Members rhythmchyc Posted June 21, 2009 Members Share Posted June 21, 2009 What is going on in the soap world where everything is gimmicky, passion-less (forgive the muddled-pun), and plot-driven? Why are TPTB being so lazy? Why isn't anyone taking any risks with real heart? How are the remaining soaps ironically paying tribute to Passions in effect? As with most soaps these days-- soaps I used to watch avidly growing up until college-- I watch for twenty minutes, shake my head in shame or roll my eyes in boredom and either shut the television off or surf the internet. This is what occurred a couple of weeks ago when I caught half of B&B, with Taylor and Ridge up in the cabin-- Ridge fed up with Brooke's shenanigans for the fiftieth time and falling into "Doc's" waiting arms for the twentieth. I remember when watching this triangle unfold and refold itself used to be fun. It was like a staple in B&B's core. I didn't mind that Ridge broke up with Brooke and got back together with her over and over again. It's quintessential B&B. But this storyline didn't have any heart. And that's what's missing in a lot of what's on television today, I think. I cannot be in the minority in today's audience. I'm not of the usual demo at all. But even people who go gaga whenever they see Lane make googly eyes at each other and think that the Rex/Gigi/Stacy triangle is the absolute best must feel like something is missing. In fact, how is it in this minisode that is no longer than 5 minutes I see more heart than anything on today? "> " type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"> John tells Jill he has a Vasectomy but you can see that (even though it's not stated outright) Jill had been scheming to get herself pregnant just by Jess's acting. And Michael breaks into Cricket's closet to seek his revenge. In seconds his motivation is revealed on screen and LeBlanc delivers his absolute hatred for her as well as how cunning his character is by seeking revenge in this manner. I was too young to remember any of these storylines but these brief scenes reveal so much and the characters are what drive the story along, not the other way around. Smart, scheming people with heart with motivation, with humanity. Why is everyone dumbed down and boring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sylph Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 97 views and 0 replies... But perhaps that's better than this erupting into a nasty fight, sarcastic commentary and all-around offensiveness... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhythmchyc Posted June 22, 2009 Author Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 Unlike everything else on SON. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Manny Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 Well I know this is an unpopular opinion here, but Y&R is close to that.. I really love it. Sure, it's not perfect, I don't like the supporting stories, but those main ones (the quad, Adam/Ashley, Chloe/Billy/Mac, Mary Jane...) I love and they entertain me so much. The biggest problem I have with those B stories is that they don't take time to build up on them. Things just happen out of the blue. So the pacing and build up for those B stories really does suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sylph Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 But I truly hoped, and still do, you would have a certain amount of replies. Had I started this thread, just like in that one about trashiness, I would be massacred and bombs would be thrown at me all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhinohide Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 I think since most soaps suck . . . The activity on all the boards I peruse has dwindled significantly so maybe there just isn't anyone here to comment. You do create controversy Sylph. It's a talent. LOL. Furthermore, the OP expressed my personal feelings quite eloquently, so my response would be redundant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 Soaps no longer have individual identities -- most tend to look alike and seem alike. Soaps are now mostly about some bizarre idea of a swaggering, controlling, insecure, woman-hating alpha male who is a weak little baby underneath. Soaps now actively fear or anything which does not revolve around the needs of a white heterosexual male, one who seems to belong in Conan the Barbarian times. Forget any attempt at handling progressive issues -- they don't even try for moderation anymore. Everything is set in some weird version of a world 50+ years ago which just happens to have cell phones and laptops. Soaps have become all about shock value. Soaps are no longer run by people who care. Soaps are no longer run by people who have any love or respect for daytime. They are burned out, or they are still yearning to be in primetime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JackPeyton Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 if i ever felt my soap sucked that much, i would quit (and have). I rather enjoy the soaps i watch currently. Days and Y&R, tho Y&R i always watched pretty much ebcause it was the master class of daytime, 20 steps above and beyond the rest. And its not anymore. But Days gives me what i expect from a soap. An hour of entertainment. In the past week it has made me laugh, cry, and root for characters i love. Thats all i want. But that is rather new for that show, lol. I think soaps suck so much now because above all else TPTB have screwed them for the past decade. Nobody cared enough to make a change. The same writers bounce from soap to soap. I honeslt think all soaps need is some fresh new blood all around from the top execs to the behind the scenes team. Writers, execs, producers, directors, etc.. whom care and can try some new things. Or at least give soap fans what they want and expect from a soap. Its odd, some of TPTB dont try at all, and others try to hard. And none of it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhythmchyc Posted June 22, 2009 Author Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 Thanks rhinohide. This topic perhaps seems to have been beaten down dozens of times for years now. Maybe people are tired of discussing it. In my brief time on the board however, I haven't really seen any opinions as to why soaps in general have taken a nosedive in being cutting edge or at least not being character driven anymore? I'm still marvelling at the fact that I knew everything about Michael in that minisode yet I don't know anything of substance, for instance, about Lily. How is it someone who gets so much screentime has utterly no personality? And I don't even mean personality in its usual usage. I mean no character flaws, no secrets, no likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, motivations? And she's been alive as a character on Y&R for over ten years!! Even a bland character like Crickett had some character traits that differentiated her from everyone else! The soap opera is unlike any medium around because these are people in our faces everyday of the workweek. I don't care how times have changed and the audience has become less patient and enjoy more gung-ho about explosions and mobs and murder. These are not films. These characters don't get summer hiatus and come back in the fall with a whole new slew of problems to tackle either. When they undergo a trauma, we have to see them from the beginning of it to the end of it to after it's over. Soaps are notorious for being outlandish and illogical but we need to be able to see someone live through their pain, happiness, triumph, etc. If people are incapable of doing this at this point of the 21st century, then these shows need to change format and become 6-18 months long like telenovelas or weekly like primetime. Otherwise, why watch a show where there's murder, sex, intrigue, and yet the characters are utter non-entiies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dragonflies Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 There's no one in charge that care about the genre anymore. ABC soaps are about plot devices and nothing more. CBS soaps are becoming like that, and Days has been like that(dunno about recently) We need people who care about the genre to run it. Someone without personal agendas(Frons, Corday, etc....), to actually hire GOOD writers, and not the same old stale writers who've been driving soaps into the ground for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 The people who run soaps don't think viewers want to care about characters. They think we only care about sex, about violence, about people screaming at each other. They assume viewers are idiots. They treat us with barely concealed contempt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members brimike Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 I think TPTB have to be completely demoralized at this point too. I think half of them don't want to be doing this anymore, and the other half wants to be a part of it, but they're so beaten down by cancellation rumors, this insistence that they have to change, the formula no longer works, etc. I think it's a general malaise on both sides of the equation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JackPeyton Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 And the thing is, i would think Days' year long so far sucsess would show them that the formula does work. Because love it or hate it, Days has done well ratings wise all year now, for the most part. And look at them. They have not reinvented the wheel at all. They are telling very soap stories. Baby swaps, love triangles, young lovers fighting obsticles, its full of secrets and lies, and they are all about the love in the afternoon. yes its cliche, yes its mellodrama, and no its not the most visually stunning grounfbreaking daytime drama... i wish more soaps would just do this instead of trying to shock and awe us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Y&RWorldTurner Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 Bill Bell said it best: http://www.welovesoaps.net/2009/04/flashba...antic.html#more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members brimike Posted June 22, 2009 Members Share Posted June 22, 2009 I agree with you, JP. But you'll see all of these soaps dead and buried before any of these shows takes a cue from Days' playbook. Sadly, the egos are in control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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