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FCDK: Best of Oscar Kampioen Crucke and Pico Coppens
Best F.C. De Kampioenen episodes of all time
Reviews
F.C. De Kampioenen: Love Story (1993)
In the collective memory, Flemish television history. Ending brings show in vegetative state before dying four years later.
Oscar disappears through the door. Through the door, yes. And not from a chair with a coat over him while seeing the white light as he's taken by aliens. 'Cause, really, what was that about? It's when the show is put into a vegetative state. For those who still wonder, it's because they felt upset about Goossens's transfer to a rival company. They wanted to avenge themselves. So that much is obvious. The original end to the episode has infamous status. This can hardly be called a spoiler. It's unworthy of that name as it's in the cultural memory of Flemish a painful moment.
Oscar Crucke breathed his Café; Café de Kampioen. The regular visitors even called him Kampioen. Now that doesn't help the cause of the entire follow-up, really. Kampioen was one with his café, one with his offspring, one with friends within the team. He was there for everyone, was the catalyst, not Dimitri De Tremmerie. I'm opposed to the attitude of people who're assuming 'all went well for as long as Dimitri was around'. It's true that they relied heavily on him for memorable moments after Oscar's departure.
A short anthology.
Oscar hits different for various reasons, but above all the protection he offered. The security, too. By that I mean character-wise. Towards the regulars, that is. He's the patron, the pater familias. The bond he has with them. The man you can always count on. He who would never leave the sinking ship (the bad football team that can't live without each other), and that's why the ending looks very wrong. You know, that it had to be him. Imagine a café owner who leaves his café to someone else. "Wow, it just doesn't feel the same with that nutter Vertongen behind the tap". Put mildly.
So you end up looking for another café to spend your evenings. Well, that's exactly how it feels, in spite of Oscar's wife Pascale remaining aboard until the end. And to this day, Oscar's departure's the unofficial death of the show. From now on, you will be drinking your pints at a place where the golden times are gone. It sounds odd at the same time, considering that it was merely his wife Pascale running the café solo, along with their daughter Bieke, after his departure. It doesn't change my opinion.
Oscar is a man you experienced some legendary nights and days with. Oscar was highly regarded by the regulars. Well, now that vibe is gone. All of a sudden, all of that is over. There's nothing left but the memories of "being with him". It's a depressing thought. The comments don't lie. He is held in high esteem. "Oscar and Pico here, Oscar and Pico there, Oscar and Pico everywhere"; "F. C. De Kampioenen? Oscar and Pico"; "F. C. De Kampioenen? Decapitated after Oscar and Pico had left"; "The legends Oscar and Pico"; "No Oscar and Pico, no party". On the Internet, a fairly large group of people think that. Well, I agree with that group of people. And Michiels? I'm sorry, my heart is not strong enough to talk that matter. We'll stick with Oscar, or Goossens.
"Love story" is where it passed into a comatose state, and not "Spoorloos" four years later.
F.C. De Kampioenen: De motorfiets (1993)
Willy Vanduren left, Frank Van Laecke didn't write. And it can be seen...
As I rated most titles directed by Willy Vanduren a 9 or 10 out of 10 - because I really like Vanduren's style which excels in charm and simplicity making for the characters to have an 'ordinary man in the street' kind of 'vibe' - a lot had to be done to reach that level without him. For "De motorfiets", Eric Taelman took over from Vanduren and Frank Van Laecke, Vanduren's "wingman", didn't write the title's screenplay. Anton Klee, who had worked on the show before, wrote the title instead. They were clearly searching. The 'legend' Willy Vanduren was gone. They clearly suffered from that here. So much is obvious. It's a strange title, put mildly. The title character Oscar, the Kampioen, gets sidelined more than ever before. Odd, considering both Oscar and Dimitri carried that show in the beginning.
In general the story itself is rather lame. However, the punch lines make up for a good episode. All in all, this does look a bit out of place compared to its previous titles. I see why there's a consensus that it's not a great episode but I don't fully agree with it as I think some jokes are well delivered. The writing is still on point, albeit at times. The main problem I have with this title would be its lame story, as I put. The viewer is basically looking at a motorcycle (a "chopper", as they would call the bike all the time) that changes owner the whole time. It lacks in-depth storytelling, not necessarily build-up as the end shows. Boma can be seen as the central character, in trying to impress this publicity agency girl. One can still tell of the characters' personality traits who they are but it's all about "a motorcycle", not about "the characters" in the end. It's pretty dull. One approach could be boasting from Boma, as I said. It's weird for the characters to want a motorcycle all of a sudden and to act as obsessed about it as they did in this, apart from Pico maybe. However, the latter lets Doortje ride it, for some odd reason. Then Doortje crashes the "chopper" in a pile of straw near the cafe. So Pico doesn't drive it himself at any point, while he had informed at Dimitri's and that he wants the motorcycle for himself. Carmen lashing out at a police officer, it fits her character well. Xavier not being able to stop her from doing that fits him just as well. Those would be examples of the characters' personalities which are still well displayed.
"De motorfiets" goes nowhere as far as the story is concerned, although the jokes make up for me not rating it with a 7 out of 10. I still rate it with an 8. The truth must be told. Willy Vanduren and Frank Van Laecke were the greatest. Their contributions will forever be the best.
F.C. De Kampioenen: Liefdesverdriet (1993)
Iconic episode
The start of the relationship between Marc and Bieke. Basically, Herman Verbruggen joins the band in this episode. Oscar as an antagonist rather than Dimitri or Boma (who already represented the role in the first season). It was refreshing for once.
With Goossens's departure at the end of the season they didn't need his character to accept Marc and they opted for Bieke's father Oscar to hate his guts. Genius idea there as it worked beautifully. He doesn't like Marc for who he is. That much is palpable. The show used to be tougher and even dramatic. At that time, I'm not 100% sure whether they knew Goossens would quit the show, whether everything was official.
Oscar awakens the hidden dark side of both Pico and Xavier. They thwart Marc, who seduces his daughter. She's enraged when she realizes Marc does everything with the best of intentions. "Shake, shake, Bieke on the rocks" Great moment from Pico and Xavier shaking the cocktail they made for Marc, who'll then cover Bieke with it as he opens the can. Really, this interplay between Johny Voners, Walter Michiels and Herman Verbruggen was promising. Great stuff. It's regrettable it could not last much longer than it did (Michiels dismissed off-season).
Dimitri telling Marc he should ignore women adding "I've been doing that all my life, haven't I?" Dimitri not caring and just being Dimitri. Doortje enters but Marc ignores her, like Dimitri said and Dimitri reacts dumbfounded when she tells him. Signs of future Marc. The naive Marc who believes everything others foretell him. He wasn't quite that at the start. They gave the viewer an appetizer with this moment. Bieke and Marc becoming a couple despite endeavours of Oscar to avoid it, is an iconic moment in the show's history. Fantastic episode.
F.C. De Kampioenen: Bieke solo (1993)
Goosebumps ending (back in the day)
Fortunately, the other actors were able to lift An Swartenbroekx to a higher level. But the ending. Finalised with an emotional moment, it makes for a good episode. The show's iconic original cast is bonding together in Bieke's room. It's a magical moment, for some odd reason might well bring tears to some people's eyes. The show in its best line-up and Walter Michiels's bad case in mind. Michiels deteriorates rapidly but he still delivers in these few scenes that he has.
It couldn't last, which is more heartbreaking when they give you this ending. Absolutely loved that moment, really. Sadly, I wasn't born in the sixties, seventies or eighties and by that I didn't experience the show's first seasons when they first aired. Simply legendary, a unique feel. Well, the quality isn't to be sneezed at. Boy, did it turn awful and childish in the final years. They're two different shows.
Content-related I didn't have a hard time watching this. The character Bieke has a hard time carrying the weight, though. I just felt the other actors had to give a nudge. An Swartenbroekx is central as Bieke. The period here is "Bieke got older but her father and Pico are still there". Apart from the first episode "De motorfiets" that turned out to be enough for making good to very good episodes. None of them are great, though. It's the second half of the season that gets the job done. "Cinema, cinema" is the first great episode of the fourth season. This episode is less great, but the ending makes up for it. However, it needs Carry Goossens and Jacques Vermeire at the top of their game to be formidable.
Bieke struggled to carry the show, having slightly changed from her original character. In later seasons, Bieke serves as the counterweight for the mischief of other, more popular characters. It's not present here as of yet, but she isn't that promiscuous anymore either. She's starting to mature, but she's not quite there yet. The first two seasons Bieke was a teenager and rebellious. In most scenes, Bieke used to get under her parents' skin with her dissolute behaviour.
Feel free to compare Bieke's earlier situation to Kelly Bundy in her first seasons, only Bieke's smarter. But then, as she started working and no longer studied Bieke became so spry (she studied in the United States early in the second season but she came home fairly quick). In 1996 things got a lot worse as the characters became over-abundant stereotypes. Bieke was no longer a teenage girl which is kinda logical. People grow. Nonetheless, I thought they went fast on her. While An Swartenbroekx, the actress portraying her, has always been a good actress to me. She always did an excellent job playing the part. That's not the problem. She fitted perfectly. Enough about Bieke, though.
In this episode, they found room for another hilarious Carry Goossens-Marijn De Valck interaction (Oscar and Boma), further seasoned by Johny Voners and Walter Michiels (Xavier and Pico). It's as spicy as ever. They badly need it, too. It wouldn't have been wise to have everything revolve around the "Bieke" character, with some legendary characters completely in the background. The plot is what kept it going. Bieke leaves the parental home, more than tired of her parents. Carmen wants to help her but she clearly underrates parenthood. A classic case of the bird wanting to spread its wings. The final moment is really touching.
F.C. De Kampioenen: De Streep (1991)
Dimitri as "an ally" works wonderfully
This is a near perfect episode of the show with Dimitri De Tremmerie (DDT) standing by the side of the others. To see Dimitri De Tremmerie and his "enemies" of De Kampioenen stand side by side and even working together is one heck of a heartfelt moment in the show's history. Drinking organ Xavier, who's a corporal in the Belgian army, must obtain his rank of sergeant. If not his wife Carmen will divorce him. The problem is that Xavier had already failed an attempt. But Boma arranges it, as the colonel is one of his best friends. It's his last chance and the stakes are high. Dimitri then is the last person you'd think of wanting to help him. But besides the fact it actually happened Dimitri doesn't even doubt helping Xavier, making the episode even more memorable but most of all brilliant. It came out of nowhere. I also loved the moment the four of them (Oscar, Boma, Pico and Dimitri) did that "group morale stuff" in the dressing room before they leave for the "battlefield" like they formed a gang with Dimitri and embraced him. This is kinda unique. One of the best episodes in the show's history.
F.C. De Kampioenen: Weekend aan zee (1992)
Masterclass of an episode
Underrated episode that gets a nine out of ten for me. Classic episode featuring the women bossing the men by Carmen inviting the other women instead of them. Leaving the men hoping to travel to the coast for a while until all their hope diminishes.
While the women carry the first part of the episode, the men carry the second part and top it off. Oscar who's ill-tempered, seemingly for no reason at all. Oddly enough Oscar has a stop word in this episode: "Pff, typically". He never used it before this episode and doesn't use it after it. Only in this episode did I hear him say this. He says the line "As far as I'm concerned the sea can run empty" on two occasions, convincingly informing both the men and his wife Pascale that his frustration has nothing to do with the women not taking them on holiday. That was before and after he reveals to Pico and Xavier that Pascale forgot about his birthday. A great twist. Oscar taking pills for his headache a few episodes earlier looks similar. Later on in this particular episode ("De nieuwe kampioen"), the pills are revealed to be Bieke's anti pregnancy pills. Honestly, that was even better. Pascale ultimately leaves for the coast without wishing him a happy birthday. Was a good way for triggering the secondary storyline which then becomes the primary storyline without forgetting about the initially triggered storyline (Carmen winning the radio contest).
Meanwhile, Dimitri's mother found the right girl for him and she orders him to have dinner with her in the cafe, causing things to get out of hand. Involving Dimitri's girlfriend-to-be or not-to-be as well as the callgirl, Boma's present for Oscar.
The writers were formidable back then. They used to pull this kind of episodes off every now and then (back in the early days of the show, the best years). The women got the date of the holiday wrong and the women cause problems for their partying men celebrating Oscar's birthday. Basically all of them will end up in the mud because an escort service makes a mistake of address. Really, this element used to be pure gold on the show early on. Someone, usually it's a minor character who neither knows about them nor Dimitri, mistakes the canteen for the garage. Number 12 and 21.
The callgirl whom Boma orders for Oscar is first seen at Dimitri's garage and, on the music of Joe Cocker's You Can Leave Your Hat On, goes on to perform for him. Their wives return earlier than expected. Boma bought a birthday present for Oscar. No, he bought two. A sausage and a callgirl. And Boma can't help it as the address was mistaken. He gave them the right address. Oscar in the mud to close it all down. In short, a cacophony.
I noticed that live audience does not really react to the scene in which Oscar and Boma are sitting at the table and Oscar sweats like pig and he wears nothing but a vest like Onslow in Keeping up Appearances. While Boma does sweat but has not taken off his suit vest. It's a cacophony because Oscar looks at Boma with a straight face, saying "We've been sweating a lot here, haven't we?" Boma approves despite still wearing all his clothes. This is funny because the thermostat in the cafe is broken. This was already the case before the women left for the coast but Oscar mentions it again as an excuse for acting panicky over Pico and Xavier hiding for their wives in the dressing room, accompanied by Dimitri's date Marleen. Underestimated moment. One of the best.
F.C. De Kampioenen: De elfde man (1992)
With good intentions, an atypical episode
I wish they made more episodes like this. Dimitri De Tremmerie helping the others instead of working against them. That didn't happen enough because it really creates a different dynamic. Dimitri does it out of self-interest, naturally. It's not like when Dimitri sincerely helped Xavier in "De streep" (season 2). But still, Dimitri helps them out which is a rare feat. Safe to say that's not a classic case. I absolutely loved how they even made Dimitri that important in the end. Great episode.
F.C. De Kampioenen: Here We Come! (1993)
I've always wondered how Michiels looks so fine here. Bright moments, I guess. What the hell happened to that man?
A timeless episode of the show. It features the original cast in what would become the home run swing of the show in later seasons. What makes it unique is that it never happened again with the original cast around. But most of all; the appearance of mythical/despised actor Walter Michiels (delete whichever is not applicable). In some creepy way, he looks a lot like his season 1 self.
Michiels looks like nothing is going on with him at all. His physique conceals everything, anyway. I've suspected he was suspiciously fired back in the day. Well, this episode really beats everything. His fellow actors complained. After watching this you'd start wondering 'about what?'. For something completely different. Episode lifts some of the characteristics of the show to a new high.
Slapstick and misunderstandings. So not only a misunderstanding as it had happened before. It wasn't the first time (eg. "De ooievaar" from season 2) and it's not the very best episode of the show but certainly this episode stands out as one of the better. The episode could be called unique as well, for the simple reason that it features all of the elements the show would be known for in later seasons, (as I put) with the original cast around, including Marc Vertongen.
Misunderstanding; the English team travelling to Belgium rather than De Kampioenen travelling to England because their English is a thorn in the side. Slapstick; the little bus breaking in half and the men mess it up when baking waffles. Boma pronouncing English words or names wrong like he never did before. "Nottingham, hete spurters" (Nottingham, hot sprinters), "Dure vrienden" (Expensive friends) or the flatly line "The field up, hurry hurry hurry" before the team's soccer training. He would continue speaking English inaccurately in later episodes.
To top it off, there are the interactions between Oscar, Pico and Marc. Spots get me every time (from the episode "Liefdesverdriet" until this episode basically). It's really a pity that they didn't last longer than they did. Oscar and Pico leave after the next episode, the season finale, making the interaction between them and Marc Vertongen quite rare. The last but one episode of what is labeled "the originals".
F.C. De Kampioenen (1990)
Rock solid, near perfect show. At least during its early years...
I will be glorifying the first years of this show, vanished by the perception pollinated by the "politically incorrect" final years which were cringeworthy and absolutely lame.
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For eight seasons a near perfect show, it deviated from its line greatly. To say the least. Storytelling and character development declined massively. They were absolutely brilliant in using some enthusiasts / hobbyists, soccer team as their point of departure. To gain love and trust of the ordinary citizen, man in the street. Causing people to bond with characters they recognize.
At the outset, the main characters were recognizable. Situations they encountered were really the slices of life. Comic and tragic situations alternated pretty well. As in smooth tragicomic shows rather than sitcoms actually. The plot of these particular first episodes were well-devised and well written. Female characters were well developed. Male counterparts were generally more funny, though.
Sadly, this changed. If one counts all seasons, one watches two different shows as it progresses. An adult show losing tenacity season by season and a poorly written children's show. One should endure. They pressed until the lemon was squeezed not knowing a significant amount of viewers knew it was already squeezed. For a long time... Fans of the first hour.
They did not listen to them. Now they are the laughing stock and act surprised. Embarassing because these people were the fans of the very first hour. The people watching the show during the second half of its existence were mostly children and not just teenagers but our youngest ones. With their parents as quality time on Saturday. At a more advanced age, I thought it wasn't watchable anymore.
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STEREOTYPES AND FLANDERIZATION
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It was dead to me by the time the tenth season aired. They were done. But few people recognized it. The final seasons... I mean... They were clearly out of order with childishness and far-fetched stories. It should not have seen daylight. It's not a soap series or anything that can run fifty years like Coronation Street. Viewers look at the same story over and over. To the expense of fledged storytelling as they placed a bet on children. Even more so did slapstick humor, rather than actual dialogue.
It did not come close to adult television anymore. An approach backfiring nowadays. Despite its cult status by the time it got childish. Viewership declined from Vermeire's departure. Cult status notwithstanding. From the early seasons with leading actor Carry Goossens and Jacques Vermeire.
If those four seasons with Oscar and Pico would not have been great, it could've been canceled early. Cliché, that is. Later, the stories got extremely one-sided. They almost always end with solved misunderstandings after curiosity of Carmen. Carmen's jumping to conclusions early, as per usual.
While the show's recognizability factor was salvaged, situations were exaggerated at the same time. Mid-1990s, writing took a different road. Stereotypical portraiture of characters. With all due respect, it killed what made the show magnificent in the first place.
I'm not into stereotypes or stigmatizing stuff. I guess they had it coming, the criticism in Flemish press (recent years). What was shown on a human scale was suddenly magnified or flattened. Originality gone due to a stereotypical approach.
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THE FEMALE CHARACTERS
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Carmen, provocatively dressed, attracted attention away from Pascale and Doortje. Pascale and Doortje are her counterpart. On the antique side, they are simple human beings. Carmen always stood out with the female characters. Pascale had her moments though as she bossed Oscar when they were married.
Carmen got carried away with delusions of grandeur, frustrating Xavier who didn't possess ability to fulfill her desire, financially and between the sheets, Xavier has to obey his wife like a dog. Ironically, Carmen gets a dog (early third season). Sadly, Van den Heuvel would become the person overacting the most. Doortje in particular had both feet on the ground from the very beginning.
At some point they wrote Ann Tuts's character in such a wat that Doortje constantly telling bad jokes or made bad puns, which I thought was cringe. It looked awkward at times (second half of the show's existence). Bieke, in accordance, was a loose cannon at first. Regularly upset her parents.
With young Bieke, it had signs of the "hot girl every boy dreams of". Later on, she had no flaws anymore. At first, Bieke wasn't a "Karen" at all (annoying righteous judge). In a comedy characters should be flawed at least a bit. I felt they did not know what to do with Bieke (delivering comical situations). Bieke rarely did it.
To make Bieke an injustice collector did not feel like the right solution.
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OSCAR CRUCKE's DEPARTURE
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What compromised it was the departure of two main characters after the fourth season. Oscar was the coach of the team. Oscar embodied the heart and soul of the show. Everything centered around him. Oscar was the husband of Pascale, father of Bieke, the coach of the team who's very close with his players, the innkeeper for everyone. He seemed to be the most important figuere, as it turned out.
I always considered Oscar to be more important than Boma. He lived in the center of the show: the cafe. If you watch the show for the first time then it's hard to comprehend he's not there anymore (from the first episode of the fifth season). Xavier, Boma and DDT remained.
Oscar's departure removed the team's pater familias, its father figure, its "community leader" if you will. Carry Goossens left a bigger gap, bigger than you'd think. Underestimated. Goossens said he wanted other challenges as. I understand his decision from his perspective, he's a professional.
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MARC VERTONGEN
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The inclusion of Marc Vertongen as a main character, replacing Oscar basically, is rather ambiguous. Marc, a main character when Goossens was still there. He dated Oscar's daughter Bieke. Marc definitely had an impact when (re-)introduced.
I don't like the character at all. Maybe, Marc became one of the most hilarious characters on the show, with his naivity and false stupidity. I don't see it. I consider it annoying. I'm deeply sorry. He became a personification of all childishness. I have trouble with that to this day. I just don't get how that's ever funny to adult audiences. I'm almost thirty now.
I wouldn't go as far as to say they *had to cancel it* in 1993, after four seasons. It *was very opportune* to do it. It could have been an eight and a half out of ten show if they had canceled it early. It wasn't to be. Voners, De Valck and Vermeire they stayed loyal, the show's lifeline. But overall, the quality wasn't as high after Goossens's departure.
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DIMITRI DE TREMMERIE's LEGACY
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Dimitri De Tremmerie (DDT) is the breakout character. A stingy car mechanic and dealer, he was highly popular. Quite rightly so. Cosmo Kramer or the Fonz of the show. It could be expected, Jacques Vermeire was a famous comedian in Flanders.
Despite being the antagonist who loathes the soccer team. DDT's interpreter Vermeire, like the others, did his part of overacting. Vermeire left after eight seasons. He left an enormous gap.
With Dimitri no longer there, it died. One did everything and nothing to keep the show watchable. They created an image for Dimitri acting sympathetic at times. They never managed to get successors Bernard (BTW) and Fernand anywhere near Dimitri's level of sympathy. Fernand was okay but not as great.
Vermeire's departure killed it. It would never be the same again. His departure. Vermeire signed a contract with the commercial broadcaster to create or play in shows. Goossens, he portrayed Oscar, stated he didn't want to be remembered for one role.
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SUMMARIZED
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Hate me for saying. Vermeire leaving, and stereotypes. Why it's controversial now? Well, it's due to the over-abundant stigmas and stereotypes. And to people who claim it was all rewarding after Vermeire left? I wish to argue with those people. It should have ended for the sake of quality as he left or even before he left. But no. It had turned into a cash cow by then.
The episodes up until 1998 were good. 1998. In my mind, "the cancellation date". This is a complex show to review. Some have. I guess you could review from an aspect "The xperience is unique, traditionally Flemish". A stereotypical excess proved to be lethal for the sake of quality.
As can be seen, the public broadcaster VRT had taken 19 titles offline in 2022. That's exactly because of stereotypes the show features. There, it was also striking that only one from "the old days" was canceled for its narrative, and that most were from the later seasons.
This show is "DDT and Oscar", and that is that. Seven out of ten 'cause of them. No disrespect. To the regret of those who envy nowadays, this show used to be something until they killed it themselves.
Gert Late Night (2017)
The most (and only) entertaining late night show in Belgium
"Gert Late Night" (Vier) has been the latest cash cow of Belgian media tycoon Gert Verhulst, who seems to turn everything he touches into gold. He's getting help from by the competition, though (VTM, één). There wasn't at first, now VTM has "Wat een dag" (What a day) and I'm not a fan of that show. Not because of a false start due to an unfortunate section dealing with the death of a famous Belgian paralympic athlete (Marieke Vervoort) in the try-out pilot episode. No, it's because "Wat een dag" generally lacks interesting subjects and contains a load of uninteresting showbizz news (people who have disappeared from the radar and need screen time are addressed and I don't care about them). The regular faces of VTM are not my type of people, too. Different strokes, I guess. "Gert Late Night" stays much closer to reality. Verhulst and James Cooke have a special sense humor, which is rather crisp or bone-dry. The pranks they play on guests are deliberate and none of them are offending, perhaps in consultation with them. The most hilarious aspect of the show is when Gert and James discharge jokes on each other, though. The scenes when they are having breakfast (or every single time when they are alone someplace) are the best example of this. Verhulst often manifests false modesty, in my opinion. On his show, this works wonderfully well. I honestly believe James Cooke is a lot smarter in person than the "intelligence" he exhibits on the show. James actually plays the role of "sympathetic idiot" and most of all is a "listening ear" on the show. That's clear and it all suits him perfectly because he gave intelligent interviews for newspapers and magazines already. Cooke is a nice person who receives some hate for absolutely no reason at all (personal opinion). The episodes rarely disappoint. Gert and James also brightly pick their guests. On Monday when they board the Evanna, they don't seem to match character-wise, at first sight I mean. By the end of the week, these three very different persons have become best friends or close enough. Pure gold. In a way, they have a positive psychologic effect on their guests. They really thrive and show their xinxing (their nature). In this regard, the show resembles "Het huis" / "Die huis" ("The House") of the respected producer Eric Goens. There's simply not a counterpart at this moment. Verhulst is without comparison, neither is Cooke. Flanders (Belgium in general) is a small celebrity / showbizz pond, but the people seem to have embraced Verhulst and Cooke. Verhulst already was a local television icon when "Gert Late Night" commenced, as he defined the childhood years of many with the series "Samson en Gert" and is the founder of Studio 100. Cooke had just started his media career. He was a theatre director and actor. He already had an own company called "Uitgezonderd" when "Gert Late Night" started off. They were friends before they created "Gert Late Night". It helps when you know someone, of course. They bring a unique interplay to the fore, really. Laurel and Hardy or something similar. It's like you're watching a comedy duo but they're hosting a late night talk show and that's another thing that makes it unique. The only downside: the transitions of pleasant topics to (very) serious subjects (such as the death of Julie Van Espen, the raping of a 23 year old student). Not the political or scientific subjects but those dealing with people close to us. All kinds of mischief gets followed up by (too much of) a serious subject. I always experience it as awkward. Verhulst and Cooke get away with it, though. They really do their best to entertain people after a (difficult?) day of work. Everything (the latest) needs to be covered. I understand that. Great show.