Szomszédok
Encyclopedia
Szomszédok was a Hungarian
TV series, occasionally called the Hungarian Dallas
, that ran from 1987–1999 and produced 331 episodes, airing its grand finale on December 30, 1999.
The show was a soap opera
, dealing with the lives of ordinary people, living and working in or around an average lakótelep
(Gazdagréti microdistrict
, a socialist housing estate with several thousand flats
in Budapest
, built in the 1980s). Its characters were explored, over time, in equal depth: ranging from elderly pensioner
s, busy middle aged professionals, up-and-coming young people, and children growing into their teens.
Many consider Szomszédok to be The Hungarian TV series, being a period piece of sorts that covers the last few years of the communist era, the rendszerváltozás (democratic transition), and nearly a decade of the new market economy Hungary
thereafter.
(Hungary's terrestrial broadcast public television channel). The re-run was initially narrated by computer text inserts, mainly to guide those too young to remember the late communist era (e.g. how much bread cost that time or what significance a particular public figure in mention had at the time). The original cast and director of the series publicly protested against this practice and the information text bubbles were discontinued after a few episodes. Nowadays it has only a fraction of its original viewership, as its role has been taken over by Barátok közt, a more vivid and up-to-date daily soap opera produced by the commercial RTL Klub
television.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
TV series, occasionally called the Hungarian Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
, that ran from 1987–1999 and produced 331 episodes, airing its grand finale on December 30, 1999.
The show was a soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, dealing with the lives of ordinary people, living and working in or around an average lakótelep
Panelház
Panelház is the name of a type of block of flats in Hungary and Hungarian inhabited areas of the Pannonian Basin. Transylvanian Magyars call these buildings tömbház . It was the main housing type built in the Socialist era. From 1959 to 1990 788,000 panel flats were built in Hungary...
(Gazdagréti microdistrict
Microdistrict
Microdistrict, or microraion , is a residential complex—a primary structural element of the residential area construction in the Soviet Union and in some post-Soviet and former Communist states...
, a socialist housing estate with several thousand flats
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, built in the 1980s). Its characters were explored, over time, in equal depth: ranging from elderly pensioner
Pensioner
In common parlance, a pensioner is a person who has retired, and now collects a pension. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom and Australia where someone of pensionable age may also be referred to as an 'old age pensioner', or OAP. In the United States, the term retiree is more...
s, busy middle aged professionals, up-and-coming young people, and children growing into their teens.
Many consider Szomszédok to be The Hungarian TV series, being a period piece of sorts that covers the last few years of the communist era, the rendszerváltozás (democratic transition), and nearly a decade of the new market economy Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
thereafter.
Current Airing
After some time off the air, Szomszédok is re-run on M1Magyar Televízió
Magyar Televízió is the Hungarian national public service television company, with three TV channels, called m1 , m2 and m3....
(Hungary's terrestrial broadcast public television channel). The re-run was initially narrated by computer text inserts, mainly to guide those too young to remember the late communist era (e.g. how much bread cost that time or what significance a particular public figure in mention had at the time). The original cast and director of the series publicly protested against this practice and the information text bubbles were discontinued after a few episodes. Nowadays it has only a fraction of its original viewership, as its role has been taken over by Barátok közt, a more vivid and up-to-date daily soap opera produced by the commercial RTL Klub
RTL Klub
RTL Klub is a television station owned by RTL Group and broadcast in Hungary. It was one of Hungary's first commercial TV channels and was only two days after the main rival TV2 to begin broadcasting.-About RTL Klub:...
television.
External links
- Élet a Szomszédok után (Hungarian)