Everon Jackson Hooi is completely disturbed that he reads everywhere that Good Times Bad Times are so passé. According to him, it is time to show respect for his soap opera.
The heyday of Good Times Bad Times is long behind us. Even including delayed viewing, the soap is simply not what it once was. It is evident that RTL Boulevard is trying to paint the picture that the whole of the Netherlands is watching the fortunes of Meerdijk again, but that is simply not the case. It’s a closing issue.
GTST not relevant
Media expert Victor Vlam points out that GTST has simply lost relevance. While a program like B&B Vol Liefde is now widely discussed at the coffee machine, amateur theater among the cardboard is no longer popular. “GTST has not only lost viewers, but also cultural relevance.”
Although RTL 4 scores demonstrably better at the same time with Ruben Nicolai’s summer quiz, they are still sticking to GTST for the time being. But sooner or later that will of course be over: people watch drama less and less linearly and that will ultimately affect the series. And then the big question is: is it profitable to make GTST only for Videoland?
‘Show respect!’
However, actor Everon Jackson Hooi does not like all those ominous reports about GTST at all, he said in an interview with the Party. “There are so many stories going around about GTST: maybe it will stop and this that and the figures are less, but in all these years I haven’t really noticed that things are going down.”
People on the street do like it, says Everon. “I mean: I’m still being criticized for being in GTST. Every day, unless I stay inside. It’s not a joke. So I don’t understand those negative messages and sometimes I get a bit confused by them. Because I get very good feedback from the people, the viewers, that I encounter.”
‘Show respect!’
These people are very loyal to GTST, says Everon. “Of course, not every episode is as fantastic as the last summer cliff. There are lesser episodes, but there are also very good episodes. If you have to deliver every day, that’s just how it is. At GTST we continue year after year. It’s Champions League.”
He concludes: “People who criticize the soap have no idea what we do and couldn’t even do it themselves. That’s why I think: show a little respect, because everyone who works on GTST does so with a lot of love.”