The Soap Discussion

[orestes.]

I think it would be cool if they released some kind of "best of" DVD sets of certain soaps that could sum up what happens with different seasons, show memorable clips, have interviews with the stars, bonus features including the various opening sequences over the years, a history of the show, a "where are they now" for the stars that have since moved on, and all that jazz.

Although I haven't admittedly watched AMC for a good fifteen years, I would love some kind of retrospective from the years I did watch it (back when Erica's daughter Bianca was born and later when Sarah Michelle Gellar played her, Bianca).

God, I feel old. . .

I would love to see this too and I've even emailed NBC about how interesting it would be if they created a special DVD for the 40th anniversary of 'Days of our Lives' this fall.
I think they should have a nice set featuring a 40th anniversary special, interviews with cast, screw and former show stars, show the most memorable clips throughout the past 40 years, put on some bios of the cast and characters, interactive timelines and throw in the first episode as well. Plus everything you mentioned.

Yearly after that how about a Yearbook DVD of each year? I've put a lot of thought into the email but never got a reply which if fully understandable.

Some people out there would love to collect full "seasons" but that would be a waste of time and money. Although for 'Port Charles' I would possibly buy one of the 'books'... actually two. Those would be easier to put on DVD.

[Wonderlicious]

The only American soap that I have seen enough to comment on is the one and only Sunset Beach, which is a classic of <stroke>comedy</stroke> drama. I believe that the way they ended it was by the whole series being all but a dream?

Hey, but the best soap of all time has to go to the Australian Neighbours, which is where Kylie Minogue started her career. It's so gooey and silly, yet its optimism adds to the charm and is certainly easier to appreciate than the grimy soaps of the UK such as Coronation Street and the craptacular Eastenders.

[Disney-Fan]

I hate soaps with a passion. If you can really call Desperate Housewives a soap, than that's the only one I love. Other than that, a complete waste of valuable time.

[chaychay102royal]

I hate soaps with a passion. If you can really call Desperate Housewives a soap, than that's the only one I love. Other than that, a complete waste of valuable time.

Well, my dad calls it a soap but he also calls Gone With the Winda soap opera.

[Disney-Fan]

I hate soaps with a passion. If you can really call Desperate Housewives a soap, than that's the only one I love. Other than that, a complete waste of valuable time.

Well, my dad calls it a soap but he also calls Gone With the Winda soap opera.

Sounds like any dad I know!

[Lazario]

Does anyone here believe that soap operas are well written or acted?

Personally I can't stand soap operas because they're always so underwritten and overacted. I also think the writers of soap operas treat their viewers as if they're morons. Which is another reason to be against them. Real actors look down on soap operas and I can't say I blame them.

[orestes.]

Well 'Days of our Lives' isn't very well written and some of the actors aren't very good but that's not the case for every soap out there. Some have great actors and great stories however with so many characters and so many episodes a year not everything will work.

Some soap opera writers tend to treat their audience as morons such as the head writer for Days but that's also not always the case.

Soap actors are real actors. That's like saying fast food is not real food. It is even if it's not on par quite exactly.

[Lazario]

Oh they get paid to be actors. But there is just no such thing as a good soap opera actor. The formula won't allow it.

I was actually watching about 3 minutes of a soap opera the other day and thought, if I were somehow FORCED to watch one more minute (like in school or in a POW camp), and had a gun handy, I would have shot myself in the head! That's how bad soap opera acting and writing are. And this is consistent with all soap operas. The only ones that ever tried to break the formula was the Passions one about witches and stuff, and MTV's Spyder Games. Oh yeah, and older soap operas like Knots Landing, Dynasty, and Dallas are different too.

But hey- I've always liked soap opera's having a certain quotient of male topless scenes. That's always nice! It just seems sad to have to sacrifice quality for that.

[orestes.]

Oh they get paid to be actors. But there is just no such thing as a good soap opera actor. The formula won't allow it.

I was actually watching about 3 minutes of a soap opera the other day and thought, if I were somehow FORCED to watch one more minute (like in school or in a POW camp), and had a gun handy, I would have shot myself in the head! That's how bad soap opera acting and writing are. And this is consistent with all soap operas. The only ones that ever tried to break the formula was the Passions one about witches and stuff, and MTV's Spyder Games. Oh yeah, and older soap operas like Knots Landing, Dynasty, and Dallas are different too.

But hey- I've always liked soap opera's having a certain quotient of male topless scenes. That's always nice! It just seems sad to have to sacrifice quality for that.

How does Passions break the trend?

[Lazario]

How does Passions break the trend?

Well, storywise, all the show's typical backstabbing and betrayal always had supernatural ties to it. So the writers had to come up with new sorts of motivations for characters to do what soap opera people do. Plus there was a midget at some point, and I think even a few times things were done to seriously creep the audience out (one episode had somebody in a really FREAKY mask tormenting someone in a park). That's radically different from most soap operas, not just that scene, the show.

[orestes.]

Yeah it is different although that show features some horrible acting and writing as well and some say it's one of the worst.
It's not the first to really delve into the supernatural... that would be 'Dark Shadows' (1966-1971), which also became a couple of movies and a remake series in the early 90's.
'Port Charles' also delved into the supernatural, better than Passions I think but the show couldn't survive. Even 'Passions' is struggling.

Actually all soaps are struggling nowadays especially ones like PAssions and Guiding Light, which is a shame because theya re actually interesting to watch and nice escapist tv.

If Guiding Light is cancelled in the next xouple of years that would be a sad moment in television. The show has been on the air for half a century (since 1952) and began on the radio in 1937. It sure has a lot of history.

[Lazario]

I knew about Dark Shadows, my mother is kind of obsessed with that show. She owns I think every episode.

[PatrickvD]

secretly, we all need our daily load of BS. Soap operas provide that. I usually laugh at the poor acting or weird storylines. Like.. when someone dies and then comes back 6 years later as a twin of that character, with a face lift... It's either a poorly written soap or a genius sitcom. Or how fast kids grow.. one moment they're 3, next thing you know they're in rehab

[Lazario]

I would laugh if I thought it was funny, instead of an insult to good television.

[PatrickvD]

I would laugh if I thought it was funny, instead of an insult to good television.

well, if we're gonna look at things as an insult to good telelvision than everything is these days. From soap operas and real life crap to MTV and Nickelodeon. Every single channel really is an insult to one's intelligence, but since there's nothing on most of the time we take the crap for what it is. And here in Holland we really get all the bad American TV shows.

[Lazario]

My God even I'm not comfortable with talking about TV in general on a post about soap operas. That's too much time we could spend talking about TV and ignoring soap operas. Yet soap operas are especially bad. I've seen quite a few really good reality shows. Newer shows like Newlyweds, Ashley Simpson, Real World: Philadelphia, The Surreal Life 3 & 4, Mr. Romance, Strip Search, and Celebrity Fit Club are very good.

But I couldn't name even half that many soap operas that are any good.

[PatrickvD]

My God even I'm not comfortable with talking about TV in general on a post about soap operas. That's too much time we could spend talking about TV and ignoring soap operas. Yet soap operas are especially bad. I've seen quite a few really good reality shows. Newer shows like Newlyweds, Ashley Simpson, Real World: Philadelphia, The Surreal Life 3 & 4, Mr. Romance, Strip Search, and Celebrity Fit Club are very good.

But I couldn't name even half that many soap operas that are any good.

lol true, one comment though, what bothers me about the Real World is how everyone is attractive in that show, yet in the REAL WORLD half of us are ugly so much for the 'real world'. But in the eternal words of the McFarland Method, to be on TV you have to turn from an actor into an attractor

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

I like soap! It helps clean your body!

[Lazario]

Actually, that tradition has been broken several times. Real World 3: San Francisco had Puck (ew!!!), Real World 6: Boston had Montana (she was 'sorta' attractive, just not in a traditional way), Real World 8: Hawaii had Ruthie who had a bit of a jellyroll tummy and Justin who was toothpick thin and had a face that kind of looked like he was suffering from either an STD or an eating disorder. And Teck, my goodness he was horrifying to see naked! Heather B from 1: New York was about 20-25 pounds overweight, 2: Los Angeles's Beth S. had a chubby face, 6: Boston's Sean had a skin condition that made him break out in hives, 5: Miami's Sarah had awful skin (very greasy and bruised up), 2: Los Angeles also had Dominic and Jon who were both very out of shape (though not overweight), and tell me 7: Seattle's Rebecca wasn't the homeliest looking person ever featured on television! She could have played Tracey Gold in a TV movie with just a different hairstyle, or a homeless person with just a simple change of clothes.

You're kind of right about the newer seasons, though I hate most of them for different reasons. But I wouldn't say most of the Real Worlders were flawless like most people.

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

As for soap operas, all of them are just 100% silly and 100% lame.