Samson en Gert

When Samson en Gert first started on tv, I was only five years old and I loved this show. Now, more than 13 years later, Samson en Gert is still the best show for children ever made in Belgium. When I look at the show now I have to smile when I hear the ever repeating jokes (Albertoooooooooooo) of which you couldn't get enough as a child. Thanks to the beautiful songs and the X-mas shows in Atwerp Samson en Gert became an even more greater succes. This show may go one for many years to come!!!

Samson & Gert is the series where all Belgian children grow up with. In the beginning the creators made quite some effort to make this into a fantastic series for children. The characters were pretty believable, or at least for that kind of show. But over the years everything got pretty bad. Good characters as Joop Mengelmoes, Miranda DeBolle and 'De Burgemeester' (allright, he was still around at the end, but it was like he was playing somebody completely different) left and stupid (and I mean STUPID) character (like Eugène, Frieda and the 'afgevaardigde van de minister') took there place.

In the end it became unwatchable, just like all the other series Gert Verhulst created with his 'Studio 100'. I miss the old days. The sad part is that this series still plays each day on Belgian television, but only the later part of the series! We want the old ones back! Back when it was fun for young AND OLD!

Whether you're the type that is already loaded at 4 in the afternoon or a child, everybody loves "Samson", just because it's tough not to. In short, Samson is a dim-witted dog who lives in a suspiciously big house with his chronically unemployed owner Gert. Everyday their friends come to visit them and get them into mildly wacky adventures, while conversing pretty much entirely in catch phrases. The writing was far from great but hey, I wouldn't want it any other way.

That brings us to nowadays. Even if you do ignore the fact that we're dealing with an almost 20-year-old dog now, the show has just become painfully stupid. The plots are really just rehashes of other plots which were rehashes of other plots. Also, it's for kids and all but I don't remember the characters being this stupid. It takes them forever to figure things out. One of these friends sees a donkey standing in the kitchen. He calmly goes: oh it's a donkey. Seven bajillion years later: A donkey?! But the worst thing about it now is the foul stench of commercials that's all over this show. This series genuinely wanted to entertain kids back in the old days, nowadays it's just yet another way of hooking them up with shoddy merchandising. When somebody is thirsty, and they're thirsty all the time, they drink Samson lemonade, and to add insult to injury they're also forced to eat Samson cookies. When there's a mosquito plague, they wear Samson helmets (helmets against mosquitoes?). Get into the commercial breaks and out of my pleasant memories, damn it. Also, the actor who plays Gert is so rich and powerful nowadays that he pretty much controls Belgium in an Orwell-like fashion, which makes it kinda ridiculous to have him play a hapless loser all the time. Oh well, it was good run.

As someone who grew up with Samson en Gert, I can wholeheartedly give this iconic Flemish children's show a 10/10.

Everything about it just works: the charming dynamic between the ever-clumsy but good-natured Gert and the lovable talking dog Samson is pure gold. The humor is innocent and timeless, with just enough silliness to entertain kids while still being clever enough to make adults smile. The recurring characters like the forgetful burgemeester, the clumsy Van Leemhuyzen, and Jeannine the ever-absent hairdresser give the show its trademark coziness. Even the predictability of their entrances and catchphrases becomes part of the joy.

What truly makes Samson en Gert special is its heart. There's a real warmth in the friendship and the familiar settings that makes you feel like you're visiting old friends every episode. The Christmas and New Year specials were always a highlight, filled with songs, jokes, and nostalgia. And let's not forget the catchy intro song-once you've heard it, it never leaves your head (in the best way possible).

In short, Samson en Gert is not just a show; it's a cultural touchstone in Flanders. It's comfort television at its finest.