Why Soaps Are Being
Canceled By
Suzanne
It was quite sad and shocking when we
learned last week when we learned that ABC had canceled
All My Chlidren and One Life to Live. Every year for the
past 5 years, they have canceled one of the soaps. To
cancel two at once was like a one-two suckerpunch to
soap fans. It's not just the people who have
enjoyed AMC and OLTL over the years, but all soap fans,
that feel horrified that the genre is dying and that the
TV network executives don't seem to care.
In some ways, though, it is not too
surprising. To me it always comes down to the
writing and the bad decisions they make in that regard.
Actors come and go, and sometimes it's not the network's
fault when they do. I don't blame them for that kind of
thing, usually. The writing, however, has gotten
really bad in the past 20 years, as have the ratings,
and that they are to blame for.
TOO MUCH and TOO MANY
Stolen
babies
Recast characters
Rapidly-aged kids
Switched paternity tests
Shocks and surprises in stories that come out of
nowhere, with no hints (not in a good way)
Introducing new characters
Avoiding GLBT* issues, characters, stories and romance
Shootings,
stabbings, kidnappings, fires, explosions and serial
killers
Dead children and other sad tales
Couples who meet and instantly hate each other for no
apparent reason
Amnesia
Back from the dead
Clichés
Characters who get stuck in elevators, caves, sewers,
and snowstorms
Characters
we hate that suddenly dominate the show
Under-used actors over 40
Hokey or cheesey or campy or contrived stories
Re-using of the same plots over and over
Secrets that come out too soon
Dumb cops and smart criminals
Changing characters' personalities overnight for no
reason
Calling each other "sis" and "bro"
Story-driven without regard to character or history
Bland
big-lipped model actors made up to look like Taylor
Lautner
Characters acting in a completely unrealistic fashion
Stories and dialogue that would never happen in the real
world
Lack of morality (even in "good guys")
Characters changing bed partners so fast that it makes
your head spin
Constantly
breaking up popular couples and not letting them be
happy for more than two minutes
Obvious and repetitive scenes, such as
two people talking about their "big secret" and the
person who needs to hear the secret walking in just then
Weddings or other major events with only 10 characters
present
Stupid plot devices like Flashbacks,
daydreams, nightmares, musical montages and monologues
Weddings that come together in a week
Stories we would like to see that happen off-camera
Evil twins
Children that never appear or are rarely talked about
Changing or ignoring history
Usage of bad grammar by characters that are supposed to
be educated
Inconsistent plots and characters
Stories or characters that irritate us and make us
switch the channel or turn off the TV
Assuming
that soap opera fans are stupid and will watch anything
Trying to redeem murderers, rapists and
liars by turning them into heroes
Good primetime dramas to compete with (and to compare
to)
Predictable stories!
NOT ENOUGH
Romance
(not just sex)
Family interaction, discussion, feelings, events,
support
Fun and humor
Mystery
Couples that act like real couples do, touching each
other (other than sex)
Characters that are charming, likable and unusual, and
make us want to know more about them
Advertising or publicity or support from the networks
Recovery time or scars for characters who had cancer or
operations
Realism
Use
of entire casts in stories (especially people over 40)
People of different types: colors, cultures, religions,
sexual preference, etc.
Weddings and other big splashy events like they used to
have
Improvement in writing or writers for the past 20 years
(unlike primetime)
Contemporary stories
Respect for the soaps and their fans
Have something to add? Complain about?
Email me!
*GLBT means Gay Lesbian Bisexual or
Transgender
Page updated 12/27/11
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