Does Germany really need another old man on TV?

Pro: Raab tests on-demand to see how he is received by young people

A really good argument against Raab's entertainment rescue is the following: “Raab wants to offer more entertainment, but comes around the corner with an on-demand concept.” There is plenty of good entertainment in streaming, on Netflix and Co.!”

But this is precisely where the entertainer is moving with the times. He himself is aware of the declining importance of traditional television and is switching to a streaming service. This is how he is testing how his new program is received by young people.

Pro-Conclusion: Yes, TV Germany needs Raab as an old man!

To answer the question in the headline: Yes, TV Germany needs Raab as an old man. It's not about clinging to something old, but about providing the best entertainment. A film classic isn't bad just because it's been around for several decades. The media makers who keep making remakes of songs, series or films know that too.

“There is a difference between good because something is old and nostalgic and good because the quality and entertainment is right.”

There is a difference between “good because something is old or nostalgic” and “good because the quality or, in this case, the entertainment is right.” Stefan Raab showed the best entertainment in the first episode of his new show. Of course, Raab fans are also interested in the memories – but why shouldn't they celebrate something that they enjoyed?

Nevertheless, the Raab comeback is not a TV rescue. At least not yet. A one-time broadcast per week on an on-demand channel reaches too few people. That was precisely Stefan Raab's strength with TV total – reaching many people. But perhaps the entertainer is testing his success first and then returning on an even larger scale.

Contra: Germany does not need another old man like Raab on TV

Author Johanna Kontowski, on the other hand, thinks that Raab is an absolute legend of German television. But the fact that people are excited about his return shows a questionable social phenomenon: the longing for “what was”. Regardless of whether it was good or bad: at what cost did Raab's jokes make an entire nation laugh?

Not always, but often, like many others, he packaged discrimination and sexism as a joke and thereby created a certain “looseness” in comedy culture. Many people now want this looseness back. I don't think it's desirable to see discrimination as normal and funny. And Raab stands for exactly this particular humor from 20 years ago.

Contra: Stefan Raab and his TV comeback started with fatphobia

A current example of this is his announcement that he would return as a show host. Disguised as a “fatso”, he hinted at his return. Absolute fatphobia, as I see it through “woke student glasses”. But no one notices.

It is a shame that legends like Stefan Raab or Thomas Gottschalk and “old white men” in general have so much power over the status quo of German humor. Because that brings with it discriminatory structures and one-sidedness.

Contra: It is time for new, more modern and more diverse faces on German TV

I'm in the middle of the Raab hype myself. To be honest, I'm a huge Raab fan. His time was simply legendary. I fondly remember his appearances in the Eurovision Song Contest – his own performance with “Wadde hadde dudde da?” and then the time around Lena with “Satellite”.

This is just a fraction of the many highlights of his presence on German television. At the same time, now is the time for new, more modern and more diverse faces. Stefan Raab's comeback shows a phenomenon that is constantly recurring in society. The longing for “what was”. Pure nostalgia for “everything was better in the past”. I say: No, it wasn't, and this nostalgia that Raab stands for – whether he wants it or not – harbors real dangers.

Contra: Stefan Raab triggers longing for “what was”

This feeling is made up of, among other things, fears that arise because we humans are constantly in an uncertain “here and now”. Humor helps here, of course. But the longing for “what was” can also be dangerous if you always hold on to what is familiar because the “now” seems too complicated.

“We humans mindlessly allow ourselves to be embalmed with the 'good old days.'”

This is precisely why people turn to simply expressed “explanations” from right-wing extremist groups – like the AfD. The comparison may seem radical because I never want to associate Stefan Raab with current political developments. Nevertheless, he exudes the same nostalgia that numerous politicians are currently exploiting for their own ends. We humans mindlessly allow ourselves to be embalmed with the “good old days”.

When linked to emotions, discriminatory messages are quickly normalized because they are so wonderfully embedded in that warm, cozy feeling of “Oh, that was beautiful!” And we humans forget that only certain things were really beautiful, but many things are much better today (more TV news on RUHR24).

Contra: Nostalgia around Raab does not deal with people-friendly gags

Of course, I also have this longing. I am equally happy about Raab's comeback. Maybe he will perform “Wadde hadde dudde da?” for me again. But this nostalgia is not about a new approach that fits the current image of humanity. How could it? Raab is – and it's not his fault – simply a person who once again represents only one group in society: old white men.

Our and my longing for “what was” clings to dangerous structures and is too lazy for new, humane jokes and stories. We forget how misanthropic some jokes really were. Full of euphoria about “what was”, we ignore where we actually want to go: to an open, more loving and, above all, more diverse society.