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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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When does a drama series stop being a drama and become a soap opera?
For example I'd class Holby City as a soap as it seems more concerned with who's shagging/hates who than the drama bit.
Is Downton Abbey becoming a soap now that its becoming more popular and will probably run and run? I just wondered if there was some criteria to be fulfilled? |
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"When does a drama series stop being a drama and become a soap opera?
For example I'd class Holby City as a soap as it seems more concerned with who's shagging/hates who than the drama bit.
Is Downton Abbey becoming a soap now that its becoming more popular and will probably run and run? I just wondered if there was some criteria to be fulfilled?"
i think a soap runs continuously.... |
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"Is that the only criteria then? That it has to run continuously to be a soap?
Nothing to do with the ridiculousness of the storylines then?"
I just had a google and apparently yes, that's the only criteria! It just goes on and on and on and ... You get my drift x |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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That just sounds daft. Surely it should be when the stories get to a certain level of stupidity.
For example I'd class Waterloo Road as a soap even though its not continuous, as the entire school moved to Scotland or something. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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A soap doesn't necessarily have a specific theme for each episode, and generally is an ongoing thing. You follow the characters story, not the episodes story...and most of the stories are continuous without all coming to an and together to tie up the series.
With a series, although there can still be character stories continuing throughout a series, each episode has a specific story to tell which concludes at the end of the show/series with a neat little bow...although they sometimes leave back stories or a teaser for the next episode.
Soaps are called soaps because the first one was sponsored by a soap manufacturer..can't remember which show or which soap!
Believe it or not I learnt that in English at school! |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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I didn't think it had anything to do with being continuously on, as the original Dallas and Dynasty had series breaks but were definitely soaps. So it appears that lines are being blurred.
To me, a tv drama these days has a single story, emphasis on the story above characters, but is usually short lived, say 2 or 3 episodes.
A soap is always the same setting, characters that come and go jumping from one crisis to the next, sensational storylines.
To my mind Downtown Abbey is a soap, albeit set in the past. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"When does a drama series stop being a drama and become a soap opera?
For example I'd class Holby City as a soap as it seems more concerned with who's shagging/hates who than the drama bit.
Is Downton Abbey becoming a soap now that its becoming more popular and will probably run and run? I just wondered if there was some criteria to be fulfilled?"
There is a formula and I think its in program deaths multiplied by number of actors divided by episodes per year. |
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I think
