I've been quietly enjoying Corrie this year. It's not a golden age, no, but each episode is still filled with the great moments and lines I've come to expect, even if I'm not always keen on the plots or directions the characters have gone in. IMO there's been very little difference in writing quality in the last few years, so why Corrie has fallen so far out of favour on DS puzzles me.
No, the worst Corrie year for me is still 2009. This year's had Hayley's death, Sally and Tim, the Phelan storyline, Tina's death week, fantastic scenes between Peter and Carla, Ken and Jim's returns, and rising greats in Beth, Eva and Kylie. 2009 had Molvin and Joe's bad back.
I'm also disappointed to see 1996 being lampooned yet again! Corrie was admittedly cosier than a primetime soap has any business being that year, but it was still vintage Corrie from a time when the greats still vastly outnumbered the dullards in the cast due to there being less episodes a week. Also it's a really long time ago now - how much can you rely on your memory of it, when you didn't have the 18 years since to compare it with at the time? (Mind you, I'm someone who thinks Corrie from 1960-2005 was better than everything since, so maybe I'm more forgiving)
It's top heavy with obnoxious bastards just now, that's for sure. Tracey, David, Nick, Rob, Todd, Fiz and Kylie are some of the most hateful characters ever.
I don't agree. While Todd seems to be obnoxious and damaging for no particular reason, this hardly applies to the others. Tracy can be quite funny these days, and Rob is likeable, despite what he's done. David is no different than he ever was, though perhaps a bit more grown-up, and a little more complex. Fiz might be annoying but is hardly an 'obnoxious bastard', and nor is Kylie. Nick as we know is suffering from brain damage so varies in mood and actions, but certainly isn't bland now, and the reversal with David is quite interesting.
The title thread really says it all. How many of you would consider this year on the show to be not just bad but the worst year in the show's existence? There are a few obvious contenders like the abomination that was 2009 (Molvin, Uncle Umed, Peter and Michelle/ Luke and Rosie, Joe's debt woes and painkiller addiction, Claire's appallingly handled miscarriage, Ramsay, Steve and Becky's farcical wedding, promising characters like Poppy and Minnie being given the heave-ho, brilliant characters like Natasha not featuring for 90% of the year etc.) but this year has truly taken the p**s. Who is crayoning the current scripts? Who is actually bothering to reference history correctly? For instance we had Ken recently exclaim that Deirdre watched Peter grow up. How could this possibly be when Peter and Susan practically spent all of their childhood in Scotland?! The show has just fallen apart at the seams, with little to currently redeem it apart from the occasional Tim and Sally scene, Ken and Deirdre and seeing Jim (temporarily) back on our screens. I watched an episode from August 2011 last night and was astonished to see the difference in quality. There is no effortless balance between comedy and drama any more, as witnessed this week with some cringeworthy scenes between Kirk and Beth etc. The exits have all been rushed and appallingly written (or like Tina's just dragged out to the point where nobody no longer cares). Characters have little warmth and compassion (take a bow here, Miss Hell) and have become distinctly unlikable. Corrie really is a sinking ship right now.
Along with the awful exits we are getting horrible characters coming especially like Yasmeen and that awful awful family. Nothing happens in an episode apart from what happened in the previous episodes for the past month. Like we've being watching Yasmeen scream, Rob look suspicious, Max be annoying and Peter whine over and over again for the past month.
I agree with all of this, especially the bits in bold. There has been very little good material this year, especially as most of it has just gone round in circles. One particular example is the Windass/Armstrong storyline or is it storylines, I used to quite like Anna but they have just been overused and given boring drivel, I'm sure in recent episodes they have had dialogue copied and pasted from previous scripts. Also I agree exits have been handled badly.
The cast has been turned into stereotypes and cliches:
Yasneem
Simpering Gail
Evil Todd
Angry Jenna, ( where's her mum? )
Oh o it's a Ken &dreary night special>:(
I hope we have some more of them bickering and Drearys neck acting.
The only positive this year was Phelan. Now, by any means, that's a pretty big positive. But even that cannot offset the sheer relentless, depressing bilge of this year.
The cast has been turned into stereotypes and cliches:
Yasneem
Simpering Gail
Evil Todd
Angry Jenna, ( where's her mum? )
Oh o it's a Ken &dreary night special>:(
I hope we have some more of them bickering and Drearys neck acting.
that was not called for.
i did have to smile at ken and deirdre in wales, especially when ken was pompous speaking welsh.
I've started watching ED as well as having the tv on during CS. Comparng the two ,which I suppose maybe a bit unfair, I came to the conclusion that CS is laughable now. It's lost the plot .That sojourn with Ken and Deidre in Wales was baffling. It was like something out of the League of Gentlemen. And as for Peter ....there's just no hope left there...nothing to hang on to...that's so depressing. There's no sense to be made of it all.
I've started watching it purely because it's a hysterical slow motion car crash.Hysterical for all the wrong reasons.If itv think this is a jewel in their crown they are seriously deluded. Awful whiny village-idiot characters doing ridiculous things.
Totally awfully deluded soap actors and production team all blowing kisses at one another and praising each other " cut! That's a wrap! Oh dahling! You were wonderful!"
"Was I ? Was I really dahling xxx?"
They all believe their own hype and sit on fat wages and champagne lunches!
No...... its so dire its laugh out loudable- for the wrong reasons.
The only positive this year was Phelan. Now, by any means, that's a pretty big positive. But even that cannot offset the sheer relentless, depressing bilge of this year.
He was the only decent thing about the whole Windass plot and they just got rid of him for some inexplicable reason. It really is extraordinary
Last night's episodes were truly atrocious- the editing, in particular, was a notable flaw. Why on earth did we have dragged out, pointless scenes of the Rovers cricket team discussing match tactics? Even the Tyrone roof plot- which started half promisingly- has just become tedious. I also see that Blackburn is planning to push Kylie's self destruction button again simply because her son has been diagnosed with ADHD? Nothing on the show rings true at the moment with inconsistent characterisation, clumsy attempts at comedy and diluted drama that has no resonance.
I couldn't believe I was watching Corrie last night during the cricket scenes, and then even worse than that was their argument about who should be their captain?
I think the problem with corrie as with EE is because due to the current nonsense that is PC these days, most of the characters are all just so one dimensional.
It's like, the writers are encouraged to write episodes filled with murder, arson, rape, wife beating, robbery, prison, gangs, muggings, but perish the thought they even allow a sniff of anyone showing slight signs of sexism, racism, ageism, homophobicism (if that's a word?) or anything else that is sure to get the PC brigade up in arms and that inevitably ends in an "ism".
And the fact is that if soaps are so dead set on showing real life and being realistic, then why are they only showing smiley happy one dimensional non smoking people!
I cringed at what Dev had to say last night. For me, it is quite natural that a bunch of blokes would baulk at having a girl for their cricket captain who knows nothing about cricket, but yet everyone looked at him if he'd just come out with something awful! All because he was being - shock, horror, gasp - sexist! So what if he was!
Corrie is meant to be a continuing drama and it's turning into something you'd watch at five o'clock before teatime!
I reckon the woman in charge of emmerdale will be at corrie within the next two years
No, she'll probably stay at emmerdale, she's brilliant on emmerdale! And emmerdale is now a better soap than corrie IMO, why should corrie keep snatching the emmerdale procures ay!:P
I only ever watch Corrie now if nothing else is on. To be fair, it's never been my favourite soap but I find that sometimes it's unmissable. It used to have a very subtle Northern humour which made me smile, and now it's just a bit silly. The storylines aren't very interesting for me, but that's just a personal opinion.
I watched a lot earlier in the year because Hayley and Roy are two of my favourite characters and I wanted to see her exit, and I was pleased. It was satisfying for me as a viewer. But since I haven't watched much. I tuned in out of curiosity to see Tina's exit but I can't abide Rob, and I guessed he would be the killer, so it was a major letdown for me.
At the end of the day, I'd love all our soaps to be fantastic all the time but they never will be. They always have lulls and this is Corrie's. I hope, seriously, it's turned around soon. I mean no offence to the man, I respect how hard his job is, but I think a pair of fresh eyes at the top is needed. I think Stuart Blackburn should go.
I think the problem with corrie as with EE is because due to the current nonsense that is PC these days, most of the characters are all just so one dimensional.
It's like, the writers are encouraged to write episodes filled with murder, arson, rape, wife beating, robbery, prison, gangs, muggings, but perish the thought they even allow a sniff of anyone showing slight signs of sexism, racism, ageism, homophobicism (if that's a word?) or anything else that is sure to get the PC brigade up in arms and that inevitably ends in an "ism".
And the fact is that if soaps are so dead set on showing real life and being realistic, then why are they only showing smiley happy one dimensional non smoking people!
I cringed at what Dev had to say last night. For me, it is quite natural that a bunch of blokes would baulk at having a girl for their cricket captain who knows nothing about cricket, but yet everyone looked at him if he'd just come out with something awful! All because he was being - shock, horror, gasp - sexist! So what if he was!
Corrie is meant to be a continuing drama and it's turning into something you'd watch at five o'clock before teatime!
At the end of the year, the producer thinks it is appropriate to have a story of a 12 year old girl having sex. That is definitely not teatime viewing and I am hoping that somebody in charge will put a stop to it before is is screened. I agree with the original poster, Coronation Street has been poor this year.
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At the end of the year, the producer thinks it is appropriate to have a story of a 12 year old girl having sex. That is definitely not teatime viewing and I am hoping that somebody in charge will put a stop to it before is is screened. .
Why would they? They never stopped the Sarah Lou story.
Comments
No, the worst Corrie year for me is still 2009. This year's had Hayley's death, Sally and Tim, the Phelan storyline, Tina's death week, fantastic scenes between Peter and Carla, Ken and Jim's returns, and rising greats in Beth, Eva and Kylie. 2009 had Molvin and Joe's bad back.
I'm also disappointed to see 1996 being lampooned yet again! Corrie was admittedly cosier than a primetime soap has any business being that year, but it was still vintage Corrie from a time when the greats still vastly outnumbered the dullards in the cast due to there being less episodes a week. Also it's a really long time ago now - how much can you rely on your memory of it, when you didn't have the 18 years since to compare it with at the time? (Mind you, I'm someone who thinks Corrie from 1960-2005 was better than everything since, so maybe I'm more forgiving)
I don't agree. While Todd seems to be obnoxious and damaging for no particular reason, this hardly applies to the others. Tracy can be quite funny these days, and Rob is likeable, despite what he's done. David is no different than he ever was, though perhaps a bit more grown-up, and a little more complex. Fiz might be annoying but is hardly an 'obnoxious bastard', and nor is Kylie. Nick as we know is suffering from brain damage so varies in mood and actions, but certainly isn't bland now, and the reversal with David is quite interesting.
I agree with all of this, especially the bits in bold. There has been very little good material this year, especially as most of it has just gone round in circles. One particular example is the Windass/Armstrong storyline or is it storylines, I used to quite like Anna but they have just been overused and given boring drivel, I'm sure in recent episodes they have had dialogue copied and pasted from previous scripts. Also I agree exits have been handled badly.
EDIT: I completely agree with the "going round in circles" comment though. Peter and Rob immediately jump to mind.
Yasneem
Simpering Gail
Evil Todd
Angry Jenna, ( where's her mum? )
Oh o it's a Ken &dreary night special>:(
I hope we have some more of them bickering and Drearys neck acting.
that was not called for.
i did have to smile at ken and deirdre in wales, especially when ken was pompous speaking welsh.
Quite. Alas, some people on DS have memories like goldfish.
Totally awfully deluded soap actors and production team all blowing kisses at one another and praising each other " cut! That's a wrap! Oh dahling! You were wonderful!"
"Was I ? Was I really dahling xxx?"
They all believe their own hype and sit on fat wages and champagne lunches!
No...... its so dire its laugh out loudable- for the wrong reasons.
He was the only decent thing about the whole Windass plot and they just got rid of him for some inexplicable reason. It really is extraordinary
It's like, the writers are encouraged to write episodes filled with murder, arson, rape, wife beating, robbery, prison, gangs, muggings, but perish the thought they even allow a sniff of anyone showing slight signs of sexism, racism, ageism, homophobicism (if that's a word?) or anything else that is sure to get the PC brigade up in arms and that inevitably ends in an "ism".
And the fact is that if soaps are so dead set on showing real life and being realistic, then why are they only showing smiley happy one dimensional non smoking people!
I cringed at what Dev had to say last night. For me, it is quite natural that a bunch of blokes would baulk at having a girl for their cricket captain who knows nothing about cricket, but yet everyone looked at him if he'd just come out with something awful! All because he was being - shock, horror, gasp - sexist! So what if he was!
Corrie is meant to be a continuing drama and it's turning into something you'd watch at five o'clock before teatime!
No, she'll probably stay at emmerdale, she's brilliant on emmerdale! And emmerdale is now a better soap than corrie IMO, why should corrie keep snatching the emmerdale procures ay!:P
I watched a lot earlier in the year because Hayley and Roy are two of my favourite characters and I wanted to see her exit, and I was pleased. It was satisfying for me as a viewer. But since I haven't watched much. I tuned in out of curiosity to see Tina's exit but I can't abide Rob, and I guessed he would be the killer, so it was a major letdown for me.
At the end of the day, I'd love all our soaps to be fantastic all the time but they never will be. They always have lulls and this is Corrie's. I hope, seriously, it's turned around soon. I mean no offence to the man, I respect how hard his job is, but I think a pair of fresh eyes at the top is needed. I think Stuart Blackburn should go.
At the end of the year, the producer thinks it is appropriate to have a story of a 12 year old girl having sex. That is definitely not teatime viewing and I am hoping that somebody in charge will put a stop to it before is is screened. I agree with the original poster, Coronation Street has been poor this year.
Why would they? They never stopped the Sarah Lou story.