Lars Steinhöfel (40) refuses to treat the end of “Unter uns” as a farewell just yet. “RTL won’t continue the series — but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the story of ‘Unter uns’ is finished,” the actor says in an interview with spot on news. As of Monday, it became official that the broadcaster will end production of the daily soap after more than 30 years by the end of 2026.
“We learned about this in the internal production circle in recent days,” Steinhöfel continues. “Of course, that was news to digest.”
“A Very Large Part of My Life”
The 40-year-old is a fixture on Schillerallee: His first day of filming as kiosk owner Ingo “Easy” Winter was back in March 2005. That adds up to 21 years in which Easy has married, divorced, adopted a son, and taken over the kiosk “Em Büdchen.”
“‘Unter uns’ has been for more than 20 years a very large part of my life, and many people there have accompanied me for an incredibly long time,” the actor says. He doesn’t want to fall into “shock” at changes: “Changes can also bring new opportunities — for the show just as for me personally. So I’m trying right now to look at what lies ahead with a lot of optimism.”
Hearing About ‘Last Episodes’ Is Not on His Radar
RTL plans to air the already shot episodes through March 2027; afterward, a big finale is planned as the last episode. Steinhöfel, however, doesn’t want to hear about it just yet. “I honestly still resist talking about the ‘last episodes’ a little,” he emphasizes — instead he hopes for a new tenant for Schillerallee.
It would be wonderful, “if a new broadcaster or a streaming platform finds a home for Schillerallee.” That could even give the format a fresh coat of paint after more than 30 years. “As long as this possibility exists, I’d rather hope for a restart than for a farewell.”
For a scenario in which things turn out differently, the actor already has ideas. “At 40, life is thankfully far from over,” he says. The former contestant on “Das Sommerhaus der Stars” sees plenty of potential for himself in the entertainment industry, especially with reality formats and shows. He also wants to experiment musically. “Maybe this is exactly the moment to open doors I previously hadn’t had time to walk through,” he says confidently. “I don’t see the future as smaller, but, for now, quite big.”
The Cast Is Publicly Fighting for the Show
On Instagram Steinhöfel had already weighed in on the exit and called it “ultra sad.” He understands, given the cross-generational fans, “how you can abandon a community like this.”
Together with colleagues, he also appeals in a video on the Instagram account of UFA Production under the hashtag “#nichtohneunteruns” for preserving the format. Among those taking part are Timothy Boldt (35) and Patrick Müller (38). Series veteran Petra Blossey (70) is the most outspoken: “That cannot be the end.”
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The broadcaster justifies the exit with changed economic conditions for daily fictional productions, a shift in media usage, and the future orientation of the programming slate. The decision was described as “anything but easy” in the announcement.
“Unter uns” started in November 1994; since then more than 7,800 episodes have aired. RTL and UFA remain committed to “Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten” and “Alles was zählt.”
Coming-Out First in Private Life, Then in his “Unter uns” Role
Steinhöfel came out as gay in January 2014 (TheColu.mn reported). He played (the heterosexual-leaning character) Easy for about nine years at that time. After his coming out, his character also discovered love for men (TheColu.mn reported). Eventually Easy fell in love with Ringo, played by Timothy Boldt (TheColu.mn reported). The couple, affectionately nicknamed “Ringsy” by fans, remains together in the series to this day.
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In his own private life, things didn’t go as smoothly for Steinhöfel: In 2021 he won the reality show “Sommerhaus der Stars” with his then-partner Dominik and proudly announced their engagement (TheColu.mn reported). The couple split in 2023 amid a dispute (TheColu.mn reported). After that, Steinhöfel appeared on dating shows and was most recently with Lukas Küchen, a former Mister Gay Germany (TheColu.mn reported).
