Selo gori, a baba se češlja
Selo gori, a baba se češlja (English: The village is burning, and the grandmother is combing her hair) is a television series in Serbia. First aired in 2007, the show quickly gained national fame with episodes in its third season averaging approximately 2.9 million viewers. The show was aired on RTS1.
| Selo gori, a baba se češlja | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Radoš Bajić |
| Starring | Season 4 cast: Dragan Nikolić Radoš Bajić Milorad Mandić Nenad Okanović Olga Odanović Ljiljana Stjepanović Mirko Babić Lazar Ristovski |
| Country of origin |  Serbia |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 101 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Nedeljko Bajić |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | RTS1 |
| Picture format | 1.85 : 1 |
| Original release | March 10, 2007 – January 7, 2017 |
Although the end of the series was announced in the Closing credits of the episode #89, 12 additional episodes were filmed in 2016, and aired in the autumn 2016.
Overview
Premise
The show revolves around the character of Radašin. The entire story is based around his recount of the time when he lived in the village and how he spent his time with his fellow countrymen and women. He recounts his life to his family. Most of the show revolves around Radašin’s family but also around his friends, who are the main characters of the show: Dragojlo, Žota and Milo.
Plot points
The series is based in a small fictional village near the region where South and West Morava rivers form Great Morava. It is essentially a comedy but it displays a deep emotional connection between family, tradition and the land. The village life is at the heart of the show, often displaying how life is changing in Serbian villages and how these rural communities are quickly disappearing due to the exodus of young people from the country to the city.
The show emphasises that the village is the heart of Serbian culture and pride, a place where humanity has outlasted many challenges. The show further emphasises the finest qualities of the Serbian people such as honesty and kindness and aims to break down the tarnished stereotypical view of Serbian people crafted during the 1990s.
Breast cancer awareness
The show was largely praised for its breast cancer awareness campaign. During season three, one of the main characters of the show, Radojka, is diagnosed with breast cancer. The storyline was based around the director's own experience with breast cancer when his wife was diagnosed. The breast cancer storyline led to an extreme increase in the number of breast cancer screenings in regional parts of Serbia. Shortly after the storyline, a mobile mammography van was deployed to various villages across the country so women could be screened.[1]
Production
The first season of "Selo gori, a baba se češlja" began airing on March 10, 2007 on RTS1. The first season had only 4 episodes which were immensely popular mostly due to the famous cast which took part in the series. The first episode was watched by 2.1 million people, an extremely high figure for a debuting show.[2] However, by the time series 2 began airing (on January 19, 2008), the show recorded massive viewer ratings. The second season contained a total of 25 episodes. The much anticipated third season of the show was aired from December 2008 to a massive television audience. The second episode of the third season was watched by over 3 million people making it one of the most watched programmes ever broadcast in Serbia. Ratings somewhat declined by the end of the third season (mostly due to the beginning of summer when television ratings generally fall) but they still remained strong with average viewing of 2.9 million people, which is extremely high for Serbian television.
"Selo gori, a baba se češlja" is aired once per week. Despite its impressive ratings, which has allowed it to carry the title of the most watched scripted television show in Serbia, the director and screenwriter Radoš Bajić announced that the show's fourth season will be its last. The fourth season was filmed from August 20, 2009 to April 2010, while the show aired from January 16, 2010. It has 33 episodes. The fourth and final season is made up of 2 parts, with the first part airing from January 2010 until May 2010 and the second airing from November 2010 until May 2011.[3]
By the end of the third season "Selo gori, a baba se češlja" has 55 episodes plus 1 special episode which was aired prior to the beginning of the third season, showing the making of the series as well exclusive interviews with the cast and crew.
The show is mostly filmed in Kragujevac and Central Serbia, also known as Šumadija.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Dragan Nikolić | Judge Velibor/Žota |
| Radoš Bajić | Radašin |
| Milorad Mandić Manda | Milašin (Mila) |
| Nenad Okanović | Dragan |
| Mirko Babić | Dragojlo |
| Svetislav Goncić | Džama |
| Miroljub Trošić | Đoda(1948-2020) |
| Ljiljana Stjepanović | Radojka |
| Olga Odanović | Zlatana |
| Suzana Mančić | Svetlana |
| Nada Blam | Smiljana |
| Nedeljko Bajić | Radoslav |
| Suzana Petričević | Cveta |
| Ana Sakić | Ingrid |
| Nikola Kojo | Colonel Krga |
Ratings
"Selo gori, a baba se češlja" is the most watched scripted drama on Serbian television. Its third season’s fourth episode was the most watched with 3.014.000 viewers, setting a viewership record in Serbian broadcasting television. The average rating of an episode is 34% or 2.9 million viewers. The show has an average share of 68%.
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Selo gori, a baba se češlja on RTS1:
| Season | Timeslot | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Season rank | Average viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saturday 8:05PM | March 10, 2007 | March 31, 2007 | 2006–2007 | #3 | 2.6 |
| 2 | Saturday 8:05PM | January 19, 2008 | June 7, 2008 | 2007–2008 | #2 | 2.7 |
| 3 | Saturday 8:05PM | December 20, 2008 | June 20, 2009 | 2008–2009 | #1 | 2.9 |
| 4a | Saturday 8:05PM | January 16, 2010 | May 2010 | 2009–2010 |
TBD | 2.5 (so far) |
| 5 | Saturday 8:05PM | November 6, 2010 | April 2, 2011 | 2010–2011 | ||
| 6 | Saturday 8:05PM | October 15, 2016 | January 7, 2017 | 2016 |
| Episode | Name | Airdate | Viewers | Rating (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEASON FOUR | ||||
| 4.1 | Šuma | Saturday January 16, 2010 | 2.358.400 | 33,5% |
| 4.2 | Koma | Saturday January 23, 2010 | 2.654.080 | 37,7% |
| 4.3 | Pukotine | Saturday January 30, 2010 | 2.386.560 | 33,9% |
| 4.4 | Budjenje | Saturday February 6, 2010 | 2.513.280 | 35,7% |
| 4.5 | Prinova | Saturday February 13, 2010 | 2.485.120 | 35,3% |
| 4.6 | Odluka | Saturday February 20, 2010 | 2.590.720 | 36,8% |
| 4.7 | Bekstvo | Saturday February 27, 2010 | 2.548.480 | 36,2% |
| 4.8 | Srna | Saturday March 6, 2010 | 2.548.480 | 36,2% |
| 4.9 | Ženeva | Saturday March 13, 2010 | 2.513.280 | 35,7% |
| 4.10 | Gubitnik | Saturday March 20, 2010 | 2.597.760 | 36,9% |
| 4.11 | Gas | Saturday March 27, 2010 | 2.288.000 | 32,5% |
| 4.12 | Sveta Petka | Saturday April 3, 2010 | 2.520.320 | 35,8% |
| 4.13 | Jovan | Saturday April 10, 2010 | 2.520.320 | 35,8% |
| 4.14 | Suze | Saturday April 17, 2010 | 2.106.000 | 29,8% |
| 4.15 | Spomenica | Saturday April 24, 2010 | 2.034.559 | 28,9% |
| 4.16 | Sreća | Saturday May 1, 2010 | 1.760.000 | 25.0% |
| 4.17 | Duvanište | Saturday May 8, 2010 | 1.837.440 | 26,1% |
Note: All ratings are based on the AGB Nielsen Media Research
International broadcast
The show is aired in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Croatia. Slovenia has bought rights to produce a local version of the show. Entitled "Naj ti krava crkne", the show will premier in 2011. It will have 30 episodes.[4]
Awards
2008
- Best couple in a television series: Radoš Bajić and Ljiljana Stjepanović
- Best television show of 2008
- Oskar Popularnosti Award for most watched television show of 2008
2009
- Manager of the year in television or film production: Radoš Bajić
- Best television creation: Radoš Bajić
- Best actor in a supporting role: Mirko Babić
Movie
In 2009, a movie was released based on the show. Entitled ”Selo gori ... i tako” (The village is burning ... and so on). The entire cast from the show appeared in the film which was mostly based on the series third season. Internationally, the film will be shown for the first time at the 2010 Serbian Film Festival in Australia in October 2010.
References
- Press Online. "RADAŠIN U BORBI PROTIV KANCERA!". Retrieved 2010-10-14.
- TV Novosti. "FAVORIT RTS DNEVNIK I DOMAĆE SERIJE, PINKA GRANDOVE EMISIJE". Retrieved 2010-10-14.
- Press Online. "Selo je izgorelo!". Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- Vesti Online. "Selo gori na slovenacki nacin". Retrieved 2010-10-14.
External links
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ranjeni orao |
Serbian Oscar Of Popularity TV Series of the Year 2010 |
Succeeded by TBD |