Alexander and John haven't had a decent story in ages.
• On UU, there's going to be a recast as Kristin Meyer has departed the role of Andrea Huber after less than a year. She last aired on March 30th, 2017. On April 19th, Meyer's replacement Astrid Leberti makes her first appearance. Andrea is the daughter of Robert Küpper, wife of Benedikt Huber, and mother of Valentin Huber. Originally portrayed as a surpressed housewife, Andrea has slowly grown a backbone and has recently seen through Benedikt's schemes. According to Leberti, "something really terrible" will happen to Andrea soon.

 

Will do that

Please register in order to view this content

[Skylover]

Ah thanks, wow he has aged! I saw the thing where they lost the baby.

[Huntress]

 

Ah yes, that was last year when Sophie had a miscarriage. Because she totally pulled away from him, Sophie and Leon almost got a divorce, but they have reconciled since.

 

Here are some episode stills from the upcoming Ringo & Valentin storyline on UU.

 

Timothy Boldt joined the cast as Ringo Beckmann in August 2012. Ringo originally arrived with his parents Paul and Sonja and his twin sister Kira. Other members of the Beckmann family include Sonja's younger sister Leonie Weidenfeld and Paul's illegitimate son Tobias Lassner. Paul and Sonja were killed off in early 2014, and Kira left town later that year. Leonie said goodbye in 2015. A scheming teenager and a bully, Ringo came out as bisexual in 2013.

 

Aaron Koszuta joined the cast as Valentin Huber in April 2016. Valentin is the son of Benedikt and Andrea Huber and the grandson of Robert Küpper, who married original cast member Irene Weigel last year. Valentin also has a sister who hasn't been shown on-screen yet.

 

Please register in order to view this content

Valentin (front) sees Ringo making out with another guy (in the background) and is shocked because he didn't know that Ringo is bisexual.

 

Valentin's parents Benedikt and Andrea

 

At a school dance, Valentin surprises Ringo with a kiss – to scare off a pushy girl who doesn't leave his side

[Skylover]

Why are German men so hot. The casts are very very attractive in comparison to the UK and Aus soaps IMO. Those 2 actors did an awesome job when they lost the baby, I liked the scenes where they went to a support group. I really miss Jascha Rust. That UU story looks well worth tuning in to,

Please register in order to view this content

 that Valentin, wow!

Edited April 8, 2017 by Edward Skylover