Would you like more 'normal' storylines?

[.Amy.]

This was something which was just brought up in the UK discussion thread, but I thought a thread would be more appropriate so everyone could have their opinion. Brian pointed out that there was no nuclear family in Summer Bay, which is a family with both parents and children, this got me thinking there isn't one, nor has there been for a while. References have been made, for example Melody lived with both parents as did Matthew. And then this very valid point was brought up:

^Actually, with Jack dead there is now not one married couple among the regular cast.It's something I've noticed for a while, there've been frequent occasions when there's been no married couples or just the one.

So my question to you guys is, would you prefer seeing more 'typical' family situations? More families that stay together and married couples? Or would this not 'fit' Home and Away?

[halcyon06]

This was something which was just brought up in the UK discussion thread, but I thought a thread would be more appropriate so everyone could have their opinion. Brian pointed out that there was no nuclear family in Summer Bay, which is a family with both parents and children, this got me thinking there isn't one, nor has there been for a while. References have been made, for example Melody lived with both parents as did Matthew. And then this very valid point was brought up:

^Actually, with Jack dead there is now not one married couple among the regular cast.It's something I've noticed for a while, there've been frequent occasions when there's been no married couples or just the one.

So my question to you guys is, would you prefer seeing more 'typical' family situations? More families that stay together and married couples? Or would this not 'fit' Home and Away?

I wouldl like to see more typical family situations. One time Home and Away was all about the 'big families.' (The Hunters, The Sutherlands...) I would like to see more family related storylines in the future.

[CharlE]

I don't think it is a case wanting a 'normal' situation being in the show or not, because single parent families and living together couples are a reality of life. But a Family unit in the show can put a 'base' in the show that storylines can bounce in and out of. You have the dynamics of the Family being played out amongst those particular characters, and at the same time there can be storylines with the Dad and the other males in the show happening at times, or the Mum and the other females in the show, the kids and the other young characters in the show.

A Family unit in the show can just make for a good base for storylines to float around in, but just as importantly float in and out of amongst the other characters in the show also.

[-Kevin-]

H&A is not known for there 'normal storylines' and is part of the reason why it does so much better than things like Neighbours in the ratings.

H&A has always been crazy with their storylines and it would be so boring if they did normal storylines.

[Ryan]

I've said many times over the past few months that I feel it's a cast that has many good parts, it however is also in some ways lacking as an ensemble piece. Whilst I agree with CharlE that the old family unit is becoming less common in recent years, it can almost feel if the show is going out of their way to try be interesting, contemporary and stuff with the introductions of the families - well really part families that they bring in. Though the shows only ever had two families introduced as a unit, part of that reason was that the adults on the show stayed almost the same for the first ten years, so we didn't exactly need parents, because we had Pippa, Alf, Ailsa and Fisher. Irene was added after about five years.

I don't know if it's such the storylines need more normal, but perhaps the characters they are introducing need to be a)more closely and clearly defined and b)chosen more carefully to compliment what we've got. Sometimes in recent times it appears they've thought how can we make the character interesting and original, give them their own set of storylines and then they find they actually know about 2 people in the rest of the cast.

I do believe a central family needs to be created, not necessarily wholly introduced around Summer Bay House. This would probably involve introducing a female character, but it also needs to be a character that we will like.

I guess part of the problem comes with any attempts to pair some of the charactesr off comes from the fact that they appear to want to stay with the show ad nauseum, but others come and go. I believe it would be a major coup of they got Amy Mathews and Jon Sivewright to stay long-term.

[Traceve]

It depends on what you mean by normal. Male and Female parents with 2.4 kids? I'm guessing normal means majority.

[grumble bum]

I miss the days of the Fletchers and Hunters when there was mum and dad and kids. We need more families in Summer Bay.

[Laura]

I would love to see a family like the Sutherlands. A mum, dad, a teenage daughter and son and a younger kid. I liked the Hunters and Holdens aswell.

[-Kevin-]

I miss the days of the Fletchers and Hunters when there was mum and dad and kids. We need more families in Summer Bay.

Yeah I do agree that they need a proper family like this in the bay.

There is actually no proper family in the bay at the moment!! Which is quite unrealistic, in a town like Summer bay

[.Amy.]

I don't think it is a case wanting a 'normal' situation being in the show or not, because single parent families and living together couples are a reality of life.

Yes, I see what you mean, but by normal, I mean like it's a town with not one nuclear family or married couple, which is not a regular occurance in reality.

I guess part of the problem comes with any attempts to pair some of the charactesr off comes from the fact that they appear to want to stay with the show ad nauseum, but others come and go. I believe it would be a major coup of they got Amy Mathews and Jon Sivewright to stay long-term.

I think there is the potential for a new family with Tony and Rachel, it would be interesting to see a family built up on screen, we very rarely see two people having more than one child in soaps now.

It depends on what you mean by normal. Male and Female parents with 2.4 kids? I'm guessing normal means majority.

Well not necessarily, perhaps I phrased my first post wrong. I just find it strange that there is not one married couple or nuclear family, which yes, I suppose is the majority situation in reality.

I think it is very unusual for two rival soaps to be so different, as Neighbours tends to be family-orientated either with families being introduced as a whole or new characters as a part of existing families. I don't know whether this is why the ratings are so different? I suppose it's a possibility that more people prefer storylines that aren't typical of everyday life.