Do You Consider H&A A Soap Opera?

[HighwayUnicorn]

Deleted.

[Liz]

I class EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, etc. (UK) as soap operas, because their storylines do tend to mirror UK life (although I doubt that any one real-life person will every experience one half of the traumas that a soap character will within their three-year stint on the soap). For me, this is what defines a soap opera. As I don't live in, nor have ever visitied Australia, I cannot gauge whether Home and Away is indicative of Australian life.

(I hope not... surely life cannot be so melodramatic ).

[baybelle22]

I think of it as a soap opera.. and the only one I like. I especially hate UK soaps. Eastenders and Coronation Street are both horrendous.

Why do you hate UK soaps?

[XXXh&aXXX]

I've always counted H&A as a soap orpera, I don't no why i just do. It's the best soap opera in my view. The only shows that i watch that are classed as soap opera's are H&A, Eastenders and coronation street, but H&A is the only one i actually follow all the time!

[alreetlike]

I think of it as a soap opera.. and the only one I like. I especially hate UK soaps. Eastenders and Coronation Street are both horrendous.

Why do you hate UK soaps?

It's not really that I hate UK soaps because they're UK soaps.. just all the ones I've ever watched are beyond rubbish.

[Lollyblast]

I definalty consider H&A to be a saop opera, i think for the fact that it airs 5 days a week whereas dramas are only once a week. However the cut away shots of the scenary around the Summer Bay area dont go with the conventional soap opera style. I can also say that H&A is definalty not as depressing as the Uk soap

[jldraw]

I definalty consider H&A to be a soap opera, i think for the fact that it airs 5 days a week whereas dramas are only once a week.

I'm kind of surprised about how many people are getting hung up about the five days a week thing. When I started this topic I was trying to gauge whether or not people felt the overall feel of the show was that of a soap opera. I understand the argument but I sort of see that on the periphery personally. Maybe it's different for other people.

The thing is though for the line between soap and teen drama (which H&A 2010 has many elements of) is very blurred. I mean I remember when "Beverly Hills: 90210" first debuted in 1990 that it was at first a very issue driven show. The first fifteen or so episodes of the show have often been referred to by fans as the "After-School Special" era of the show as it really did have the feel of a very long "After-School Special" with a new topic tackled each week. It was only when the producers of the show began to take elements from soap operas and make the show into more of a continuing saga that "90210" really took off.

[devon]

It's definitely a soap, IMO. The acting, dialogue, story-line continuity etc is like what you'd expect of a Soap Opera. It's better than most soaps in the UK, though.

[CougarCat]

My understanding of a drama series is a distinct storyline or focus each week. For example, All Saints had a few different patients as the focus each week, with those patient's stories usually being resolved by the end of the episode. Skins (UK drama) would focus on a different character each episode and at least partially resolve storylines within a few episodes. Likewise, Shameless had a different main storyline each episode. These and other dramas have continuing storylines as well but there's still a distinct focus each episode. Where as H&A has 3-4 storylines that are the focus of each episode and around 7-8 storylines occurring concurrently, some bigger than others. Only rarely is a whole episode devoted to one storyline. Furthermore, on H&A and other actual soaps, with so many storylines happening at the same time, the focus shifts so frequently between storylines within the same episode and within a week of episodes, that no single storyline can be delved into too deeply or resolved without stretching it out over a relatively long time. Different soaps move at a different pace but they are still slow compared to dramas that have fewer concurrent storylines.

[bubblepop]

I classify H&A as a soap/teen drama but its still more of a "Soap Oprea" to me. I watch a range of soaps from different countries.

I watch Eastenders, Neighbours & H&A, Young and Restless. I started watching Y&R when Tammin joined the show, it felt very different from her days on H&A and at first I couldn't even watch 10 mins of it but because I was so used to the British & Australian style of soaps then I began to enjoy it and followed her character all the way through untill she left, I still keep upto with the episodes. I like all those soaps for different reasons.

I like Eastenders because its the most realistic looking soap, you see average looking people you would see outside, the home setting, storylines just feels like you can relate to it.

Neighbours is a very light-hearted, fun soap with a comedic element to it which I like.

Y&R is the most unrealistic but its nice to sometimes escape and watch something that doesn't happen in every day life.

Australian & US daytime soaps are also easier on the eyes. I love seeing all the beautiful men & women.

My favourite soap oprea right now is Neighbours though! followed by Eastenders, then H&A.

H&A was my favourite around 2001-2004.