Was guckst du?!

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Was guckst du?! (Whaddaya lookin' at?!) was a German Sketch Comedy show, running from 2001 to 2005 on Sat.1. Host of the show, and also the main actor, was Kaya Yanar, the son of Turkish immigrants, and therefore a member of the biggest minority group in contemporary Germany.

His ethnicity was also Kaya's schtick and provided the general theme of his show: All the cultural quirks, differences and conflicts that appear when people of different ethnicities meet each other, were played out in an exaggerated and comical way. (And not just people of his own ethnicity were spoofed by Kaya, but also many others.) Theoretically, this kind of show could go horribly wrong, but the fact that it was very popular among native Germans and immigrants alike, proofs that Kaya did it right, most of the time.

The ethno-comedy even starts at the show's title: Of course it refers to the fact that you are watching a tv-show, but it is also what a foreigner would say if he is irritated by you staring at him just because he looks different.

Tropes used in Was guckst du?! include:

• The Alleged Car - Yildirim's car - who is a driving instructor! The car's most bizarre feature is not part of the car itself though: It is the enormous washing machine strapped onto the roof, parodying the stereotypical disregard of German traffic regulations by immigrants.
• Bollywood Nerd - The Indian Ranjid seems to be quite nerdy. (He dresses awkwardly, he does understand a thing or two about computers, and one sketch shows the clerk of a record shop mocking Ranjid for demanding the theme music of the German dub of Captain Future. )
• Butt Monkey - The Wetterarsch (Weather Ass ). That's how Hakan calls the weatherman of his News Parody. And no matter what the Wetterarsch does, Hakan always gets the opportunity to punch him in the face. Always.
  • Also, Yildirim's driving student and later suitor of his daughter, played by the same actor.
• Catch Phrase - Guckst du hier! A rather colloquial way of saying: Please watch this! This is how Kaya announces sketches and clips.
  • Also Hakan's Du kommst hier net rein! This is his way of saying You Shall Not Pass! - a very useful sentence if you happen to be a bouncer!
• Determinator - Hakan takes his job as club bouncer very seriously. Not even the Grim Reaper can enter the disco without Hakan's permission!
• Fake Nationality - Kaya, except of course when he is playing Turkish characters, like Hakan.
• In My Language, That Sounds Like... - Kaya often showcases clips of shows from foreign countries, where things said there sound like Mondegreens to German ears.
• Jive Turkey - Especially Hakan speaks in the slang of the Turkish minority. (Which makes the last half of this trope's name literal in an unexpected way...)
• Latin Lover- The Italian Francesco always tries and fails to be this. The standard situation is him having a romantic date in a restaurant - and then he says something really inappropriate, causing the woman to leave immediately. The sketches always end with him asking for the bill in a frustrated voice. (Zahlen!)
• Memetic Mutation - One particular sketch (spoofing a specific ad for fighting analphabetism) did become so popular that it itself was spoofed in fan videos on YouTube.
• National Stereotypes
• News Parody - The Tagesguck, a spoof of the Tagesschau (Germany's most famous news show), with bouncer Hakan as the anchorman.
• Pretty Fly For A Non Turkish Guy - The poor German guy who wants to marry Yildirim's daughter and tries to impress her father by adapting to Turkish lifestyle. It doesn't help much that Yildirim only uses this as an opportunity to make up bizarre and humilating customs and rituals.
• Self-Deprecation - A Turk making fun of Turks. Duh!
• Wig, Dress, Accent - Most of Kaya's roles require this.
• What the Hell, Casting Agency? - One intentional example is Hakan, the tough broad-shouldered bouncer, as news anchorman.