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The Pain Of Watching Modern Day Soaps


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Old 11-08-2015, 22:58
Steve Soapbox
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I grew up watching and absolutely loving the soaps before they were recognised as big ratings winners, being addicted to Aussie soaps Neighbours and Home & Away and enjoying EastEnders in its early years.

And in my late teens/early twenties I became completely enthralled by Brookside and its body under the patio saga, which to me continues to be the best soap storyline I have ever seen.

Having lived through what was clearly the golden age of TV soaps, it's agonizing to see the churned out pulp they've now become. Only Neighbours currently has any connection with reality, and is by far the most character driven soap which is what these shows should be. EastEnders in comparison is just utter drivel with its shallow crass writing and its structural mess.

When you've experienced brilliance its hard to accept dross. But this is what we're clearly expected to consume these days.

Younger viewers don't know what they've missed out on, and this is how current producers get away with such low standards.

I sense a huge change is coming in the soap landscape. And it will be coming via the Internet, not TV.
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Old 12-08-2015, 11:47
molliepops
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You have a point I have been an emmerdale fan from the very early days and while I still watch it isn't the show it was, but it's our fault I think as we viewers keep watching even when the soaps become broken. I stopped watching Eastenders after the thugs took over the pub I could see which way that was going, brookside remains a firm favourite but I gave that up as the plots got more bizarre too. I wish they hadn't stopped Family Affairs and Take the highroad as they were still really good right to the end.
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Old 12-08-2015, 13:33
Mark_Washingto1
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I grew up watching and absolutely loving the soaps before they were recognised as big ratings winners, being addicted to Aussie soaps Neighbours and Home & Away and enjoying EastEnders in its early years.

And in my late teens/early twenties I became completely enthralled by Brookside and its body under the patio saga, which to me continues to be the best soap storyline I have ever seen.

Having lived through what was clearly the golden age of TV soaps, it's agonizing to see the churned out pulp they've now become. Only Neighbours currently has any connection with reality, and is by far the most character driven soap which is what these shows should be. EastEnders in comparison is just utter drivel with its shallow crass writing and its structural mess.

When you've experienced brilliance its hard to accept dross. But this is what we're clearly expected to consume these days.

Younger viewers don't know what they've missed out on, and this is how current producers get away with such low standards.

I sense a huge change is coming in the soap landscape. And it will be coming via the Internet, not TV.
You have got to be kidding about Neighbours, that show is written like its by and for preschoolers, the stories are childish and most of the cast can't act. The only good thing about that show is their opening theme song. People always get on Hollyoaks in its current state but its Shakespeare compared to Neighbours.
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Old 12-08-2015, 13:38
Keibro
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I'm watching Brookside from 1995 at the moment.
Totally agree, the body under the patio storyline was one of the best soap stories of all time.

Today's EastEnders is so far removed from reality. A murder storyline and subsequent investigation had a great start, but is now being stretched thin. It is looking likely the story will be responsible for two ludicrous exits in Lola and Liam.
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Old 12-08-2015, 14:23
Irma Bunt
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I grew up watching and absolutely loving the soaps before they were recognised as big ratings winners, being addicted to Aussie soaps Neighbours and Home & Away and enjoying EastEnders in its early years.

And in my late teens/early twenties I became completely enthralled by Brookside and its body under the patio saga, which to me continues to be the best soap storyline I have ever seen.

Having lived through what was clearly the golden age of TV soaps, it's agonizing to see the churned out pulp they've now become. Only Neighbours currently has any connection with reality, and is by far the most character driven soap which is what these shows should be. EastEnders in comparison is just utter drivel with its shallow crass writing and its structural mess.

When you've experienced brilliance its hard to accept dross. But this is what we're clearly expected to consume these days.

Younger viewers don't know what they've missed out on, and this is how current producers get away with such low standards.

I sense a huge change is coming in the soap landscape. And it will be coming via the Internet, not TV.
Ah, the mythical "Golden Age" of television - that wonderful time, only glimpsed through rose-tinted spectacles, when every summer was sunny and every Christmas was white. They weren't, of course. And there never was a golden age - except in every middle-aged person's head (and I'm one). For every Morecambe & Wise Show, there was the Black & White Minstrels. But the memory is selective. It recalls only the best bits, not the dross.

Twenty years from now, the youth of today will be middle-aged and lamenting on whatever the equivalent of DS is how things aren't as good as they were when they were young. For them, this will be their golden age.

Such is life.
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