How

is it that on German television, at 6 pm, two young men still unsure of their

feelings for each other can have sex, while on American television a couple

that has been dating for over half a year still haven’t consummated their

relationship and recently went six months without even kissing?

That’s

what fans of As the World Turns have

wondered ever since they were introduced to Christian and Olli, a same-sex

couple from the German soap opera Verbotene

Liebe (Forbidden Love). When

clips of the show’s gay storyline started popping up online, American viewers

reacted with unbridled enthusiasm to a show that not only didn’t hesitate to

show same-sex affection, but allowed its gay characters’ storylines the same

prominence as the heterosexual ones.

Even better, the gay storyline unfolded at

a much more rapid pace than American viewers were used to with their programs,

which until very recently frequently treated gay content with kid gloves for fear of offending

advertisers.

Indeed,

watching clips of Christian and Olli being intimate only fueled the frustration

many viewers felt with the Luke and Noah storyline on As the World Turns.

So

what is this German soap opera of which U.S. fans have become so enamored?

Forbidden Love, set in Düsseldorf, Germany, is actually a remake of an

Australian soap called Sons and Daughters.

Premiering in Germany

in January of 1995, the program initially focused on the Brandners and von

Anstettens, who are still the show’s core families.

In

the show’s very first storyline, Julia von Anstetten and Jan Brandner meet

randomly at an airport and are instantly attracted to each other even though he

is a simple boy from a working-class family and she is a rich and spoiled brat.

After falling in love, they eventually learn the unfortunate truth that they

are, in fact, twins; hence, the title Forbidden

Love.

Eventually,

Jan and Julia left the show, replaced by other characters and storylines

including that of the same-sex couple Oliver and Christian, who are officially

dating as of the April 4 episode. But that wasn’t the first time they actually

slept together (that happy event occurred back on March 17). And their first of

many kisses – Olli taking Christian by surprise in the locker room of

Christian’s boxing club – occurred in January of this year.

As

stated above, Forbidden Love is

definitely not As the World Turns.

What

may strike American television viewers as remarkable simply isn’t particularly

noteworthy in Germany.

Such wasn’t always the case: What is generally (and falsely) considered the first

gay kiss on a German show took place in 1990 on the weekly soap opera Lindenstrasse and resulted in murder

threats for the actors involved. (There was actually a brief gay kiss on the

same show in 1987, but it was so quick as to apparently not register to most

viewers.)

But

just a few years later, the 1994 German comedy Der Bewegte Mann (Maybe…Maybe

Not), about a straight man moving in with a gay man, was a box office smash

in Germany. Suddenly, being gay on the big or small screen was no longer such a

big deal.

Ever

since, gay characters have appeared on numerous German shows with little

fanfare. There have been gay storylines on Marienhof,

Alles Was Zählt (All that Matters), as well as Forbidden

Love. None of them have been greeted with threats of boycotts such as those

threatened in the U.S.

by the American Family Association.

The

greater acceptance of gay storylines on German television no doubt has to do

with Germany’s – and Europe’s – greater tolerance of homosexuality and comfort

with sexual situations in general. In Germany, it is violence that is

considered more troubling than same-sex love or nudity. That allows German

writers to have a freer hand with the gay storylines on shows such as Forbidden Love.

The

fact that German television has been exploring these issues more frankly and

for a greater length of time is what strikes so many Americans as remarkable.

Indeed, in the United States,

a same-sex kiss on television is still noteworthy enough to draw attention and

only one network primetime program – ABC’s Brothers

& Sisters – regularly features same-sex intimacy.

As

for Christian and Olli, they are not even the first gay characters to kiss on Forbidden Love. Interestingly enough,

Julia’s original fiancé, Gero von Sterneck, turned out to be gay and had

relationships with both men and women before he left the show in 1998. But the

show’s first major gay storyline arrived shortly before Gero’s departure.

In

1997, medical student Tom Seifert (Kay Böger)

was introduced to viewers. His first relationship was with Ulrich 'Ulli'

Prozeski (Andreas Stenschke), but Ulli eventually

moved away and in 1999, Oliver “Olli” Sabel (Jo Weil) joined the show. At

first, he was simply another extra in the background of the bar No Limits,

bartending without any significant dialogue. But fans were taken with the

handsome actor and demanded more screen time. Eventually, the writers made Olli

the nephew of Charlie Schneider, one of the show’s leading characters.

Kay Böger (left) & Andreas Stenschke

Tom

met Olli and the two began dating, with Olli making it clear from the start

that he identified as bisexual. Complications ensued when Ulli briefly returned

to the show, sleeping once with Tom, his former lover. In turn, Olli retaliated

by sleeping with a woman. Tom and Olli eventually broke up, causing Olli’s life

to spin out of control and culminating in a drug courier job gone wrong.

In

2002, Olli left the show to become a steward on a cruise ship. Exactly five years

later, Olli returned home, a decision greeted warmly by everyone except

Christian, who reacted with a great deal of homophobia when he learned that

Olli was attracted to men. The two men reconciled during a camping trip and in

a scene reminiscent of Brokeback Mountain

(which the show occasionally references), Christian opened up to Olli about his

dreams of boxing. This prompted Olli to send an application in Christian’s name

to a sports school to which Christian was eventually accepted. The two got

along so well that they even became roommates.

In

the current storyline, it appeared Olli was headed for a relationship with a

woman Christian was dating, but Olli abruptly revealed his feelings to

Christian by suddenly kissing him. This led to sexual confusion in the

heretofore straight Christian, but after much handwringing, jealousy and

mistaken identity, the two men – commonly referred to as Ollian by fans – have

settled into a happy relationship.

Reflecting

Germany’s

more casual attitude toward gay people, the show’s other characters have for

the most part been quite accepting of the couple. Indeed, Christian’s former

girlfriend told him she wanted him to be happy and to accept himself, and the

only problem they have run into so far is in trying to get Christian’s brother

to grasp that Christian is actually gay. (Thus far, he thinks his brother is

only kidding.) Recently, the show also introduced a homophobic boxing promoter who believes he can make Christian a star; no doubt, Christian's sexuality will complicate those plans.

No

doubt much of the appeal of Ollian has to do with the two actors playing the

parts. Thirty-year-old Jo Weil’s first acting job was on Forbidden Love and after leaving the show in 2002, he starred in

the drama Medicopter 117, which ran

for three years. After that show’s cancellation, he returned to Forbidden Love and the character of

Olli.

Jo Weil (left) & Thore Schölermann

In

a recent email interview with TheGaysofDaytime.com, Weil declined to answer

whether he is gay or straight. Said Weil, “I’ve played a lot of straight

characters – and I’ve never been asked whether I’m straight in real life.

That’s how this question, which is asked almost always, makes it seem like

playing gay/bisexual is something abnormal. And that’s why I choose not to

answer it anymore.”

Twenty-four year old Thore Schölermann plays Christian, Olli’s

boyfriend, and Forbidden Love is his

first major role.

The

current ratings for the show are around the 2 million mark and an 11% market

share in its time slot, which seems to suggest that ‘Ollian’ has had no impact on

the ratings in either direction.

Engaging

as the story may be at the moment, it’s probably best for viewers not to get

too obsessed. Verbotene Liebe is a

soap opera, after all, and drama is conflict. So fans of the couple should

enjoy Olli and Christian while it lasts – but should be prepared for anything to happen.

On any soap opera – especially one called Forbidden

Love – no romance is ever safe, and down the line there will likely be

tears, on both sides of the screen.

Michael Jensen contributed to this article.