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Old 31-03-2016, 06:45
BBKINGREALITY
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I've watched a few drama's this year (Line of duty, Night manager, Deutschland 83) & it's got me thinking how soaps compare in comparison. In many ways soaps are just as enjoyable, the difference being a drama is a self-contained theme served over a handful of episodes. The quality of acting is probably better but I think u can put Phil Mitchell into a drama & he'd do just as well. Soaps are now just as 'sensational' as a drama but in an everyday context. What are ur thoughts & which do u prefer? .
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Old 31-03-2016, 06:54
davejc64
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Soaps tend to have a much lower level of acting than proper dramas in fact soaps are the lowest level of acting on TV, the ex soap stars who go onto have a proper acting career good enough for drama are few and far between.
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Old 01-04-2016, 00:42
BBKINGREALITY
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Soaps tend to have a much lower level of acting than proper dramas in fact soaps are the lowest level of acting on TV, the ex soap stars who go onto have a proper acting career good enough for drama are few and far between.
True but soaps are more relatable because of their everyday context, which kinda makes up for it. A lot of drama's and films are a world away from our's. I'm not for 1 second saying soaps are better but I think its subjective whether which is more enjoyable.
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Old 01-04-2016, 00:59
Aurora13
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True but soaps are more relatable because of their everyday context, which kinda makes up for it. A lot of drama's and films are a world away from our's. I'm not for 1 second saying soaps are better but I think its subjective whether which is more enjoyable.
Everyday context. Maybe in last century!
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Old 01-04-2016, 04:19
BBKINGREALITY
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Everyday context. Maybe in last century!
I'm aware they're not as grounded as times gone by & are exaggerated in their portrayal of everyday life, they'll always be thematically close to home though. For that reason they'll resonate more than most drama's. As awful as Corrie has been it still resonates more than Game of thrones. I know that's an outlandish thing to say but its true because how can we possibly relate to fantasy?. I should have maybe conveyed my point better tbh . I'm just trying to explore the differences.
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Old 01-04-2016, 09:01
little-monster
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It's difficult to compare as Soaps aired like 4/5 times a week. Television dramas only have 6-10 episodes a year, depending on the show. So Soaps will have filler episodes but they also have plenty of time to develop characters and storylines.

As for Game of thrones, it is more than just fantasy. Anyone who has seen every episode to date should and wil know that. There are many themes in GOT that could happen in soaps but done in different and modern ways. Look at Cersei. She could easily be GOT's very own Charity Dingle. She is GOT's very own soap bitch. But its not a soap but you know what i mean. Plus Arya's rise from an innocent girl to a tough strong woman could easily be seen as ED own version of Belle Dingle.
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Old 07-04-2016, 22:20
BBKINGREALITY
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I've just watched Line of Duty & I've gotta say - Wow!. The quality of it's writing and acting is a world away from what I'm accustomed to with soaps. Eastenders is a mediocre embarrassment in comparison. If anyone hasn't seen Line of duty yet, do urself a favour & catch it on iplayer. Unmissable television.
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Old 07-04-2016, 22:27
Danny_Francis
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Soaps are a good comfort and can become a good part of your everyday life, when the characters are well written for example and you can connect with them they feel kinda real and like your fictional friends I guess. Dramas I find to be better products overrall in terms of quality, however a bit more sensationalist in general IMO.
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Old 07-04-2016, 23:04
Keyser_Soze1
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I've just watched Line of Duty & I've gotta say - Wow!. The quality of it's writing and acting is a world away from what I'm accustomed to with soaps. Eastenders is a mediocre embarrassment in comparison. If anyone hasn't seen Line of duty yet, do urself a favour & catch it on iplayer. Unmissable television.
To really appreciate exactly what is going on in 'Line of Duty' you just have to have watched the first two series.

There is a cracking thread in the UK TV forum.

'Dot' Cottan awaits.
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Old 07-04-2016, 23:18
Jessica_Bobbing
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For me, it's something that shouldn't be compared. It's like comparing a manufactored music band to an independent band with college students.
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Old 08-04-2016, 00:51
BBKINGREALITY
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To really appreciate exactly what is going on in 'Line of Duty' you just have to have watched the first two series.

There is a cracking thread in the UK TV forum.

'Dot' Cottan awaits.
I caught season 2 as it was repeated prior. Season 3' opener was on a whole other level. I'm curious myself if people jump into a series late or start from scratch. In that sense soaps are continuous so there isn't an option, although u still appreciate it more if u have prior investment with the characters .
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Old 08-04-2016, 00:55
londongirlGre
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I like both dramas and soaps but if I had to pick one, it would be soaps. I like the comfort of watching EastEnders, every week. Plus, you get to see characters develop for longer.
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Old 08-04-2016, 12:41
Corrie_Fan2
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I think part of the issue is the hectic filming schedule of modern soaps, they don't have the freedom to be great dramas. It's also a very difficult comparison because you're lucking for different things from each program. Some dramas translate to comparing with soaps better than others. You want soaps to be grounded in reality. Taking my two favourite dramas of the moment Happy Valley and Line of Duty you see this:

Happy Valley - Actually had a very real feel to it despite the plot-lines occasionally being far-fetched. The acting was on the whole better than most soaps at the minute, despite actually having a fair few soap actors in it. You're tied to the story line of the murders, but also interested in what's going on Katherine's hectic home life and her family's safety. You could see a similar kind of angle being carried across the divide to soaps, with it being the flagship sensation storyline of that year. It would have to be tackled differently in soap though, probably being toned down a bit and not including so many characters directly related to the murder.

Line of Duty - Despite it being absolutely brilliant and a great suspense drama that leaves you wondering whats going on it's hard to see much of it being thrown into a soap. It's too fast-paced, there's far too many layers - whilst soaps do nod to long term viewers and have recurring plots, it's unlikely a soap would run a storyline that requires you to have seen every episode and retained it in mind to understand certain plot points. It's also unlikely a soap would ever have so many utterly unsympathetic or corrupt characters in one scene at a time. They might tackle some of the issues that Line of Duty does but a good soap wouldn't build them up to the complex web that Mercurio has concocted and throw them all in the same plot. There's also absolutely no day to day stuff in Line of Duty - something any soap would never do.

At the end of the day, people are tuning in for a certain thing when they put a show on. A soap could probably be as great as drama with the right story-line, but on the whole I think dramas are better but they generally have a much higher budget per episode and much better writers and actors. It's a shame that it's become a bit of a bad thing for actors to work in soaps, the reason Coronation Street worked so well originally was because it had a long list of great theatre actors in the credits who just hadn't been giving their breaks. As Timothy West showed last year in EastEnders, there is room for great actors in the soaps.
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Old 08-04-2016, 13:53
BBKINGREALITY
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I think part of the issue is the hectic filming schedule of modern soaps, they don't have the freedom to be great dramas.
That's a good point & I'd go as far to say they don't have the freedom to be great soaps. They're a pale imitator of drama's with the day to day stuff as a recurring nod to their soap label. What set them apart was how grounded in reality they were displayed by their down to earth writing. They've lost that unique selling point as producers have become obsessed with chasing ratings facilitated by more & more sensationalism. Drama's can do that but with soaps it makes them look like a cheap knock off.
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Old 08-04-2016, 14:03
IvanIV
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They both have something, dramas in a form of miniseries follow Chekhov's gun rule, where everything makes sense and is a part of something, while in soap you often plant things in case you might reference them later, but that might never be revisited. Though if the writers are good, I can enjoy them just as well. But soaps tend to be OTT unrealistic, right now you can't move in Hollyoaks without bumping into a serial killer, infidelity, or at least a paedo.
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