Oh don't worry, I'll be back. Also, I would never cheat on Weatherfield with another inferior serial drama. I did have a certain fondness for Brookside back in the day, but I could happily watch both, side by side. I did watch that London-based programme once (I forget its name) but it did feel like finding yourself in a dodgy part of town late at night. Not an experience to be repeated.
In my time I have converted family and friends to the joys of Coronation Street, not to mention a deeply sceptical American fiancé. So why am I suddenly not terribly bothered about missing it?
In my time I have converted family and friends to the joys of Coronation Street, not to mention a deeply sceptical American fiancé. So why am I suddenly not terribly bothered about missing it?
Well for one thing I feel certain stories drone on for far too long. If I want that kind of thing these days I can watch the news. Also, where's the fun? Even in these debt ridden times the residents of Weatherfield could surely raise a smile now and then. I know it would certainly cheer me up. I'm also sick and tired of the same old faces doing the same old things - namely bed-hopping, creating babies (both wanted and unplanned, and all that goes with it) and fighting and general bad behaviour in public. I know we're not the same as we were when Annie Walker ruled the roost, but I'm afraid it's all getting a bit much for me.
I long for the unusual storyline that somehow works. I'm thinking of Roy and Hayley really, when I say this. I'm thinking of long scenes full of lovely dialogue that go nowhere other than show what great writing and sharp characterisation can do. I expect a return to Corrie's roots now we have a new producer, and hopefully a fresh look at Coronation Street as a whole. I see a new producer coming in as giving Corrie a good spring clean. And oh heck, does it need it.
I guess all my complaints arrive at one final comment. I feel these days that I could go away and not watch the Street for a week or more and come back with the feeling that I hadn't really missed anything. I don't know if it's the number of episodes, the pace of the stories or the repetition and recycling, but it's just how I feel. And that for me is the greatest change of all. In the meantime I'm taking my grumpy self off for a large slice of Manchester Tart - no, not Deirdre.
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25 comments:
Well said, Graeme. As I said in earlier post, I've found myself skipping episodes and not being that fussed. Great 'edge of the seat' stories have been promised and fizzle out. Remember the so-called street fight between Michelle and Tracy, who ended up looking like two soppy kids in the playground. The real test of any drama is 'do I care about these people?'. I only really care about Roy and Haley, Rita and Audrey ... There you are, the oldies. Definitely time for a spring clean, as you say.
Yes! I completely agree. The writing has become boring, predictable , repetitive, lazy, (lots and lots of role reversal), even insulting to viewers and the corrie characters.
My husband and I have been watching for 25 years. The last couple of years we mostly spend our viewing time pointing out the lame and sometimes absurd writing. If it wasn't such a long tradition I would stop watching. I don't relate to nor like most of the characters on the show.
And where has some of the more subtle clever humour gone? Now it's baffoonish and slapstick.
Coronation Street needs to give it's viewers and actors better storylines.
R Smith (Canadian viewer)
We said. I think its not just the characters... some came onto the Street with lots of promise and I fear the writers have lots their way in the woods. There is far too much repetition of story lines (pick anything right now), mock drama that we do not care about (Karl/Sunita anyone??), and character lobotomies that leave us disgusted with 'what might have been' (Ryan, Sunita and others). I started watching Corrie over 10 years ago and enjoyed it... now for the kind of stories on the street, I could easily replace it with a US soap and barely notice the difference.
Please bring back the pathos, intrigue, characters we want to care about (Becky is my all time fav rags to riches character) that make us want to cry with them, laugh with them and cheer them on when they succeed.
My one wish for our new producer is overhaul the writing department... bring in people who understand what made Corrie successful. I hope that the recent NTA award for best serial drama doesn't create apathy (we won, don't change anything). Yes, we have had some good stories in the last year, but many that have tuned us out.
Before we start to give up and go elsewhere, please look to address the obvious shortcomings and bring us back our old friend Corrie. :-)
~ Stephen (Canada)
Graeme N, thank you for saying exactly how I feel. Nicely put in every way. Let's just hope that the new Producer will give the street a good spring clean, be big on continuity and strong dialogue. No more sensationalism and please not more wrongful imprisonments. Soon they are running out of residents. And it will be quite a relief not to hear of 'explosive exits'. I'd like to have characters that we care about again. The only ones I care about now are the older ones and I think that's because they've been there since before time when the Corrie writers knew how to get under the characters skin and make us care.
Thanks Graeme,excellent post. Don't know if your leg is better yet but if you are still recuperating you are churning out some trifik stuff :)
Thanks very much for your kind words! Your comments give me a boost every time I post something! Still recuperating, but blogging concentrates the mind!
Never watched Elsie Tanner, but Percy, jack, Maude, Betty and others had snappy onliners that were zingers and needs to come back. There's so much shouting it's gotten boring and it would be nice to see someone educated on the show.
I agree completely about not watching it for a few days and returning to it and feeling you've not missed anything. Spot on.
Oh I'd love 5 minutes alone with Mr Collinson! And no, not in that way!
I agree. The storylines are ridiculous and as I record all the episodes because I hate the commercials, I find myself fast forwarding a lot of the scenes. Seeing that Corry just won a big award it makes me wonder if the new producer will decide to stick with the current "bad stuff" because he may be of the opinion that it works. Corry needs a family that doesn't fight and cheat and lie - there has to be some good left in this world. And unfortunately the good is being split up with the exit of Haley. How sad is that.
My constant connection to Corrie is this blog -- every day! I actually stopped watching the show regularly/faithfully back in May, 2011 after 20-some years. I watch occasionally when something in this blog whets my curiosity, but it's quite long between episodes that I view but don't feel I've particularly missed anything. I tend to more often look up old episodes from the 70s and 80s on youtube, or rent from my local VHS store (I know, I still have an old TV, too!)
I've actually begun watching East Enders in addition to Corrie, just to give me some sense of variety. That's how dull it's become Corrie!
I find it remarkable that Corrie won the soap on the year. What does that say about Eastenders, etc.
I agree it's become very boring. The writers seem to ignore the storyline/past interactions of characters.
Leanne and Nick were suppose to marry Dec 25th but Nick had sex with Kylie instead. What, 10 days later Kylie has morning sickness?! Give me a break.
Gail has no recollection of what happened between Lewis and Audrey?
The 'oldies" are still great but the "youngies" are evil and act like white trash.
I voted twice ( NTA's) for Corrie which I don't usually vote at all . But it's because of my loyalty to the programme that I've watched since I was in nappies ! I realize I made a mistake now because I can picture Phil C adding the win to his CV ! In my opinion he's the worst producer EVER ! And I want his mate Michelle C to disappear too !
Likewise! I haven't watched Corrie in two weeks, have just been keeping up via the blog. I cannot tolerate the outlandish behavior of these supposedly sound-of-mind adults on the show. It all beggars belief and takes away any enjoyment you could possibly derive from the storylines.
I've only been watching Corrie for about five years but have gotten totally sucked in and have only missed episodes out of necessity (I'm in the States and have to rely on kind youtubers for my fix.) The past six months have been mostly abysmal. I hate to think of not watching it anymore, but there's absolutely nothing to draw me in right now.
Ave to agree! Always fast forward Peter, Carla, Sunita,Ryan , Sophie, owen, Anna, Faye, izzy, and Eileen and the fireman (he made such an impression I can't remember his name).oh and Carl and Dev are well past their use by dates too, oh and the ghastly RTracey. all need to be aboard the next crashing vehicle with only Eileen surviving and maybe Anna, who because she is at deaths door will be reunited with Mr Windass. Sorry forgot Rob a character so tedious I even forgot him on my hate list! Same goes for Michelle, they could be run over by the crashing vehicle
Love Rita, Dennis, Roy, Steve, lloyd and evil Lewis ( not the good one), Norris, Emily, hayley just mostly the old characters, but do rather like Kylie if she were given better stories (sleeping with nick and instant baby, she must of had a packet of shake and bake instant baby mix in her bag).
Hoping for a return to good stories and great writing and less so called drama. AJ in Brisbane QLD
I may nitpick a lot. There may be storylines that etch on my nerves. But maybe i'm a bit more forgiving overall. Most shows that go on as many years as this one have ups and downs, good periods and tedious ones but i love the show, i love most of the characters most of the time and i've never considered giving it up, just giving it time.
blow up the whole bloody street for all I care. It's become dull,repetitive and strangly familiar because they just use the same sad storylines over and over again, just switch the characters around and the dumb viewers will be none the wiser. The only ones who might survive the blast are Audrey, Rita and David...oh and our wonderful Roy.
Tonight's episodes were some of the worst ever in my opinion. Between Fizz (no brain cells), Jenna (Sophie too good for her?? Really??), and Julie (Queen of Naivete) it was almost unbearable to watch. The writers expect us to accept this unlikely chain of events. When Fizz said, "Why did I delete those photos from my phone?" I cringed.
I agree too. But the Street is the top show on ITV, neck and neck with EE in the ratings, won a 2011 BAFTA and just won the NTA Awards.
Maybe it's a generation thing - those people who remember it in its heyday don't like the poor writing and sensationalism, but "explosive exits" etc are just what attracts more recent devotees. I fear that we won't see any big changes. Not unless the ratings collapse....
You hit the nail right on the head. Which characters do you really care about? Carla, Peter, Leanne, Sophie, Carl, Dev, Sunita, Maria, Michelle.....I was out of town for 10 days and didn't miss a thing.
Thankyou to all the bloggers above you have hit the nail on the head. Do the writers of Corrie actually listen to viewers? Do they have one of those grab 10 people off the street and ask their opinion of an episode they have just been viewed? Most propbably not - cringing at some of the same old same old coming across the screen and what do we get - repeated story and situations. Perhaps the new broom producer should re watch some of the earlier episodes of this soap and see what the magic was before more people just say Coronation Street what?
I agree with falling out of love with corrie! I have been watching corrie faithfully since I was 12, Im in my 50,s now and there used to be a lot of laughs with the serious and the story lines didn't drag on for ever. That's why I don't watch American soaps. I hope they put the show back more like the way it was!!!
Well, Collinson did say when he took over that viewers would see things they loved, hated and some characters would do a 180 and become someone we wouldn't recognize. I won't stop watching even though I've threatened to so many times I've lost count LOL.
I love my Corrie!! I'm addicted I'll admit. Maybe I need to go to CLA..corrie lovers annonymous!
Well I'm not so much "falling out of love" with it but I do think I'll give it a miss on weeks where it's primarily about Kirsty and Tyrone for the time being. Or Nick and Leanne. I might just leave it a while, but I know sooner or later I'll get drawn back in.
Wow...fast forward almost 2 years, and your hopes that a new producer could save Corrie?? Instead, we have a producers grinding the remains of what once was, into the mud, sinking it below ground level. Very sad indeed :((
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