Die Wochenshow

Die Wochenshow ran on Sat.1 from 1996 to 2002 with 220 episodes and got lots of reruns. The sketch show, starring Bastian Pastewka, Anke Engelke, Marco Rima, Herbert Feuerstein, Markus Maria Profitlich, and others, satirized current events and celebrity missteps, complemented by parodies of TV shows and commercials. From May to July 2011, it returned with a new cast led by anchorman Ingolf Lück.

Andreas Grimm: Over its long runtime, the title music of Die Wochenshow underwent several so-called “relaunches”—new versions designed to prevent viewers from feeling like they were indulging in an outdated idea for too long. Just like the successful format itself, the original title music combines musical elements from both the news and entertainment worlds. The constant stylistic transformation of two motifs (the main theme and the news jingle) creates a sense of unity across various segments—an old trick: corporate identity, though in this case, taken to the extreme.

Andreas Grimm: As long as the concept still allows for enjoyable variations, everything is fine. In 2000, that was still the case. By 2011, it became more difficult. You can hear it. At least Adoro delivered an artistically valuable suite of football fan chants.