Oi Aparadektoi
Encyclopedia
Oi Aparadektoi is a comedy
television series broadcast by Mega Channel
during 1990-1992. The series is considered one of the most successful on Greek television, representative of the daily life of Athenians in the early '90s
) and Vlassis (Vlassis Bonatsos
). Spyros and Dimitra have been married for five years, while Yannis and Vlassis are roommates and best friends, despite the fact that the former is a homosexual and the latter a shameless womanizer. All four live on the same floor of an apartment building in Lycabettus, Athens
, Greece
, in two apartments that share the same terrace. The cast is rounded out by Renia (Renia Louizidou), Vlassis' girlfriend, and Mr. Vassilis (Vassilis Halakatevakis), the landlord.
The show's episodes are self-contained - even if hell may have broken loose by the end of an episode (e.g. Dimitra declaring that she will divorce Spyros), the next episode will find everything back to normal. The show is also notable for the unconventional friendship between the characters; even though they describe themselves as friends, the four frequently quarrel, casually badmouth and plot against each other; Spyros and Vlassis often plan to cheat on Dimitra and Renia and vice versa; and so on.
It is worth noting that both Spyros Papadopoulos and Yannis Bezos
are widely considered to be among the finest Greek actors of their generation and that the intro theme was composed/sampled by renowned electronica musician Nikko Patrelakis
.
producer. Despite a glorious - according to him - past in the Communist Party of Greece
and his participation in the Athens Polytechnic uprising
against the Greek military junta of 1967-1974
from November 14 to November 17, 1973, Spyros today is no better than the capitalists
he views with disdain. He is obsessed with making and saving money and thus absorbed in his work, while maintaining the theoretical views of a communist. He is short tempered and supposedly the most level headed of the quartet, which makes him often exclaim his catchphrase "Ti egine re paidia?" (approx. "What on earth happened, you guys?") while looking at the camera in perplexed demeanour when crazy situations arise.
of bad news to the rest of the gang.
In 2004, Mega Channel reran a small number of episodes as part of its 15-year anniversary. After 7 years of absence, this revisit was welcomed by the public. Mega Channel then started rerunning Oi Aparadektoi again on a weekly basis in a prime time slot (Friday 21:00) for a few months.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television series broadcast by Mega Channel
Mega Channel
Mega Channel, also known as Mega TV or just Mega, is a major television network in Greece. Teletypos S.A. was founded in 1989 under the name Teletypos Television Programmes S.A...
during 1990-1992. The series is considered one of the most successful on Greek television, representative of the daily life of Athenians in the early '90s
Premise
The show is about the lives of four friends, the eponymous "Aparadektoi": Spyros (Spyros Papadopoulos), Dimitra (Dimitra Papadopoulos), Yannis (Yannis BezosYannis Bezos
Ioannis 'Yannis' Bezos is a Greek actor, best known from the television series "Oi Aparadektoi". He is currently married to Natalia Tsaliki, his co star in "Akros Oikogeneiakon"....
) and Vlassis (Vlassis Bonatsos
Vlassis Bonatsos
Vlassis Bonatsos was a popular Greek entertainer. His father was a judicial and his mother was a piano teacher. Vlassis started his music career by creating a group called "ΠΕΛΟΜΑ ΜΠΟΚΙΟΥ", in the early 1970s, which was named after the initials of the names of the members of the group...
). Spyros and Dimitra have been married for five years, while Yannis and Vlassis are roommates and best friends, despite the fact that the former is a homosexual and the latter a shameless womanizer. All four live on the same floor of an apartment building in Lycabettus, Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, in two apartments that share the same terrace. The cast is rounded out by Renia (Renia Louizidou), Vlassis' girlfriend, and Mr. Vassilis (Vassilis Halakatevakis), the landlord.
The show's episodes are self-contained - even if hell may have broken loose by the end of an episode (e.g. Dimitra declaring that she will divorce Spyros), the next episode will find everything back to normal. The show is also notable for the unconventional friendship between the characters; even though they describe themselves as friends, the four frequently quarrel, casually badmouth and plot against each other; Spyros and Vlassis often plan to cheat on Dimitra and Renia and vice versa; and so on.
It is worth noting that both Spyros Papadopoulos and Yannis Bezos
Yannis Bezos
Ioannis 'Yannis' Bezos is a Greek actor, best known from the television series "Oi Aparadektoi". He is currently married to Natalia Tsaliki, his co star in "Akros Oikogeneiakon"....
are widely considered to be among the finest Greek actors of their generation and that the intro theme was composed/sampled by renowned electronica musician Nikko Patrelakis
Nikko Patrelakis
Nikko Patrelakis was born in Athens, Greece. He studied music in the National Conservatory and mathematics in the University of Athens.He releases albums, singles and compilations around the world under the electronica – idm genre through his label Smallhouse Records.He has composed and produced...
.
Spyros
Spyros is an advertisingAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
producer. Despite a glorious - according to him - past in the Communist Party of Greece
Communist Party of Greece
Founded in 1918, the Communist Party of Greece , better known by its acronym, ΚΚΕ , is the oldest party on the Greek political scene.- Foundation :...
and his participation in the Athens Polytechnic uprising
Athens Polytechnic uprising
The Athens Polytechnic uprising in 1973 was a massive demonstration of popular rejection of the Greek military junta of 1967-1974. The uprising began on November 14, 1973, escalated to an open anti-junta, anti-US and anti-imperialist revolt and ended in bloodshed in the early morning of November...
against the Greek military junta of 1967-1974
Greek military junta of 1967-1974
The Greek military junta of 1967–1974, alternatively "The Regime of the Colonels" , or in Greece "The Junta", and "The Seven Years" are terms used to refer to a series of right-wing military governments that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974...
from November 14 to November 17, 1973, Spyros today is no better than the capitalists
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
he views with disdain. He is obsessed with making and saving money and thus absorbed in his work, while maintaining the theoretical views of a communist. He is short tempered and supposedly the most level headed of the quartet, which makes him often exclaim his catchphrase "Ti egine re paidia?" (approx. "What on earth happened, you guys?") while looking at the camera in perplexed demeanour when crazy situations arise.
Dimitra
Dimitra is Spyros' disgruntled wife. Spyros' devotion to his job leave her feeling neglected, leading her in numerous fruitless attempts to arouse her husband's interest in her. She is not as refined as Spyros thinks himself to be, which is often a cause of friction between them. She is insanely jealous of Spyros, often with good reason and she has threatened to divorce him many times during the show's run.Yannis
Yannis is a fashion designer. He is also a homosexual, a fact that all his friends know and accept. He has a neurotic personality and elitist attitude. This is because he knows he is often the shrewdest one in the gang, but also because being a homosexual in the early 1990s Greece made forming and having an according relationship tricky, a source of much stress for Yannis. His only surviving family, his Aunt Virginia, is in the dark about her nephew's sexuality.Vlassis
Vlassis works as the main actor in Spyros' commercials. He is also Yannis' best friend and roommate ever since one of his girlfriends broke up with him. Vlassis is laid back and easy going - he enjoys the earthly pleasures of life, like food, drink and especially women.Renia
Renia works as an advertising model and secretary in Spyros' firm. She is also Vlassis' girlfriend, a pretty shaky term considering Vlassis' flirtatious nature. Renia is young and modern and often introduces new notions for the others to try. Yannis views Renia with disdain, nicknaming her To astropeleki ("The thunderbolt") due to her unpredictably energetic attitude and inane comments.Mr. Vassilis
Mr. Vassilis is the landlord of the apartments Spyros, Dimitra, Yannis and Vlassis live in. He tries to have friendly relationships with his tenants but something always puts a crimp in these attempts, such as him demanding overdue rent or being decidedly uncool. He is often the harbingerHarbinger
-Places:* Montes Harbinger, lunar mountains* Harbinger, an unincorporated community in Currituck County, North Carolina-Transportation:* Harbinger , ship also called Norfolk in 1797* Harbinger , thoroughbred racehorse...
of bad news to the rest of the gang.
Reruns
After the show ended its run in 1992, Mega Channel reran it a multitude of times over the next few years, together with other much-loved series like Oi Treis Harites. The show ended up being reran more times than any other on Greek television (more than 12 reruns within 5 years). Eventually, a tired television audience and sarcastic TV magazine reviews forced the show off the air somewhere around 1997.In 2004, Mega Channel reran a small number of episodes as part of its 15-year anniversary. After 7 years of absence, this revisit was welcomed by the public. Mega Channel then started rerunning Oi Aparadektoi again on a weekly basis in a prime time slot (Friday 21:00) for a few months.