State-owned television station TVRI will rebroadcast its most popular series in a program titled December Classic Movies.

A tweet on its official account said that Losmen (Guesthouse) will be on air from Dec. 18 to 22 and Dec. 26 to 28 at 9:30 p.m. The tweet finishes with a number of hashtags, including #TVRI, #NationUnifyingChannel, #We’reBack and #WeFightBack, although it is not immediately clear as to why and with whom TVRI is staging this particular fight.

In the 1980s, Losmen was wildly popular in the country. When the United States was transfixed on the Dynasty soap opera (also aired on TVRI in the 1980s), Indonesians found solace with Bu Broto and her Javanese family, who rent out rooms in their house to tenants. The everyday lives of each character became familiar and, along with the oft humorous tone of the series, the public became quickly enamored.

The cast of Losmen included heavyweight actors like Mieke Widjaja, the late Mang Udel, Mathias Muchus, Ida Leman, Eeng Saptahadi and Dewi Yull.

Another popular series being brought back is Sengsara Membawa Nikmat (Pain Begets Pleasure), which has been aired since Dec. 9. First screened in 1991, it tells the story of a Minangese man called Midun, who is good natured, religious, humble and is a master in the traditional martial art of silat.

The series’ cast included Sandy Nayoan as Midun, Septian Dwi Cahyo, Arief Rivan and Desy Ratnasari as Halimah, Midun’s love interest.

TVRI was the only television station in Indonesia from 1962 until private stations RCTI and SCTV were founded in 1989 and 1990, respectively. In terms of television, TVRI was the only source of televised news and entertainment for Indonesians, with legendary programs such as music shows Aneka Ria Safari and Selekta Pop, humorous human puppet show Ria Jenaka and musical quiz Berpacu Dalam Melodi. In the 1980s, TVRI also introduced international series such as Oshin from Japan and Little House on the Prairie from the US. Both series became highly popular in the country and are now back on the station on Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively.

Back on screen: The above picture shows a scene of Mrs. Broto (Mieke Wijaya) and her husband (Mang Udel) from Losmen (Guesthouse), a TV series popular in the 1980s.(Courtesy of TVRI/Tatiek Maliyati & Wahyu Sihombing)

Long viewed as an extension of the government and its agenda, in the last few years TVRI has been making considerable efforts to connect to a younger audience. The most notable result is Taman Buaya Music Club (formerly Taman Buaya Beat Club), a music show first aired in 2015, which embraces independent musicians that are popular among young people, such as Kelompok Penerbang Roket, SORE and singer Danilla. Fans of the artists performing are welcome to watch the show for free at TVRI, Senayan, Central Jakarta, while the one-hour program airs from Monday to Friday at 10:30 p.m.

Fans of the old TVRI series rejoiced at the prospect of seeing their old idols on the small screen.

A fan of Losmen, Pratiwi Sasotya, said what she remembered the most from the series was the character of Bu Broto. “I saw her as the epitome of a traditional Javanese lady, with her demeanor and clothes,” she said
on Thursday.

Born and raised in Surabaya, East Java, Pratiwi said she grew up in a Javanese family. “I was used to the sounds of gamelan at home because that’s what my father listened to.”

But even when Losmen was aired in the 1980s, she remembered that times had changed and no one really dressed like Bu Broto anymore. “Not even my grandmother,” she said. “Bu Broto’s get-up made me wonder if that’s how the Javanese ladies used to dress.”

With TVRI now deciding to start a rerun of its old series, Pratiwi said she was very anxious to see them again. “Especially for me who never got the chance to see Sengsara Membawa Nikmat,” she said.