Valentine's Day on SRF "KissCam" with Helene Fischer and Luca Hänni - "Happy Day" switches to closeness
When TV wants to create closeness, it often gets loud or pathetic. On Valentine's Day, "Happy Day" proves that it can be done differently: with restraint, heart - and an evening on which even superstars remain down-to-earth.
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- The Valentine's Day edition of "Happy Day" on SRF 1 featured an impressive line-up of stars on Saturday, February 14.
- The star guest was Helene Fischer, and there was also a duet in the studio with Luca Hänni.
- A "KissCam" was used for the first time on "Happy Day".
- Nik Hartmann has established himself as the successor to Röbi Koller, while Kiki Maeder provides emotion as an outside presenter.
Flowers, hearts, romance: Saturday, February 14, is such an obvious date for the TV show "Happy Day" that it almost makes you wonder why Swiss television SRF left this date unchallenged for eleven years.
But, as we all know, the calendar is one of the few things that is not affected by the success of a TV show.
Nevertheless, presenter Nik Hartmann gratefully accepts the thematic steep template and opens the evening not with tears, but with technology:
A "KissCam" circles through the audience. Just as if you were in a field hockey stadium - or, as Hartmann remarks dryly, at a Coldplay gig.
A small reminder that a different wind is blowing on "Happy Day" in year one after Röbi Koller.
Hartmann takes the format seriously, but not too seriously. In contrast to his predecessor, he is lighter in tone, quicker with the punchline - without expelling any warmth from the studio.
Between tipping bars and childhood dreams
Without any idle time, it's off to Davos. There, mother Any fulfills her wish for real slalom training. The coup lies less in the sporting setup than in the tone of voice.
Marc Berthod has been known for years as a popular figure - and the Grisons native confirms this once again in this report. The current SRF co-commentator at ski races does not appear as a distant ex-ski star, but as someone who allows closeness and conveys security.
Former ski racer Sandro Viletta provides the sporty warm-up, Marc Berthod the sympathetic undertone.
And suddenly Any's slalom training doesn't look like a TV show, but like an authentic moment of happiness. Just as we know it from "Happy Day" - and also enjoy it on Valentine's Day.
Luca Hänni leaves nothing to chance
Speaking of likeable characters: the makers of "Happy Day" obviously know how to put you in a reliably good mood. Because Luca Hänni is also such a safety net - not in the sense of boring, but in the sense of:
The man always works - and even more so on Valentine's Day.
Together with Jael, he sings "Ewigi Liebi" live in the studio. A song that has long been more than just a musical title. Of course, there is also a bit of elegant movie promotion involved.
But "Happy Day" has never been a place where emotion and self-promotion seriously clash. If a song generates warmth, it fulfills its purpose. Period.
And ultimately, this is also quite simply a classic "Happy Day" moment: music as a shortcut to great emotions, with a star to touch and high-five. That's fine too.
Superstar Helene Fischer more relaxed than ever
And then she comes on: Helene Fischer. Her performance seems less like an item on the program and more like the exclamation mark behind a special evening.
Her hit medley delivers the expected highlights, including "Atemlos".
What happens afterwards is more surprising. Helene Fischer sits down on the sofa with Nik Hartmann, hugs her stunned fan Sascha several times, hugs, touches, laughs and chats. Not a trace of airs and graces, but a remarkable naturalness.
Is it motherhood? In any case, the singer appears more relaxed and close to the audience than ever before during her third "Happy Day" performance - and thus fits perfectly into the concept of an evening that has obviously made closeness the main focus of the program.
Rebuilding happiness with announcement
Then comes the part that regularly elevates "Happy Day" above the pure feel-good level. The remodeling. Tamara from St. Gallen has been living with a serious nervous disorder for over 30 years, which keeps her confined to bed.
Her husband Raffaele works from early in the morning until late at night in their own car garage - everyday life is a continuous effort, not a TV backdrop.
Kiki Maeder and architect Andrin Schweizer approach the project without false drama. Nothing is exploited here, nothing is sentimentally exaggerated. The show does not focus on the illness, but on relief. Everyday suitability as a luxury.
And yes, it also works towards the moment at the end when doors open and tears flow - but the core remains surprisingly down-to-earth: It's about dignity and a bit of normality.
An evening of quiet moments of happiness
What this Valentine's Day on "Happy Day" shows: The TV show celebrates closeness without exhibiting it.
Hartmann with humor instead of heaviness, Maeder with closeness to the people, Berthod as a down-to-earth facilitator, Hänni as a unifying energy, Fischer as a superstar without airs and graces.
In a television world that likes to turn emotions up to the max, "Happy Day" is irritatingly calm. No artificial escalation, no drama overkill. Instead, there's a closeness that doesn't smell like a script.
That may be predictable - but it's also surprisingly honest. While other shows inflate emotions, a sofa, a song, a smile is often enough here.
Or to put it another way: "Happy Day" may not be the loudest show in the program. But it's one of the few where heart doesn't come across as a special effect.
And that's exactly why you stay tuned - on Valentine's Day and on all the other Saturdays when television can simply make you feel good.
