This year marks a major milestone for Alles was zählt (All That Matters): on 4 September, the long-running daily drama produced by UFA Serial Drama for RTL Deutschland celebrates its 20th anniversary. Created by producer Guido Reinhardt, the series has captivated audiences for two decades and more than 5,000 episodes with emotional storylines, dramatic twists and memorable characters.

As AWZ prepares to celebrate with a special anniversary week from 31 August, we caught up with Guido to look back at the beginnings of the series and more than three decades of producing daily dramas.

1. Guido, you launched Unter uns (Among Us) over 30 years ago and AWZ almost 20 years ago. Looking back, what do you remember about bringing these series to life – and did you ever imagine they would still be successful today?

When I think back to the creation of Unter uns and later AWZ, what I remember above all is the energy of those pioneering days. With AWZ, for example, there was the creative pressure to develop a format that could hold its own against established players. The fact that these series are still such a strong and integral part of the schedule decades later is proof of the strength of the characters we created back then with so much passion. Of course, you always hope for longevity, but the fact that these worlds have accompanied millions of people over such long periods of time is a privilege that, above all, fills me with a deep sense of gratitude today.

2. You have been producing daily dramas for more than three decades. How have audience expectations changed over that time, and how have series such as Unter uns evolved to stay relevant?

The greatest constant is change. Audiences today consume stories differently than they did 30 years ago. For a daily drama, standing still is the surest path to irrelevance. We have learned that viewers do not stay because of spectacular effects, but because of people whose fates they empathise with. Today, however, we have to listen and observe even more closely. We have opened up our storytelling, become bolder when it comes to socially relevant topics such as mental health, for example, and realised that today a daily drama has to be conceived across platforms in order to remain relevant.

3. From new production techniques to the use of AI, you are regarded as a driver of innovation. Which developments have had the biggest impact on the way daily dramas are made, and where do you see the greatest potential for AI?

A daily drama is a creative marathon in which speed and precision have to go hand in hand. The biggest change is that the boundaries between traditional television, streaming, and social storytelling are becoming increasingly blurred. As for AI: For me, it is not a replacement for human creativity, but a valuable sparring partner. It takes some of the workload off us in research processes and the development of different variants, allowing us to focus on what really matters: the emotional, human stories that ultimately make the difference.

4. Beyond AI, you've also been exploring new storytelling formats such as micro-dramas. What opportunities do these formats create, and what can traditional daily dramas learn from them?

For me, micro-dramas are not competition, but a logical extension. Young audiences want to immerse themselves deeply in characters, even when they only have a short amount of time. These formats allow us to create emotional quality within a very limited space. What can traditional daily dramas learn from them? That a story does not have to end with the closing credits of an episode. Through spin-offs, short-form formats, and character content, we can extend our worlds throughout the day and into viewers’ everyday lives.

5. Alles was zählt will celebrate its 20th anniversary this September. What can viewers look forward to, and, on a personal level, what does this milestone mean to you?

The anniversary in September is a moment of reflection for me. It reminds me that a series never lives on an idea alone, but on the hundreds of creative minds in front of and behind the camera who give their best every day. What can viewers look forward to? Stories that reinvent themselves time and again without losing their DNA. For me personally, it is an incentive: The most exciting chapters still lie ahead of us, provided we retain the courage to question conventions and to keep reimagining the series.