It got killed off in about 2013 when it was kidnapped, held at gun point and then murdered quickly with a car or a house clasping stunt all mastermind by the phantom killer that is BK,
When was it ever real? It's hardly a recent occurrence.
Dream sequences, ghosts, Bombhead.
It's always been the wacky soap. Its just more balls to the wall now
Hollyoaks has never been a 'realistic' soap like the others. But at least it made sense and character behaved with some sort of logic and consistency. And the plots seemed thought out and well devised. Neither of which applies to the current show.
Have any of them ever been very realistic? I mean I don't dispute that the others are less unrealistic than 'Oaks but surely not that true to life? I've been watching each of the main four on and off since the 90s and there have been plenty of nonsensical events in all of them.
Have any of them ever been very realistic? I mean I don't dispute that the others are less unrealistic than 'Oaks but surely not that true to life? I've been watching each of the main four on and off since the 90s and there have been plenty of nonsensical events in all of them.
Soaps may over dramatize things to a certain extent, but there is still some sense of reality. Families have love ones murdered - as in the case of Lucy Beale and the affect it has had on their families. People die of cancer as did Hayley in Corrie. Men get raped as in John Paul. in Hollyoaks
Where Hollyoaks is different is it is to far over the top, and to make things worse it's lost it's identity. There's a sense of apathy about the programme. It's all very well them tackling social issues but at the end of the day does it have any real impact., especially when these storylines get lost in OTT storylines that stretch al credibility.
Hollyoaks "jumped the shark" bringing back Warren. Berkwood though has gone back to the shark, opened it's jams and taken on long dump down it's throat for good measure since he returned.
Hoaks has never been realistic, but it has always had a foot there in the believable in terms of the impact deaths or storylines had on characters. Since Birkwood returned we've had weekly deaths, hostage situations, kidnaps, assualts, murders, stabbings, people shot, more people killed and just no impact whatsoever. People die and are forgotten about in a week.
The more important issue though is we had so many exits that there just aren't enough characters to care about - and why should we care when they are just going to die for the next shock/ set piece that Birkwood deams will pull back/ in viewers.
The fact he is going to have ANOTHER clearout - of the characters he introduced during the last revamp just shows to me the bloke is admiting the show/ characters he introduced aren't good and he wants to start again. The bloke is a joke, and the show is a hollow mess. The show doesn't need culls or mass set pieces; just good characters, good structure, depth and good storylines like any other soap.
Hoaks has never been realistic, but it has always had a foot there in the believable in terms of the impact deaths or storylines had on characters. Since Birkwood returned we've had weekly deaths, hostage situations, kidnaps, assualts, murders, stabbings, people shot, more people killed and just no impact whatsoever. People die and are forgotten about in a week.
The more important issue though is we had so many exits that there just aren't enough characters to care about - and why should we care when they are just going to die for the next shock/ set piece that Birkwood deams will pull back/ in viewers.
The fact he is going to have ANOTHER clearout - of the characters he introduced during the last revamp just shows to me the bloke is admiting the show/ characters he introduced aren't good and he wants to start again. The bloke is a joke, and the show is a hollow mess. The show doesn't need culls or mass set pieces; just good characters, good structure, depth and good storylines like any other soap.
BIB - Add in good acting and you've got it in a nutshell.
Hollyoaks are making no attempt at realism now. As others have said, it's always been a fun young soap but the young element has vanished.
I watched an episode from May 2012 and though you had a more extreme storyline (Mercedes being kidnapped by Silas), it was mostly things within the bounds of realism; an exaggerated realism but it was still identifiable. The problem was not in having young characters but in how irritating they were; Maddie being the prime example. The episode's storylines- Maddie's cheating father, Lacey's dad ignoring her, the financial troubles of the Kanes, and a more 'out there' Bart's cannabis farm- were watchable enough.
Now, characterisation is non-existent and the storylines could be interchangable. Apart from the Blakes (I'll include Maxine), the characters are dull; too dull for us to watch them in more ordinary soap plots, hence why we have ridiculous ones.
I like some characters
but it does my head in when they make them act out of character or come out with ridiculous twists like Dodger being Nico's dad
The story with JP and yet the focus is more on Nancy's cheating and how she stopped being friends then suddenly changed her mind
plus how stupid many of the characters are
Most of the families and relationships are very dysfunctional in themselves I feel.
Some very unrealistic.
I think on another thread I showed that pretty much all the families on Hollyoaks at the moment have quasi-incestuous relationships and a bungled family tree.
It's a shame to see how far this show has fallen, there are still some good characters in there but its counterproductive having them if the writing is below-par. Out of the top-four British soaps IMO its in the worst state currently, although it could be so much better.
Hoaks has never been realistic, but it has always had a foot there in the believable in terms of the impact deaths or storylines had on characters. Since Birkwood returned we've had weekly deaths, hostage situations, kidnaps, assualts, murders, stabbings, people shot, more people killed and just no impact whatsoever. People die and are forgotten about in a week.
The more important issue though is we had so many exits that there just aren't enough characters to care about - and why should we care when they are just going to die for the next shock/ set piece that Birkwood deams will pull back/ in viewers.
The fact he is going to have ANOTHER clearout - of the characters he introduced during the last revamp just shows to me the bloke is admiting the show/ characters he introduced aren't good and he wants to start again. The bloke is a joke, and the show is a hollow mess. The show doesn't need culls or mass set pieces; just good characters, good structure, depth and good storylines like any other soap.
It may also show that creatively he has nothing really new to offer if all he can think to do in order to feel that hes creatively doing something is to have regular mass culls.
I think Hollyoaks is probably past the point of no return and its demise is sealed.
It may also show that creatively he has nothing really new to offer if all he can think to do in order to feel that hes creatively doing something is to have regular mass culls.
I think Hollyoaks is probably past the point of no return and its demise is sealed.
It won't go yet; it will start getting into trouble when the young fans decide it's not cool anymore. For example, everyone cringes at Bebo now. I think this focus on the hospital may lose viewers as well.
It won't go yet; it will start getting into trouble when the young fans decide it's not cool anymore. For example, everyone cringes at Bebo now. I think this focus on the hospital may lose viewers as well.
Oh the decline/death will be slow but the dye is now cast imo.
Here's a radical wacky idea. How about those of you who no longer enjoy the show simply stop watching it? Strangely enough there are a few of us out there who still enjoy watching the show and don't particularly enjoy seeing the relentless negativity all the time.
I don't watch Corrie or Eastenders anymore as they didn't interest me as much but i don't find the need to create countless threads or post the same comment time and time again about them. We have all heard the "Sack Kirkwood, Hollyoaks is ruined!" comment enough to last a lifetime.
Here's a radical wacky idea. How about those of you who no longer enjoy the show simply stop watching it? Strangely enough there are a few of us out there who still enjoy watching the show and don't particularly enjoy seeing the relentless negativity all the time.
I don't watch Corrie or Eastenders anymore as they didn't interest me as much but i don't find the need to create countless threads or post the same comment time and time again about them. We have all heard the "Sack Kirkwood, Hollyoaks is ruined!" comment enough to last a lifetime.
Emphasis on the FEW. If all the people who are no longer enjoying the show stopped watching the ratings would plummet
Yeah.......and then they might actually see the changes they are begging for. Moaning on a message board isn't going to get them. The audience has the power to switch off which would then make Channel 4 take a closer look.
Isn't that what happened with Lucy Allan. And Paul Marquess. And Emma Smithwick
As much as I'd like there to be a sense of realism with regards to there being just one happy family or one faithful couple etc, they're soap operas and not documentaries.
As much as I'd like there to be a sense of realism with regards to there being just one happy family or one faithful couple etc, they're soap operas and not documentaries.
So what? That's no excuse for them to be producing shitty quality that has been appearing in many episodes. We're not asking for a documentary! We want good quality and decent storylines that have potential to make the characters interesting and watchable. I don't want to watch juvenile and unoriginal things that would never really happen.
It's too predictable, unrealistic and just laughably bad it's become a parody of itself. Just look at that episode with Theresa escaping from prison! Try taking that seriously because I can't! Complete joke. BK will soon run it down a path of no return if it stays in this crappy state.
So what? That's no excuse for them to be producing shitty quality that has been appearing in many episodes. We're not asking for a documentary! We want good quality and decent storylines that have potential to make the characters interesting and watchable.
It's too predictable, unrealistic and just laughably bad it's become a parody of itself. Just look at that episode with Theresa escaping from prison! Try taking that seriously because I can't! Complete joke. BK will soon run it down a path of no return if it stays in this crappy state.
Well the OP asked where's the realism, hence my response. So that's what is what...
Well the OP asked where's the realism, hence my response. So that's what is what...
How can it be too predictable AND unrealistic?
Easily. A pantomime is unrealistic and predictable.
As for the comments about why those who don't like it turn off, some people watch it because they like certain elements/storylines/characters but hate everything else. Or just out of convenience, as it's on during teatime.
Comments
Dream sequences, ghosts, Bombhead.
It's always been the wacky soap. Its just more balls to the wall now
Soaps may over dramatize things to a certain extent, but there is still some sense of reality. Families have love ones murdered - as in the case of Lucy Beale and the affect it has had on their families. People die of cancer as did Hayley in Corrie. Men get raped as in John Paul. in Hollyoaks
Where Hollyoaks is different is it is to far over the top, and to make things worse it's lost it's identity. There's a sense of apathy about the programme. It's all very well them tackling social issues but at the end of the day does it have any real impact., especially when these storylines get lost in OTT storylines that stretch al credibility.
Hollyoaks "jumped the shark" bringing back Warren. Berkwood though has gone back to the shark, opened it's jams and taken on long dump down it's throat for good measure since he returned.
The more important issue though is we had so many exits that there just aren't enough characters to care about - and why should we care when they are just going to die for the next shock/ set piece that Birkwood deams will pull back/ in viewers.
The fact he is going to have ANOTHER clearout - of the characters he introduced during the last revamp just shows to me the bloke is admiting the show/ characters he introduced aren't good and he wants to start again. The bloke is a joke, and the show is a hollow mess. The show doesn't need culls or mass set pieces; just good characters, good structure, depth and good storylines like any other soap.
Some very unrealistic.
I watched an episode from May 2012 and though you had a more extreme storyline (Mercedes being kidnapped by Silas), it was mostly things within the bounds of realism; an exaggerated realism but it was still identifiable. The problem was not in having young characters but in how irritating they were; Maddie being the prime example. The episode's storylines- Maddie's cheating father, Lacey's dad ignoring her, the financial troubles of the Kanes, and a more 'out there' Bart's cannabis farm- were watchable enough.
Now, characterisation is non-existent and the storylines could be interchangable. Apart from the Blakes (I'll include Maxine), the characters are dull; too dull for us to watch them in more ordinary soap plots, hence why we have ridiculous ones.
but it does my head in when they make them act out of character or come out with ridiculous twists like Dodger being Nico's dad
The story with JP and yet the focus is more on Nancy's cheating and how she stopped being friends then suddenly changed her mind
plus how stupid many of the characters are
I think on another thread I showed that pretty much all the families on Hollyoaks at the moment have quasi-incestuous relationships and a bungled family tree.
So, I guess we all (me included) have to suck it up and go with it. If you set you expectations as low as they can go, then it's not so bad. Honest...
It may also show that creatively he has nothing really new to offer if all he can think to do in order to feel that hes creatively doing something is to have regular mass culls.
I think Hollyoaks is probably past the point of no return and its demise is sealed.
It won't go yet; it will start getting into trouble when the young fans decide it's not cool anymore. For example, everyone cringes at Bebo now. I think this focus on the hospital may lose viewers as well.
Oh the decline/death will be slow but the dye is now cast imo.
And it's just won best storyline at this year's Inside Soap awards
I don't watch Corrie or Eastenders anymore as they didn't interest me as much but i don't find the need to create countless threads or post the same comment time and time again about them. We have all heard the "Sack Kirkwood, Hollyoaks is ruined!" comment enough to last a lifetime.
Yeah.......and then they might actually see the changes they are begging for. Moaning on a message board isn't going to get them. The audience has the power to switch off which would then make Channel 4 take a closer look.
Isn't that what happened with Lucy Allan. And Paul Marquess. And Emma Smithwick
So what? That's no excuse for them to be producing shitty quality that has been appearing in many episodes. We're not asking for a documentary! We want good quality and decent storylines that have potential to make the characters interesting and watchable. I don't want to watch juvenile and unoriginal things that would never really happen.
It's too predictable, unrealistic and just laughably bad it's become a parody of itself. Just look at that episode with Theresa escaping from prison! Try taking that seriously because I can't! Complete joke. BK will soon run it down a path of no return if it stays in this crappy state.
Well the OP asked where's the realism, hence my response. So that's what is what...
How can it be too predictable AND unrealistic?
Easily. A pantomime is unrealistic and predictable.
As for the comments about why those who don't like it turn off, some people watch it because they like certain elements/storylines/characters but hate everything else. Or just out of convenience, as it's on during teatime.