User:Beale45/sandbox

= Taemane Street =

Taemane Street is a primetime television soap oprea that aired on BTV2 from 25 September 1980 to 12 April 1996. It was set in a fictional Orapa titular street which resides 3 different wealthy families and follows thier stories as they overcome social ills, betrayal, love and loss. Storylines included rape, murder, kidnapping, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, marital issues, fraud, drug and alcohol abuse, politics, enviromental issues, coropate intrigue, criminal investigations and widowhood. By the time it had concluded, it has held the record for the longest serving primetime drama for 13 years, that record is currently held by fellow BTV drama Itsireletse.

Taemane Street was created by Thapelo & Elizabeth Buamang, who were former co-head writers of Kwena soap Selepe Tsa Bogwate from 1976-1979 and had opened up their own producton studios. They first came up with the show whilst on holiday in Anterp,Belgium. After taking a tour of its world-famous mine, they had a idea for the show right away. They wanted to create a dramatic weekly serial that foucuses on the lives of families behind the diamonds as it bring them together in good or bad. They pitched the idea to Kwena first but they declined because it would not fit in their upcoming summer schedule. They went on pitch the idea to Isago and had many talks over the show but utimately decided to scrap it. As a last option, Elizabeth suggested pitching the idea to BTV, which Thapelo opposed to initally but decided to do it. In November 1979, they pitched their show to BTV and after 2 weeks, gave the greenlight on the production of 26 episodes of the show. The couple got inspiration from Dallas and its spin-off Knots Landing, which at that time became a phenomenon in Botswana. Thapelo aksed Jerrold Immel if he could use the Knots Landing theme song for the show, to which he agreed on.

Regararded as one of the most well-written, glamourous shows ever created. It garnered critical acclaim and became a instant hit in its fourth season, having stayed in the Top 10 Lefatshe Ratings throughout its entire run. It won 62 BFTA Awards including best drama 10 times in a row, 21 International Emmys, 10 Golden Globes and 5 BAFTAs. It has 416 episodes spanned over 16 seasons from 1980 to 1996. It has a 25th Anniversary documentary called Taemane Street:Before the Street, a mini-series called Taemane Street: A New Beginining that aired in 2013 and a 2 movies, a TV movie called Taemane Street: Changes in 2000, fours years after its finale and a cinematic movie called Taemane Street: The Movie which was relased in 2008. On 21 April 2021, Buamang Studios and BTV Group annouced that the show will be rebooted with some of its original cast returning with a new set of characters taking centre-stage. On 13 August 2021, BTV annouced that it will air the 13-episode reboot on its streaming service BTV Prime weekly, with the release date being 1 October 2021. Throughout its original run, it first aired on Thursdays at 20:00 before moving to Fridays at 20:00 from its fourth season onwards.

Season 1
The show premiered on Thursday 25 September at 20:00, a time slot that they replaced after the cop procedural drama, Blue Uniform ended after 4 seasons. Its first scene involves Tebogo Rabanteng (George Leballo) returning home to his estranged family after being sent to boarding school abroad. His family, the Rabantengs, are a wealthy family that own the Orapa Mine. They reside on a street that is renowned for its sprawling mansions and rich, luxurious lifestyles. Their neighbours and main rivals are the Afrikaner family, the Bäumers. They own a successful trucking company called Bäumer Enterprises and their main hatred of the Rabantengs began due to racist remarks made by them and stealing land that the Rabantengs owned. After he returns, he receives a frosty welcome from his family, with his father Thatayone Rabanteng (Moshoeshoe Chabedi) unhappy to see his son again after a long time.

Main Cast
Category:Soap operas by country Category:Soap operas