TELEVISION - Feb. 4, 1993

Touching a Nerve: “Motzki,” a new TV sitcom whose main character is fat, foul-mouthed and as bigoted as Archie Bunker, caused a stir when it premiered Tuesday night in Bonn, Germany. Motzki is a retired West Berlin driving instructor who blurts out bile about “those lazy, whiny, backward East Germans.” Critics called the show divisive, politicians were mad and viewers either shifted in their seats, or laughed hysterically. The show’s creator, Wolfgang Menge, says outrage is precisely what he hopes to create. He views himself as a psychiatrist helping Germany come to grips with troubles that have accompanied unification.