Transmission

In addition to the ARD media library, where programming content can be accessed for free, the public broadcaster also offers a paid streaming offer with ARD Plus. Here you can find programs that can no longer be offered in the ARD media library for licensing reasons. Among other things, there is a large archive of “crime scenes” to choose from.

Now the ARD Plus offer is increasing significantly again, as the broadcaster announced in a press release. The focus is on an absolute cult series that ran with great success on the linear program between 1985 and 2020.

Lindenstraße operated for 34 years with ARD

Lindenstraße was part of Sunday night entertainment for millions of people. In total, the series, which takes place in Munich, has 1,758 episodes. The Beimers and Else Kling are among the most famous people.

“When the first episode of ‘Lindenstrasse’ was broadcast on December 8, 1985, no one suspected that the television series developed by Hans W. Geißendörfer would become an integral part of the German television landscape,” the station’s announcement says.

The station initially justified the cancellation after more than 34 years with high production costs. Volker Herres, director of the ARD program, later explained that the decision was made mainly for content reasons. Of course, fans didn’t like the format at all and a petition was launched on “Change.org” to continue with “Lindenstrasse”.

“Lindenstraße” became a cult series.image: wdr

“Lindenstraße” soon on ARD broadcast

Now “Lindenstrasse” is broadcast for the first time on ARD Plus. Starting November 16, the soap opera will be gradually available on the platform. It begins with the publication of the first year of the cult series (episodes 1 to 52). ARD announces that there will be another season every week, every Thursday.

The episodes repeatedly addressed current and controversial topics, and political events sometimes appeared in the script. This gave Lindenstraße a particularly realistic appearance. The series received, among other awards, a Bambi in 1989 for its “realistic depiction of everyday German life.”

For many, the discontinuation in 2020 came as a surprise. In Berlin, several dozen fans demonstrated against the end of the program under the slogan “Let Lindenstraße live.” The call for the show said that the decision to cancel the program had been made over the heads of viewers and broadcast fee payers.

Helga and Erich are among the main characters of the series.Image: WDR/Steven Mahner

In a Facebook group, fans even announced: “We don’t want to give in.” The efforts have been unsuccessful so far, but at least now they can remember the old episodes.