Verbotene Liebe
Verbotene Liebe is a German television soap opera created by Reg Watson for Das Erste. The show was set primarily in the German city of Düsseldorf although, at times, the city of Cologne and the Spanish island of Mallorca figured prominently in the show's story lines. First broadcast on 2 January 1995, Verbotene Liebe was originally broadcast in 24-minute episodes, five times a week. It expanded to 45-minute episodes on 21 June 2011 and trimmed back to 40-minute episodes on 23 January 2012 to accommodate an adjusted time-slot. In 2006, Pay-TV network Passion began broadcasting episodes of the show from the beginning.
Verbotene Liebe was initially based on original story and character outlines from the Australian soap opera Sons and Daughters, the show was also slightly influenced by the American soap opera Ryan's Hope, before evolving into a show of its own as the series progressed. The show originally focused on two core families: the wealthy Anstetten family and the middle-class Brandner family. More specifically, it dealt with the story of Jan Brandner and Julia von Anstetten, two strangers whose fascination for each other leads them to fall in love, neither of them cognizant that they are twins separated by their parents. It is this story of forbidden love that gave the series its title. As cast members left the show, many characters were written out of the storyline, and new ones were added. Sometimes this included whole families. Writers attempted to phase out the dwindling Brandner family by introducing a new middle-class family, the Prozeskis, as foils for the wealthy Anstettens, but the Brandners proved to be too popular with fans, and the Prozeskis left as quickly as they came. Later, much of the drama centered on the Wolf family and the aristocratic Lahnstein family.
The series became well known for its groundbreaking positive representation of LGBT characters and relationships. For this reason, it became popular with gay and lesbian audiences in Europe and the United States. The series tackled controversial issues, such as: drug addiction, murder, rape, suicide, adultery, homophobia, incest, alcoholism, schizophrenia, HIV, miscarriage, kidnapping and sexual confusion.
In 2005, Verbotene Liebe received the Rose d'Or award for "Best Soap", and in 2010 was nominated for the category of "Best Soap or Telenovela". The show was nominated for eight German Soap Awards in 2011, winning three. In January 2011, the series began filming in high definition. The show ended on 26 June 2015, after 4,664 episodes and two decades after it began airing, due to a decline of viewers. The February transition to weekly broadcasting did not bring the number of viewers they had expected.
History
Early storylines
Based on the Australian soap opera Sons and Daughters, Verbotene Liebe premiered on 2 January 1995 on the German television channel Das Erste. The remake was initially planned for RTL Television, another German channel, but executives there were skeptical that the concept of a love story between a brother and a sister could prove successful. Verbotene Liebe began with the story of Jan Brandner and Julia von Anstetten, a working class guy and a rich girl who meet randomly at an airport and are instantly attracted to each other. They fall in love, only to learn that they are actually twins separated at birth. Centered on the fictional high society in and around Düsseldorf and Cologne, Verbotene Liebe initially focuses on two contrasting families: the working class Brandners and the wealthy and aristocratic Von Anstettens. In addition to the star-crossed romance of Jan and Julia and their love story, characters like the twins' conniving mother Clarissa von Anstetten and murderous femme fatale Tanja von Lahnstein brought the series to prominence. At its height, Verbotene Liebe attracted three million viewers to tune in on a daily basis.The cutthroat rivalry of Clarissa and Tanja begins when social climber Tanja sets her sights on Clarissa's stepson Henning von Anstetten. She pretends to be pregnant with his child so he will marry her, but Clarissa exposes Tanja as a fraud and a golddigger. Tanja vows revenge on the entire Anstetten family, and Clarissa's total destruction. Tanja murders her first two husbands, Ben von Anstetten and his illegitimate son Rajan Rai, and then kidnaps Clarissa. Her plans foiled, Tanja leaves town. Niehaus left the role of Julia in 1997, and the writers refocused the storyline on Clarissa. Her middle-class family, the Prozeskis, are introduced as another foil to the Anstettens, as many of the original Brandner family members had left the show. But the Brandners were too popular, and fans did not seem interested in Clarissa's origins or how she went about becoming a countess. Brucker also vacated the role as Jan in 1997. Even with her family gone, the focus remains on Clarissa as she is sent to war against her ex-husband Christoph von Anstetten and his new wife Barbara. Tanja returns in 2001 with a plot to marry and murder Henning to inherit his fortune. She schemes to make him believe that his new love Marie von Beyenbach is his sister, but Clarissa realizes Tanja's true plan and helps Henning and Marie outwit her. Clarissa and Tanja are subsequently presumed dead in a plane crash together. Lahnsten returned in 2004, followed by Jank in 2011.
In 2006, Sarah Hofmann and Leonard von Lahnstein are in love, but learn they have the same father, Johannes von Lahnstein. During Leonard's wedding to Jana Brandner, Adrian Degenhardt reveals that he, and not Johannes, is Leonard's father. A further twist on the sibling love story was introduced in 2009 with mentally ill Tristan von Lahnstein, who is in love with his twin sister Helena and plots to have her all to himself.
Gay and lesbian storylines
Though homosexual relationships were not new in German soap operas, Verbotene Liebe featured many notable same-sex romances during its run. Julia's original fiancé, Gero von Sterneck, turns out to be gay and has relationships with both men and women before Hinrichsen left the show in 1998. Introduced in 1997, young Ulrich "Ulli" Prozeski is eventually featured in a coming-out story when he becomes romantically involved with medical student Tom Seifert in 1999. After Stenschke left the show in late 2000, Tom begins dating Oliver Sabel. Six months later, in 2001, Ulli suddenly returns to town for a short stay that creates tensions between Tom and Oliver. Tom and Ulli are finally reunited with guest appearances in the show's 10th anniversary episode in 2005.In 2006, Verbotene Liebe celebrated the first lesbian wedding in German television history between Carla von Lahnstein and Susanne Brandner. The show later paired Carla with Stella Mann, a relationship embraced by fans because the characters "were portrayed like the other couples on the show, including scenes showing their physical intimacy."
Verbotene Liebe received international attention in 2008 with the love story of Oliver Sabel and Christian Mann. Weil and Schölermann were lauded internationally for their cliché-free portrayal of a same-sex couple, and Olli and Christian's 2010 marriage was the first church wedding between two men ever dramatized on German television. In 2013, Verbotene Liebe was called "a beacon of LGBT inclusivity on an international level" amid the popularity of Olli and Christian.
The final same-sex love story Verbotene Liebe created was the relationship between former music star Marlene Wolf and fashion designer Rebecca von Lahnstein. The story of this couple began in 2012 and garnered a sizable international following. In November 2013, AfterEllen ranked the Marlene and Rebecca as No. 14 and 15 in their "Top 25 Lesbian/Bi Characters on TV" list, as two of only three non-English speaking characters.
Arno's death
In 2012, original series character Arno Brandner is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Das Erste announced, "Verbotene Liebe will be dedicated to the topic of dementia in detail in the coming months. How difficult such a diagnosis is for those affected and their relatives is portrayed in the soap in a sensitive and as real as possible way in order to sensitize the viewer to this widespread disease." Krauss's exit from the series was later confirmed by Das Erste. Bild called Arno the "figurehead" and "soul" of Verbotene Liebe. Krauss made his last appearance on 11 September 2012.Cancellation
Rumors about a cancellation of the soap opera were first made back in the fall of 2010 after Verbotene Liebe and fellow soap opera Marienhof performed not well and Verbotene Liebe lost viewers a third year in a row. However, in February 2011, a decision was made about Das Erste's access primetime. Marienhof was canceled and Verbotene Liebe extended from 20 to 45 minutes. The ARD hoped that Verbotene Liebe could gain viewers again, brought back fan favorite - and original cast member - Isa Jank and reintroduced the original story about siblings Jan and Julia; although the roles were recast. However the return of Jank's character was reviewed by most fans as underwhelming and the recasting of Jan and Julia got mixed reviews as well. Verbotene Liebe continued to lose in ratings and by 2014, the soap opera performed well under the market share of Das Erste.On 17 July 2014, Bild was first to report that the show has been canceled. Online magazine DWDL later confirmed the report, saying they were able to name several more sources about the cancellation. The reports suggest that Verbotene Liebe is finishing its last year and airing into January 2015; long enough to let the show live through its 20th anniversary.
An official statement by Das Erste was made on 18 July 2014; confirming the cancellation. Director of Program Volker Herres said: "20 years ago, the siblings Jan and Julia made Verbotene Liebe a German series hit. Who could have guessed back then that VL, as the glamor soap was soon only be called, would have such a long breath? But eventually all shades of the forbidden and glamorous are told. It is then necessary to stop at the right time. And in our opinion this is now. As painful as it may be for the loyal fans of the series. But one thing is sure: Verbotene Liebe wrote television history." ARD coordinator of access primetime Frank Beckmann added: "With great dedication and impressive creativity, the team of Verbotene Liebe has shaped the access primetime for years. We know the strength of the brand and the importance of their loyal fans. Therefore, we consider whether we can offer Verbotene Liebe in another form at a later date." The statement also confirmed that the soap opera would be replaced by the game show , which had been tested for four weeks in May 2014, and that Verbotene Liebe would air its series finale most likely in the beginning of 2015.
Rainer Wemken, CEO of UFA Serial Drama, shared the following statement hours after the ARD confirmed the cancellation: "The ARD has terminated the contract for Verbotene Liebe at this time. I regret this decision very much, especially because it is a series with a strong brand, with a large fan base that is also very popular on the Internet and achieves high polling numbers. We are therefore make offers to the ARD, how the series can continue - possibly with other production or broadcast models - at a later date. I therefore hope very much that we can continue Verbotene Liebe."
Only hours after rumors of the cancellation started, Verbotene Liebe fans opened a Facebook page and a petition to fight for the survival of the soap opera.
The remaining original cast member Gabriele Metzger and the show's matriarch Martina Servatius opened up about the cancellation in a statement to Bild. Metzger received a mail about the cancellation. About her reaction the actress said: "I went into the garden, watered my lawn and cried." About the reason for the cancellation and the declining ratings, Metzger suggested that "look-wise, we have developed forward. But what makes a soap opera - exciting stories and characters with whom one can identify - moved into the background over the years." Meanwhile, Martina Servatius is criticizing Herres' statement about the cancellation that all stories are told: "That is nonsense. It was the desire of the ARD to extend the individual episodes from 20 to 45 minutes. We, the actors, have already feared then that this decision could break our necks. It's sad that the ARD twisted cause and effect in retrospect."