A place called Sonnstein could really mess up the “Storm of Love” space-time continuum. There, below the picturesque vineyards, where people toast with clinking and filled wine glasses more often than not, Leonie Preisinger (almost 150 episodes long at the Fürstenhof), Florian Vogt (almost 300 episodes part of the ARD series), Max Richter meet (almost 400 episodes) and Sebastian Wegener (around 450 episodes). In other words: When producing the next new Sat.1 daily “Family for All Cases”, located on the Moselle, the producing company Bavaria Fiction played it a bit safe with the cast and filled central roles with actresses who know exactly what is important in a daily production.
Both Jule, played by Anna Wolfers, as well as her two love interests (Arne Löber and Kai Albrecht) and her brother (Stefan Hartmann) are already known to die-hard daily fans from the ARD afternoon program. The initial situation is also not new: Jule, in her early 40s and recently separated, is facing a new beginning in her hometown, the picturesque town of Sonnstein. She has her son Theo (Aurel Klug) with her, who is supposed to live with her with her mother Inga, played by Isabel Varell.
As soon as she arrived in her new/old home, Jule meets her childhood sweetheart, the sporty police officer and all-rounder Marco, who is currently repairing a toilet and a little later meets Chris, a man in a suit, to whom she pours a coffee over his smart white shirt, without even knowing. that she will also have to deal with him on a professional level, as he is a lawyer and Jule is starting out as a judge in the family court. “Family for all occasions” – like “Storm of Love” – relies on a three-way constellation for the indispensable love story. It is very likely that Jule, who seems shy and insecure, will experience a happy ending with either the police officer or the lawyer at the end of the 80-episode first season.
Jule is actually a good main character for the series. She is the mother of an almost grown son, seems to be in the middle of life and wants to build something for herself in her early 40s. This is a story that invites you to dream – and has worked brilliantly for many seasons in another ARD daily, namely “Rote Rosen”. If only it hadn’t been the idea to give this Jule the job as a judge. Judges are generally perceived as real authority figures who are clear, strict and, not least because of their robes, aloof and who are treated with respect and sometimes mixed feelings.
How approachable can a judge be?
Now this Jule, as the number one identification figure of the new daily, who is primarily supposed to radiate cordiality and warmth, has to navigate through the net 45 minutes as a judge. That could be for Head of Script Nina Blum (“Storm of Love”, “Everything that counts”, “Forbidden Love”), Head of Story Thomas Franke, Executive Producer Annette Herre (“Everything that counts”, “GZSZ” in Paris) and producer Jonas Baur (“Verliebt in Berlin”, “Sturm der Liebe”) will still be a stumbling block. Will the audience follow a story in which the main character makes clear decisions at work but struggles in his private life after work? This is cushioned in the first episode with certain self-doubts on the part of the protagonist, who is not at all sure whether she will be able to get her new job – especially since there is the old judge Hagen, played by Martin Armknecht, who on the one hand suggests that he is suspicious of the large number of women at his workplace and doesn’t really like Jule’s breath of fresh air. And the strict director Böhm (Julia Schmitt), who is very focused on efficiency, does not skimp on criticism of the judge’s (of course morally correct) decisions.
If the first case at the family court is dealt with quite briefly and in passing in the opening episode, others will soon take up around half of each episode, which also means the effort of finding numerous guest actors for each episode. The cases discussed represent both an opportunity and a risk for the series: an opportunity because even casual viewers of the former Barbara Salesch channel can find their way around the action after 6 p.m., but a risk because it slows down the ongoing actions. How you shouldn’t do it was shown on Sat.1 not long ago with “Das Meeresrevier” with its half-baked mix of irrelevant crimes and love stories. The Bavaria production still has to prove that the daily negotiations and the ongoing plot fit together well over the long term.
A clear plus point is the very balanced, although very small for an hour-long series, cast of only around three handfuls of characters: Isabel Varell stands out here, whose warmth in the character Inga is unmistakable and contributes a lot of the warmth that Sat.1 wanted. It is possible that, despite her initially limited on-air time, she will prove to be a real driving force for “FafF” and Martin Armknecht is also very well cast as the old-school judge. The same applies to Stefan Hartmann, who was already one of the favorites at the royal court.
After the rural, cozy “Country Doctor’s Practice”, the somewhat younger-looking “Spreewaldklinik” that is reminiscent of “Grey’s”, Sat.1 and, last but not least, Joyn have a format on offer with the next Daily that, on the one hand, fits in well, on the other but still sets its own accents, is told a little more slowly and still gets maximum points in terms of escapism. According to the announcement, in Sonnstein the antagonists will be less evil, the ongoing actions will be less dramatic and therefore everything will be a little more cheerful. How could it be any different there in Sonnstein? All that is missing for the big cheers with the wine that is so present is a success, linear and especially with Joyn. Then, over a glass of vine juice, those responsible can consider whether a main character in a possible second season will have to slip into a robe again.
“Family for all occasions”, 80 episodes in season 1. On demand on Joyn and Monday to Friday at 6 p.m. on Sat.1.
