When did Coronation Street go wrong?

[Inner Smile]

I think around 2005 BUT 2004 was an amazing year for the show. From 2005 - 2010 it was still good but after that it's gradually got worse

Today's Corrie is not Corrie as it once was

We will never get moments like this again

 

[ButterTart]

It was fucking CILLA who brought the rot in. I hated that character.

Coronation Street has had a lot of highs in the last two decades - the problem is that whenever it's lost a properly iconic character (Blanche, Norris, Hayley, Tina) it's never managed to replace them with anyone even half as memorable.

 

[Inner Smile]

CILLA AND LES Leanne never even mentions him now

 

[supermassive]

Somehow the show feels more anonymous and irrelevant than even Hollyoaks. Granted I stopped watching around the time Fiz was marrying that John teacher guy

 

[VV]

I still like it.

 

[Inner Smile]

I was looking at some old clips and even around 2012 it was still fairly decent. The pub was packed and not like the morgue it is now. I know most weren't a fan but I liked the family unit of Stella, Karl and Eva running the pub

 

[Star]

I wonder if soaps in general are just on the decline. I feel like back in the day after a big event you'd be like 'omg did you watch Eastenders last night?'.
But these days I'm just greeted with blank looks if I ask that. I only watch Eastenders and Casualty anymore, but they provide me with some much needed release.

 

[Ellie]

I wonder if soaps in general are just on the decline. I feel like back in the day after a big event you'd be like 'omg did you watch Eastenders last night?'.
But these days I'm just greeted with blank looks if I ask that. I only watch Eastenders and Casualty anymore, but they provide me with some much needed release.

Same There’s just one person in the office who still watches EastEnders, and she’s almost always a month behind on iPlayer so isn’t even worth talking to about it.

 

[Tetris-Rock]

I was looking at some old clips and even around 2012 it was still fairly decent. The pub was packed and not like the morgue it is now. I know most weren't a fan but I liked the family unit of Stella, Karl and Eva running the pub

The financial troubles have contributed massively towards this - you rarely get characters in a scene unless they absolutely need to be there and it sucks a lot of life and energy out of settings where you'd expect people to be around like the pub. I've been watching through late nineties Coronation Street on YouTube and these sorts of scenes are essential for low key character development and interaction, as well as ensuring characters get a bit of visibility even when they're not the focal point of a storyline. This is particularly useful in offering light touch screen time to some of the veteran characters that audiences are fond of - but of course, the sheer cost of paying those actors is prohibitive even for this, never mind more substantive storylines.

I think the other main issue is that the soaps are trying to compete with streaming and the higher quality, gritty serial dramas you can get elsewhere. In trying to do so they have forgotten one of the main reasons people enjoy the soaps, which is the perfect mix of drama and light comedy that they provide. Every other scene is at the hospital or down the fucking police station. The other issue is that they can't really compete - so in trying to be Line of Duty they end up being The Bill. Essentially a soap with all the fun sucked out.

 

[SystemAddict]

The financial troubles have contributed massively towards this - you rarely get characters in a scene unless they absolutely need to be there and it sucks a lot of life and energy out of settings where you'd expect people to be around like the pub. I've been watching through late nineties Coronation Street on YouTube and these sorts of scenes are essential for low key character development and interaction, as well as ensuring characters get a bit of visibility even when they're not the focal point of a storyline. This is particularly useful in offering light touch screen time to some of the veteran characters that audiences are fond of - but of course, the sheer cost of paying those actors is prohibitive even for this, never mind more substantive storylines.

I think the other main issue is that the soaps are trying to compete with streaming and the higher quality, gritty serial dramas you can get elsewhere. In trying to do so they have forgotten one of the main reasons people enjoy the soaps, which is the perfect mix of drama and light comedy that they provide. Every other scene is at the hospital or down the fucking police station. The other issue is that they can't really compete - so in trying to be Line of Duty they end up being The Bill. Essentially a soap with all the fun sucked out.

Agreed. The problem with Coronation Street is that it’s now essentially a DC Swain spin-off with other characters centred around her storylines.

 

[SystemAddict]

Anyway, Hollyoaks still brings the CAMP and has its normal plots borrowed by the “big three” for their stunt weeks.

There are also some ludicrous retcons happening at the moment in order to bring back deceased characters for the 30th anniversary.

 

[lolly]

I wonder if soaps in general are just on the decline. I feel like back in the day after a big event you'd be like 'omg did you watch Eastenders last night?'.
But these days I'm just greeted with blank looks if I ask that. I only watch Eastenders and Casualty anymore, but they provide me with some much needed release.

Linear TV is in decline across the board and has been for some time, but soaps have seemingly been hit harder than any other genre. Only about 5% of the population regularly watch them now according to the 7 day figures - and they never did add much after that, compared to drama serials, at least.

I don't watch any of them so wouldn't seek discussion out, but outside of moopy I'm not aware of anyone who watches any of them, except for my mother.

 

[Star]

Linear TV is in decline across the board and has been for some time, but soaps have seemingly been hit harder than any other genre. Only about 5% of the population regularly watch them now according to the 7 day figures - and they never did add much after that, compared to drama serials, at least.

I don't watch any of them so wouldn't seek discussion out, but outside of moopy I'm not aware of anyone who watches any of them, except for my mother.

Did you ever watch any soaps?

 

[lolly]

Did you ever watch any soaps?

Nope. No interest in any of them.

 

[VV]

I don't think it can be that bad, or people wouldn't watch it.

 

[lolly]

I think the soaps just have a very loyal (if dwindling) hardcore audience now, a large proportion of who watch all three of the big ones, and most of them don't really care how good or not they are. They just watch them.

 

[Rita]

One million percent it is habit. If I am in I have it on but it is very much background noise these days, BUT as I say at 7.30pm I have one of them on usually even if I’m not really paying attention.

 

[Rita]

I agree with whoever mentioned SWAIN. Why on EARTH they decided to make her the centre of everything is totally beyond me. She is a textbook copper with very few redeeming qualities.

 

[lolly]

Nope. No interest in any of them.

Oh sorry @Star, you said 'did', not 'do'.

EastEnders I watched pretty religiously from when it started until the early/mid 90s, then sporadically until around the time I met Mr L. Coronation St is something I remember from as long ago as I have any memory of television, and I watched that from childhood because it was always on at home. I think I gave up on it before I did on EastEnders, though. Emmerdale I've never watched.

 

[Star]

Oh sorry @Star, you said 'did', not 'do'.

EastEnders I watched pretty religiously from when it started until the early/mid 90s, then sporadically until around the time I met Mr L. Coronation St is something I remember from as long ago as I have any memory of television, and I watched that from childhood because it was always on at home. I think I gave up on it before I did on EastEnders, though. Emmerdale I've never watched.

I just hadn't remembered you ever talking about soaps really!

I really don't know anyone 'young' that watches them these days. It probably is because there is just so much more choice out there these days.

 

[win_the_game]

I think the other main issue is that the soaps are trying to compete with streaming and the higher quality, gritty serial dramas you can get elsewhere. In trying to do so they have forgotten one of the main reasons people enjoy the soaps, which is the perfect mix of drama and light comedy that they provide. Every other scene is at the hospital or down the fucking police station. The other issue is that they can't really compete - so in trying to be Line of Duty they end up being The Bill. Essentially a soap with all the fun sucked out.

Absolutely this. They all seem to run on a cycle of kidnapping/rape/murder/gang warfare/descent into alcoholism and drug abuse storylines. It's down right miserable and they don't have the 'big event' impact that they used to.

I miss the days when the height of soap drama was whether Carol Jackson would ever take off her rotten anorak.

 

[Ellie]

One million percent it is habit. If I am in I have it on but it is very much background noise these days, BUT as I say at 7.30pm I have one of them on usually even if I’m not really paying attention.

It’s just the fact that there’s so much choice these days, sometimes you need a routine to tell you what to watch. If I’ve been out for a few days and have 3 episodes of EastEnders to catch up on, it seems less of an effort than starting a new streaming series where all the episodes are an hour long and you have to seriously concentrate on it.

With all the choice these days, most people could easily spend 30+ minutes scrolling through the services trying to decide on something.

 

[Inner Smile]

The constant hospital and police station scenes are definitely doing the show more bad than good. It has turned into a cop show and that isn't Corrie or what people want from Corrie. It can strike the balance with being in 2025 and still being Coronation Street with those lighthearted moments we loved. But it's too savage nowadays and we don't want that shit. Give me a good comedy scene anyday. For example the other day George said to Eileen he was whisking her away to.. GREAT YARMOUTH It may not have been great but it's above the police shite

 

[Inner Smile]

If it was to end in 2030 with the 70th anniversary, i'd be happy with that. Better than seeing it decline even further. But it won't happen

 

[Tetris-Rock]

I agree with whoever mentioned SWAIN. Why on EARTH they decided to make her the centre of everything is totally beyond me. She is a textbook copper with very few redeeming qualities.

I don’t mind Swain but in her transition from side character to regular, they haven’t quite realised that not every single storyline needs to revolve around her job and CRIME and shootings and stabbings. Her and Carla got together at Christmas (and for selfish reasons I genuinely like the Carla Connor late-in-life bisexual angle) but the show hasn’t given them a single opportunity to show that relationship developing in a more lighthearted way. It’s been five months of strife - the impact of which is dulled because it is just so constant.

The shit is so basic it writes itself - have Sally overhear that Carla wants to plan a romantic occasion for Swain, and is unable, in her DESPERATION to prove her allyship as a mother of a daughter in the LGBTQIA+ community, to prevent herself from interfering and trying to “help” her boss out…

 

[Rita]

I don’t mind Swain but in her transition from side character to regular, they haven’t quite realised that not every single storyline needs to revolve around her job and CRIME and shootings and stabbings. Her and Carla got together at Christmas (and for selfish reasons I genuinely like the Carla Connor late-in-life bisexual angle) but the show hasn’t given them a single opportunity to show that relationship developing in a more lighthearted way. It’s been five months of strife - the impact of which is dulled because it is just so constant.

The shit is so basic it writes itself - have Sally overhear that Carla wants to plan a romantic occasion for Swain, and is unable, in her DESPERATION to prove her allyship as a mother of a daughter in the LGBTQIA+ community, to prevent herself from interfering and trying to “help” her boss out…

I just don’t think she has enough about her to like. Yes, that is definitely down to the writers in that the transition from bit character to full time character meant that we still don’t know all that much about her. Her ex partner died, and she is not Betsy’s biological mother but other than that I don’t think we have had much of a back story in order to relate or even like the character, really. Carla has been ruined as a character in that she has had a personality transplant from her earlier days and I know she has been through A LOT since then but this isn’t character progression. It is just awful screen writing and putting Swain and her together just because Carla is the Corrie golden girl is very much yet another misstep for me.

 

[Inner Smile]

It's now 66 and I can see it making 70 but after that I don't know? Ken and Rita will be dead. Gail is gone, Audrey barely appears. Sally and Kevin are the only real old school left

 

[Inner Smile]

It's in a difficult situation now but how does it continue?

 

[FannyFaudrey]

For me Corrie hasn't been truly great since the early 90s at a push. It's been unwatchable for many, many years. I think all the soaps are dreadful nowadays.