Current Affairs Czech TV series brought to American audiences
As of next year, some American TV viewers will get a taste of an original Czech TV production. Orbis TV, a Czech language station broadcasting in and around Chicago, has bought the first 84 episodes of a Czech series called Letiste or The Airport. It is made by the Prague-based channel Prima, which has been broadcasting the soap opera since September 2006. The deal is being called the first of its kind.
Vratislav Slajer
Twice a week for more than a year, around 700 000 viewers have been
switching on their TVs to follow the complicated relationships and
destinies of a small private airline crew. On Wednesday, they will have to
say goodbye; the last, 118th episode of Letiste, is scheduled to be aired
by the commercial station Prima – its makers – on that day. Vratislav
Slajer of the Film Brigade company is one the series’ producers.
“It’s very difficult to describe the whole story but basically we followed our fictional airlines, called Central Airlines. There were some ten main characters. The main one was the director of the airlines and his employee Karel, a bad guy, who always conspired against his boss. The first series also featured this small airport where character of ex-pilot lived in love with a stewardess from the big airlines.”
Serials and soap operas of all kinds have appeared in recent years on both
public and commercial channels here in the Czech Republic. So what makes
Letiste different from all the other productions?
“We tried to add some production value and to concentrate more on the visual part of the series. We believe we had very good actors, which is very important. And we tried to make our storytelling faster; to tell more in one episode than is usual Czech TV series. And there was humour - that was an essential part of the series.”
Now, the vast community of Czechs and Slovaks living in Chicago will have a chance to see a sample of Czech contemporary TV production with their own eyes. It’s the first contract of its kind; until now, Orbis TV has only been broadcasting its own products. George Sova from Orbis TV speaking from Chicago on a rather shaky line:
Letiste
“There is a variety of the news from local Czech and Slovak events. This
is supplemented by interviews with visiting personalities – artists,
politicians and musicians. So far it has been enough to keep the programme
busy or filled up for as long as the company has been in existence.”
So, why did they decide to run the Czech-made series after all?
“Some local viewers were asking to bring some show from the Czech
Republic to be shown on regular basis. Letiste was selected for the reason
that people knew about it, they knew it had some sympathetic actors and
interesting story so that’s why it was selected. If this is going to turn
out fine and to satisfaction of our viewers, than definitely some other
programme will be bought and brought over here.”
