Konstantinou kai Elenis

Konstantinou kai Elenis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνου και Ελένης; English: Konstantinou kai Elenis) was a Greek sitcom broadcast on ANT1 channel, aired from 1998 until 2000, and one of the most successful and most-watched greek series in the history of greek television. Starring Haris Romas ,who co-wrote the script along with Anna Hatzisofia, and Eleni Rantou. Also: Vassilis Koukouras, Maria Lekaki (who later starred in Vodka Portokali as well as the Greek adaptation of "The Nanny"), Kallirroi Miriagou (who played in the Greek version of "The Nanny" too) and Stergios Nenes. The series ran for two seasons, 1998-1999 and 1999-2000, and consisted of 68 episodes. The duration of each episode is approximately 35-40 minutes. The show has been reran ever since it was completed in 2000 up to today.

Storyline

An old man dies leaving two wills behind, appointing as inheritors of the house he lived in two of his most beloved acquaintances, his nephew Konstantinos Katakouzinos, a lecturer of Byzantine Studies at the University of Athens, and Eleni, his gardener's daughter, who is a bar woman. However, they find themselves at a confusion, as both inheritors, as well as their lawyers, do not know which will was written first and which second (the second will would cancel the first will). Therefore, having no other option as both persons are emotionally bound to the house - and not willing to leave it, of course- they decide to compromise and live together, separating the house in two zones, each staying out of the other's way. However, they fail particularly in the latter, constantly fighting even over very minor reasons, as a consequence of the clash of their characters. Konstantinos, a narrow minded university professor, obsessed with the life of Byzantium, even writing a book about the sewer system in Byzantium, is a very conservative character, talking in an ancient dialect of Greek, as well as most religious and superstitious. Furthermore, he dislikes being in the company of others, and hates every type of modern entertainment. The only amusement he sympathises is hearing to classic music and reading classic and midieaval literature. He firmly believes that he should have lived in ancient times. He comes from a rich upper class family. Eleni, on the other hand is the exact opposite. Born in a poor family, she works at a bar, with very little education and talking in slang and vulgar language, which Konstantinos doesn't comprehend and resents. She is very open minded as well as having a kind heart, even sometimes bringing homeless people to live in her house or lending money to her friends. A typical modern girl, she enjoys all kinds of modern entertainment including rock and roll music, which Konstantinos abhors. She has many friends, as well as many relationships, none of which lasts for long. She is very messy and always leaves garbage in the house which irritates Konstantinos. The storyline mainly describes the every day life of these contrasting personalities, basically their arguments and their fights. Each dislikes intensely the other, plotting sometimes to get rid of the other from the house. Even though the storyline focuses on the main plot, there are various subplots in many episodes. Supporting characters included, Peggy, Eleni's closest friend and co-worker at the bar, who is an amateur actress and one day hopes to become a great actress, although opinions vary about her talent, as she thinks herself to very adept in acting, in contrast to what the others believe; Manthos, Konstantinos' closest friend and schoolmate, who is romantically involved with Peggy. Manthos, the son of a rich businessman, is a playboy, who while having an affair with Peggy, is having affairs with many women at the same time, unbeknownst to Peggy; Matina, is Konstantinos' and Eleni's neighbor. An acquaintance of theirs from old times, Matina is obsessed with finding a date and getting married. She works as a civil servant, and supplies Eleni regularly with food; Nikolas, is another co-worker of Eleni at the bar. He is always complaining at Eleni and Peggy, because they frequently neglect their duty at work, arriving late or not serving any drinks, although he is also a close friend of theirs. The setting takes place at Konstantinos and Eleni's two-storey house at Marousi, at Manthos' flat and at the bar, where Eleni, Peggy and Nikolas work.

Ending

At the end of the series, after two years of constant fighting, with the court still not reaching a decision about the ownership of the house, Konstantinos and Eleni discover a strange VHS tape. Unaware of its content, they decide to watch it. They are surprised to discover that Konstantinos' uncle had taped himself talking, hoping that they would find the tape after his death. They are stunned to see him reveal that he left on purpose two wills, instead of one, as he wanted his two most beloved persons to get closer because of the house, eventually hoping that they would decide to live together, which they did, and fall in love with each other. After watching the tape, things get uneasy between Eleni and Konstantinos but they finally do fall in love and decide to marry and live together as they did before, but leaving aside the arguments about who owns the house, something that Konstantinos' uncle would have wanted. The last scene of the final episode takes place at their house, after their return from their wedding, with Konstantinos complaining about the vulgar way Eleni was dressed in the church, and both consulting their lawyers to get a divorce.

Recording

The show was mainly recorded at ANT1 studios, Athens, but the characters visited many areas outside Athens such as Arachova, Patmos and Hydra.

Casting

• Haris Romas as "Konstantinos Katakouzinos": He is a grumpy, narrow-minded Byzantinologist and professor at the University of Athens, who works on a book named "The sewer system in Byzantium", which was rejected by every publisher he has addressed to, claiming that it will be a 'commercial flop'. He believes that Eleni is a temporary visitor of the house, and not the rightful owner of his "ancestors' house" as he calls it.
• Eleni Rantou as "Eleni Vlachaki": She is a nice and kind hearted young woman, who works as a barwoman, former freak, arguing with Konstantinos round the clock about almost everythin. Eventually, she becomes his wife. She always wants to make Konstantinos mad because she enjoys seeing him angry. Eleni calls Konstantinos by the nickname "Katakouzina", a pun of his name, "kouzina" meaning kitchen in Greek.
• Maria Lekaki as "Peggy Karra": Her real name is Panagiota Carachesaridi. Her dream is to become an actress but she fails at it, having no acting skills. She works as a barwoman in the same bar as Eleni and she is Manthos' "main" girlfriend.
• Vasilis Koukouras as "Manthos Foustanos": Konstantinos' best friend, with a huge ego. He dates many women - married ones as well- at the same time, and he sees almost every woman in an erotic way, including his girlfriend's best friend, Eleni. He has an addiction with fast and fancy cars, he drives a Porsche, believing that it attracts more women.
• Kallirroi Miriagou as "Matina Mandarinaki": Eleni's second best friend and neighbor. With no self-esteem, Matina has assured herself that she's probably never going to get married, although she often tries to attract men. She has no luck though, due to her lack of classic beauty. She, however, turns into a "femme fatale" at the end of the series, as she changes her hair and her style. She also stops wearing huge, unflattering glasses. Within these changes, she makes Nikolas fall in love with her.
• Stergios Nenes as "Nikolas Varthaculias": The barman in the bar in which Eleni and Peggy work as barwomen. He drives a Harley Davidson that he still hasn't paid off. He rejects Matina during the whole series, but in the end, after her makeover, he has a crush on her and he desperately wants to be her husband.

The show also featured many popular actors and singers as guest stars in various episodes.

External links

• Konstantinou kai Elenis official site (Greek)
• Konstantinou kai Elenis episodes (Greek)