LOST SCENES FROM THE CLASSIC TV SERIES “BOLJI ŽIVOT” HAVE BEEN FOUND

If you grew up watching the legendary Yugoslav TV series “Bolji život” (A Better Life), there is a good chance you have seen some episodes so many times that you can recite the dialogue by heart.

Yet, even this beloved television classic appears to have a few surprises left. Previously little-known footage from the series has surfaced, including almost an hour of deleted scenes that audiences have never seen in later broadcasts.

A MYSTERY THAT HAS LASTED FOR DECADES

The re-editing of “Bolji život” has remained one of the enduring mysteries of television in the former Yugoslavia.

For years, there have been claims that during its original broadcast in 1987 and 1988, the first cycle of the series was shown in its entirety. However, when the series was first rebroadcast in the mid-1990s, some episodes were reportedly shortened.

The mystery became more intriguing in the early 2000s, when footage from part of the 22nd episode appeared online. It included a scene that was missing from the version of the series familiar to audiences from later reruns.

In the scene, secretary Dara visits Branković and his children.

And that was only the beginning.

WAS THE FIRST CYCLE ORIGINALLY 55 EPISODES LONG?

According to one version of the story, the first cycle of “Bolji život” originally consisted of as many as 55 episodes.

After the series was re-edited, the number was reportedly reduced to 47. The opening credits were changed, numerous scenes were removed and some characters disappeared from the story altogether.

Among them was Branković’s wife Luca, played by actress Melita Bihali.

If the claim about the original 55 episodes is accurate, several hours of filmed and edited material may have disappeared from the version later shown to viewers.

Why such extensive changes were made has never been officially explained.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ORIGINAL FOOTAGE?

According to reports cited by Istorijski zabavnik, RTS has never officially explained the re-editing of the series, while there have been claims that the original recording of “Bolji život” may no longer exist in the television archive.

There is, however, still a glimmer of hope for fans.

“Bolji život” was an enormous television hit from the moment it first aired, meaning that many viewers may have recorded episodes on VHS tapes.

That leaves open the possibility that some of the deleted material could still exist in private collections.

LOST SCENES ARE SLOWLY COMING BACK

The original opening credits have not yet been found, but new pieces of the lost “Bolji život” occasionally emerge.

One previously released scene from the final episode of the first cycle revealed what happened to the popular character known as Terminator.

Mathematics professor Dušan Marković, better known as Terminator and played by Voja Brajović, visits his former wife Lelica and finds another man there.

The scene was not included in the version of the episode shown during later reruns.

Now, an even bigger discovery has emerged — almost an hour of previously little-known or deleted scenes from the series.

For fans of “Bolji život”, discovering this footage is almost like receiving an entirely new episode of a series they have already watched countless times.