Kalaźeći

***Kalaźeći*** (English: *Melodrama*) is a Gregus teen comedy-drama broadcast that follows that lives of a group of teenagers in Namahastin through their final years of high school. It is a remake of the Reshan television program *Havershom*, and while it retains the original show's format and premise, there are some minor changes to plots and characters. Most characters in the show speak in Gregus, although the show's title is in Fransertian, and Fransertian is occasionally used as the spoken language within the show, reflecting the bilingual culture of Gregus.

The show began broadcasting its first season in 2016 on Public Television of Gregus (PTG). It has proven to be controversial in the conservative society of Gregus. Including an openly gay character made the show a subject of both intense praise and criticism within the country. Otherwise, the show has been a major success within the country amongst youth, just like its source material has been.

## Cast

Six of the seven original main characters from *Havershom* have appeared in *Kalaźeći*. The only one that did not appear was Malina Sandsk. She was replaced by an original character, the Fransertian-Gregus Lina Malźava. Nicola Martinja does not appear, and is instead replaced by D. Gevko, a male character who shares many of her storylines. Alexander Laff does not appear either, but is not replaced.

* **Katalina Narażova** as Inna Karinta (season 1–present; season 1 protagonist) – based on Veronica Zeffermann
* **Leonid Jakarto** as Samuel Vramo (season 1–present; season 2 protagonist) – based on Lukas Titjansk
* **Kina Brema** as Ela Żarisa (season 1–present) – based on Lise Kappel
* **Marina Palova** as Katja Jakera (season 1–present) – based on Helena Bostromann
* **Daniel Milo** as Antoni Eriżo (season 1–present) – based on Cristoff Purus
* **Bettina Czaczka** as Tasza Sava (season 1–present) – based on Paula Zakker
* **Samira Zaka** as Lina Malźava (season 1–present)
* **Alana Bara** as Klara Jeffera (season 1–present) – based on Klara Hagmann
* **Olag Pestinsko** as Drak "D." Gevko (season 2–present) – loosely based on Nicola Martinja
* **Mina Nukarja** as Viktorija Urlaska (season 2–present) – based on Viktoria Gemmel
* **Viktor Zalovsko** as Nikolaj "Niko" Vramo (season 2–present) – based on Oscar Titjansk

## Broadcast

Like *Havershom*, *Kalaźeći* airs uniquely compared to other television series. Throughout the week, scenes from an upcoming episode are uploaded onto PTG's website in real time with when they'd actually happen. For example, if Inna is talking to Samuel at 11:00 on a Monday, the scene will air at 11:00 on Monday. Each Friday, the scenes from each episode are edited together and aired as a full-length episode on PTG. Fans can also follow characters on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

*Kalaźeći* first aired on 19 August 2016 on PTG. The final episode of season one later aired on 25 November. Each season lasts 15 weeks (15 episodes). The show has so far aired two seasons.

### International

In addition to Gregus, *Kalaźeći* has aired internationally in Fransert, Leveria, and Nazarestia. However, it has not received the massive success its received in Gregus in those countries.

## Reception

### Critical

*Kalaźeći* has received positive reviews from Gregus television critics. Many critics praised the show's first season, while its second season has seen more mixed reviews due to the stigma of homosexuality being a taboo concept within Gregus. On *SuperCritic*, the series holds an overall approval rating of 87%, based on the reviews of 124 critics. Season one has an approval rating of 93%, while season two has an approval rating of 81%.

### Television ratings

The pilot episode of *Kalaźeći* averaged 3.2 million viewers, due to heavy anticipation for the show and promotion within Gregus media. Season one averaged 2.7 million viewers, while season two has averaged 2.9 million viewers. It has been very successful within the youth demographic, and the hashtag, *"#KalazeciPTG"*, has trended within Gregus during the airing of every episode since its premiere.

### Controversy

Because of the show's subject matter, it has become somewhat controversial within Gregus's conservative society. Most of the controversy revolves around the character Samuel Vramo, who is openly gay. The second season revolves around him coming to terms with his sexuality, while season one hints at his sexuality as well. Homosexuality has been legal in Gregus since 2003, but there are few protections for LGBT individuals, and LGBT relationships are not recognized in the country. Homosexuality as a whole remains a taboo topic and is not often discussed in public. Knowing of the potential for controversy, Inna Karinta, Katja Jakera, and Klara Jeffera were made straight in the show, while in *Havershom* they are all LGBT. Also, *Havershom* LGBT love interests Nicola Martinja and Alexander Laff were either removed or turned into straight characters of the opposite gender for the Gregus remake. The show has received both praise and criticism for its inclusion of an LGBT character, with much of the praise coming from the youth, and much of the criticism coming from older politicians or Catholic organizations.