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KK's Sunday poll: '10 things I hate about soap'


View Poll Results: '10 things I hate about soap'
Sensationalist plots 32 47.06%
Lack of long-standing characters 11 16.18%
Too much deadwood 35 51.47%
Bad acting 29 42.65%
Bad writing 40 58.82%
Bad storylining 41 60.29%
Bad pacing 35 51.47%
Too many spoilers 25 36.76%
Unrealistic sets 13 19.12%
Boring storylines 26 38.24%
Cringeworthy comedy 39 57.35%
Too many returnees 9 13.24%
Too many departures 4 5.88%
Too many episodes 24 35.29%
Poor continuity 38 55.88%
Too much focus on ‘big’ weeks (BGT Week, ‘Super Soap Week’) 28 41.18%
Too many issue-led plots 17 25.00%
Over-reliance on stunts/explosions 28 41.18%
Casting famous people 25 36.76%
Badly reworked opening titles/music 8 11.76%
Other 13 19.12%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 68. You can't vote on this poll right now - are you signed in?

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Old 30-10-2016, 12:37
KornerKabin
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What are the Top 10 things that you just can't stand about soaps in 2016?

Multiple choice poll. You can choose more than 10, don't let me stop you
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Old 30-10-2016, 13:00
soap-lea
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I think the fans are the biggest problem. Esp the obsessive ones
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Old 30-10-2016, 13:00
KornerKabin
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I think the fans are the biggest problem. Esp the obsessive ones
Do you mean me?
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Old 30-10-2016, 13:02
sorcha_healy27
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Too many episodes and sensationalism by far for me.

Ill add social media obsessives/shippers too.
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Old 30-10-2016, 13:04
KornerKabin
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Too many episodes and sensationalism by far for me.

Ill add social media obsessives/shippers too.
Have you voted sorch?
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Old 30-10-2016, 13:09
SuperSoaper
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Boring storylines and deadwood characters. Corrie has had that problem for years until very recently, where it's seen an improvement.
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Old 30-10-2016, 13:22
Danny_Francis
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Boring characters/Uninteresting characters
Repetitive storylines
High sensationalism
Poor character dev.
Too much shouting (one of the reasons I switched off EE)
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Old 30-10-2016, 13:27
James_Langan
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Boring storylines and deadwood characters. Corrie has had that problem for years until very recently, where it's seen an improvement.
I voted accordingly. My local newspaper have obituary writers that produce superior gripping material on a daily basis. If corrys game isn't upped they'll be writing about me shortly.
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Old 30-10-2016, 13:29
RickLopez
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I voted for all bar 2 - lack of long standing characters (because I think Corrie has enough) and other.
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Old 30-10-2016, 13:29
soap-lea
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No i mean the ones who go on twitter posting abuse towards actors. The ones who slate the slow no matter what it does. You know when they shout and say they want less sensationalism then when they get it still aren't happy and change tack and call the show boring and it needs sensationalism

And then just the plain obsessive character ones. Not all of its bad.its good to be passionate about things its just detrimental to others at times
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Old 30-10-2016, 13:32
Oldnjaded
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A lot of things I hate about Soaps but for me most of them are covered by the Bad Writing one.
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Old 30-10-2016, 13:34
CollieWobbles
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Too many episodes and sensationalism by far for me.

Ill add social media obsessives/shippers too.
It'd be easier to list what I didn't vote for, but these three are my main problem too.
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Old 30-10-2016, 13:43
KornerKabin
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No i mean the ones who go on twitter posting abuse towards actors. The ones who slate the slow no matter what it does. You know when they shout and say they want less sensationalism then when they get it still aren't happy and change tack and call the show boring and it meed sensationalism

And then just the plain obsessive character ones. Not all of its bad.its good to be passionate about things its just detrimental to others at times
Agree with you completely and wish I'd put this as an option now! Sorry.
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Old 30-10-2016, 13:49
vald
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Bad writing and bad acting have to come top for me. Bad writers and actors should be got rid of as soon as it becomes obvious, and they should certainly never be asked back.
My other is the overuse of a handful of characters whilst others, often played by excellent actors, are left undeveloped and wallowing in the background.
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Old 30-10-2016, 13:57
Louise_Hart
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Bad story telling and bad writing for me. It always ruins it no matter what the storyline is.
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Old 30-10-2016, 14:41
sorcha_healy27
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I need to add block storytelling to this. I hate it
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Old 30-10-2016, 14:54
attitude99
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One of the ones I voted for was unrealistic sets. It really does make a huge difference to a soap when it actually feels like it's set in the real world, as opposed to it's own little insular bubble where characters aren't allowed to have lives outside of the bubble. For example in Corrie, having nights out at the Bistro or stag/hen parties in the local pub. With Whitney's hen in EE, it was good and refreshing to see them all head 'Up West' (even though this is only a recent thing for EE as well) as opposed to having it in the Queen Vic.

Too much focus on big weeks was another option I chose. It's annoying when a soap only puts a real effort into writing, directing, storylines and pace for 'big event' weeks, namely BGT week and episodes near the NTA's for Corrie, and during DTC's era on EE (particularly after the 30th) for Halloween or Christmas episodes. Hollyoaks also used to suffer this problem of being rubbish then having a set of decent episodes if a big stunt was coming up. It's annoying because you're just sat there thinking 'why can't soaps be this good all the time?'.

Over reliance on stunts and explosions, and when they are just paved over and forgotten about within a short space of time to make way for the next one. Yes, stunts are great when done properly, allowing the characters to be at the forefront, not the stunt itself. Even though the aftermath was horrendous, I really enjoyed Emmerdale's Helicopter Crash. I thought it was excellent how several separate stories all came together (Val faking her death, Debbie and Ross' affair being exposed and Chrissie/Robert divorce) and culminated in this amazing stunt which affected the majority of the characters in almost a chain reaction fashion; i.e. Chrissie setting fire to Robert's car which sent the gas canister up into the helicopter that crashed onto the wedding reception. The stunt came second and the characters came first.

In contrast, Corrie's Victoria Court Fire was practically the opposite, it was all about the stunt and there was so many horrendous moments throughout that whole week, as well as it being littered with SOR's, the main one sticking out for me was Liz's deadpan reaction to her granddaughter being inside a burning building, practically taunting Tracy with it. IIRC, the aftermath was poor for this also. That's another annoying thing in soaps is the lack of aftermath, especially with big storylines. When looking at soap stunts, the huge 'Blockbuster' style stunts (using Corrie's Tram Crash and Emmerdale's Plane Crash as examples here) the difference with aftermath is huge. Unfortunately, the Tram Crash was soon over, everything was built back up as if it never happened. It is hardly referenced, the only time I think it was was in Dec 2011 when they held a memorial, but other than that nobody mentions it. Due to how huge the stunt was, there was potential to get a good amount of material out of that stunt and the catastrophic effects it had on the Street and it's residents. But no, it was quickly dealt with ready to have 'The most exciting arrival for 2000 years' back. Whereas with Emmerdale and their Plane Crash (plus other catastrophic disasters such as the Kings River Explosion), it is still even now mentioned. The effects on the village at the time were immense, an example of this was Chris Tate being paralysed from the waist down and Eric Pollard accused of killing his wife Elizabeth (a story which came to a head 17 years later in 2010). That does link into continuity, not forgetting huge events which have happened. A lesser example would be when Phil in EE was shot by Shirley in 2014, when Ian heard he said 'What, again?' and it's the things like this that help to make the show more realistic.
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Old 30-10-2016, 14:59
SecretLifeoBees
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Poor casting choices. Sometimes the issue isn't with the character itself, but the person playing the role.
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Old 30-10-2016, 16:23
KornerKabin
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One of the ones I voted for was unrealistic sets. It really does make a huge difference to a soap when it actually feels like it's set in the real world, as opposed to it's own little insular bubble where characters aren't allowed to have lives outside of the bubble. For example in Corrie, having nights out at the Bistro or stag/hen parties in the local pub. With Whitney's hen in EE, it was good and refreshing to see them all head 'Up West' (even though this is only a recent thing for EE as well) as opposed to having it in the Queen Vic.

Too much focus on big weeks was another option I chose. It's annoying when a soap only puts a real effort into writing, directing, storylines and pace for 'big event' weeks, namely BGT week and episodes near the NTA's for Corrie, and during DTC's era on EE (particularly after the 30th) for Halloween or Christmas episodes. Hollyoaks also used to suffer this problem of being rubbish then having a set of decent episodes if a big stunt was coming up. It's annoying because you're just sat there thinking 'why can't soaps be this good all the time?'.

Over reliance on stunts and explosions, and when they are just paved over and forgotten about within a short space of time to make way for the next one. Yes, stunts are great when done properly, allowing the characters to be at the forefront, not the stunt itself. Even though the aftermath was horrendous, I really enjoyed Emmerdale's Helicopter Crash. I thought it was excellent how several separate stories all came together (Val faking her death, Debbie and Ross' affair being exposed and Chrissie/Robert divorce) and culminated in this amazing stunt which affected the majority of the characters in almost a chain reaction fashion; i.e. Chrissie setting fire to Robert's car which sent the gas canister up into the helicopter that crashed onto the wedding reception. The stunt came second and the characters came first.

In contrast, Corrie's Victoria Court Fire was practically the opposite, it was all about the stunt and there was so many horrendous moments throughout that whole week, as well as it being littered with SOR's, the main one sticking out for me was Liz's deadpan reaction to her granddaughter being inside a burning building, practically taunting Tracy with it. IIRC, the aftermath was poor for this also. That's another annoying thing in soaps is the lack of aftermath, especially with big storylines. When looking at soap stunts, the huge 'Blockbuster' style stunts (using Corrie's Tram Crash and Emmerdale's Plane Crash as examples here) the difference with aftermath is huge. Unfortunately, the Tram Crash was soon over, everything was built back up as if it never happened. It is hardly referenced, the only time I think it was was in Dec 2011 when they held a memorial, but other than that nobody mentions it. Due to how huge the stunt was, there was potential to get a good amount of material out of that stunt and the catastrophic effects it had on the Street and it's residents. But no, it was quickly dealt with ready to have 'The most exciting arrival for 2000 years' back. Whereas with Emmerdale and their Plane Crash (plus other catastrophic disasters such as the Kings River Explosion), it is still even now mentioned. The effects on the village at the time were immense, an example of this was Chris Tate being paralysed from the waist down and Eric Pollard accused of killing his wife Elizabeth (a story which came to a head 17 years later in 2010). That does link into continuity, not forgetting huge events which have happened. A lesser example would be when Phil in EE was shot by Shirley in 2014, when Ian heard he said 'What, again?' and it's the things like this that help to make the show more realistic.
Incredible post atti!

Agree with you on all counts and love your details descriptions.

Stunts/disasters is one thing in particular that annoys me so much. Corrie's latest disaster (David's car crash and explosion) saw them papering over the cracks of the disaster quicker than ever, with all of the residents (including children) happily back drinking in the Rovers after its windows were blown out and glass was sent everywhere. They even had Ruby and Hope sitting in one of the booths that was on the receiving end of most of the glass. It's things like this that push the believability of the show and make me want to switch off.

Emmerdale's plan crash is a great example of a disaster changing the face of the show forever. The entire village was destroyed, so much so that it had to be rebuilt and was eventually renamed. Now that is how to use a disaster in the best possible way.
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Old 30-10-2016, 16:43
attitude99
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Incredible post atti!

Agree with you on all counts and love your details descriptions.

Stunts/disasters is one thing in particular that annoys me so much. Corrie's latest disaster (David's car crash and explosion) saw them papering over the cracks of the disaster quicker than ever, with all of the residents (including children) happily back drinking in the Rovers after its windows were blown out and glass was sent everywhere. They even had Ruby and Hope sitting in one of the booths that was on the receiving end of most of the glass. It's things like this that push the believability of the show and make me want to switch off.

Emmerdale's plan crash is a great example of a disaster changing the face of the show forever. The entire village was destroyed, so much so that it had to be rebuilt and was eventually renamed. Now that is how to use a disaster in the best possible way.
Thanks

Yes, reverting back to normal is one thing but the latest Corrie one really did take the mick, because like you say everyone was back drinking in the Rovers as if nothing had happened. The only person who really had injuries was Anna. Both Gary and Lily miraculously (almost ridiculously) appeared to be fine despite a car had landed on them and David also seemed to walk away from the crash just fine as well. Another thing was that David was suicidal, he was planning to kill himself as well as Clayton yet this seems to have been forgotten? As if he is perfectly fine now and not suicidal or depressed in the slightest.

Corrie's Tram Crash should have rivalled Emmerdale's Plane Crash and had similar consequences to it. Like you also say, the Plane Crash changed the village completely, where most of it was rebuilt and the name was changed from Beckindale to Emmerdale, therefore allowing a near clean slate for the show. With Corrie and the Tram Crash, things shouldn't have been built the same as they were before, but then again, it's the same show that rebuilt the Rovers exactly the same after the 2013 fire as it was before. The Tram Crash was a wasted opportunity to really shake the street up. Instead of Dev's shop they could have converted that into a house, and the Joinery/Bistro could have become something else.

Quite rightly, the Plane Crash is regarded as one of the best stunts in soap history. It is a perfect depiction of how to do a mega stunt and utilise it fully for both the aftermath and the devastating consequences. I was on ED Wiki before and apparently during one of the other big stunts on Emmerdale a character said "We've had a plane crash and got through that, we will get through this" and it is excellent to see TPTB have not forgotten this huge event, despite how it occurred 23 years ago. Apparently the last mention of it was by Lawrence White last year. Had Corrie followed through with an aftermath and had the crash change the Street (not completely) it would have been a much harder hitting disaster imo.
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Old 30-10-2016, 16:51
KornerKabin
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Thanks

Yes, reverting back to normal is one thing but the latest Corrie one really did take the mick, because like you say everyone was back drinking in the Rovers as if nothing had happened. The only person who really had injuries was Anna. Both Gary and Lily miraculously (almost ridiculously) appeared to be fine despite a car had landed on them and David also seemed to walk away from the crash just fine as well. Another thing was that David was suicidal, he was planning to kill himself as well as Clayton yet this seems to have been forgotten? As if he is perfectly fine now and not suicidal or depressed in the slightest.

Corrie's Tram Crash should have rivalled Emmerdale's Plane Crash and had similar consequences to it. Like you also say, the Plane Crash changed the village completely, where most of it was rebuilt and the name was changed from Beckindale to Emmerdale, therefore allowing a near clean slate for the show. With Corrie and the Tram Crash, things shouldn't have been built the same as they were before, but then again, it's the same show that rebuilt the Rovers exactly the same after the 2013 fire as it was before. The Tram Crash was a wasted opportunity to really shake the street up. Instead of Dev's shop they could have converted that into a house, and the Joinery/Bistro could have become something else.

Quite rightly, the Plane Crash is regarded as one of the best stunts in soap history. It is a perfect depiction of how to do a mega stunt and utilise it fully for both the aftermath and the devastating consequences. I was on ED Wiki before and apparently during one of the other big stunts on Emmerdale a character said "We've had a plane crash and got through that, we will get through this" and it is excellent to see TPTB have not forgotten this huge event, despite how it occurred 23 years ago. Apparently the last mention of it was by Lawrence White last year. Had Corrie followed through with an aftermath and had the crash change the Street (not completely) it would have been a much harder hitting disaster imo.
Forgot to add that you're so right about a disaster providing more material for future episodes, not being something that is neatly tied up in a couple of weeks. Corrie's tram crash, for instance, should've opened up dozens of new stories when actually it did precisely nothing. The characters who died have all been forgotten and the only big 'game changer' was the Molvin reveal and even that was forgotten about within a few months. There were no storylines that the tram crash itself actually instigated. Ridiculous.

We've discussed the physical impact of the tram crash many times before and it will continue to bug me for as long as Corrie continues. Yet another missed opportunity. It's an insult to viewers that the viaduct, shop and Kabin were rebuilt identically as they were before. Of course, the ITV production team gleefully say that parts of the corner shop and viaduct were rebuilt 'with slightly different bricks to leave a lasting impression' but surely the lasting impression should've been for that part of the set to be completely redeveloped? Sometimes I wonder if the people in charge of Corrie live on this planet!

The latest 'stunt' is another great example of a lack of any long-term impact. Anna is currently injured but what's betting that she's back working in the cafe, screeching her head off every five seconds before Christmas? Gary and Lily being unharmed was ridiculous in itself but what got me even more was that David went from deranged and suicidal man bent on killing Clayton to happily having a cuppa in the kitchen with his mum in the very next episode?
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Old 30-10-2016, 17:03
Janet Plank
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Poor casting choices. Sometimes the issue isn't with the character itself, but the person playing the role.
People who are given the role because they have connections - e.g. related to a celeb or other cast member.
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Old 30-10-2016, 17:08
RetroMusicFan
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For me it's got to be

Bad writing, acting and storylining

Boring characters and storylines

Bad continuity

Stories not living up to the media hype, i.e. Who killed Lucy?
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Old 30-10-2016, 17:09
KornerKabin
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For me it's got to be

Bad writing, acting and storylining

Boring characters and storylines

Bad continuity

Stories not living up to the media hype, i.e. Who killed Lucy?
That's a really good one RMF!

'Who killed Lucy' is a great example.
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Old 30-10-2016, 17:15
attitude99
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Forgot to add that you're so right about a disaster providing more material for future episodes, not being something that is neatly tied up in a couple of weeks. Corrie's tram crash, for instance, should've opened up dozens of new stories when actually it did precisely nothing. The characters who died have all been forgotten and the only big 'game changer' was the Molvin reveal and even that was forgotten about within a few months. There were no storylines that the tram crash itself actually instigated. Ridiculous.

We've discussed the physical impact of the tram crash many times before and it will continue to bug me for as long as Corrie continues. Yet another missed opportunity. It's an insult to viewers that the viaduct, shop and Kabin were rebuilt identically as they were before. Of course, the ITV production team gleefully say that parts of the corner shop and viaduct were rebuilt 'with slightly different bricks to leave a lasting impression' but surely the lasting impression should've been for that part of the set to be completely redeveloped? Sometimes I wonder if the people in charge of Corrie live on this planet!

The latest 'stunt' is another great example of a lack of any long-term impact. Anna is currently injured but what's betting that she's back working in the cafe, screeching her head off every five seconds before Christmas? Gary and Lily being unharmed was ridiculous in itself but what got me even more was that David went from deranged and suicidal man bent on killing Clayton to happily having a cuppa in the kitchen with his mum in the very next episode?
It's a shame that disasters are often overused now, as they should be used sparingly, but when they do happen it's a huge catastrophic event which has massive consequences, not like how you say neatly tied up in a couple of weeks and pushed aside for the next big event. Regarding the Tram Crash, Peter was in a wheelchair, but I'm sure he soon was back to normal, again no long lasting effects that change lives. The only real things that came from the crash was the Molvin reveal and Ashley being killed, but Claire left shortly after meaning no one was around to miss him.

The ITV production team seem intent on keeping the Street the same way it was since 2003(ish). God knows why, it's just stale. Even when they moved the set over to MediaCity from Quay Street, it still is exactly the same as it was before, even down to Tyrone and Fiz's house still looking like a Duckworth museum! It's ridiculous how they refuse to change the set of the show, it desperately needs to modernise and move with the times but it's still stuck in a time warp.

Just like Sinead's 'life changing paralysis' from the Bus Crash, Anna will soon be back being a screeching harridan fishwife as if nothings happened. That's what I mean regarding David, why the complete U turn? He has spent the last few weeks building up to killing himself and Clayton, he needs help not for all of it to be brushed under the carpet.
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