- Awards
- 9
In Argentina, "Knots Landing" aired as "California Country" in 1983. Here are a few reports from the TV newspaper "Diario Crónica" in February 1983.
International Broadcasts
- Thread starter Billy Nolan
- Start date
- Copy link Copy link
- Awards
- 9
In 2002 and 2003, Knots Landing also reached some parts of Eastern Europe. For example, the Czech TV station TV Nova began broadcasting Knots Landing in 2002 during its midday program at around 11:20 a.m. Through this station, Knots Landing was then available for the first time in Poland via a wider TV network. Attached are excerpts from Polish and Czech TV magazines from 2002 and 2003.
Last edited:
- Awards
- 9
"Les Heritiers du Rêve" - an article from Canada.
- Awards
- 4
Thank you for replying - I was looking for this thread!
- Awards
- 9
Oh, thanks for the info. That's interesting. And were all the seasons shown?
Do you have any press or magazine ads about this?
- Awards
- 4
No, I was searching Israeli newspaper archives and saw the listing under the Jordanian channel.
I can put an Arabic keyboard on my phone and try to run a basic Google search and see if it comes up with anything.
i remember some Egyptian guy said in their country they called knots “AlHijra min Dallas” which was the migration from Dallas. Prob the old forum RIP
- Awards
- 9
Oh, that would be great! Thank you so much. I love learning more about the international broadcasts. Especially how different countries dealt with the series and in what context it was broadcast. Perhaps there are still some older reports in TV magazines? I think Knots Landing was quite popular in Israel.
By the way, I'm currently writing a longer article about Knots Landing for a German print magazine about retro series.
- Awards
- 4
Yeah it’s really interesting how different shows were perceived in different countries and sometimes it’s 100% about the show itself but how it was placed, what was the competition etc.Oh, that would be great! Thank you so much. I love learning more about the international broadcasts. Especially how different countries dealt with the series and in what context it was broadcast. Perhaps there are still some older reports in TV magazines? I think Knots Landing was quite popular in Israel.
By the way, I'm currently writing a longer article about Knots Landing for a German print magazine about retro series.
Dallas was insane in Israel way back when, to the point some of the lessers actors like whoever played Ray and Donna met with our president at that time and he asked them who shot JR… I have a book for 50 years for Israel, where every year got 2 pages and this story was like half a page.
Knots aired 10 years later on cables, when it was just starting so not a big deal. Then at some point when cable TV spread out they placed it as their headline show at 8 or 9pm and since this was like the only normal tv channel back then this show was what everyone watched.
It didn’t work later with Falcon crest, which replaced Knots, because people just didn’t think it was good.
- Awards
- 9
That's very interesting! How different cultures and tastes are. Falcon Crest was quite successful here in Germany...
I think the story with Dallas and your president and the tribute in the chronicle is extremely interesting.
When exactly did KL start in Israel? In Jordan, you wrote that the series started in January 1983.
Interestingly, KL started airing quite late in Western Europe, such as Spain, France, Portugal, Germany, and the Scandinavian countries like Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Starting in 1988 or 1989. In Turkey and Italy, it started in the early and mid-80s.
By the way, there weren't many countries in Europe that showed KL in its entirety, all 14 seasons.
- Awards
- 4
Knots aired in Israel in 1992 prob. I was looking at Wikipedia it’s not really clear, but they restarted it in 1993.
People in the 80’s literally used to watch Jordanian TV because our TV sucked so bad, but no one really watched Knots back then as far as I know (my family watched the Colbys).
I know Michele Lee was in Israel for her son’s bar mitzvah (or maybe her nephew) !and no one really knew who she was back then.
People in the 80’s literally used to watch Jordanian TV because our TV sucked so bad, but no one really watched Knots back then as far as I know (my family watched the Colbys).
I know Michele Lee was in Israel for her son’s bar mitzvah (or maybe her nephew) !and no one really knew who she was back then.
- Awards
- 9
Very interesting! I didn't know that. So Michele Lee's family is Jewish? I'm currently writing a report for a magazine about Knots Landing and researched the actors' connections to Germany for one chapter. Among other things, I found the following:
Lisa Hartman filmed "The 17th Bride" (Ha Kala) in Germany (Wasserburg am Inn), Czechoslovakia, and Israel during the break between seasons 5 and 6 in April 1984. She reported that filming in Israel was difficult. Before the narrative wedding in her film, she had to wash herself in a women's bathhouse in Jerusalem and had a nude scene there. Because male members of the film crew also went to the bathhouse, they were attacked by conservatives: equipment cables were cut, and the crew was pelted with stones. Attached is a short report about this—and also a reference from an Israeli daily newspaper in Jerusalem. The film was shown in cinemas there on March 31, 1986.
- Awards
- 9
I don't think Santa Barbara has anything to do with the fact that Knots Landing is titled "Unter der Sonne Kaliforniens" in Germany. KL premiered in Germany in January 1988, just like Santa Barbara, which at the time was still called Santa Barbara. It flopped in the 7:25 pm time slot. After the daily soap was pulled from the schedule in March 1988, it was rebroadcast in the afternoons starting in January 1989, this time successfully under the new title "California Clan."
While leafing through old TV magazines, I found an article from August 1987 in Funk Uhr (and as proof of the date, I photographed the ratings report for that week at the bottom of the page) in which Knots Landing is already being advertised as "Unter der Sonne Kaliforniens".
The reason "Unter der Sonne Kaliforniens" was chosen for that title and not something simpler like "California" might be that ZDF preferred longer series titles in the 1980s, such as "Das Erbe der Guldenburgs (The Guldenburg Legacy)" or "Ich heirate eine Familie (I'm Marrying a Family)". "The Fall Guy" became "Ein Colt für alle Fälle (A Colt for All Cases)", and "La Piovra" became "Allein gegen die Mafia (Alone Against the Mafia)". The longer the series title, the better it seemed to be for ZDF at the time.
Last edited:
- Awards
- 9
That's very interesting, especially since there's already a German opening sequence and PR material featuring the "California" logo. However, negotiations for the German broadcast rights to "Knots Landing" date back to 1986. SAT.1 was interested in the series at that time as well. ZDF outbid SAT.1. And "California" was indeed planned as the main title. That must have been before the issue of the magazine you attached.
Which TV magazine is it?
Last edited:
- Awards
- 4
That is correct. Knots’ German title (along with its title in numerous European countries) was meant to be “California”. In Germany, as it was common, a subtitle (“Unter der Sonne Kaliforniens”) was added (see “Die Colbys - Das Imperium” for example).
That was a decision taken by the Leo Kirch group which had acquired the rights as early as 1986.
The screen grabs from the opening sequence are from the tape one of my media contacts found during an archive clear out a few years ago (video a few pages back).
The label on the tape was clearly dated 1987 and I also know that it was at the bottom of box #2 out of 28 for 1987. That would imply the edit was completed very early in 1987, with work possibly having commenced in late 1986.
ZDF did not get involved in any editing or dubbing process until late spring 1987 at which point editorial and standards decisions were taken such as dropping certain episodes, selecting a dubbing studio (usually a mutual decision between rights owner and broadcaster) etc.
So the decision to ditch “California” and just use the subtitle would have been taken around that time. Given the timings of Santa Barbara/California Clan as per @Monzo which are correct - I think there is no connection and over the decades this has just become an urban myth. It was probably something silly like “California” sounding too English. Don’t forget, English words in any movie or show titles were rare and exceptional back then. It still surprises me to this day that the “bürgerliche ARD” allowed “Falcon Crest” to go out without a German title (often causing the announcers to butcher these two simple words in ways that are inexplicable!). It probably only happened because it was WDR (progressive, relatively modern and left-leaning) which was the ARD regional station responsible for FC.
Back then it was mainly the Kirch Gruppe that let original titles slip through - one of the first examples being “Love Boat” (obviously with the obligatory dropping of the “The”) and “Miami Vice” but whenever a channel acquired the rights to a show Kirch held, titles would/could still get changed; or changed back whenever a show changed channels.
Different channels also insisted on “germanising” credits more than others - for example the episodes of “The A-Team” shown on the regional ARD stations had to be edited to show “Das” instead of “The” on the title card; when the show changed channels “The” was deemed fine by RTL.
- Awards
- 9
In the course of my research for the Knots Landing press release I wrote for the German magazine "Serien Retro" I contacted ZDF and SAT.1 in October 2025 to clarify questions that German fans of "Knots Landing" have long had unanswered:
My questions for ZDF:
1. Why were some episodes not dubbed or broadcast at the time?
2. Why were some of the original US opening sequences not shown in the ZDF broadcast?
3. What ratings did the series achieve during its initial broadcast? According to GfK, viewership in autumn 1989 reached up to 5 million (source: GfK reports in November 1990 for the broadcast period from August to December 1989).
4. Why was the series subsequently moved from Saturday evening programming to the afternoon slot, which led to a significant drop in ratings (according to GfK in summer 1990: 1 million viewers)?
5. What were the reasons for the later sale of the broadcasting rights to SAT.1?
My questions for SAT.1:
1. Why were some episodes not dubbed or not broadcast on SAT.1?
2. Why were some of the original opening sequences not shown?
3. Is it true that SAT.1 was interested in the series as early as the mid-1980s, but that the broadcasting rights were acquired by ZDF at that time?
Answers:
Of course, one has to bear in mind that there are hardly any answers to such specific questions these days. Nevertheless, I gave it a try.
ZDF's response was rather unsatisfactory, referring to the production of the episodes. These were dubbed by the Munich dubbing studio, Taurus Film GmbH, and individually prepared for media use (PR photos, etc.). They were essentially ZDF's service provider. But the decision as to which opening sequences and episodes were not shown, or why broadcast slots were changed (despite good ratings), can only be answered by the program service. The reply email is still pending and probably won't arrive.
Communication with SAT.1 was a different story:
Replies came quite quickly, and I even received a personal call from the head of on-air operations (CvD) in the editorial department. They had, of course, taken over the series pre-produced by ZDF up to season 7 1/2 and then continued it. The unaired episodes were no longer an issue by the early 1990s, and the focus was on dubbing the new episodes and seasons. The extremely long opening sequence of season 8, which had already been shown in the final episodes of season 7 (after the takeover by SAT.1), was apparently intended as a kind of "innovative gift" to the new SAT.1 viewers. At the time, they felt the opening sequence looked fresh and modern.
In the early to mid-1990s, it was common practice to "cut" episodes and shorten, omit, or replace opening sequences. This wasn't an isolated case with "Knots Landing," unless the licensors had stipulated otherwise. That wasn't the case with Knots Landing. US series opening sequences were sometimes adapted to suit the specific country.
The reason episodes were omitted was simply to tailor the episode offerings to the German market. It was felt that some episodes wouldn't resonate with the German target audience.
The fact that Knots Landing was sold by SAT.1 in 1995 is largely due to the then-new managing director, Fred Kogel, who rejuvenated SAT.1 and completely restructured the channel. Therefore, German viewers can be truly grateful that SAT.1 ultimately commissioned the dubbing of the final episodes of seasons 13 and 14. At that point, the channel had already abandoned series like Falcon Crest and "Knots Landing" in its medium-term plans.
That's just some background information.
The conversation with the head of programming at SAT.1 was truly informative and very pleasant.
- Awards
- 9
Is it known whether ARD was ever offered Knots Landing? After all, it would have been a logical choice since Dallas aired there. I wonder if they had to choose between Falcon Crest and Knots Landing as their new access-time soap, and if FC got the nod. Theoretically, KL could have aired on the Dritte Programme; sometimes US series were relegated there, like Thirtysomething.
Unfortunately, I don't have any ratings for KL on ZDF. They were published on teletext back then, but I didn't note them down. As far as I know, you can still buy old ratings from GfK (at a high price). Was KL really a hit on Saturday afternoons? Five million viewers sounds impressive, but how many viewers did ARD have at the same time? If ZDF consistently lags significantly behind ARD in terms of ratings, this can be reason enough for ZDF to relocate and eventually abandon a show altogether. ZDF in the 1980s was a channel that constantly threatened to cancel everything, and many shows that weren't doing badly (or even good) were affected: The Waltons, Charlie's Angels, Starsky & Hutch, Hotel—the list goes on. For every series, there was a (strange) reason: Hotel suddenly had too many sex scenes, or Germans didn't need to see The Waltons set in World War II. Even Dynasty (the most-watched US series on ZDF) suddenly caused panic when, at the 1987 IFA, the ZDF director, when asked why ZDF wasn't showing The Colbys, replied that Dynasty was already the worst thing ZDF aired, so they weren't going to show something even worse. Viewers then had to be reassured that Dynasty wasn't in danger of being canceled. Since Knots Landing didn't have the same audience support as Dynasty, I can imagine that when KL became too soapy, ZDF had had enough of it.
Why did Sat.1 withhold the last two episodes of season 13? For many years, I thought Paige's drama on the boat was the season finale.
Unfortunately, I don't have any ratings for KL on ZDF. They were published on teletext back then, but I didn't note them down. As far as I know, you can still buy old ratings from GfK (at a high price). Was KL really a hit on Saturday afternoons? Five million viewers sounds impressive, but how many viewers did ARD have at the same time? If ZDF consistently lags significantly behind ARD in terms of ratings, this can be reason enough for ZDF to relocate and eventually abandon a show altogether. ZDF in the 1980s was a channel that constantly threatened to cancel everything, and many shows that weren't doing badly (or even good) were affected: The Waltons, Charlie's Angels, Starsky & Hutch, Hotel—the list goes on. For every series, there was a (strange) reason: Hotel suddenly had too many sex scenes, or Germans didn't need to see The Waltons set in World War II. Even Dynasty (the most-watched US series on ZDF) suddenly caused panic when, at the 1987 IFA, the ZDF director, when asked why ZDF wasn't showing The Colbys, replied that Dynasty was already the worst thing ZDF aired, so they weren't going to show something even worse. Viewers then had to be reassured that Dynasty wasn't in danger of being canceled. Since Knots Landing didn't have the same audience support as Dynasty, I can imagine that when KL became too soapy, ZDF had had enough of it.
Why did Sat.1 withhold the last two episodes of season 13? For many years, I thought Paige's drama on the boat was the season finale.
Last edited:
- Awards
- 9
Yes, I did have access to older ratings figures for the report. Specifically, of course, for Knots Landing. The series even started with 7 million viewers – and then settled at 3-4 million. The storyline involving Mark St. Claire and season 5 were the biggest success in Germany, measured by the ratings. At that time, Knots Landing consistently reached a solid 5 million viewers. The ratings increased after the appearance of "Ciji" and "Mack." That was in spring 1989. Therefore, it's all the more surprising that ZDF moved the series from the early evening to the afternoon slot at the beginning of season 6, having previously only shown reruns of seasons 1-5 in the morning. The ratings then plummeted in the afternoon slot: a maximum of only 1 million viewers. Previously, 5 million viewers had been a good average in the target demographic and in terms of market share, considering the competition at that time from the emerging private channels.
Regarding your question about why SAT.1 cancelled the series in 1993: Initially, no new episodes had been dubbed, and the newly appointed head of programming completely revamped the schedule in terms of content. US series like Falcon Crest or Knots Landing no longer fit his vision, and therefore, they didn't actually intend to dub and broadcast the final season of "Knots Landing." Only the immense viewer protests of the time led to Knots Landing being shown in its entirety.
Although many disagree, Knots Landing was quite popular in Germany, considering the ratings for the first three years and the viewer protests.
ZDF should simply have given the series a bigger platform.
- Awards
- 4
Some great stuff. I'm surprised you got so many details after all those years.
A note on the opening sequences - it usually came down to budget and/or complexity. "Germanising" openings were labour-intensive back then (less so later on in the early/mid 90s with digital, non-linear editing systems and video instead of film).
There isn't really much of an excuse for not using the season 1 & 2 openings as all that was required was freezing the video before "Knots Landing" fades in and superimposing the German title over that (or, alternatively using an element to cover up the original title - e.g. like it was done in Spain).
Season 9 & 10 are very different and as much as it was annoying having the season 8 opening being used, the right to left pan over "Knots Landing" could not be recreated for the much longer German title as it would have taken up far more time than two words. There wasn't really any suitable alternative to bring in the German title, given the music and the general structure of the sequence.
Keeping the season 11 opening for season 12 was simply laziness. Season 12 was as easily adaptable as the season 13 and 14 versions. Likely comes down to the fact that they batched >100 episodes in one go and decided they could get away with the season 11 opening up until a point where too many actors still being shown had left and many new ones had joined.
You are spot on, we were lucky to get to see the final few episodes (everything left in season 13 after "Lost at Sea" and season 14) despite the Kogel transformation being in full swing. A lot of it came down to countless letters and calls from angry viewers. I had the pleasure to read some of them while working in the SAT.1 Mainz archive in 1997.
Last edited:
- Awards
- 4
The final two episodes weren't ready when that batch of episodes was acquired by Kirch. Lost at Sea aired a month before the final two episodes in the US and they were still in (post) production so they were then part of acquiring the rights to final batch of episodes 2 years later.
Last edited: