Soap series must cease to exist

[Bijo]

...for they are rubbish. All of them are rubbish. There's this particular one called Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden that I severely dislike. It must perish.

Or what about As The World Turns? Please, just, just... kill me now!

Let us join forces, let us cooperate, to rid the world of this evil that's soap series. Cheap acting, bad music, cheap stories, bad production, all that rubbish: ARRRRGH! They must be destroyed!

And I know how. As soon as I complete my mind control apparatus its power shall be unleashed upon the vulnerable who are then transformed into my minions. However, I will still require a few personal henchmen to control them as their commanders. Oh yes, oh yes. What a devious start of a plan. Hahahah! Hahahhaahahha. Mwuhahahah. MUWHWAHWAAHAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA!

[Marshal Murat]

It's called a remote.

It's got a power button that turns the TV off.

[Craterus]

I thought an intellectual such as yourself would have better things to do than watch TV?

[Fragony]

Do as I did, cut the cable. nothing but commercials anyway. Read a book instead. Or throw one at someone. Or burn one LOL

[Marshal Murat]

Korean Soap Opera
NSFW

[Innocentius]

It's called a remote.

It's got a power button that turns the TV off.

That's no excuse. You can turn your head and look away as the Chinese government carries out their genocide on the Tibetan people; it doesn't make it right. Likewise with bad TV-shows.

[Fragony]

You have no idea how annoying tibetian people can be otherwise you woun't say that. Get stuck in someone's others chainsaw I say.

[Gregoshi]

...As soon as I complete my mind control apparatus its power shall be unleashed upon the vulnerable who are then transformed into my minions.

I thought that is what a soap opera was.

We now return to The Bijo and the Beautiful...

[Bijo]

Heheheh! Ah, The Bold and the Beautiful, I mean.... DAMN! What is it that people like about that piece of crap? I think I will consider Frag's advice and burn a book. Actually, a whole collection of books, starting with fashion magazines I find. I think the first place to start is my doctor's waiting room: there's always loads of crap magazines in there; don't even have to check which ones, just burn them all

[Gregoshi]

It is the serial nature of the soaps that makes them so addictive, Bijo. Sure, it seems stupid when you tune in for one show, but watch a soap for a week or two and you'll be hooked. Once upon a time, prime time TV was all episodic, then the TV execs discovered the power of the serial can be effective in outside of daytime programming. In the last several years, many of the more successful shows (at least here in the US) are serial rather than episodic.

Are you up for an experiment Bijo? The great Bijo Soap Opera Challenge. Can you resist the lure of your "favourite" soap after watching it every day for 1-2 week period? Or will you join the legions of mindless soapies hopelessly devoted to their show?

[woad&fangs]

I only read the thread title but I agree with every word you have said.

[Andres]

I only read the thread title but I agree with every word you have said.

He said you still owe him 5.000 €...

[Fragony]

As the world hunts

[Bijo]

As the world hurts....

Arrrgh! Really! Which fool invented this title: 'As The World Turns' ? Or what about 'Onderweg naar Morgen' (Underway to Tomorrow), or 'Goede Tijden Slechte Tijden'? What the hell are those shows about? It's allllways the same damn thing: conflict in some form.

Just... just... shoot a bullet through my head right now!

[Husar]

'Goede Tijden Slechte Tijden'

You may be surprised to hear that we have a series called "Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten" here, now I wonder who invented it and who stole it.

I watch it every day of course, have to know what happens to Lisa. <- that was a joke

[Peasant Phill]

I don't think all soap opera's should be cancelled. There are bound to be a few where the actors take their job serious, the characters don't monologue when facing a mantle piece, people don't die and come back a year later, a character suddenly changes appearance without a good explenation, there isn't a murder plot every two weeks in a small town and whole storylines end when a person wakes up after haveing dreamt a year of occurences.

There must be .... right?

Oh, when could you guys help me ban the so called 'tele novelle' which seem to be very poular in Flanders. A tele novelle is a soap opera but with an ending unfortunatly it has the characteristics of your run of the mill awfull soap opera (at least the one I have to watch with my girlfriend and here family).

[Beirut]

I watched All My Children for almost twenty-years. Our housekeeper watched it every day at lunch back in the 70s when I was a kid, so I ended up watching it as well. Got hooked. When I worked as a security guard in the 80s, most of my shifts made me miss it, so I would tape it all week and watch all five episodes during the weekend. Not sure when I stopped watching, must have been in the 90s sometime.

Never watched any of the others, just All My Children.

[drone]

Every now and then, I switch over to Telemundo to catch the novellas. Two things make this experience worthwhile. First, I can't speak Spanish and thus have no clue what is going on (so I create my own plot lines to match the shocked faces and music). The second thing is the hot Latino babes.

[Papewaio]

It's allllways the same damn thing: conflict in some form.

Here is a challenge for you. Can you tell me any single drama/play/movie that you have seen that has had no conflict in it?

[Martok]

Never watched any of the others, just All My Children.

Ditto here. I grew up having to watch it, as my mom would always have the show on during lunchtime. When the school year would start again, I would always come home and ask my mom what I missed. I think I finally stopped watching the show shortly after Sarah Michelle Gellar began playing Erica Kane's daughter (or was it stepdaughter?) Kendel.


Is it wrong that I still remember that?

[Geoffrey S]

Most everybody claims to hate soaps (as with Big Brother), but someone watches...

[Beirut]

Ditto here. I grew up having to watch it, as my mom would always have the show on during lunchtime. When the school year would start again, I would always come home and ask my mom what I missed. I think I finally stopped watching the show shortly after Sarah Michelle Gellar began playing Erica Kane's daughter (or was it stepdaughter?) Kendel.

Erica was raped and became pregnant, Kendall was the result. Bianca was also Erica's daughter. Travis Montgomery was Bianca's father.

Is it wrong that I still remember that?

Yes it is. Only an addle minded shmoo would know who was who on a soap opera.

[macsen rufus]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can't kill soap operas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Then I'd have no reason to feel smug about not having a TV

[AntiochusIII]

Actually, I think soap operas, unlike, say, reality shows, are actually pretty fun.

You know, the whole rape, pregnancy, love triangles, incest, twincest, siblings who don't know they were siblings, death, drama, amnesia, dead parents, car accidents, childhood friends...

Fun stuff.

FYI, I just watched one where this nicest girl in the whole show (who got stabbed an episode earlier "saving" the female twin) decides to spill everything to the main character that she's responsible for sending an evil letter saying that the twin characters are twincest-ing, and that's because she's in love with the female twin, and the main character was like, "the REAL you is a good person!" In that same episode the twins elope and the main character catches up to them in time to say a dramatic, background-music-full goodbye.

Hilarity.

[Quid]

While at uni, I used to watch 'Home and away' and 'Neighbours' everyday - twice! It was great fun. Lots of babes and rediculous story lines. I am not even ashamed of saying so. The whole house would watch and shout at the tv for a good hour of togetherness and smart arsed comments. Good times.

Quid

[Peasant Phill]

I've followed 'neighbours' on and off for years now (read watched out of boredom with my mother or later my girlfriend). I quite liked it as the storyline consists mostly of every day events. Although, there seems to be an above average frequency of disapearances, affairs, illness, unwanted pregnancies and accidents in one street in Erinsborough. Hmmm, must have something to do with that toxic waste that Paul dumped in a lake nearby.

[lars573]

The only thing remotely like a soap series I ever watched was Babylon 5. Real soaps are about as interesting as watching paint dry.