Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden has been the longest running Dutch soap, since 1 October 1990. It is being broadcast from Monday to Friday at 20:00 (except during June and July when it has a summer break). Like all soaps, each episode ends with a cliff hanger, particularly at the last episode before each summer break - which often causes a lot of speculation in the Netherlands before it starts again.
Unlike some other soaps, the focus is not on one or two families, but can be on diverse groups at the same time, with some relationships between the different groups interlocking it into a whole. Its actors tend to become instant celebrities in the Netherlands. Many have gone on to do other things in showbiz land and have become presenters, singers and producers, or acted in other Dutch series or movies.
Provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Ludo was beaten by his father.
- Arch-Enemy:
- Ludo Sanders tends to have these. Once one dies or leaves Meerdijk, a new one soon pops up.
- Laura and Linda have had repeated clashes over men, which sometimes turned violent.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Happens often to whoever tries to cross Ludo.
- Alone with the Psycho: Alice de Boer is a proper psycho and has kidnapped Helen, Rik and Anita.
- Armoured Closet Gay: There was a storyline where a man from a Muslim immigrant background made many disparaging remarks towards homosexuals and was determined to marry a Muslim woman to prove himself to be a "real man". This falls apart on the wedding day due to a variety of reasons, and causes him to come out of the closet.
- Betty and Veronica:
- Simon (Betty) and Ludo (Veronica) for Janine.
- Also, Benjamin (Betty) and Ray (Veronica) for Pascale.
- Black Gal on White Guy Drama: Averted mostly. Though several white guys date black women in the series, their storylines tend not to be about this. Truth in Television, as interracial relationships have been quite common in the Netherlands for a while now.
- Brother–Sister Incest: Julian and Kim, that one time.
- Burn the Witch!: The Nun Vincenza puts Janine at the stake and starts the fire, but she is saved by Ludo just in time.
- Cliffhanger: Every episode, with the summer cliff hangers being special.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Meike gets driven over by a boat.
- The Disease That Shall Not Be Named: Averted. When Anita gets infected with AIDS, it is made very clear what's going on.
- Domestic Abuse:
- Ray did this to Pascale.
- Edwin to Lucas.
- The Dog Bites Back: Hannie with Frits.
- Even the Girls Want Her: Yasmin Fuentes fits this trope.
- Everyone Is a Suspect: After the death of Pascale.
- Expressive Hair: A rare non-anime example, but Myriam's always changing and outlandish styles count as this.
- Faking the Dead:
- Ludo does this to find out the truth behind the attempt on his life.
- Isabella walks into a collapsing building, from which she knows the way out.
- Fiery Redhead: Isabella, though she becomes a nutty redhead later in the series.
- The Gambling Addict: Daniel almost gambles away his house.
- Henpecked Husband: Strangely enough, Ludo is this to a degree, when it comes to Janine.
- Killed Off for Real: Whenever it happens on screen, there is a bigger chance of the dead person not coming back, like with Bowien and Pascale.
- Mr. Fanservice: Quite a few of the actors became teen idols, especially in the nineties.
- Most notable are the actors who played Arnie, Peter, Simon, Mark, Rik, Benjamin and Jack.
- Ludo is also popular amongst the slightly older crowd.
- Ms. Fanservice: Katja Schuurman, just by existing. Though sometimes showing cleavage, she would also wear high-collared sweaters and the like.
- Nature Lover: Both Che and Kim are quite militant in their quest to protect animals and nature.
- Papa Wolf: Don't mess with Nina Sanders. Just don't.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Sjors is usually one of the nicer characters around, but when she is raped by Nick, she chases him to Portugal with a nail gun. Though Nick's wife Charlie does not believe her at first, it is Charlie who finishes the attack once she finds out the truth.
- Put on a Bus: This has happened to a lot of characters. Quite a few have come back, sometimes years after having left.
- Quicksand Sucks: Ludo saves Stefano from this.
- Really Gets Around:
- Robert and Laura have both had affairs and relationship with lots of people.
- Goes for many of the other characters as well.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: People do this to Ludo and Ludo does it to them.
- Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome: The children of Ludo and Janine.
- The Unfavorite: Nick, which he is really unhappy about.
