"TV total" (1999) More at IMDb Pro »TV series 1999-????

I first saw TV Total while working in Germany in 1999-2000. Problem was the show is in German and I didn't know that much then. Eventually my understanding of German improved along with my appreciation for the TV Total.

Appearing 4 nights a week (Monday-Thursday) on the German network "Pro 7", in concept, it's similar to the "Daily Show" on Comedy Central. The host, Stefan Raab, has an army of interns who scour German television for bloopers, strange people, pompous politicians,and generally silly events. Then he weaves them into a one-hour show where he takes full advantage of the material. Stefan is a really funny and multitalented guy, with a special ability for physical comedy.

Probably the funniest part of the show is a regular segment called "Raab in Gefahr" (Raab in danger), where Stefan puts himself into situations where he's likely to be hurt doing a physical stunt, slapped while insulting someone, or creating general mayhem. One of the better examples was his posing as a flight attendant (unknown to the passengers) where he handed out porno magazines to passengers as they boarded the plane.

Raab is somewhat of a controversial figure in German TV, much like Howard Stern is in the US -- he never misses an opportunity to take the (self-) important down a peg or to kick someone when they're down. For this reason, he is either loved and hated in Germany. Recently the show went from once a week to four times weekly, which many viewers think has diluted the quality of the material.