The adventures of four people who live in Athens: Spyros and his wife Dimitra, and Vlassis with his friend Yannis. They are best friends and can't stay out of trouble.
The adventures of four people who live next to each other somewhere in Athens: Spyros and his wife Dimitra in one apartment, and Vlassis with his gay friend Yannis in the other. Though they are average people, these best friends can't stay out of trouble and get themselves in humorous situations all the time.—Chris Makrozahopoulos <[email protected]>
Lycabettus Hill, Athens, Greece. Against the backdrop of a small apartment building in a quiet neighbourhood at the dawn of the 1990s, four best friends, who love to hate each other, struggle to cope with their idiosyncrasies, the prejudices and the demands of a brave new world. With this in mind, imaginative advertiser and well-off idealist Spiros loves to engage in witty banters with romantic Dimitra, his adoring but neglected wife, and keeps his eyes peeled for golden business opportunities. And free-spirited Vlassis, Spiros' associate and childhood friend, loves to sweet-talk his aspiring actress girlfriend Renia and, at the same time, keeps his eyes open for light-hearted flirtation with other women. But Vlassis' roommate Yannis, too, a cynical next-door neighbour and fashion designer, won't say no to a good, old-fashioned romance. In the meantime, he makes do with his hate-hate relationship with Vasilis, the building's parsimonious, prying superintendent. But love works in mysterious ways. Will things work out for the best?—Nick Riganas
The show is mainly set in two neighboring apartments in Lycabettus, a neighbourhood of Athens, Greece. In one apartment lives a married couple, the Papadopoulos family. The husband is named Spyros, the wife is named Dimitra. In the other apartment live best friends and roommates Vlassis and Yannis. The cast is rounded by Renia (Vlassis' girlfriend), and the landlord Vassilis.
Spyros is an advertising producer. He keeps reminding everyone of his past as a leftist student and activist. He took part in the Athens Polytechnic uprising (1973), a student-led revolt against the Greek junta. While he continues to self-identify as a leftist, Spyros has settled into the life of a capitalist businessman. He considers himself the most educated, mature, and level-headed member of the group. He is actually short-tempered, easily offended and surprised, and more of a pseudo-intellectual. He is comfortably middle class but more of a bit money-hungry.
Dimitra is an average Greek housewife. Poorly educated, with no job skills or experience, financially dependent on her husband. She often feels neglected by Spyros and makes attempts to attract his interest. The rest of the gang tends to underestimate her intellect, looks, and cooking skills. She is jealous of other, more successful women and often suspects Spyros of infidelity. She repeatedly threatens to ask for a divorce, which she never actually does.
Yannis is a fashion designer and openly homosexual. His friends accept his sexuality. Only his beloved Aunt Virginia, his only family member, is unaware of it. There are relatively few background details about him. He seems to have been raised by his aunt, he was educated in Paris, and has only one known former love interest.
Yannis works from home, though his creations are rarely mentioned. He has no real love life and spends much of his free time hanging out with Dimitra. He is well educated, somewhat effeminate, temperamental, and neurotic. He is among the smartest in the gang and well aware of it. His attitude towards others tends to be elitist, particularly when dealing with Dimitra and Renia who he considers intellectually inferior. But he is also the character most likely to suffer from periods of stress and self-doubt over his perceived lack of success.
Vlassis is a co-worker of Spyros at the advertising agency and they have been friends since childhood. He is the cool guy of the gang, a laid-back party animal with a successful love life. He moved in with Yannis following the end of a sexual relationship. While he has maintained an enduring relationship with Renia, Vlassis is a womanizer with a string of conquests. He frustrates Yannis with the mess he leaves at their apartment.
Renia is Vlassis' girlfriend. She is nicknamed "Astropeleki" (Greek term for "Thunderbolt"). She is a secretary at the advertising company of Spyros with occasional gigs as a model. She is young, pretty and proud of it. She is a hedonistic "modern woman", more interested in having a good time, earning money and maintaining her beauty than anything else. Her boyfriend is unfaithful but that rarely seems to bother her. She regularly hangs out with the gang, but they seem to hold her in contempt and barely tolerate her.
Vassilis is the landlord of the apartments Spyros, Dimitra, Yannis and Vlassis live in. He wants to be friends with his tenants, but he is only a marginal member of the gang. His pushy attitude when demanding the rent, his greed and stinginess, his unfashionable tastes in clothing and music, and his relationships with demanding women tend to annoy the other characters.
The characters bicker, scheme with and against each other, and often are more friendly enemies than friends. They also interact with eccentric clients, guests, and acquaintances. Whatever happens to them, everything returns to the status quo by the next episode.
