Head of department “extra” Gerald Schmickl.
It is safe to assume that without entertainment television, Ukraine would no longer exist in its present form. So without the political comedy series “Servant of the People”, in which Volodymyr Zelensky played the main role, namely the president of the country, to which he was actually elected in 2019 – after the series was broadcast. And as such, as we know by now, he “plays” an eminent role in the defensive struggle against the Russian occupation. So here’s an imaginary TVFilm script (which was controversial in Ukraine because, among other things, the predominance of the Russian language was criticized) real history was written for the first time.
Things are similar in Denmark: even the TV series “Borgen” anticipated part of the political reality. Not only the first Danish prime minister (as the social democrat Helle Thorning-Schmidt was elected in 2011 after the fictional Birgitte Nyborg was literally given the job in the television format in 2010), but now (in season 4) also all ‘current composition of the government very predetermined. Former Prime Minister Nyborg is now Foreign Minister in a coalition. And actually, former Prime Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen is now Foreign Minister (in a coalition led by Social Democrat Mette Frederiksen). And it’s with his new moderate party — named after Nyborg’s successful movement in “Borgen” (which has since been renamed “The New Democrats,” of course, since Season 3).
All this is very surprising. Perhaps England would have avoided a series of post-Brexit bungling if, instead of telling the story of the British monarchy since 1947 in ‘The Crown’, it had developed a forward-thinking series with prophetic potential. (Although Boris Johnson already looked like a character invented by bizarre TV producers…)
And in Austria? If you look at television entertainment formats, we are clearly heading towards a monarchy. Because apart from “Wir sind Kaiser” I couldn’t think of any other show so pleasant and full of allusions to domestic reality. So Robert Heinrich I as the future ruler? Or even – on the Ukrainian model – Robert Palfrader? Then rather the real Carinthian emperor! After all, the SPÖ would have in its hands to offer the country a chancellor (candidate) with at least a royalist name in the form of the current governor (and could thus also competently solve their obvious personnel problem at the top).
Hary Prinz (left) as investigator Sascha Bergmann in the “Landkrimi” episode “Steirerkreuz”. – © ARD Degeto / Allegro Film / Stefan Haring
Or are we – titular – satisfied with a smaller position and take – which would be even more sympathetic to me – Hary Prinz, who has shown himself in many “country crime novels”, as supreme regent. Similar to his TV role as Sascha Bergmann (also a name that goes well with Austria), he could solve the country’s problems calmly and succinctly.
