Difference between UK and US soaps

[PAMANDBOBBYFOREVER]

Ok so I have a bad habit of watching Young and Restless and Bold and Beautiful. I also know the history of All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital.

So UK soap watchers, is there a difference in the plotting and characters of the UK soaps or do they basically follow the same formula as here in the States?

Basically what differences are there if any?

Thanks!

[holeinmydonut]

without being cruel and unkind, the main difference is quality and acting ability.

[James from London]

without being cruel and unkind, the main difference is quality and acting ability.

In fairness, I think most actors, regardless of nationality or acting ability, would struggle to believable when asked to play scenes that consist of standing opposite one another without moving, exchanging information about the plot and telling each other exactly how they feel with no subtext whatsoever. Then you cut back to them an episode or two later, and they're still there, still talking but not moving, and no time has passed in-between.

In the UK, where our soaps tend to move a lot quicker, we find that very strange, even surreal. It's quite hypnotic though. There's an air of artificiality: a lack of physical movement, actors with the same plasticky good looks and stylised delivery. They don't seem to speak or move or behave in the same recognisably human way that real people do. I suspect that style of daytime soap is unique to the US, as the Bollywood musical is to India, and perhaps one can only "get" it if you've been brought up in that culture.

Broadly speaking, UK soaps tend to be inclusive rather than aspirational.

I could be wrong, but I don't think you'd get many scenes like this on an American daytime soap:

[Eric864]

As a American who watches both maybe I can say something about it without sounding mean. Watching US soaps you just have to accept a few things about the genre, (Just like Superhero fans except that people put on colorful costumes and give themselves funny names.) like a small town would be the headquarters of a international corporation, everyone is rich or is best pals with a rich person, Kids regularly turn into 16 year old's overnight, etc. UK soaps tend to have more working class people and very rarely have people come back from the dead or have characters recasted to be ten years older.

The main factor in my view is that the main UK soaps are on in prime time and are much more cultural relevant to their country. At this point all four remaining US daytime soaps suffer so much budget cutbacks that it is kind of unfair to even compare the two.

[SnarkyOracle!]

Broadly speaking, UK soaps tend to be inclusive rather than aspirational.

That's a major problem is US media in general. It's actually kind of sick and it's certainly limiting, and it's so pervasive that most people here don't even notice it. Sometimes even I don't.

[Emmerdalefan]

Corrie and Easties are both set in inner city areas and have a working class feel to them whereas Emmerdale is in a rustic country village in the Yorkshire Dales but can be gritty. I think Emmerdale is more similar to Dynasty than Corrie and Easties, which have a more gritty feel, esp Easties. I think Corrie is more realistic than Easties though.

The US soaps have more bizarre plots and glitz and glamour.

[holeinmydonut]

i can honestly say i dont find corrie realistic at all. but lets be honest neither is ee or emmerdale.

emmerdale the yorkshire version of dynasty on a shoe string, more string than shoe.

believe it or not, i find the most realistic soap 'the archers.'

[SnarkyOracle!]

That's a major problem is US media in general. It's actually kind of sick and it's certainly limiting, and it's so pervasive that most people here don't even notice it. Sometimes even I don't.

Oh, when I said "most people here don't even notice it" I meant "here" in the US. I didn't mean on the UD/Soapchat/Internet...

[Emmerdalefan]

Early Brookside was the most realistic, people working out away from the Close in Liverpool, real homes and real issues rather than Corrie, Emmie Farm, Crossies and Easties where even then most people worked 50 years from their home. I have been watching 1984 Corrie and found a lot of it unrealistic then, everyone spending most of their time down the Rovers, the workers at Baldwins factory drinking in the pub then operating machinery after their lunch hour etc, and one of the most unrealistuic things was in Oct 1984 when we saw Curly Watts upstairs in the back room shouting to a thief and 3 seconds later as the lingerie thief has run out, Curly appears at the back yard gate and shouts "Oi stop" meaning he ran out of his room, down the stairs, round through the main room to the kitchen then across the back yard in just 3 seconds, or he jumped out of the window like Superman.

[youngandfan]

Well US soaps are on 5 days a week all for an hour (minus B&B which is 30 min) they also rely on recasts, and Sorasing in order to move a plot along. UK soaps are shorter in time and have more realistic plots. US Soaps are on during daytime and UK are on during the night for the most part.

[Emmerdalefan]

The two big soaps of the UK are Corrie and EastEnders as they get all the awards and media coverage. No other UK soap has matched the majority of the big boys that are Corrie and Easties in terms of viewers, press and media coverage. Emmerdale gets a few million less than the Big 2 and Hollyoaks about 800'000 viewers, way behind Emmerdale though but Emmerdale and Hollyoaks are regarded as lesser soaps and just get a few awards here and there unlike the 2 big boys Corrie and EE. In terms of stories recently Corrie and Easties have been gripping whereas Emmerdale is plodding behind with boring stories such as Chas and Cameron and Rachel's pregnancy.

[Emmerdalefan]

TBH Corrie and Easties get more awards and a few more ratings but Emmerdale is not that far behind. I think it is because Corrie is the top ITV soap is why it is the one who goes head to head with Easties the most as Easties is the top BBC soap. Emmerdale is the third major soap and is way ahead of Doctors and Hollyoaks. When Easties began in 1985 it was head to head with Corrie a lot and Emmerdale and Crossroads were never far behind and for a while Emmerdale Farm beat EastEnders in the ratings until they moved Easties to 7:30pm. Emmerdale gets almost as much media coverage as Corrie but Easties gets even more. It just seems to be Corrie and Easties jockeying for top spot between them. Although Emmerdale and Easties have had a ratings war in the past proving Emmerdale is one of the Big 3.

I think EastEnders gets the most coverage and awards and is always thrashing Corrie and Emmie in the award stakes. Easties then Corrie then Emmerdale is the order in terms of media coverage and awards. Some critics say Emmerdale is a lesser soap but it is never far behind Corrie and EE and is way ahead of Doctors and Hollyaoks which are the 2 lesser soaps.

[alexis]

I think James pointed out the real differences very well. US daytime soaps are weirdly fascinating to us in the UK. I loved 'The Bold & The Beautiful' and 'Sunset Beach' and 'Days of Our Lives' when they were on here. They are really basically stories. Like Fairytails and they are very artificial. Everyone is very attractive and rich and they all live in beautiful homes with cream coloured carpets. It's a dream word and a form of escapisim, I personally enjoy a bit of that. The UK soaps seem to be more realistic but it's mostly just in looks. I mean some of the storylines on Eastenders are right out of DYNASTY and Falcon Crest. Thats why Eastenders has always been my favourite soap. I really think it lost most of it's grit years ago and has went for super soap sensationalisim.

I need to start watching Easties again. I havent been watching regularly the last few months. It went a bit stale with Ian being a hobo and I thought Sharrons return would have had more omph. I think ill watch tonight.

[holeinmydonut]

yeap sharons return was a wash out. did we need shazza back?

the ben/heather reveal was fantastic and worth watching just for the outstanding performances of linda henry and jamie borthwick.

[Emmerdalefan]

Imagine if Danny Miller from Emmerdale was in Corrie or Easties? He'd get twice as much awards and media coverage as what he had in Emmie.

Corrie and Easties have 1 or 2 million more viewers than Emmerdale because of their city settings and in the 1980s and 1990s EE and Corrie were getting about 5 million over Emmerdale. Emmerdale is set in a small village in the countryside and that is one of the reasons why it is always a tad behind the Big 2.

I dont know if it is the same in America with city based soaps getting more viewers over country set soaps?

[Eric864]

Imagine if Danny Miller from Emmerdale was in Corrie or Easties? He'd get twice as much awards and media coverage as what he had in Emmie.

Corrie and Easties have 1 or 2 million more viewers than Emmerdale because of their city settings and in the 1980s and 1990s EE and Corrie were getting about 5 million over Emmerdale. Emmerdale is set in a small village in the countryside and that is one of the reasons why it is always a tad behind the Big 2.

I dont know if it is the same in America with city based soaps getting more viewers over country set soaps?

Almost all daytime US soaps are set in a fictional town somewhere in the midwest or the northeast. Except For Bold and the Beautiful which is supposed to be in Los Angeles (Where it and all the remaining soaps are filmed.)

[Kajaboy]

CBS Drama had a run of Guiding Light episodes a couple of years back it was the most amateur production I had ever seen on TV ever. One of the guys didn't seem to know his lines while conveying everything in a tone of surprise and there was a hospital that looked like something from a 50's sci-fi movie complete with neon green lights in the walls. There seemed to be an "It'll do" attitude to it instead of "Let's make it as good as possible".