Are the soaps losing their appeal?

Viewings of everything has dropped massively, due to streaming. It's not just soaps.

Anyone recall the American satirical sitcom called Soap, that was a send up of the American soap operas? This really was hilarious when I was a teenager as it sent up the plot twists and unreal characters in US soaps.
When it came to soaps, my guilty pleasures were Dallas, Angels ( the BBC soap about nurses), Eastenders in its early days, and Casualty. Never liked the ITV soaps and my family never watched Crossroads and Emmerdale Farm, and only watched Coronation St off and on.

Yes the soaps have lost their appeal in recent years. For me Coronation Street in particular. Years ago I would never have missed it! However, too much doom and gloom and not enough laughs have really spoiled it. I havent watched it for weeks because of the Todd and Theo storyline. I just find it too distressing. I know bad things like this happen in real life but sometimes a bit of pleasant escapism is good on tv.

Never been a big fan of soaps. Think they are really, boring, overly dramatic and predictable. Stereotypical Characters.

Eastenders springs to mind.
HELP!!!!

Don't watch any of these programmes.absolute rubbish

I used to listen to the Archers with my parents from the early 50s but the story line early last year was too much, so I stopped.

Cumbrianmale56

SOAP!🤣🤣🤣 Confused, you will be!

Like many people I used to enjoy watching Doctors at lunch time. It was a real blow when it was taken off and we were left with endless repeats of quizes and game shows. Fortunately Drama started re running it from the beginning, so I eat breakfast while watching stories that happened long before I started watching. I watched East Enders when it started, but gave up when it lost all touch with real life. Emmerdale was the same. I enjoyed it when it was Emmerdale Farm and had characters like the people I knew in my village in Cornwall, but I haven't watched it since. A real favourite, many years ago, was the Australian soap A Country Practice. Another lunchtime one with likeable characters. Very educational too! Where else would I have learned what Yabbies are? (freshwater crayfish)

My dh and I were avid corrie and eastenders fans but had to give up when his dementia meant he could not remember who any of the characters were or follow a story line! I used to spend all the programme trying to explain what was going on, answering his endless questions, in the end I gave up! Since I have been on my own, I tried a couple of times to rekindle some interest but the dreadfully depressing story lines, really unsavoury characters and bad acting really turned me off for good!

the only soap I have ever followed is on the radio The Archers. That was a mix of things, sometimes listened for a good story line, but also used to listen to it when I was living abroad and thought of my mum also listening to it. The tv ones have never interested me , have always been more of a radio fan, and listening to a lot of radio 3, which I could do whilst I was working around or cooking or whatever. I never wanted to be committed to watching the box every evening. Dont think I have missed much but it is each to their own

In Eastenders, a lot of the acting is genuine, like Kojo who is autistic, the twins who have learning difficulties and even last night the girl in the wheelchair who is now pregnant is a real life wheelchair user etc. etc. Like any production, there are a few weaker actors too.
It's a gritty representation of just one community in East London, but it tackles issues realistically enough for me to recognise several of the rogues in real life!

Not the current twins MartavTaurus? Kat’s twins are fine aren’t they? Do you mean Karen’s twin boys from ages ago?

Yes, Karen's twins, then Ollie, Barney, Oscar (?), Tommy, Freddie, Janet and Heather etc etc.
I guess it's an opportunity show disabilities and how these affect family dynamics.

My brother still listens to The Archers omnibus every Sunday!
I doubt he’s ever watched a TV soap, though.

Mollygo

Cumbrianmale56

SOAP!🤣🤣🤣 Confused, you will be!

That's the one, makes me feel old lol.

Watching emmerdale on catch up I fast forward all the scenes with Joe Graham and Kim..
I’d probably give up altogether if I didn’t like cain and moira.

Some years ago I used to watch Eastenders and Coronation Street religiously. Then one day, when there was a particularly ridiculous storyline, I suddenly wondered why I was devoting several hours a week to such a load of unrealistic rubbish. It's not the actors - they are mostly very good - but the silly plots.

I think a lot of people now don't see the need to spend several hours every week watching soaps, and with the state of the world, their depressing storylines are probably too much. You have to remember as well that when the soaps had 17 million viewers, there were only four television channels and the alternatives weren't very good.

I used to never miss Corrie and Eastenders until I objected strongly to a storyline in one of them- not sure which one. A horrible guy chained a man to a wall in a cellar. Another lowlife buried someone alive in a coffin in a wood. At 7.30 -8 pm children would have been around to see this depravity. I vowed never to watch either soap again!

Eastenders - got at least a year behind.
Whizz bits.

Emm - stopped watching for months. Now watch bits.

Corrie - stopped watching for months as well. Cant get back into it. Too many characters that are "bad". Not enough "good" to bother watching.

It does strike me that no matter how many people say there is too much violence in them, the powers that be take no notice in the slightest.

I watch the Classics[not Eastenders], though may at some point].
Their "bad" people were such like, pushing someone down the stairs. Or getting angry and smashing a glass.
Nowadays, it is anything the script writers can dream up and get away with.

Cumbrianmale56

Anyone recall the American satirical sitcom called Soap, that was a send up of the American soap operas? This really was hilarious when I was a teenager as it sent up the plot twists and unreal characters in US soaps.
When it came to soaps, my guilty pleasures were Dallas, Angels ( the BBC soap about nurses), Eastenders in its early days, and Casualty. Never liked the ITV soaps and my family never watched Crossroads and Emmerdale Farm, and only watched Coronation St off and on.

I remember Soap, and it's spin-off, Benson, very good.
I watched Corrie from the first episode until about 15 years ago, I was even in one episode, but it got ridiculous, same with Emmerdale, remember it from Ma Sugden's reign but it too got too much.

I can remember those really cheap Australian soaps that used to be shown on ITV in the afternoons like Sons and Daughters and A Country Practice. They were quite popular until the mid nineties and then vanished.

Cumbrianmale56

I think a lot of people now don't see the need to spend several hours every week watching soaps, and with the state of the world, their depressing storylines are probably too much. You have to remember as well that when the soaps had 17 million viewers, there were only four television channels and the alternatives weren't very good.

But you don't need to spend several hours a week. I watch Corrie, which is on for 2.5 hours in total. Half an hour on weekdays to separate day from evening is not a massive commitment, I don't think.

Do you watch soaps. Cumbrianmale?

Doodledog

Cumbrianmale56

I think a lot of people now don't see the need to spend several hours every week watching soaps, and with the state of the world, their depressing storylines are probably too much. You have to remember as well that when the soaps had 17 million viewers, there were only four television channels and the alternatives weren't very good.

But you don't need to spend several hours a week. I watch Corrie, which is on for 2.5 hours in total. Half an hour on weekdays to separate day from evening is not a massive commitment, I don't think.

Do you watch soaps. Cumbrianmale?

I find them badly made, boring and depressing these days. With all the bad news around at the moment, I don't want to be depressed even more.