Cheap Sets,Predictable Story lines and bad acting,but why do soaps get good ratings?

[\PJ/]

Cheap Sets,Predictible story lines and bad acting,but why do soaps get such good ratings?

For me at the minute this whole corrie being made out to be the best show on TV is doing my head in, people make out it's like some life changing programme, then we have hollyoaks which needs to perhaps invest in better fire alarms?

DISCUSS

[Scarlett.]

Easy :p because they're never off air, which means there wont be a drop off when a season ends and picks up

Soaps are trashy, but I love 'em (or, at least Corrie lol)

[\PJ/]

But why are they trashy? surley more money should go into them?

[Mystic Mock]

because they stick in good looking people except a few of them that can actually act.

[Shaun]

People have a kind of familiarity with them - they're always there and always trying to reflect real life. I guess the appeal is with people watching it to relax and forget about themselves for half an hour.

I just don't get the point. I only watch things with a concrete ending, or if a TV series, an interesting premise.

[Scarlett.]

But why are they trashy? surley more money should go into them?

Making around 300 episode a year costs a large amount, compare that to say, Desperate Housewives, which makes 20 odd episodes a year) I think it's quite good how soaps keep going all year round, they provide that nightly drama

[Scarlett.]

People have a kind of familiarity with them - they're always there and always trying to reflect real life. I guess the appeal is with people watching it to relax and forget about themselves for half an hour.

I just don't get the point. I only watch things with a concrete ending, or if a TV series, an interesting premise.
lol I'm the opposite, I prefer things that run and run as I always hate it when a series ends

[Mystic Mock]

we are different then chewy as i like to talk about the highs and lows of a tv show before it ends,and i like having my opinion on the last ever episode of a tv show,where as with corrie thats just gonna last another 500 years.:joker:

[BB_Eye]

Everybody kind of knows they're a load of crap, but watch them anyway.

If there is one thing Coronation Street is good at though, poor script and acting aside, it's comedy.

[Mystic Mock]

Everybody kind of knows they're a load of crap, but watch them anyway.

If there is one thing Coronation Street is good at though, poor script and acting aside, it's comedy.

hollyoaks is the best at comedy,just look at the mongol acting? its so bad its laughable.

[Scarlett.]

It could be wore, we could have American soap operas lmao (except from Dallas and Dynasty which actually were quite good)

[Mystic Mock]

It could be wore, we could have American soap operas lmao (except from Dallas and Dynasty which actually were quite good)

ive seen days of are lives,i got abused that night.:bawling::bawling::bawling:

[Visage]

I haven't read anywhere or heard that Corrie is the best show ever. I've never heard that about any UK soap.

Corrie is getting all the attention these days because of it's longevity. 50 years in broadcasting is worth a mention surely?

Quite a few fans tune in every week because they are familiar with the characters, some relate to both the characters and the plot lines,

Some tune in through habit, some like it's a hobby.

There's many reasons why people tune into these shows, I don't think many fans tune in for it's intellect.

[Scarlett.]

Exactly, I don't think soaps should become intelligent dramas

The Bill did, and look where that is now

[Mystic Mock]

Exactly, I don't think soaps should become intelligent dramas

The Bill did, and look where that is now

lasted 27 years.:joker:

[Visage]

The Bill did, and look where that is now

Yes, that is how see it too.

[Scarlett.]

lasted 27 years.:joker:

26 years in it's soap-like format, lasted 1 in serious drama format :p speaks for itself

[Visage]

I do believe that competition between soaps can be both healthy and damaging at the same time.

If I could change one thing about our soaps then I would opt for all to have their episode slashed. All this working their backsides off to deliver 3 hours of television is going to create some stories that feel rushed or not executed correctly.


Less is more (definitely in this scenario IMHO)

[Mystic Mock]

26 years in it's soap-like format, lasted 1 in serious drama format :p speaks for itself

the bill was always a drama though as it mixed in humour,police and soap elements,which imo that classes it as a drama.

[Scarlett.]

I agree, I would get rid of two Corrie episodes and have it

Monday-Wednesday-Friday

Emmerdale is definately overkill with six episodes a week, so I would axe three of those and place it with Corrie, with EE, I'd just get rid of one episode

[Scarlett.]

the bill was always a drama though as it mixed in humour,police and soap elements,which imo that classes it as a drama.

Yes, but it was always more soapy, then they did that big revamp where they changed the theme, added the filmic effect, added incidental music and moved from handheld camera to placed camera (which is the thing I hated, the Bill was about cops on the beat, chasing criminals daaaaaaaaaan, not stand still for half an hour, it's like making Poirot turn gay and have sex with the murderer, who then blows up the Orient Express, but WHO DIES!?

[Visage]

I agree, I would get rid of two Corrie episodes and have it

Monday-Wednesday-Friday

Emmerdale is definately overkill with six episodes a week, so I would axe three of those and place it with Corrie, with EE, I'd just get rid of one episode

Yes, three episodes a week would definitely benefit the fans, all these episodes and double episodes really do feel like overkill.

[Scarlett.]

Aye, especially with Corrie, it used to feel like a treat on Monday when we got two episodes

[Visage]

.........& I still think Corrie is on Wednesdays, no matter how many times I check on our planner, it's just one of the things that has never sunk in with me.

[Scarlett.]

.........& I still think Corrie is on Wednesdays, no matter how many times I check on our planner, it's just one of the things that has never sunk in with me.

Well it had been in that exact slot for 49 years :p I think ITV will move it eventually

Which reminds me, apparently the soaps themselves don't control the amount of episodes but ITV/BBC do

[Visage]

I've always had a little thought that Corrie could end up coming back to Wednesdays. (or was that just wishful thinking?)

I vaguely remember that part of Corrie's move to Thursday was due to the new 'Bill' format. Like they were trying to get the viewers to stay with ITV after Corrie on a Thursday.


I didn't realise that the channels control how many episodes

[Mystic Mock]

Well it had been in that exact slot for 49 years :p I think ITV will move it eventually

Which reminds me, apparently the soaps themselves don't control the amount of episodes but ITV/BBC do

dont the channels control how many episodes every show airs in a season (or in a soaps case) year?

[Scarlett.]

I've always had a little thought that Corrie could end up coming back to Wednesdays. (or was that just wishful thinking?)

I vaguely remember that part of Corrie's move to Thursday was due to the new 'Bill' format. Like they were trying to get the viewers to stay with ITV after Corrie on a Thursday.


I didn't realise that the channels control how many episodes

Aye, I think it was due to a football contract too lol

Aye, the channels are the ones who control it, they order the certain amount of episodes, many of the Corrie crew hate the Thursday scheduling

[Angus]

I sometimes wonder whether the same scriptwriters write for Corrie, Eastenders and Emmerdale, since the same old story lines appear in all three soaps.:bored:

The argument that soaps are like real life doesn't fly, what with murders, kidnapping, fraud, explosions, serious accidents etc etc since such events are TOTALLY implausible and do NOT happen in one small area in such high percentages as they do in the soaps. If soaps were really like real life, nobody would bother watching!

[Visage]

If soaps were really like real life, nobody would bother watching!
Which is why they are filled with drama all the time.

Someone once said to Phil Redmond that the close (Brookie) was the most dangerous place to live.

He answered saying that he wanted to tell the best stories with the best scenarios and if he were to keep it real, he would have to tell the stories all across the streets of England, and nobody wants to watch a drama that has new characters in it every week and very little continuity.

[BB_Eye]

I agree, I would get rid of two Corrie episodes and have it

Monday-Wednesday-Friday

Emmerdale is definately overkill with six episodes a week, so I would axe three of those and place it with Corrie, with EE, I'd just get rid of one episode
Yeah this... my folks still watch Emmerdale religiously too. Up until recently with the whole incest and murder storyline, it was actually one of the more down-to-earth soaps. But the downside to that is that it is just too tame and, as a result, boring as sin. It's like the soap equivalent of Seven Days.

[Tom]

I dip in and out of Corrie for about a month or so at a time then stop watching it for about 3. Its just 'there' and something to watch if theres a decent storyline coming up. Corrie has just always been on and unlike some of the other soaps, most of the characters have been in there for years so in a way its like an extension of people you know (and in a lot of cases the characters are even comparable to people you know)

I can't really connect with Emmerdale/Eastenders in the same way though, maybe its just because I'm from Manchester

Well it had been in that exact slot for 49 years :p I think ITV will move it eventually

Which reminds me, apparently the soaps themselves don't control the amount of episodes but ITV/BBC do

I hate that Corrie isn't on on a Wednesday anymore (and a Sunday as well), they should move Emmerdale somewhere else and put it on at 7pm before the football. I hate watching it on a Thursday too, I always forget

[flamingGalah!]

Soaps are pure escapism for me, plus the things people have go wrong in their lives it makes your own life better by comparison! :joker:

With very long running soaps such as Coronation Street there are a lot of cast members that have been there for longer than I have been alive, so I have grown up watching them & almost feel as if I know them!

EastEnders I watch, but it can be a bit depressing & is a grittier, harsher soap with less humour & comedy than Corrie has...

Emmerdale I will watch, but not religiously. It always seems a bit much as it's on every day...

Hollyoaks I gave up on ages ago. One word sums it up... Crap. They seem to pay more attention to what its cast look like rather than if they can act...

Neighbours & Home & Away I LOVE :D They are cheaper & trashier, with shoddy sets & ridiculous storylines, but that's what endears them to me even more! They have small budgets & they have the same appeal that those trashy American soaps of the 80's had (& Sunset Beach)...

[Patrick]

Agree and Disagree.

Eastenders set is very well made, and the actors are really good.
The storylines in most soaps are predictable after a while yes, but Eastenders manages to stay new and fresh.


Now,

I 100000% agree with you on Corrie.
I do laugh at how ITV have paid these losers to come on the channel in between EVERY AD BREAK and pour their hearts out about how Corrie has changed their lives :rolleyes:

I mean give me a break.

The funny thing is though,
Eastenders 25th Anniversary was pretty big, Corrie's celebrating their 50th and most people don't care except for a few on here and of course ITV1 who are building it up to be the return of Jesus.

[Patrick]

EastEnders I watch, but it can be a bit depressing & is a grittier, harsher soap with less humour & comedy than Corrie has...

Emmerdale I will watch, but not religiously. It always seems a bit much as it's on every day...

Hollyoaks I gave up on ages ago. One word sums it up... Crap. They seem to pay more attention to what its cast look like rather than if they can act...



See, anyone that has watched EE this year every day, knows that it's changed a great deal.

There's alot more humour to it now, and I don't know why so many people bang on about it being depressing.. no it's not?
I find Emmerdale more depressing just the general feel it gives off.

Hollyoaks was a train wreck yeah, but I love it's revamp in some ways although I do agree that they care more about how their cast looks.

[Smithy]

Agree and Disagree.

Eastenders set is very well made, and the actors are really good.
The storylines in most soaps are predictable after a while yes, but Eastenders manages to stay new and fresh.

Now,

I 100000% agree with you on Corrie.
I do laugh at how ITV have paid these losers to come on the channel in between EVERY AD BREAK and pour their hearts out about how Corrie has changed their lives :rolleyes:

I mean give me a break.

The funny thing is though,
Eastenders 25th Anniversary was pretty big, Corrie's celebrating their 50th and most people don't care except for a few on here and of course ITV1 who are building it up to be the return of Jesus.
:rolleyes:
The Eastenders set it shocking, which is why they're having to rebuild the whole thing so that it can be broadcast in HD

The storylines aren't new and fresh :laugh: they've either been done before (i.e. the new Ronnie one (Sonia)) or they've been taken from other soaps

And ROFL at your ignorance, how you can call Julie Walters a loser is beyond me. And again what are you talking about?! just because people you don't know aren't talking about it doesn't mean people don't care, it just means your an ignorant arse who can't see what's infront of them

:laugh2:

[Smithy]

There's alot more humour to it now, and I don't know why so many people bang on about it being depressing.. no it's not?
I find Emmerdale more depressing just the general feel it gives off.



trufax Phil mitchell recovering from a crack addiction in two weeks was hilarious

[flamingGalah!]

Agree and Disagree.

Eastenders set is very well made, and the actors are really good.
The storylines in most soaps are predictable after a while yes, but Eastenders manages to stay new and fresh.


Now,

I 100000% agree with you on Corrie.
I do laugh at how ITV have paid these losers to come on the channel in between EVERY AD BREAK and pour their hearts out about how Corrie has changed their lives :rolleyes:

I mean give me a break.

The funny thing is though,
Eastenders 25th Anniversary was pretty big, Corrie's celebrating their 50th and most people don't care except for a few on here and of course ITV1 who are building it up to be the return of Jesus.

The EastEnders set is shocking! It was built out of wood & fibreglass 25 years ago! The Vic looks ok now it has been rebuilt, but the rest of the square is a right state... Take a look at the brickwork on the houses in close up shots, it looks like it's been painted on lol :joker: At least the Corrie set is actually built out of real bricks...

Some of the EastEnders actors are good & some are awful, just like in every soap, so I don't see what that has to do with anything...

And "new & fresh" ?? :conf: LOL :joker: It's probably because you are so young Patrick & you haven't seen the many recycled storylines in the past... ;)

If you honestly think Julie Walters is a loser then sorry Patrick your opinion isn't worth jack to be honest... :sleep:

You don't like Corrie, I get it... But being 50 years old IS a big deal!! And not just on here! Have you not been reading any magazines/newspapers or watching any other TV shows that have been featuring Corrie cast members for the last few weeks?!? See people DO care, just you don't... :rolleyes:

See, anyone that has watched EE this year every day, knows that it's changed a great deal.

There's alot more humour to it now, and I don't know why so many people bang on about it being depressing.. no it's not?
I find Emmerdale more depressing just the general feel it gives off.

Hollyoaks was a train wreck yeah, but I love it's revamp in some ways although I do agree that they care more about how their cast looks.

How exactly has EastEnders changed?? It has had a new producer, but nothing much has actually changed & yes I do watch every episode...

Where is the humour? Fat Heather? I find her excrutiating & not in the least bit amusing... Who else? Jean? I don't find laughing at someone with a mental illness to be amusing either to be honest... Darren? Nope... Who else is supposed to be funny?? :conf:

It is very depressing compared to other soaps, maybe your own life is actually so depressing that you find it uplifting?...

Emmerdale is a bit "mumsy", I wouldn't call it depressing as it has its fair share of light hearted storylines, I think they have the balance about right...

[Tom]

Agree and Disagree.

Eastenders set is very well made, and the actors are really good.
The storylines in most soaps are predictable after a while yes, but Eastenders manages to stay new and fresh.


Now,

I 100000% agree with you on Corrie.
I do laugh at how ITV have paid these losers to come on the channel in between EVERY AD BREAK and pour their hearts out about how Corrie has changed their lives :rolleyes:

I mean give me a break.

The funny thing is though,
Eastenders 25th Anniversary was pretty big, Corrie's celebrating their 50th and most people don't care except for a few on here and of course ITV1 who are building it up to be the return of Jesus.

I too think Eastenders painted cardboard set is far superior to that of Corrie which uses real bricks

More people watch Corrie than Eastenders and theres more hype about Corrie live episode and the tram crash than there was for Eastenders.

[Scarlett.]

I do laugh at how ITV have paid these losers to come on the channel in between EVERY AD BREAK and pour their hearts out about how Corrie has changed their lives :rolleyes:

I mean give me a break.

Oh you mean like those talking heads adverts EastEnders did for their 25th?