Topstars

Topstars is a Dutch adaption of Belgian children's soap Spring about a rockband rehearsing at the dance-school of the same name. Starting out on October 26, 2004 the series ran for three seasons on channel Zapp. In January 2007 Topstars announced its cancellation, but the last season is currently re-run. Meanwhile the band still perform on a monthly basis.

The dancers

Peggy (Nicole Oerlemans): founded Topstars after injuring her foot as a professional dancer. Business-wise inexperienced but therefore no less enthusiastic.
Marieke: optimistic but fickle lead-dancer.
Anna: tends to make ill-advised decisions.
Bo: follows her own path rather than the one mapped out by her evil Mum Marie-France.

The musicians

Ruben: Peggy's wisecracking, over-sexed kid-brother. Works as bartender in his spare-time.
Tom (Marne Miesen): son of a garage-owner. Loses girlfriends to other members.
Bas: clumsy odd-job man.
Daan: Marieke's brother.

The baddies

Marie-France: model-agent. Wants to see Topstars destroyed and faded into oblivion.
Victor: Marie-France's assistant. Fancies young blokes like Bas.
Olivier: brings Ecstacy to the otherwise drug-free dance-school.
Monica: looks out for No. 1. Works as spygirl for Marie-France.
Joost: car-snatching bully. Assisted by the less wordy Bart.
Henk: covers his drug-schemes by acting as Topstars' manager.

The others

Gerard: Daan and Marieke's policeman father. Married to reluctant housewife Liesbeth.
Lars: Bas' cousin. Works as DJ and radio-show host.
Robert: Bo's estranged father.
Femke: another of Bas' relatives. Becomes Daan's girlfriend.
Wim: Topstars' first manager.
Lorenzo: attractive decoy in one of Marie-France's schemes. Insists on being a free spirit though.
Sophie: Henk's chip-serving daughter. Gets very friendly with new employee Bas.

Season 1

Marieke is chosen over new arrival Bo to take the lead in a performance at the upcoming dance-contest. The lucky girl also gets herself a date with webchat-partner Dreamboy (aka Olivier). Marie-France pushes fate by committing the part-time model to photo-shoots clashing with Peggy's lessons. Marieke gets permission to do both but come the big day and she gets stranded after things already went out of schedule. Thanks to the boys she ends up doing a synchronised solo with Bo at the contest dancing Topstars to the first prize.

Ruben fails to turn up at rehearsals; after one no-show too many he finds himself replaced with Lars. Ruben swears revenge; he teams up with Olivier and cancels meetings with record-executive Pete duBois. He probably regrets his actions by the time Peggy gives the whole lot an earful for keeping her uninformed on stuff.

Lars initially adds that much-needed positivity to the band, but soon the cure turns out to be worse than the disease; skipping rehearsals, (reluctantly) buying Ecstasy from Olivier, and nicking Tom's girlfriend Anna. Tom is not too happy when he finds out why Anna dumped him; he announces his departure on a radio-show ("Topstars are looking for a new drummer because him over there couldn't keep his dirty hands off my girl") and swears never to set foot again in Topstars. With a live-performance on the way, the others manage talk him into a return.

Bas fancies Marieke and asks her out for a night at the cinema. Olivier stands no competition, certainly not from geeky types, and locks him up at the dance-school. Nobody believes his version of events, certainly not after his apparently stolen mobile resurfaces in a bucket of paint. But Bas gets his moments in the sun; taping the event that leads to Olivier's downfall and giving up a meet 'n greet with U2 to pick up a stranded Marieke at the photo-shoot.

Season 2

Despite winning the dance-contest, the financial problems ain't over; Topstars are in danger of being sold at a public auction. Marie-France seizes the opportunity and steps up as financial manager. Peggy refuses to let go of the reins; she now has a relationship with Robert (who spent a few years in Thailand), and he helps her saving the dance-school from falling into his evil ex-wife's hands.

Bo breaks her leg and takes her Dad's advice of starting a career in music (much to Marie-France's disgust). She records the self-written I'm Gonna Be A Star with Lars, but the ex-Topstars-member hands it over to the newly-arrived Monica who has no intention of giving Bo any credits. Robert steps in and suggests for the best singer to get her version released. Bo wins, and Lars loses; after all "there is no us".

As if Lars walking out wasn't bad enough, singer/bassist Daan is sidelined by his parents because he failed graduation. Ruben agrees to return on the one condition that he becomes the singer/drummer ("The world needs to hear my beautiful voice"). Tom switches from drums to vocals/guitar and Bas from guitar to bass/keyboards. At their upcoming gig they're signed by a manager (Wim) who insists that the line-up stays the same.

Still reeling from her break-up with Tom (who now dates Bo), Anna turns lesbian and writes an anonymous love-letter to Marieke who's far from amused with such a silly move. Ruben falls for Monica and introduces himself as head of the dance-school; a lie that catches up with him when he crashes a stolen car belonging to Tom's Dad. During a night at the disco (where Anna fails to impress Marieke with her punky image) Ruben moves on to bartender Kim.

Daan passes his re-exams but no thanks to Joost and Bart who sold him the wrong questions; worse yet, the deal has been photographed so they can ask for more money claiming they haven't seen any. Unable to rejoin the band Daan resorts to plundering the Topstars-vault (at this point Bas works on the nightshift but Marie-France, already unimpressed with what she got on her plate, has him fired for blowing it); Femke finds out by discovering the money in his cupboard and forces him to tell the truth. Although furious the boys are willing to help him exposing the bullies' involvement in a car-thieving scheme (and consequently miss their first video-shoot). This heroic deed results in Daan's return to Topstars.

Season 3

Peggy is excited to re-launch Topstars but a there's a dark cloud on the horizon; Robert has accepted a job in a foreign country. Meanwhile Femke thinks she's pregnant and moves in with Daan, only to see their relationship unfold

The boys celebrate their first CD-release but the good vibes disappear once they're confronted with a huge studio-bill. They have to pay otherwise their instruments will be confiscated.

Robert nearly signs a contract that makes Marie-France the new owner of his share in Topstars. Peggy finds out and arrives in time to rip up the contract, but her trust is irreparably damaged.

Fresh from an ill-fated brush with web-dating Bas tries his hand at frying chips. He finds a girlfriend in his employer Sophie (who used to be Tom's summer-love); her Dad, Henk, is willing to become the band's new manager.

Taking Victor's advice Marie-France sets up her own dance-school; up to Monica (Bo's non-rent paying housemate at Robert's place) to persuade the girls to attend and to sign a committing contract.

Lars returns as a radio-host/agony-uncle; his former bandmates begrudge him for doing a runner to the States and seek the opportunity to tell him so.

Peggy's world falls apart when she's tricked into attending the launch of the MF Dance Academy; stabbed in the back by her faithful pupils. The contracts turn out to be invalid as teacher Lorenzo, who handed them over, is no employee of Marie-France. Payback-time.

The boys fall victim to Henk's weird sense of humour; recording an awful chip-advertising song (Het Frietlied) and performing it in even more awful yellow suits opposite the chip-shop. However, Henk's biggest joke has yet to come.

Anna feels ignored now Marieke spends much more time with Femke and uses eavesdropping-equipment to drive a wedge between them. They find out and teach her a lesson.

Lars has taped the Chip Song for heavy-rotation airplay; this results in a studio-invasion. Henk is livid when he finds out.

Anna tries to apologise on radio, but to no avail. Persuaded by Monica telling tales about Peggy she joins the MF Dance Academy. Unsurprisingly Marie-France has other plans with "the chubby one" than mentioned.

Henk sends the band to a non-existent festival in Salou with a bag of coke attached to their van; they end up inside at customs risking life. Luckily Daan is not there, as Tom threw him out for fancying Bo big time.

Topstars are given a TV-performance, but Marie-France sets up a trap for the producer that could destroy his marriage.

When Henk finds out that Sophie took the rap he immediately reports himself to the police.

Anna learns from the blackmail-footage and on Lars' instructions she removes it from Marie-France's computer, making her the heroine of the day.

Taking his Mum's advice too seriously, Daan follows his heart and searches for Bo who left to clear her mind. He reconciles with Lars who joins him on the trip; they get involved in a car-accident.

Have they survived or have the boys lost a brother for good ? Will Anna ever return to Marieke's good books and when will Marie-France run out of ideas to destroy Topstars ? Questions that may never be answered.