F. C. De Kampioenen started out as an almost perfect series, especially in the first eight seasons. Back then, the stories were strong, the characters recognizable and the humor both comic and tragicomic. The average person recognized themselves in the situations that were depicted.
--- Stereotypes and lame children's humor ---
Over time, however, the quality began to decline sharply. The characters increasingly became caricatures of themselves (a clear case of Ned Flanderization), and the series became entangled in childish humor and repetition.
What was once mature and relatable turned into a weak family sitcom, aimed at young children. Adult viewers dropped out, but their voices were ignored.
--- Oscar Crucke's departure ---
The departure of Carry Goossens (Oscar) after season 4 left a big hole. Oscar was the father figure of the series: café owner, coach and moral anchor of the team.
His absence meant the loss of a central force. The charm of the original setting was never fully recovered.
--- The arrival of Marc Vertongen ---
With the introduction of Marc Vertongen as a main character, the character of the series changed dramatically. Where the humor initially started from recognizable human situations, exaggerated caricature was increasingly chosen.
Marc was portrayed as an adult man with a pronounced childish naivety - initially charming, but gradually so over-elaborated that it began to feel unnatural and artificial, almost a form of false stupidity.
This exaggeration put the series in an uncomfortable position: the line between comic innocence and the unintentional characterization of a mental disability sometimes became wafer-thin.
Because Marc is not a child, but an adult who behaves in this way, it smells of a form of simplification that is jarring.
For viewers who were attached to the original tragicomic undertone, it became increasingly difficult to continue laughing uninhibitedly.
The credible character humor from the early years made way for forced slapstick, with Marc in particular becoming the symbol for the change of course. A change of course that, for those who experienced the early years, inevitably meant the end of the original magic.
--- Dimitri De Tremmerie's legacy ---
Jacques Vermeire's DDT was the figurehead of the original humor: cunning, stingy, but still endearing. After his departure after season 8, the series declined further.
His successors could never match his charisma, and without DDT, much of the original spirit disappeared.
--- In summary ---
F. C. De Kampioenen earned its cult status thanks to its early years, but continued for far too long.
The later seasons degraded to a bland children's comedy, while the original concept that made the program great - were ignored. The tragedy is not only in the loss of quality, but also in the fact that the makers themselves did not realize when it was really over.
In short: this was once a beautiful piece of Flemish television... until the soul was squeezed out of it.
