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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Monzo" data-source="post: 424497" data-attributes="member: 19949">Die Schwarzwaldklinik is the most-watched German series in Germany, but Derrick is the most-watched German series worldwide. Derrick aired in over 100 countries. I never really understood what was so appealing about Derrick for the international market. Perhaps it came across as typically German, and international viewers could easily imagine that life in West Germany looked like this.Die Schwarzwaldklinik launched at the right time (1985). Dallas premiered in 1981 and Dynasty in 1983, both successful. Soap elements hadn't existed in German series before; family series were told very differently. It was a clever idea of broadcaster ZDF not to copy Dallas and Dynasty - although it did happen in 1987 with Das Erbe der Guldenburgs (The Legacy of the Guldenburgs), in which two rich families loved and hated each other - but Die Schwarzwaldklinik incorporated soap elements into a hospital series. It's true, Die Schwarzwaldklinik is a national treasure. Every year, ZDF repeats the entire series on its largest spin-off channel, ZDF Neo, starting at the beginning of December and ending in the first days of the new year, with five episodes a day before prime time. Every year, ratings are still so good that Die Schwarzwaldklinik airs once more during the next Advent season. I think the reason Die Schwarzwaldklinik is still popular is that it ended after three seasons, and not because of falling ratings, but because everyone involved (broadcaster ZDF, creatives, actors) felt that after three seasons at a similar creative level, the series would only get worse from now on.</blockquote>

Verification: Who played JR Ewing?