Working Class Characters & Economic Struggles Being Discussed on Soaps

[KMan101]

Yeah. I wish GL had succeeded in revamping itself. I just think it had way too much working against and an inexperienced EP. And the potential was there, even at the end. Who'd have ever thought Mindy, Nola, Bridget, Fletcher, Holly, Ed would be back. Vanessa and Billy reunited. But at the same time, there weren't really any plots. Things just ... happened. And while that's fine and I do appreciate that kind of a soap opera ... it just all sort of fell flat. And it's really a shame.

I'm starting to prefer the British soaps. They just feel more real to me. They all at least have jobs they go to. Things just ... happen but it's still all plotted out, but it feels more natural. IDK how to describe it. Perfect? No. No soap ever will be anymore, as far as I'm concerned. Budget is tighter and network execs are much more keen on interfering, though maybe not AS much. ABC seems to be letting GH do whatever. NBC only shows interest every couple of years it seems. CBS pretty much seems to always let Y&R and B&B do whatever. Although at least Sony/CBS stepped in for Y&R and in all honestly, Days needed a change and the demo is doing well under Tomlin.

What I am going to say doesn't have to do with Economic struggle but It does have to do with realism. Even though I have an off and on relationship with my father I really enjoyed seeing that episode of AMC on Agnes Nixon's website when Phil was talking to Amy about Ted. Everything in that conversation summed up me and dad. Of course I am not really my aunts kid and my Dad was not a professional football player but still, Phil took my words out right out of my mouth...21 years in advance. I enjoy that scene because I can relate to it and it makes me realize that I am not alone in the world. Anyway, back to the discussion. If they introduced characters/families with the same economic background and economic issues of the audience the ratings will go up. It is a strange phenomenon that writers have forgotten. Their is something so seductive when you see your own reflection. Pun not intended.

So well said. Soaps no longer care about realism. I'm all for going a little out there. I think it's a soap and it's fun to push the limits a bit. But it has to be real. I don't connect with anyone on soaps. It feels like I'm going through the motions to watch some veterans and favorites. If an entire soap town imploded, I don't know that I'd even care.

[allmc2008]

I only like out there stories like "Ice Princess" and "Buchanan City" if it is done right. DOOL had no business with the devil crap and I feel the same about GL and Reva being cloned. Granted I was not alive when GH and OLTL did the stories I mentioned and I know almost nothing about the DOOL and GL story line except from what I have seen and what I have seen was terrible. Anyway, it kinda depends on the soap with crazy stories.

This is a little OT but when Ice Princess was on was that the ONLY intriguing storyline going on?? Was the Hospital completely phased out?? How long did it last?? How about when they did Aztec Treasure and Asian Quarter?? Why wasn't the Devil Possession storyline successful like the other story lines?

[Ben]

Would you class B&B's Amber as being working class? She's not from a rich family, and has struggled financially on and off, even though she married into the Forresters. Then there was Becky and Tawny... The Spectras were always verging on bankruptcy every time they had nothing else to do.

I think it makes sense for the Logans not to be struggling, considering Katie is married to Bill, and Brooke has Ridge, and while Donna has nothing, she probably gets hand outs from her sisters if she needed help.

[allmc2008]

Yeah. I wish GL had succeeded in revamping itself. I just think it had way too much working against and an inexperienced EP. And the potential was there, even at the end. Who'd have ever thought Mindy, Nola, Bridget, Fletcher, Holly, Ed would be back. Vanessa and Billy reunited. But at the same time, there weren't really any plots. Things just ... happened. And while that's fine and I do appreciate that kind of a soap opera ... it just all sort of fell flat. And it's really a shame.

I'm starting to prefer the British soaps. They just feel more real to me. They all at least have jobs they go to. Things just ... happen but it's still all plotted out, but it feels more natural. IDK how to describe it. Perfect? No. No soap ever will be anymore, as far as I'm concerned. Budget is tighter and network execs are much more keen on interfering, though maybe not AS much. ABC seems to be letting GH do whatever. NBC only shows interest every couple of years it seems. CBS pretty much seems to always let Y&R and B&B do whatever. Although at least Sony/CBS stepped in for Y&R and in all honestly, Days needed a change and the demo is doing well under Tomlin.

So well said. Soaps no longer care about realism. I'm all for going a little out there. I think it's a soap and it's fun to push the limits a bit. But it has to be real. I don't connect with anyone on soaps. It feels like I'm going through the motions to watch some veterans and favorites. If an entire soap town imploded, I don't know that I'd even care.

Where they just trying to make GL the way it was during it's radio years?? I think that formula would be a little dated for this day and age. I wonder what would happen if they brought a head writer and an EP from a British soap on GL and use the British soap formula?? Could that work if there was a consultant like Lorraine Broderick to help Americanize the UK formula?? On that not, why didn't they try to put LB on GL as a HW? Didn't she start its Golden Era back in the 90's??

[frequentsoapfan]

Would you class B&B's Amber as being working class? She's not from a rich family, and has struggled financially on and off, even though she married into the Forresters. Then there was Becky and Tawny... The Spectras were always verging on bankruptcy every time they had nothing else to do.

I think it makes sense for the Logans not to be struggling, considering Katie is married to Bill, and Brooke has Ridge, and while Donna has nothing, she probably gets hand outs from her sisters if she needed help.

Amber is classified as a gold digger along with her mother.At least that's how they were acting the last time I watched B&B on a regular basis.

[Ben]

Amber is classified as a gold digger along with her mother.At least that's how they were acting the last time I watched B&B on a regular basis.

Yeah, during Tawney's last stint, I would say that's true. Actually, Tawney's always been a gold digger, but I never really saw Amber as such in the 90s-early 2000s. I never thought she got with Rick for his money the first time around, or CJ.

[soapfan770]

When Rosanna on ATWT returned back in 2009 she was living in hiding on an organic farm co-op and explained that Cabot Motors was going belly up with the '08 financial crisis which I thought was a nice touch of realism however by the time she left again she got her funds from Craig back and had Cabot up and running with no problem it seemed.

[Eric83]

How could you forget about the noble Ford who was struggling after he wrongfully lost his job for sleeping with a student? And poor Nate and James?

[BoldBeauty]

The Spectras on B&B. They always had economical problems, which is why Sally usually had to steal to keep her company afloat.

The Logans started out as a working class family, but when Brooke married into the Forrester family, their status went up. Go figure.

The Forresters kind of started out as a working class family. Stephanie came from money, but Eric was poor. They only borrowed enough money from Stephanie's father to start their company, and then they made their own fortune all by themselves.

[Ann_SS]

When Wheeler and Kreizman took over GL they said the show was going to be about the "have and have nots" which would have been interesting but it just turned into a Spaulding/Cooper war and was ridiculously cartoonish, with the Spauldings being the total villians and the Coopers being the "gosh darn spunky poor family who are always right. " Would have been interesting because at that time the whole coroporate/banking scandalsand the economic crisis were hitting the news, and if they would have taken a look at Spaulding stocks being devalued (especially in the light of scandal after scandal in that company) and stock holders revolting against them to take over, etc. But it played out like Alan had no cares in the world except to "Destroy those COOPERS," Having him have to face loosing his company for real, and not at the hands of Roger, etc, would have given the story more meat. With the Bauers, The Marlers and the Lewis stuck in the middle and with a town, whose major employer would have to be Spaudling (especially with them owning the hospital) it would have ment that Springfield would be on the verge of being destroyed also.

This always irked me. As if Alan would give two figs about the Coopers. It was the same when he suddenly developed a strange obsession with Lizzie's baby so that pathetic Jonathan and Tammy could have an obstacle to their great love. I always remember the great story when Alex and Phillip teamed up steal Spaudling from Alan when he was played by the great Chris Bernau. At least, the Lewises were in the Spaudlings league when they were at war with each other with Henry and Vanessa caught in the middle.

[DRW50]

I think working class characters only pan out if you cast the right actors. They often seem like actors in cheap (for TV, not real life) clothes. If you want to see an example of a glam show which manages to make believable working class, look at Julianna McCarthy on Y&R. If you watn to see a failure, look at the Logans on B&B. When I watched the early episodes I never bought that they were working class.

[MrQuartermaine]

Some of GH's most notable working class residents:

Jessie Brewer

Aunt Ruby

Slick Jones

Mac & Felicia

Luke & Laura

Lucky & Elizabeth

Dante & Lulu

Scotty- when he was younger

[DRW50]

I also have a lot of issues with the casting of Lee Lawson as Bea Reardon. I don't expect working class characters to act like they're in Grapes of Wrath, but she was way too bubbly for someone who was (she thought) abandoned by her husband and left alone to raise about 8 kids.

[frequentsoapfan]

Dante and Lulu don't come off as worknig class characters. Not with Lulu's posh clothes, the apartment with the spacious living room, and doesn't Dante make good money with his job since he is probably salaried and recieving overtime pay? Not to mention Lulu is part owner of the Haunted Star.

And Liz comes from a family of sucessful doctors? When did they run out of money? I never bought her and Lucky's money struggles.

[YRBB]

I really loved Alice Johnson and her super sleazy (to say the least) boyfriend Al, on Y&R. They were so brilliantly written. Although they might have been more of a white trash couple than working class...