All Soaps: Is the lack of diversity boring you?

[Juliajms]

I was thinking today about how a few of the soaps I watch are starting to bore me a little. I was trying to think of ways they could be more interesting. It's always been obvious that soaps lack diversity, but it just struck me hard today, how tired I am of watching people who are all mostly like me (white, straight, late 20's). Why are soaps so afraid of diversity? I was just thinking today, that I can't even think of one middle eastern character (nevermind family) in all of soaps. There are so many good stories that could come out of that. But then the only soap I can think of that even recognizes we have a war going on is Days.

There aren't that many African American or Latino characters either. Not to mention gay and lesbian characters are few and far between and don't get much in the way of love scenes. I think there's a lot of potential there too. And of course, we all know how older characters and actors have been treated lately, but the baby boom generation is huge and entering their 50's/60's. Even though I don't want to see all characters like myself, I'm not sure if I would be interested in a show that had no one like myself either. So wouldn't more people be likely to watch if there was more inclusion?

I guess what I'm asking is, why do you think TPTB haven't given us much diversity, in terms of race, orientation and age? If it's because they think it won't sell do you believe they are right about that? Or are they just too lazy to make changes and take a risk?

[SoapQueen89]

I think some of it is the writers are too lazy to invest into stories that could cause some controversy with the general public. They are afraid of negative feedback if they take the risk.

Mostly I think people are afraid of change - change of story, change of direction, change of characters who viewers know. Writers don't seem to want to invest in characters other then their favorites they write for. Which sucks for fans who are looking for diversity, creativity, and originality, like me.

Jen

[Faulkner]

Over in a post on the GoldDerby boards, we noted that there has never been a black woman nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Daytime Emmy award. It's the only award covered by GoldDerby (Oscars, Tonys, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globe, etc.) that has never had a black female performer up for its biggest prize.

Daytime actually should be quite ashamed of itself for its lack of diversity, and I think it's one of the big reasons why soaps won't survive. They never grew with the country culturally. Actually, it seems like they've regressed in many ways. Daytime actually seemed more racially diverse TWENTY YEARS AGO. Passions, for all the bad ink written about it, has done a great job in diversifying its cast. OLTL has certainly broken ground with Evangeline as a leading lady, to its credit. GH, GL, AMC, B&B, and ATWT hardly even TRY any more to give their actors of color frontburner story, if they even have actors of color to begin with.

About the GLBT thing: Soaps are still doing coming-out stories like they are so provocative. Yeah, they would have been provocative in 1977. It's PLAYED OUT. Now's the time for stories on gay marriage, interracial gay relationships, bisexuality, "down low" relationships (like PSNS is doing--maybe we should give JER more credit), lesbian adoption, etc, etc.

Like [s.W.S.N.B.N.] said, why did Luke have to be a poor little gay victim on ATWT? He should have beaten some @ss.

[Cheap21]

no it doesnt bore me bc as long as Ive been watching soaps, I've known not to expect much in that department. Sucks that after all these years things have only gotten worse

[Ridge]

OLTL has kept a Latino family on the front and center for years, the Vegas. As annoying as Antonio can be they haven't forgotten his Latin roots. And Evangeline is front and center as well, frequently. They deserve some credit there.

[Bree]

I agree. It also wasn't long ago that on Sunset Beach, we had Kelly Hu and the characters of Michael, Vanessa, and Virginia as frontburner characters. Generations was on featuring a prominent black family, and OLTL had the Vegas, even if they weren't used to their full potential.

If primetime and cable dramas have no trouble featuring diverse characters of color and sexuality with no problem, why can't daytime soaps? The days of the main audience being housewives are long gone.

[billyjill]

ITA.

[Daphne]

One thing that often puzzles me is that on daytime television, while there have been Latino characters who were front and center, there have never been (to my knowledge) Latino couples. It's often a Latina/Latino with a White or Black love-interest. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it seems like daytime execs are fearful of having a Latino couple on the front burner.

Overall, the lack of diversity doesn't bore me, but it often frustrates me (in particular AMC). But what can you do? I think daytime is taking a step backwards when they use to be the one who took a step forward (and primetime shows often followed their lead).

[SteveFrame]

1) I think lack of diversity is a big thing. There needs to more shakeup and variety.

2) Same old boring couples over and over. Fans today are less likely to take to a new couple or they latch on to couples like they are life-partners, and that hurts some too. I have my favorite couples but after awhile featuring the same couple over and over gets boring. There is just not a lot that you can do with a couple keeping them happy that doesn't get boring or repetitive.

3) The biggest lack of diversity is the lack of ages on the show. Used to be writers wrote for all ages. Now it is the same old people day in and day out that get the attention because they fit into a certain demo they want.

4) Also a big thing with diversity is not just the lack of races, but the lack of various social classes. I remember on Another World, you had the wealthy, the middle class and the poor. And the poor were really poor, and they weren't caricatures they prodded out as comedy relief and they weren't always the villians either - seeking to take advantage of the wealthy or get ahead. Today more often that is the only time you see a poor character - they are pictured as willing to do anything to get the money that the wealthy have. And they never dress like poor folks either. Or worse yet they dress them trashy as if saying all poor people can't afford good clothes so they dress like trashy whores.

5) Finally casting is a big thing that is a problem too. Soaps used to be full of all types of performers. Some looked good, some looked okay, and some were on the less attractive side. But they could all act. Casting departments today on soaps or TPTB one seem to look for one thing - to fill their soaps with beautiful people. If they can act they are lucky, but if not well that's okay too. I would find it very hard to think that performers like Dorothy Lyman, Wings Hauser, and some others would even be able to find jobs on soaps these days, but yet in the 70's they were discovered by soap casting directors and were on soaps for many years.

[Dan]

I think that diversity is a big issue on daytime; however, it is doesn't rate as high on my "to-do" list as other problems. Hell, writers have their hands full these days writing the characters they have now. There's little consistency in the characters these days. People change personalities with the same regularity that they change their underwear. Because of that, we cannot relate to them as much as we used to. Once daytime gets settled in writing good plots for good characters played by good actors, then I'd like to see some diversity. But simply bringing on diverse actors simply for diversity's sake is unwise IMO. If you have nothing for them to do beyond the "token [insert diverse group] family," then it will be ineffective and insensitive. For example, the Boudreaus on GL. They had such potential when they first came on. They were integrated EXCELLENTLY into the canvas (perhaps Lloyd Gold's best achievement on GL) and then dissapeared because there was nothing to do with them.

SO the short answer is yes, it is a problem, but no it shouldn't be corrected now while we have such dumbasses infiltrating the writing department.

[DruRocks]

Before we get some diversity I need some changes behind the scenes. I don't want these incompetent hacks trying to tell stories like these, when they haven't proven themselves to be good writers. I don't need to see 'token minorities' running around just so the show could fill some quota, or become more 'diverse.'

[Cheap21]

there have been

OLTL:

Antonio/Roseanne

Cristian/Roseanne

GH:

Sonny/Lily

Miguel/Lily

Sunset Beach:

Ricardo/Paula

Ricardo/Gabi

Antonio/Gabi

those are the ones I could think of off the top of my head

[Juliajms]

Well, I'm not really interested in having diversity for the sake of political correctness. That's not what I'm getting at. I'm just saying, I'm bored with characters that are basically cookie cutter in many ways. I can hardly name one female character that isn't baby crazy or hasn't been baby crazy at some point.

It's 2007!! Can't their be a character who doesn't want to be on the mommy track? What about a female character who is having fun being single and doesn't see marriage and babies as the ultimate validation (Sex and the City). It's not just about race and orientation, but that is part of it. I'd just like to see people who are different than I am, because it's more interesting. Right now, I turn on the T.V. and these people are too much like me to hold my attention. Not that I plan on quitting soaps, but I'd be a lot more interested if they shook things up.

I completely agree with the person who brought up social class and beauty as well. Characters don't all have to be rich or perfect to be interesting. In fact sometimes those are the very things that make them uninteresting.

[Daphne]

Thanks Cheap! Sunset Beach is a mere blur to me, so there's little about the show I remember I remember OLTL's Roseanna being with Cristian (but not Antonio). And how could I forget Ricky Martin on GH!

[Faulkner]

Haha. I'd like to see this, too. But remember when Frons tried to make the Fusion girls into a daytime version of SATC? Disastrous and laughable. And the only ones still around have babies.