| Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Soap opera |
| Creator(s) | Reg Watson |
| Senior cast member(s) | Wolfgang Bahro |
| Country of origin | Germany |
| No. of episodes | 4,855+ (as of 26 October 2011)[1] |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Guido Reinhardt Rainer Wemcken |
| Head writer(s) | Berthold Eversmann Marie Hölker |
| Distributor | Grundy UFA TV Produktions GmbH |
| Running time | 24 minutes approx. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | RTL |
| Original airing | 11 May 1992 |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten (English: Good Times, Bad Times) is a German television soap opera.
In 1990, the first commercial channel in the Netherlands, RTL 4 had a spectacular ratings success with its soap Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden, a remake of the Australian soap-opera The Restless Years. Like in this Dutch version, the storyline was ported to fit German surroundings and to adapt to the decade that lay between the Australian show and the first episode. The first 230 episodes were taken from the Australian script, but heavily rewritten; since spring 1993 the scripts are original material written in Germany.
Today, the only thing it shares with the Dutch version is the fan-base's abbreviation of the show title to the first four letters of each word. In Germany, the show is referred to as GZSZ, while in the Netherlands GTST. Both titles have the same meaning.
Since its launch on 11 May 1992, Germany's first daily soap has regularly been a hit for the RTL network. For over 19 years now, the show has been number one in its timeslot at 7.40 pm with 4.5 million viewers in average. In 2002 the show reached its peak with over 7 million viewers. Set in Berlin, Germany's capital city, the show is about a group of young people who try to find their way in life. They have to solve problem connected with lovesickness, homosexuality, career choice, debts, disease, drugs or crime.
After Hans Christiani left the show at the end of July 2009, and Frank-Thomas Mende will leave the show in March 2010, Lisa Riecken remains the only actress still on the show who played her part from the beginning on, while Wolfgang Bahro debuted in February 1993. Further senior cast includes Daniel Fehlow who is on the show since May 1996, Felix von Jascheroff since July 2001, and Ulrike Frank who plays her current role since December 2002, after having played a smaller role in 2000.
Former stars of the soap include Jeanette Biedermann and Yvonne Catterfeld who have both launched a career in the music business.
Contents |
| Actor | Role | Duration | Job | Connections | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank-Thomas Mende | Clemens Richter | 1992– | German teacher in Canada | Father of Heiko and Tim, husband of Elisabeth, ex-husband of Vera, grandfather of Felix, brother of Karsten and Wilfried, uncle of Diana and Frank Richter, ex-fiance of Carola; one-night-stand with Senta | Spoke the first sentence in the soap |
| Lisa Riecken | Elisabeth Meinhart | 1992– | German teacher in Canada | Clemens' wife, mother of Peter, grandmother of Betty, ex-wife of Daniel and Vincent, ex-girlfriend of Hartmut and Volker | |
| Wolfgang Bahro | Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim "Jo" Gerner | 1993– | Lawyer and co-owner of "Metropolitan Trends | Son of Richard, half-brother of Patrick sr., father of Dominik, Vanessa and Johanna, uncle of Patrick jr., Katrin's husband, former husband of Patricia and Nataly, ex-fiance of Isabell; ex-boyfriend of Rebecca, Barbara and Sonja, affairs with Iris and Senta, one-night stands with Franziska and Anna | Crossover appearance on "Alles was zählt" in episode 924 |
| Daniel Fehlow | Leon Moreno | 1996–1998, 1999, 2001–2004, 2005–2007, 2008–2010, 2010– | Owner and cook in the club Mauerwerk | Husband of Verena, brother of Fabian, adoptive brother of Vanessa, ex-husband of Cora, ex-friend of Katrin, Katja and Kim, ex-affair of Flo, Anna, Pedita, Sandra and Daniela, one-night stand with Flo | Breaks: July 1998–January 1999 April 1999–April 2001 August 2004–February 2005 May 2007–September 2007 March–June 2010 |
| Felix von Jascheroff | John Bachmann | 2001– | Owner and barkeeper in the club Mauerwerk | Ex-husband of Paula, boyfriend of Pia, son of Patricia and Hannes, brother of Lena and Ben, half-brother of Philip and Emily, cousin of Sandra, nephew of Senta, father of Benjamin, ex-boyfriend of Julia and Caroline, one-night stand with Kathleen | |
| Ulrike Frank | Katrin Flemming-Gerner, former Flemming, née Gabriele "Gabi" Galuba | 2002–2003, 2004– | Owner of Metropolitan Trends | Mother of Johanna and Jasmin, sister of Anna, daughter of Irene, wife of Jo, ex-wife of Marc, ex-girlfriend of Leon, affair with Alexander | Breaks: April 2003-April 2004 July 2010–September 2010 Embodied as early as 2000 as the second actress Tina Zimmermann, but only as supporting actress |
| Anne Menden | Emily Höfer | 2004– | Worker in Mauerwerk, cashier in Spätkauf and trainee at Metropolitan Trends | Daughter of Hannes, half-sister of John, Lena and Ben, twin sister of Philip, ex-girlfriend of Lenny, one-night stand with Tim | |
| Jörn Schlönvoigt | Philip Höfer | 2004– | Worker in the Jeremias Hospital | Son of Hannes, half brother of John, Lena and Ben, twin brother of Emily, husband of Dascha, ex-boyfriend of Franzi and Lucy | In reality, boyfriend of Sıla Şahin (Ayla) and ex-boyfriend of Sarah Tkotsch (Lucy) |
| Raúl Richter | Dominik "Nik" Gundlach, née Felix Löpelmann | 2007– | Carpenter | Son of Jo and Claudia, half-brother of Vanessa and Johanna; ex-fiance of Jasmin, one-night-stands with Lucy and Pia | |
| Janina Uhse | Jasmin Flemming, accepted, adopted Nowak, née Melanie Galuba | 2008– | Designer and seamstress in her boutique "prinzesskleid" | Daughter of Katrin, half-sister of Johanna, niece of Anna, granddaughter of Irene, ex-fiancee of Dominik | |
| Tayfun Baydar | Tayfun Badak | 2008– | Owner of Spätkauf | Son of Cem, second cousin of Ayla and Kemal, affairs with Verena and Pia, one-night-stand with Dascha | |
| Isabell Horn | Pia Koch | 2009– | DJane | Half-sister of Verena; girlfriend of John, ex-affair of Tayfun, one-night stand with Dominik | |
| Thomas Drechsel | Max „Tuner“ Krüger | 2009– | Waiter in the Mauerwerk | Supporting role from April 2009 to May 2010 | |
| Clemens Löhr | Alexander Cöster #2 | 2009– | Editor and photographer at Metropolitan Trends | Father of Lenny and Lucy, half-brother of Daniel, ex-husband and current boyfriend of Iris; ex-boyfriend of Anna, ex-affair by Katrin | Second cast of the role, in 2004 he already played a quiz show host |
| Sıla Şahin | Ayla Özgül | 2009– | Physiotherapist in the Jeremias Hospital | Sister of Kemal, second cousin of Tayfun | In reality, girlfriend of Jörn Schlönvoigt (Philip) |
| Björn Harras | Patrick Graf jr. #2 | 2009– | Assistant of Jo and law student | Son of Patrick Graf & Elke Opitz-Graf, nephew of Jo Gerner, cousin of Dominik, Vanessa and Johanna | Embodied April 2009 to August 2009 the supporting role of Nils "Driver" Barkhoff |
| Lena Ehlers | Dascha Badak, née Petrova | 2010– | Seamstress by prinzesskleid | wife of Tayfun, ex-wife of Philip | Embodied in 1992 as the first actress, Karin Becker |
| Eva Mona Rodekirchen | Maren Seefeld | 2010– | Mother of Lilly and Tanja | ||
| Iris Mareike Steen | Liljane "Lilly" Seefeld | 2010– | Student | Daughter of Maren, sister of Tanja | |
| Senta-Sofia Delliponti | Tanja Seefeld | 2011– | Student | Daughter of Maren, sister of Lilly | |
| Vincent Krüger | Vince Köpke | 2011– | Son of Leon, nephew of Fabian, half-brother of Oskar | ||
| Jascha Rust | Zacharias "Zac" Klingenthal | 2011– | Student from USA |
| Actor | Role | In | Out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrea Höhne | Claudia Löpelmann, née Wedemeier #1 | 1992 | 1992 |
| Bernhard-Heinrich Herzog | Oswald Löpelmann #1 | 1992 | 1992 |
| Dirk Borchardt | Bertram Köhler | 1992 | 1992 |
| Viktoria Voigt | Denise Köhler | 1992 | 1992 |
| Matthias Hinze | Peter Becker #1 | 1992 | 1992 |
| Christiane Christiani | Gerda Becker | 1992 | 1992 |
| Suzanne Ziellenbach | Lilo Gottschick | 1992 | 1993 |
| Natascha Pfeiffer | Marina Geppert-Richter, née Geppert | 1992 | 1993 |
| Thomas Gohlke | Karsten Richter | 1992 | 1993 |
| Marie-Christine Herriger | Julia Backhoff | 1992 | 1993 |
| Johannes Baasner | Dr. Frank Ulrich | 1992 | 1993 |
| Fenja Rühl | Barbara Graf, née Wiebe #1 | 1993 | 1993 |
| Stephan Meyer-Kohlhoff | Martin Wiebe #1 | 1993 | 1993 |
| Mirjam Köfer | Diana Richter † | 1993 | 1993 |
| Timmo Niesner | Tommy Walter † | 1993 | 1993 |
| Andrea-Kathrin Loewig | Iris Gebauer-Gundlach, née Gebauer † | 1993 | 1994 |
| Marcus Ulbricht | Tobias Gericke † | 1993 | 1994 |
| Michael Trischan | Jürgen Borchert | 1993 | 1994 |
| Neelesha Barthel | Manjou Neria | 1993 | 1994 |
| Andreas Arnstedt | Lukas Haitz | 1994 | 1994 |
| M.O. Rüdiger | Matthias Zimmermann | 1993 | 1995 |
| Hannelore Minkus | Beatrice Zimmermann | 1993 | 1995 |
| Matthias Matz | André Holm | 1992 | 1995 |
| Dagmar Sitte | Rita Sahmel | 1994 | 1995 |
| Sali Landricina | Peter Becker #2 | 1992 | 1995 |
| Udo Thies | Dr. Michael Gundlach | 1993 | 1995 |
| Andrea Höhne | Claudia Löpelmann, née Wedemeier #2 † | 1993 | 1995 |
| Alexander Kiersch | Patrick Graf † | 1992 | 1996 |
| Julia Gerke | Jennifer Gruber Jessica Gruber |
1994 1994 |
1996 1996 |
| Victoria Sturm | Camilla "Milla" Engel | 1993 | 1996 |
| Alexander Eisenfeld | Oliver Engel | 1994 | 1996 |
| Jan Sosniok | Thomas "Tom" Lehmann | 1994 | 1996 |
| Andreas Elsholz | Heiko Richter | 1992 | 1996 |
| Saskia Valencia | Saskia Rother | 1993 | 1996 |
| Mey Lan Chao | Harumi Shimiza | 1993 | 1996 |
| Irene Neuner | Dr. Rebecca Scheele | 1994 | 1996 |
| Denise Zich | Daniela Zöllner | 1995 | 1996 |
| Alexandra Finder | Kim Scheele | 1995 | 1996 |
| Sandra Keller | Tina Zimmermann, née Ulrich #1 | 1992 | 1996 |
| Claudia Weiske | Elke Opitz-Graf, née Opitz | 1992 | 1997 |
| Angela Neumann | Vera Richter | 1992 | 1997 |
| Kea Könneker | Christiane "Chrissie" Lehmann † | 1996 | 1997 |
| Norbert Hülm | Robert König † | 1995 | 1997 |
| Julian Scheunemann | Karl-Heinz „Charlie“ Fiereck † | 1993 | 1998 |
| Daniel Enzweiler | Jörg Reuter | 1996 | 1998 |
| Tina Bordihn | Sonja Wiebe #1 | 1997 | 1998 |
| Anne Brendler | Vanessa Moreno | 1996 | 1998 |
| Inka Loewendorf | Astrid Seiter † | 1997 | 1999 |
| Torsten Stoll | Frank Richter | 1997 | 1999 |
| Mona Klare | Barbara Graf, née Wiebe #2 | 1996 | 1999 |
| Alexander Schäfer | Alexander „Alex“ Hinze | 1997 | 1999 |
| Alexandra Neldel | Katja Wettstein | 1996 | 1999 |
| Simone Hanselmann | Anna Meisner | 1998 | 1999 |
| Oliver Petszokat | Ricky Marquart | 1998 | 1999 |
| Raphael Schneider | Andreas "Andy" Lehmann † | 1995 | 2000 |
| Laurent Daniels | Philip Krüger | 1997 | 2000 |
| Nadine Dehmel | Nataly Gerner, née Jäger | 1996 | 2000 |
| Maren Thurm | Barbara Graf, née Wiebe #3 | 1999 | 2000 |
| Cathrin Vaessen | Franziska Bohlstädt | 1999 | 2000 |
| Rainer Meifert | Dr. Jan Wittenberg | 1998 | 2000 |
| Franziska Dilger | Inka Berent | 1999 | 2001 |
| Jan Hartmann | Christopher "Chris" Bohlstädt † | 1999 | 2001 |
| Stefanie Julia Möller | Charlotte Bohlstädt | 1999 | 2001 |
| Patrick Harzig | Peter Becker #3 | 1999 | 2002 |
| Tokessa Möller-Martinius | Sonja Wiebe #2 † | 1998 | 2002 |
| Tim Sander | Kai Scholl † | 1999 | 2002 |
| Anna Frenzel-Röhl | Sandra Ergün, née Lemke #1 | 1999 | 2002 |
| Rhea Harder | Florentine Spirandelli "Flo Spira" di Montalban | 1996 | 2002 |
| Norman Kalle | Martin Wiebe #2 | 2000 | 2002 |
| Hendrik Borgmann | Moritz Demand | 2000 | 2002 |
| Mia Aegerter | Xenia di Montalban | 2000 | 2003 |
| Christin Baechler | Patrizia Bachmann, née Biedermann | 2001 | 2003 |
| Peer Kusmagk | Ben Bachmann | 2002 | 2003 |
| Roman Roth | Tim Böcking #1 | 2002 | 2004 |
| Ralf Benson | Fabian Moreno | 1996 | 2004 |
| Jeanette Biedermann | Marie Balzer | 1999 | 2004 |
| İsmail Şahin | Deniz Ergün † | 2002 | 2005 |
| Raphaël Vogt | Dr. Nico Anton Weimershaus | 1996 | 2005 |
| Yvonne Catterfeld | Julia Blum | 2001 | 2005 |
| Dominic Boeer | Jonas Vossberg | 2003 | 2005 |
| Nina Bott | Cora Hinze | 1997 | 2005 |
| Uta Kargel | Lena Bachmann | 2004 | 2006 |
| Natalie Alison | Isabel Eggert † | 2003 | 2006 |
| Katharina Ursinus | Cornelia "Nele" Wenzel | 2005 | 2006 |
| Hanne Wolharn | Senta Lemke, née Biedermann † | 2000 | 2007 |
| Klaus-Dieter Klebsch | Johannes "Hannes" Bachmann † | 2002 | 2007 |
| Stefan König | Sebastian Winter | 2005 | 2007 |
| Robert Lyons | Vincent Buhr | 2004 | 2007 |
| Jasmin Weber | Franziska "Franzi" Reuter † | 2005 | 2008 |
| Maike von Bremen | Sandra Ergün, née Lemke #2 | 2002 | 2008 |
| Arne Stephan | Marc Hansen Victor Hansen † |
2006 2006 |
2008 2006 |
| Josephine Schmidt | Paula Rapf | 2002 | 2009 |
| Pete Dwojak | Henrik Beck | 2005 | 2009 |
| Oliver Bender | Tim Böcking #2 | 2004 | 2009 |
| Nik Breidenbach | Alexander Cöster #1 | 2007 | 2009 |
| Hans Christiani | Agamemnon Rufus "A.R." Daniel | 1992 | 2009 |
| Jessica Ginkel | Caroline "Caro" Neustädter | 2006 | 2009 |
| Alexander Becht | Leonard "Lenny" Cöster | 2007 | 2010 |
| Felix Isenbügel | Carsten Reimann | 2008 | 2010 |
| Sarah Tkotsch | Lucy Cöster | 2007 | 2010 |
| Kristin Meyer | Iris Cöster | 2007 | 2010 |
| Susan Sideropoulos | Verena Koch † | 2001 | 2011 |
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