Gay-to-bi/straight stories on soaps

[DRW50]

This is something that always interests me, especially reactions, why the show did this, and if they followed through. For instance, from what I've read, Egoli treated their gay couple like old maids, so they seemed to try several times to break their characters away into some type of instant love with the opposite sex (one of them fell in love with a woman instantly, only for fan backlash to end the relationship...a few years later, the other half of the couple became an instant bisexual and the two split up, neither having any real stories with other men after this). Other shows, like Alles was Zahlt, had a popular gay couple and apparently had no qualms telling passionate gay stories, but still put one half of the couple into a heterosexual relationship with his best friend, Vanessa. Then there's Isidingo, which seemed to have these stories as cautionary tales (one gay character was grieving and tried to convince himself he could be happy with his best female friend; a few years later, another was high and depressed and a psychological mess and got into bed with a friend's niece, causing big headaches and apologies all around). Shortland Street apparently brought a gay character back last year, as bi, with no explanation, leading to fan anger.

I have usually been able to find out details on stories for some of the better known soaps, but was wondering if you knew of any more obscure soaps that had this type of story about a gay character suddenly becoming bi or straight, how this was handled, if any change was acknowledged or if their past was just forgotten, how fans reacted, etc.

I realize that the way gay men and lesbians are treated in these stories is often night and day.

[Huntress]

I think the main problem is that you can only do limited story telling with merely two gay (or lesbian) characters on the canvas, especially for half hour shows which tend to have casts consisting of 20 or even less people.

Soaps tend to rotate couples a lot so usually one straight character is suddenly rewritten as being bisexual for the sake of storytelling. When the couple breaks up, one character goes back to being straight – if the couple doesn't leave the show together. At least that's what German soaps have been doing in the last 20 years.

If I remember correctly, there were only a few contract characters who were written as being completely gay or lesbian, i.e. they never had romances with members of the other sex:

• Kati Fuchs (MH, 2003-2005)
  
• Philip Krüger (GZSZ, 1997-2000)
  
• Carla von Lahnstein (VL, 2003-2009)
  
• Stella Mann (VL, 2008-2009)
  
• Carsten Reimann (GZSZ, 2008-2010)
  
• Nina Ryan (VL, 1999-2002)
  
• Tom Seifert (VL, 1999-2003)
  
• Virgin (AudL, 2010-2012)
  
• Billi Vogt (MH, 1997-2002)
  
• Roman Wild (AWZ, 2006-2011)
  
  Bisexual characters include:

  • Annalena Bergmann (MH, 1995-2010 -> paired with Billi)
    
  • Susanne Brandner (VL, 1995-1997; 2005-2008 -> paired with Carla)
    
  • Lenny Cöster (GZSZ, 2007-2010 -> paired with Carsten)
    
  • Markus Fröhlich (VL, 1996-1997 -> paired with Gero)
    
  • Bine Kern (UU, 2011-present -> paired with Rebecca)
    
  • Christian Mann (VL, 2006-present -> paired with Oliver)
    
  • Rebecca Mattern (UU, 1997-present -> paired with Bine)
    
  • Fabian Moreno (GZSZ, 1996-2000; 2003-2004 -> paired with Philip)
    
  • Hanna Novak (VL, 2002-2004 -> paired with Carla)
    
  • Sülo Özgentürk (MH, 1995-2010 -> paired with recurring character Mischa)
    
  • Deniz Öztürk (AWZ, 2007-present -> paired with Roman)
    
  • Ulli Prozeski (VL, 1997-2001 -> paired with Tom)
    
  • Paula Rapf (GZSZ, 2002-2009 -> paired with Franzi)
    
  • Franzi Reuter (GZSZ, 2005-2008 -> paired with Paula)
    
  • Jule Roth (VL, 2000-2002 -> paired with Nina)
    
  • Saskia Rother (GZSZ, 1993-1996 -> paired with recurring character Harumi)
    
  • Oliver Sabel (VL, 2000-2002; 2008-present -> paired with Tom and Christian)
    
  • Erika Sander (VL, 1997-2000 -> paired with Nina)
    
  • Charlie Schneider (VL, 1995-present -> had an affair with Stella)
    
  • Gero von Sterneck (VL, 1995-1997; 1999 -> paired with Markus and other minor characters)
    
  • Andrea Süßkind (MH, 1995-2005 -> paired with Billi and Kati)
    

  Most of these pairings were very popular with the audience, but usually they did not last that long. On the other hand, several pairings were very unpopular, for example Rebecca/Bine on UU, so that the storyline was dropped rather quickly. In some cases, even the actors disapproved of the developments of their characters.

[DRW50]

Thanks. It seems like one of the problems is no one on a show will ever say "bi" - for instance, Christian or Deniz may have been seen as gay by viewers, then suddenly they're with women.

Did they ever tell any stories about gay characters who suddenly had feelings for the opposite sex?

(I know Roman had a one night stand with Annette, while drunk, but that wasn't much)

[Huntress]

I don't think it was established that Roman and Annette had actually slept with each other since "the act" was never shown on screen and both characters couldn't remember what had happened during that night. One episode they got drunk together, and the next one they woke up in the nude next to each other. After that, the incident was never touched upon again. That was sometime in the fall of 2007, when Ingo was still with Annette's sister Lena and Roman was crazy about Deniz for the very first time.

Roman also had a short fling with Axel in 2009 when Nina suspected Axel of being gay and asked Roman to seduce him. I think they kissed once and there was a scene where a naked Roman wanted Axel to massage him.

I can't remember a gay or lesbian character suddenly being attracted to the opposite sex. Carla on VL was forced to marry Bernd von Beyenbach in 2004 because she was still in the closet, and of course, she came from an aristocratic family. But that was just a platonic marriage. Also on VL, Tom slept with Jule because she wanted to have a baby badly. On MH, Billi married a guy named Bogdan so that he could stay in the country. He eventually raped her and she got pregnant. Billi decided to get the baby and raised it together with her girlfriend Andrea.

[august1229]

Neighbours, which is Australian, isn't doing a bad job right now. A gay character could be kept busy doing other things and having love interests that came and went or one that was not a main character. One soap could commit more by having more gay characters, more than one couple at a time.

[BoldBeauty]

Sweden did pretty well with gay and bi characters when Sweden actually had soaps. We are currently soap-less.

The audience reaction was great.

Here are 2 homo couples I could find on YT (hard to find clips as the Swedish soaps pretty much died out 10-15 years ago!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1dl5b6ECks (Micki & Nikolaj, Rederiet)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWhlWruhg6Y (Jackie & Pamela, Tre Kronor)

[DRW50]

Thanks for those. Why do you think Swedish soaps died out?

So Nikolaj was bisexual. That's rare on a soap (especially on a permanent basis).

So did Micki's father kill himself to give someone a kidney, or did Micki? I was trying to read the translation.

Were there ever any stories about gay or lesbian characters who then got involved with the opposite sex?

[BoldBeauty]

Yes, Nikolaj was bisexual. His relationship with Micki didn't end well. Micki later found a great guy who he married and had a family with.

I don't remember what happened with his father.

I don't recall if a gay or lesbian character ever got together with the opposite sex. I do know there were a couple of bisexual characters. Like Sara on Vita Lögner. She started off dating women but ended up dating men.

In the clip with Pamela & Jackie above, Jackie was a married woman (to a man) and they had 2 children. She discovered she was gay, or at least lesbian when she fell for Pamela.

Most if not all gay characters stayed gay on the Swedish soaps.

Why they died out? Well, seems to me it was the same reason why the American soaps started dying out and lost viewers year after year. A number of reasons. More shows and tv channels to watch, more competition, better competition (?!), soaps always were the ugly duckling to the "more classy" shows.

[DRW50]

What are the most popular shows in Sweden?

[BoldBeauty]

Right now, there is next to no soaps. We still have B&B, DAYS, Emmerdale and a few more actual soaps, but they are not as popular as shows like CSI, Criminal Minds, Dexter, True Blood, Revenge, Greys Anatomy etc etc etc..... We get the best of American shows. It's like we have 50% Swedish produced programs, 40% American and 10% Brittish. That's the feeling I have flipping through the channels.

Also popular are cooking shows and interior design shows etc.

[DRW50]

Which Swedish shows are popular?

It's hard to believe sometimes that shows like CSI are so popular internationally, as the crime shows I've seen from other countries are much less flashy and trashy.

[BoldBeauty]

Some of the most popular Swedish shows:

Solsidan -- brilliant sitcom about 2 couples in a posh neighbourhood and their normal simple problems

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yvTkpwMFz0

In this episode Alex is annoyed because Fredde always tried to upstage him for couple dinners. Fredde is stuck with his son who has chicken pox while his wife wants to go to the annual sale in a posh store. Anna is painfully trying to work out with her friends.

Solsidan also features the most annoying neighbour in history. Ove Sundberg:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGtr9_wAWUc

Ove got a spin-off, the Swedish version of The Office.

Sweden do not produce many tv-series. Mostly just other types of tv-programs. Lifestyle shows, cooking shows, interior design shows, documentaries, debate shows, talk shows, morning shows...............

[DRW50]

Looks like Corrie is hinting at this with Marcus (gay character who until recently was just the boyfriend of the horrendous token Sean, who is nasty, selfish, bitter, insecure, awful). They broke up because Marcus wanted a child and Sean didn't. Marcus is dating a guy named Aidan, but his best friend Maria has feelings for him, and he may start returning them soon.

I assume this will end in misery and as some lesson to gay men, but I wouldn't mind if they actually had a happy relationship. It does happen in real life, sometimes, and no gay man will get a story on Corrie anyway. The guy that plays Marcus is a good actor and deserves more to do. And I can forever say that Sean is so horrible he turns his boyfriends bi or straight. I would love getting to do that.

[jfung79]

Sure you know about this already Carl, but for the thread's sake, Tony on EastEnders ended up being bi and sleeping with Frankie and Polly after first thinking he was "just" gay. Ultimately he did reunite with Simon, and they left the Square togther.

[DRW50]

Yeah...I think they sort of had him with women every time they ran out of story for him. He also dated one of the di Marco sisters.