A.M.A.N.

Infobox Television
show_name = A.M.A.N ta Katharmata


caption = A.M.A.N. Ta Katharmata
show_name_2 = Comfusio
genre = Parody Show
creator =
director = Antonis Kanakis
creative_director = Antonis Kiousis
developer = AMAN Productions
presenter = Antonis Kanakis
Sotiris Kalivatsis
Giannis Servetas
Antonis Pararas (†)
composer =
country = Greece
language =
num_seasons = 11
runtime = 60 min.
network = ANT1
picture_format =
audio_format =
first_run = May 1997
first_aired = September 1997
last_aired = 2007
preceded_by = Comfusio (1995-1996)
followed_by =
related =
website = http://www.aman.gr/

A.M.A.N. Ta Katharmata, or A.M.A.N., The Bastards, was a Greek television parody show and the natural continuation of another TV show called "Comfusio" that was aired by ERT3 in the early 1990s. A.M.A.N. began in May 1997 at Mega Channel, but only 9 episodes were aired. Since October 1997 and up until today, the show is broadcasted by ANT1 television. The main hosts were Antonis Kanakis (Αντώνηs Κανάκηs), Sotiris Kalivatsis (Σωτήρηs Καλυβάτσηs) and Giannis Servettas (Γιάννηs Σερβέταs) but many other people make occasional appearances on the show.

The origin of their name

The initials A.M.A.N were never intended to mean anything, but when the show was first broadcast, the viewing audience spontaneously interpreted the initials as standing for "Antoni Mas Afises Noris" (Αντώνη μας άφησες νωρίς) literally meaning "Anthony, you left us too soon".

According to common belief, this would most probably had been done by the AMAN team in honor to another Antonis, Antonis Pararas, who was the co-founder of the original "Comfusio" show and who died due to leucemia at an early age. He was also part of the A.M.A.N project and if he wouldn't have died, he would certainly have continued with the rest of the team. But as the A.M.A.N. team has in many occasions made clear, the initials were randomly chosen and never meant anything, nor were they dedicated to Antonis Pararas. However, the majority of the public is unaware of that and still thinks that the initials are dedicated to Antonis Pararas.

Nonetheless, the A.M.A.N. team has often said that they were very touched and impressed when they first realized how the public had interpreted the A.M.A.N initials, they precisely stated: "When the show was first aired in 1997, the TV audience rapidly and spontaneously interpreted the initials A.M.A.N as standing for 'Antonis, you left us too soon'. It is difficult for us to describe how we felt when we saw that happening, although Antonis never really left us..."

The A.M.A.N. production team has also stated that "The show, since its very first episode, is entirely dedicated to Antonis."

Main topics

Although A.M.A.N. satirizes many aspects of the modern Greek way of life, their main topics are:
*European and Greek political and cultural actuality
*International actuality
*Famous Greek jokes
*Other miscellaneous topics

The show tends to criticize a lot by using mainly satire.Often, the show's hosts are very harsh with the personalities they satirize, or are very brutal while treating subtle matters, however they do it with such a talent and in a such spontaneous way that the outcome receives the general approbation from the huge majority of the Greek public.

Moreover, as their satire is always well intended, even the political personalities (or celebrities) they have satirized most, have often stated, when asked upon the topic, that they were fans of the show and they actually encouraged the A.M.A.N. trio to continue the "good job".

ee also

*List of programs broadcasted by ANT1

External links

* [http://www.aman.gr/ A.M.A.N. Website]