Only watch this if you are a Flemish TV historian or plan to binge the entire series. If you’re a newcomer, skip to episode 4 – that’s when the show finds its rhythm. For the devoted fan, this is a charming, clunky time capsule. For everyone else, it’s a dated bar fight without a winner.
A Quaint but Clunky First Step into Antwerp’s Folkloric Underbelly Show: Lili en Marleen (Season 1, Episode 1) Original Air Date: 1994 lili en marleen seizoen 1 aflevering 1
The pilot introduces us to Lili (Veerle Dobbelaere) and Marleen (Machteld Timmermans), two diametrically opposed sisters who inherit a run-down café (bar) in the heart of old Antwerp. Lili is the pragmatic, slightly stern one; Marleen is the dreamy, money-hungry social climber. Episode 1 focuses on the immediate shock of the inheritance: the bar is filled with eccentric regulars, the till is empty, and a local petty criminal named “Lowietje” immediately tries to scam them. Only watch this if you are a Flemish