I realize the earlier thread was shut down years ago but I became hooked on this show when I was in the Netherlands from mid December to mid January. I couldn’t understand any of the dialogue so it was fun to figure out what the storylines were. Anybody out there who can fill me in on the basics? I’m already a big fan of the Verduyn family-patriarch Julian had been a character on GTST from 1995 to 1999 and has returned with a wife, three kids and a dog!

Here’s a clip of the Verduyn family, the first one with all of them together in one scene.

 

 

What the hell is going on with Gtst since November?

At first they write off Original Character Linda and long time character Anton all of the sudden.

now the rapey Doc is out/dead… Richard is out. (Who finally got Ludo something to do and even was a great villain)… Billy left for good now. JoJo and Illyas out.

and now some Spangas cast member got picked up.

im irritated what’s going on there. I swear if they cancel Gtst then I am going livid  

I wish they would’ve written off other characters instead… 

On 4/4/2022 at 4:15 PM, AMCOLTLLover said:

What the hell is going on with Gtst since November?

At first they write off Original Character Linda and long time character Anton all of the sudden.

now the rapey Doc is out/dead… Richard is out. (Who finally got Ludo something to do and even was a great villain)… Billy left for good now. JoJo and Illyas out.

and now some Spangas cast member got picked up.

im irritated what’s going on there. I swear if they cancel Gtst then I am going livid  

I wish they would’ve written off other characters instead… 

I know the actress who played JoJo quit to “do other things”-in fact she’s the lead in a film called Costa coming out next week. I was a little surprised that both Richard and Roman have been written out. Babette Van Veen (Linda) left the show for a number of years but then returned so I think she’ll be back someday. I wish I could see clips from recent GTST episodes on YouTube but the channel obviously got some sort of warning by RTL. 

8 hours ago, TimWil said:

I know the actress who played JoJo quit to “do other things”-in fact she’s the lead in a film called Costa coming out next week. I was a little surprised that both Richard and Roman have been written out. Babette Van Veen (Linda) left the show for a number of years but then returned so I think she’ll be back someday. I wish I could see clips from recent GTST episodes on YouTube but the channel obviously got some sort of warning by RTL. 

I’ll admit that it’s not new for GTST that a lot of cast members are leaving in a Seizoen/Season.  But so many in just a few months it’s a bit concerning for me.

I‘m just worried about a cancellation coz Spangas got cancelled and will air its last episode after 15 years this month. I know they air on two different networks but it’s still a bit frightening.

I’ve been to the Netherlands in 2015 for the 25th Anniversary GTST Live! Event which was also the last LIVE Event for Gtst.. I‘m a real big fan.

Babette (Linda) was really mad about her firing in an interview and I don’t blame her. I get that she left a tons of times between 1990 to 2015 but I still don’t get that decision to cut her. Why not Laura? I mean I don’t want to lose either one of them. I just hope she will be invited back  she is one of my favorites.

i watch them on Videoland with a VPN and a premium account. It costs something like 8€. But it’s worth it.

Sorry for writing so much 🤣 

16 hours ago, AMCOLTLLover said:

I’ll admit that it’s not new for GTST that a lot of cast members are leaving in a Seizoen/Season.  But so many in just a few months it’s a bit concerning for me.

I‘m just worried about a cancellation coz Spangas got cancelled and will air its last episode after 15 years this month. I know they air on two different networks but it’s still a bit frightening.

I’ve been to the Netherlands in 2015 for the 25th Anniversary GTST Live! Event which was also the last LIVE Event for Gtst.. I‘m a real big fan.

Babette (Linda) was really mad about her firing in an interview and I don’t blame her. I get that she left a tons of times between 1990 to 2015 but I still don’t get that decision to cut her. Why not Laura? I mean I don’t want to lose either one of them. I just hope she will be invited back  she is one of my favorites.

i watch them on Videoland with a VPN and a premium account. It costs something like 8€. But it’s worth it.

Sorry for writing so much 🤣 

Oh no, THANK YOU for responding! 

Wow, I thought that Babette VanVeen had decided to leave and they just wrote off Linda and Anton together. I had no idea she was actually let go. Yikes. That’s not cool.

I wondered if maybe you knew what happened with the young actor who played Valentijn, Vincent Visser? Very good looking kid, not a bad actor at all but I suspect something went wrong and he ended up being fired and Val was sent to prison. I remember they tried to pair Val up with Merel for about two episodes but there was no chemistry at all between them. I used to subscribe to Visser’s YT videos but all it seems to be is his riding expensive cars and hanging out in very expensive looking apartments and going on very expensive vacations with his “buddies.” Very dull. 

Speaking of Merel Sophie Bouquet is absolutely stunning looking and has improved tremendously as an actress since joining the show. I’ve only ever been able to watch during my year end visits to The Netherlands so can’t easily track her character. Has it never been suggested that she’s actually the biological daughter of Julian and Jessica? It makes far more sense to me. She physically looks a lot more like Katja Schuurman than Tamara Brinkman! Hah.

OK, now that’s ME writing too much! Maybe we could carry on our conversations in the Message Center? Would that be possible? Again, thanks for your response!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMCOLTLLover, you must be pleased that Babette Van Veen is back next week! No Anton but still good news.

Yeah. I’m so happy about those news. But I’m more surprised by the news of Stefano Sanders returning. I never thought he would come back actually lol

Today marks exactly 35 years since the Netherlands aired the first daily soap opera on the European mainland: Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden (Good Times, Bad Times). This anniversary is being marked today with a double episode featuring several faces from the past. But it's also an episode with a darker side: actress Jette van der Meij is leaving the series, and her character Laura Selmhorst is passing away after 7134 episodes.

The character of Laura is based on Louise Archer from The Restless Years (which formed the basis for GTST) and was originally only supposed to run for 93 episodes. When the original scripts called for Arnie Alberts to leave the series after over 200 episodes, the then-Dutch producers decided to follow his journey to his parents in America and thus keep him, making a return for Laura an option. Laura has subsequently become a regular face on the series (with a few brief interruptions) and has experienced all sorts of things. She lost her baby daughter Lotje to cot death, her son Arnie disappeared without a trace in Venezuela, she joined a cult, threw her husband Robert through a mirror in anger, and fought to the death with Linda for love. At 50, she became the mother of a son, Sil, revealed she had been married to her biological son, Dennis, was betrayed by a shrewd con man, and was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. She also kidnapped a baby while in a fragile state, was involved in a murder, committed fraud, removed an ex-lover from the civil registry, and falsified a DNA test. Over the years, she has worked as an interior stylist, painter, jazz singer, lawyer, matchmaker, hotel manager, and café owner.

Laura's departure is made all the more memorable by the one-time return of her son Arnie Alberts, played by Reinout Oerlemans. Arnie was a defining character for the series for the first six years and disappeared without a trace during a business trip to Venezuela. For years, his fate remained a mystery, until news broke in 2005 that his body had been found. Despite this, the producers quietly reversed this decision, and his death was never discussed again, partly due to the anger of fans who refused to accept Arnie's death.
Actor Reinout Oerlemans spent years after his departure trying to shed Arnie's image and was adamant that he would never return to the series. Until ten years ago, during a double interview with Jette, he promised her he would return if she ever left. He kept his word, and last March, the scene in which Arnie asks his mother if she's going with him was filmed on the beach. This marks not only the end of Laura, but also Arnie's long-awaited one-time return and the end of an era.

Reinout Oerlemans said the following about his one-time return:

"It was fantastic and an honor to do," says the producer and actor. Reinout says that Jette has always been "the heart of the series." "I owe her a lot, and I find it valuable to have been a part of such an important period in her life."

The television producer found filming the scene "quite strange." "Because I hadn't been on camera for so long. But the crew was fantastic and respectful. With Jette, it was just like old times."

It was Jette's own choice to leave the series after 35 years:

"In 2021, I reached retirement age, and that's when my contract ended. The producers wanted me to continue, and I wanted that too. But the idea was already in my head. How fantastic would it be to be in the first episode and then leave exactly 35 years later on the same date. What's also nice: it's half my life."

^{"Are you coming with me?" - "Yes."}

I was at the last Gtst Fan Event in 2015 when This Show celebrated the 25th! I liked that anniversary too but this one was so Special. But I think it was time for Laura‘s character to end. 

It broke me down when I saw Arnie. He had Voice Cameo a couple of years ago but an actual on screen appearence. I Never Thought I would See One of my all time Favorite characters back on the Show. I was One of those that hated the 2005 twist. But at least Arnie took his mom with him.

that that duet that was on during the Episode with Laura was great. Mostly I don’t linker Style of Music. She was singing at the live Event too and I wasn’t really feeling it lol but Great Voice regardless