RTL Series: Careers & Curiosities – 30 Years “GZSZ”

“Forget it, it’s not for me.” That’s what actor Wolfgang Bahro said in 1993 a few months after the start of the new RTL series called “Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten”.

The daily early-evening series is now celebrating its 30th birthday – with a feature-length anniversary episode on Thursday (May 12, 7:40 p.m.). In the leading role of one of the most important “GZSZ” faces: Wolfgang Bahro as Jo Gerner. How did today’s veteran change their minds? And how did the former “amateur theatre” become one of the most successful series in German TV history? An overview of careers, oddities – and nail polish wear on the set.

Wolfgang Bahro almost skipped the casting

When the actor was asked, he didn’t want to go to “GZSZ”. “There were a lot of good-looking models on the set, but none of them could act. That was more amateur theater. It also looked different on the set than it does today: if you slammed the door, the whole decoration shook, »recalls Bahro in the dpa interview. He quickly told his agent, “Forget it, it’s not for me.” But she persuaded him to do the casting. When he then wanted to run away, the producer was already standing in front of him – with a pair of shoes for the role of the “charming rascal” Jo Gerner. Bahro listened to his agent, who advised him to accept in order to gain TV experience. After two months he could still stop. The rest is known: the 61-year-old has been seen as Gerner since February 1, 1993 (episode 185). His role is now a series legend.

Viewer record with Gerhard Schröder

On June 22, 1998, 6.73 million people watched the 1500th episode – that was a record at the time! In the context of this episode, the then Prime Minister of Lower Saxony and later Chancellor Gerhard Schröder had a guest appearance. Other prominent “GZSZ” guests included Thomas Gottschalk, Hape Kerkeling and a band that even triggered a hype with their performance in 1994: the Dutch boy band “Caught in the Act” (“Love is Everywhere”). “GZSZ” achieved the best ratings in the history of the series on June 24, 2002 with episode 2500, 7.14 million watched.

1998 and 2003 best selling hits of the year

At the end of the 90s, “GZSZ” became a celebrated youth series, the actors collected Bravo Ottos and became teen stars who suddenly even released songs. “I was almost embarrassed that it became such a scheme,” Bahro recalls. But the hits stormed the charts. Oliver Petszokat (“Oli P.”) landed two number 1 hits, his debut single “Flugzeuge im Bauch” was according to the Gesellschaft für Verbraucherforschung (GfK) the best-selling German-language single in 1998. Also Jeanette Biedermann and Yvonne Catterfeld started with “GZSZ” as singers. Catterfeld’s number 1 hit “Für dich” was also the best-selling German-language single of the year in 2003.

The wardrobe contains 25,800 costume pieces

According to an RTL spokesman, a total of 25,800 costume parts are available on the set in Potsdam, including 480 pairs of shoes, including 400 pairs of women’s shoes. There is a fair amount of wear and tear in the mask too. On the days of shooting, which incidentally mostly take place between 7:00 a.m. and 6:45 p.m., an average of 8,000 cotton swabs and 23 kilos of dirt powder are used annually, 1 to 2 liters of fake blood, 6 liters of nail polish and 10 liters of nail polish remover.

Actors can intervene in the script

The actors can suggest topics to the team of authors – and intervene if scenes are too abstruse for them. But that hardly ever happens, as Bahro explains. «In the past, people twisted the roles to make stories. Nowadays we pay attention to this in the script: Will the character get hurt? Is that authentic?” For Ulrike Frank, who has been playing Katrin Flemming at “GZSZ” for 20 years, the realistic role development is one reason for the success, as she reveals to dpa: “We all want to tell credible stories together.” The series has always remained “fresh and up-to-date”.

Jo Gerner’s exit story is already written

RTL announces that Gerner will have to survive some “life-threatening situations” in the anniversary episode. A serial death would not be to Bahros taste. “When getting out, I would wish Gerner to drive his yacht towards the sunset. Then the yacht explodes. Everyone thinks Gerner is dead.” But as is the case with a series character who has even been buried alive and survived, the story would not end here. “Then you see a periscope coming out of the sea and you know that Gerner managed to escape with a submarine. Then the viewer thinks: So he’s done it again…»

The feature-length anniversary episode of “Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten” will be broadcast on RTL on Thursday, May 12, 2022 from 7:40 p.m. After that, the station will show the documentary “30 years of GZSZ – the big anniversary” from 9:30 p.m.