Discussions

Your honest opinion on soap operas

Posted by Arashmania • 9/16/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: cultural differences, latin and us mentality, nuns boxing pirates, telenovelas and soap operas

What do you think about soap operas? Do you watch them? Why or why not? Are they simply junk and a waste of time?

In my latest post I compare telenovelas with soap operas and try to examine cultural differences and whether they are beneficial to society (food for thought) or if they are simply a waste of time (junk food):

arashworld.blogspot.com/2008/09/telenovelas-and-soap-operas-junk-food.html

As a bonus you get to see a pic of an actual telenovela involving a nun boxing her beloved pirate!

User Comments

9/16/08

DrowseyMonkey

One place I worked everyone would watch The Young and the Restless during lunch, lol ... it was kinda fun.

I'm addicted to Coronation Street now tho. Can't get back into the American soaps anymore.

Just reading your post now...very interesting. I learned about telenovas from Ugly Betty...lol.

[reply]
1. 9/16/08
  
  Arashmania
  
  Young and Restless is one of my Mom's favorite ... I've seen bits and pieces of it but tried not to get sucked in!
2. 9/16/08
  
  DrowseyMonkey
  
  I hadn't seen it in like, 5 years when I was home sick one day and channel surfing, I couldn't believe how much the story line was the same! haha! Hardly anything had changed.
3. 9/16/08
  
  DrowseyMonkey
  
  oops
9/16/08

morgantj

garbage.

[reply]
9/16/08

annaswan

IMO soap operas think their viewers are stoopid. They do! Or, maybe they think we have the memory of a gold fish.

How many times have you watched one for a while, and had them totally re-create a scene from the past in a different way, or grow up a baby in about 3 weeks to age 21, or bring a dead person back??

I love comedy and fantasy as much as the next gal - but come on - they call it daytime DRAMA... drama-tize me for gawds sake! LOL

[reply]
9/16/08

peaceful1

I watch them on rare occasions just for a laugh.
The acting in soap operas is so comical to me.

But the actors work VERY hard and hardly have time to learn their scripts, and a lot of people love to watch them so I won't call them a waste of time.

[reply]
9/16/08

Anok

I think all shows are a bit soap-opera0ish. But if you mean "day time TV", I think it's a bit hoaky, I mean, the story lines...I've seen porns with better ones!

The acting is overdone, the drama far too out there to be realistic, yet they try to make it realistic...

[reply]
1. 9/16/08
  
  DrowseyMonkey
  
  So...about this porn you seem to watch a lot ....
2. 9/16/08
  
  Anok
  
  Contact high!!
  
  Heh.
  
  I watch midget porn. (no, not really, but that's in honor of Kdawg, since he's not here tonight).
3. 9/16/08
  
  DrowseyMonkey
  
  He's missing all the fun.
  
  I bet daytime actors really love their jobs tho...I mean they have to learn a lot of lines to learn on short notice. That can't be easy.
4. 9/16/08
  
  Anok
  
  I don't think it's easy at all...and I'll bet they have fun with all the campy stuff. In a way, I think day time TV has begun to make fun of itself.
9/16/08

RMania

I don't know how anybody can seriously get into soap operas... the way the actors deliver lines and their exaggerated facial expressions, I'm so acutely aware of the fact that they're ACTING that it makes me laugh.

[reply]
9/16/08

drjay1966

I've never cared for them, though some friends from South America turned me on to Brazilian telenovelas--even though I don't understand Portuguese and the Spanish they're dubbed into is way too fast, I can get a sense of just how over the top and fun they are.

[reply]
9/16/08

MadameX

When I was in college, we used to watch General Hospital on Friday afternoons and drink every time they said "brownstone". Only watching once a week, we never really seemed to miss anything. Once there was some big mystery that was supposed to all come clear on Valentine's Day, and after we waited months for that it was finally really unveiled on the last day of school (mid-May)

[reply]
9/16/08

jafabrit

I occasionally watched constipation oops I mean coronation street when I was back home, but generally I don't watch any daytime tv. American soaps never did much for me.

[reply]
9/16/08

Arashmania

Over the top acting is one of the main ingredients of soap operas, but telenovelas are even more dramatic both in acting and content!

What I hate though when they run out of ideas and simply rehash previous scenes in flashbacks.

[reply]
9/16/08

Sebastyne

Oh I think they're stupid. And I watch them. At least I watch one; the Bold and the Beautiful, which is over and done with in US as far as I know but is still going here.

www.sebastyne.net/blog/2008/07/things-i-have-learned-watching-the-bold-and-...

Telenovellas I don't get. I've tried to watch a few but nah. Don't fly with me.

[reply]
9/16/08

Friday13

"NOOOO! It can't be! You can't be my twin brother born two years before me and from another woman!"

*camera zooms in repeatedly on everyone's faces as dramatic music plays*

*scene fades out*

[reply]
9/16/08

CrystalRaven

waste of time

[reply]
9/16/08

robinj

dramatic pause for effect wait side profile then look of shock then raised eyebrows another pause for effect maybe a word slotted in....nah don't think I am missing much but hey everyone needs some mills and boons moments as I call them among the war and peace ones

[reply]
9/16/08

EDBeale

Soaps are silly fun. And, even if you haven't watched it in a long time, one episode and you're practically caught up. I'd fallen out of the habit, but a coworker got me sucked back in. Curse you Y&R and your fabulousness!

[reply]
9/16/08

kden

Madamex--I remember 'The Brownstone', now they hardly talk about it anymore. Who even lives there anymore? This is the only one I tape and then watch early in the am before anybody gets up. I fast forward through most of it though. It is getting stupid but I don't want to miss anything either ;-)

[reply]
9/16/08

voodooKobra

www.kobrascorner.com/shit/improve-soap-operas.php

I hate soap operas, but I have one idea that might make them more interesting: Incorporate pornography!

[reply]
1. 9/17/08
  
  Arcticulates
  
  @voodoo;
  You must not have checked on a show lately. They practically do have porn during the love scenes..soft porn I guess would be what it is called.
2. 9/17/08
  
  voodooKobra
  
  Heh. I wrote that rant like a year ago.
9/16/08

Arashmania

That might be a tougher sell for the Latin telenovelas with most countries being Catholic and all, but hey, why not, it's worth a shot!

[reply]
9/16/08

globalgirl

Your honest opinion on soap operas

Blah. Brain candy and bon bons.

[reply]
1. 9/16/08
  
  Arashmania
  
  which is why they are like junk food and quite addictive, no?
2. 9/16/08
  
  globalgirl
  
  Addictive? To whom? I know of no one who watches such, um, bonbon shows.
3. 9/16/08
  
  MadameX
  
  You may not know anyone, but approximately 9 million women between the ages of 18 and 49 tune in each week to the daytime soaps on the three U.S. networks--and some of the most popular soap operas have viewer demographics that skew heavily toward women over 55 (who aren't even included in these numbers).
9/16/08

katarokkar

mind numbing.

[reply]
9/17/08

SweetViolet

I watch a South African soap faithfully. 7de laan (7th Avenue) is produced in Afrikaans with English subtitles and believe it or not, it has helped me learn a bit of Afrikaans. Mostly, though, it is light, fun entertainment with short story arcs and OTT acting (Jan Hendrick has about 3 facial expressions and an equally short emotional repertoire, for example). Sometimes it is used as a vehicle for social awareness...very clumsily, I might add...but the production values are great and the people are fairly realistically portrayed and they eschew the silly supernatural and credulity-stretching plotlines so common in US soaps.

I also watch Days, but we are 4 years behind the US. I usually just have it on as background when I blog, though, cos the only significant plot developments seem to happen on Friday (cliffhanger weekends, anyone?).

As bad as the soapies might be, they are often the best thing available in the vast wasteland of daytime TV.

[reply]
9/17/08

Arcticulates

I have watched General Hospital and One Life to Live and All My Children on and off for over 20 years. I can miss months and months of shows and pretty much catch up with everything just watching a couple days in a row. I don't have time to watch them now...way too busy.. But I sure loved the drama when my kids were babies, they came on during nap time..

[reply]
9/17/08

fairchildonrage

there's nothing bad with soap operas i guess but i just hate watching lowQ ones and with sappy story lines and predictable ones too -- its kinda waste of time.

sometimes i also think that why watch soap operas when my personal life is more of a reality soap! XD

[reply]
9/17/08

chrisso

Soap operas can be the worse and the best you get on TV.
The worse: The trouble with them is they never end...I think it is quite sad that people get back home at such or such time because they don't want to miss their favourite soap, I also find it very annoying when I get to work and I hear someone talk about their soap heroes as if they were real life characters...
The best because I found some of the actors very good, probably better than cinema actors who sometimes rely more on their appearance to please the crowds. At least with soap operas(in the UK that is) they are usually ugly enough to be compelled to act well so they can keep their job.

[reply]
9/17/08

ooozzzie

Not another thread about the US Elections! :)

[reply]
1. 9/17/08
  
  Arashmania
  
  Well ooozzzie, who do you think would have the best chances to have a career in soap opera? My vote goes to Palin ; )
9/17/08

Friday13

This is the only soap opera we should all watch:

[reply]
9/17/08

myriadlife

I am sooo bored with TV, it's rare anything captures my full attention, Soaps aren't my thing right now though I have loved them in the past.

[reply]
9/17/08

cmillinsf

Some soap operas are much better than others.
I was a big fan of The Edge of Night back in 1979-81. What a great show that was!
Lately, Proctor & Gamble has been running episodes from The Edge of Night and their other soap operas (Search for Tomorrow, etc.) on AOL Video.
So now, these old soaps that have been off the air for decades have picked up a lot of new fans. One of the reasons for that is that the old soaps are better than any of the daytime dramas currently on network television.

[reply]
9/17/08

plmartins

In my country ( Brasil ) they make great soap operas,I used to watch because the subjects are based on real problems like racism, the life of the people the favelas, drink, drugs and etc... Here in Portugal they have a channel that shows brasilian and portuguese soap opera , it's too much surfering, crying and problems... So I don't like to hear or see anymore

[reply]