“Keep Trying New Things” for 20 Years, the Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten Cast Have Served As an Extended On-Screen Family for Viewers
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24 May 2012 week 21 “Keep trying new things” For 20 years, the Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten cast have served as an extended on-screen family for viewers The Netherlands France See Goede Tijden, slechte M6 Replay leads Tijden live the catch-up TV market United States Croatia Phillip Phillips wins RTL 2 is the most popular American Idol second generation channel week 21 the RTL Group intranet Cover: The cast of Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten celebrating 5,000 episodes 2 week 21 the RTL Group intranet The housemates on TV For its average daily viewership of four million people, Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten (Good Times, Bad Times) has become an integral fi xture of the early evening. Backstage takes a look back at 5,000 episodes spanning 20 years. Germany - 24 May 2012 Members of the current cast: Jörn Schlönvoigt, Sila Sahin, Raul Richter, Anne Menden, Janina Uhse, Felix von Jascheroff and Isabell Horn (from left to right) When Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten launched and Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten became on 11 May 1992, German audiences had only an access prime-time TV institution, and has really known daily soaps from America and remained so to this day for almost four million Australia, while ‘telenovelas’ came from Mexico people. Guido Reinhardt, Chief Creative Offi cer or Brazil. RTL Television was the fi rst German and Producer at Grundy UFA, says: “The series channel to venture into producing its own daily has undergone an indescribable development: series. In fact, the original format and production at this point, every evening viewers get a highly methodology for Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten polished series that entertains an audience of was based on Australia’s The Restless Years millions, draws them in and gives them food for from Grundy, now FremantleMedia Australia. thought.” The critics didn’t pull their punches with Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten at fi rst, but the ‘new TV The series was initially produced at housemates’ gradually won over their audience. the Oberlandstudios in Berlin-Tempelhof, but later moved to the Potsdam-Babelsberg studio “No one would have expected at the complex, where a team of six writers develop beginning that this series would be such stories for each new block of fi ve 24-minute along-lived success,” says Tom Sänger, episodes. A team of about 150 work to produce Head of Entertainment, Show & Daytime at each episode. They tell captivating stories that RTL Television. “Neither the channel nor the are up-to-the-minute, tackle socially relevant production company. And certainly not the issues, make you think, make you smile – and critics.” But after a short time, its ratings soared keep entertaining viewers. 3 week 21 the RTL Group intranet The stories are set in a fi ctional Berlin neighbourhood, which wasn’t named at the The star machine beginning of the series. “Among ourselves, we always called it Entenhausen (Duckville),” Yvonne Catterfeld’s television exposure on recalls producer Guido Reinhardt. “The more we the show launched her music career, and looked for ways to make the series truly unique, helped to make her single Für dich number the more we concluded that a specifi c location one on the German, Austrian and Swiss was required. After the Wall came down, a charts. Her fi rst album went Platinum, and wave of euphoria swept through Germany and she repeated this success with a subsequent Past and... Berlin, and the divided humdrum city turned into a single and album, while still appearing in metropolis to match the likes of London, Paris, movies and television. In 2004 she won an New York and Sydney.” As a result, the city ‘Echo Award’ for Best Female Artist National increasingly came to the fore of the popular Rock/Pop. She has played in movies and TV series. productions such as Keinohrhasen, Vulkan and Zweiohrküken. In an interview, Catterfeld Tom Sänger: “As a daily series, Gute Zeiten, ...present told the German tabloid Bild: “The media don’t schlechte Zeiten is not only an important pillar really associate soaps with real performance, of RTL Television’s access prime time, but also an and many members of the audience also tend important model for the soap opera genre to think that anyone can do a soap. But the across the entire Group, underlining the truth is: you need enormous discipline. The channel’s programme continuity and quality.” time pressure is much greater than in fi lms, Its recipe for success? The series constantly because everything always has to be fi nished reinvents itself, with the producers and channel right away.” continually reviewing and questioning the format, to make it even better in the next step. Jeanette Biedermann played the role of Marie Balzer in Gute Zeiten, schlechte Christiane Ghosh, Head of Daily Series at Zeiten from 1999 to 2005. Music became RTL Television: “Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten Biedermann’s top priority after the show. She is courageous, always daring to try new things released an album and single which sold more both in terms of the issues it tackles as well as than 10 million copies, putting her among Past and... the way it is made. It refl ects modern life in big the highest-selling German singers of today. German cities.” Sänger adds: “The content of the She has won two ‘Echo Awards’, a ‘Golden series will also deal with various socially relevant Camera’ and a ‘Top of the Pops Award’. She issues in the next few years, forming the basis of has also since served as a judge on Stars auf the story development alongside the themes of Eis (Stars on Ice, in 2003 and 2006) and has love and friendship.” starred in various fi lms and dramas including ...present Anna und die Liebe in which she has played Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten has thrilled the main role of Anna Polauke since 2008. viewers for the past 20 years, and its 5,000 episodes have written German television history Alexandra Neldel’s acting career began with more than 2,000 hours of programming. No when she was discovered by a German series is so close to the viewer or has its fi nger casting agent at a polo event. She had been more on the pulse of the times. No series has working as a dental assistant, and went more daily viewers. In the week of 21 May to on to successfully audition for a role on 25 May, RTL Television is showing anniversary Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten in 1996. After Past and... episodes of Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten. leaving the series in 1999, Neldel appeared Several storylines approach their climax and in various German fi lms and TV movies a number of well-known bands at a festival including Lammbock, Samba in Mettmann organised in Berlin’s Kiez neighbourhood ensure and ‘Emmy’-winning Berlin, Berlin. Neldel a high celebrity factor. For instance, the German took on the leading role of Lisa Plenske in the band Silbermond will be unveiling its new single multi-award-winning Grundy UFA telenovela at the event. ...present Verliebt in Berlin, which aired on Sat 1. a role for which she won the ‘Rose d’Or’ for Best Actress in a Soap in 2006. She remains one of Germany’s favourite actresses. 4 week 21 the RTL Group intranet Members of the cast celebrating the 5,000 episode Music events are a fi xture in the series’ Sänger, “In contrast to the more traditional history: noted bands regularly perform at the daily series in the US and Australia Gute Zeiten, ‘Mauerwerk’. “A vibrant nightlife and concerts schlechte Zeiten is made in a way that gives it are part of Berlin’s culture,” says Producer Marie a much more cinematic look. Our international Hölker. “If we want to tell a story about this colleagues are amazed at the high production city’s life, that is an essential part of it.” values of our access-primetime TV series, which The Mauerwerk stage has already seen are on a par with prime-time productions.” performances by such great stars as Nena und Unheilig – and the series itself has created stars as well: Yvonne Catterfeld and Alexandra Neldel took their fi rst steps as actresses on this daily series. Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten has set new standards and now serves an international model as well. The companies that make up FremantleMedia, RTL Group’s international production arm, are constantly exchanging ideas about successful strategies. For instance, the colleagues at FremantleMedia Australia consulted with the production company Grundy UFA for the production of Neighbours. They organised a benchmarking exercise of Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten against Neighbours – which was on air for more than 25 years at that time – in order to understand whether the production methodology could be improved. Both teams looked at the entire production process line by line, considering key factors such as budget, scheduling and the facilities being used. Stefanie Kloß (Silbermond) performing at the “Mauer Flower” festival in the 5,000th episode 5 week 21 the RTL Group intranet Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten: Facts & Figures In 2011 an average 3.79 million viewers a day watched the goings-on at Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten. The series achieved a strong market share of 22.8 per cent among younger viewers (14 to 49 age group), and 19.9 per cent in the 20 to 59 age group. The GZSZ costume collection is comprised of 30,000 items, including 500 pairs of shoes alone, 400 of which are women’s. 120 pairs of jeans, 400 belts, 140 coats and 780 T-shirts are also available for the actors.