Neighbours....noooooooo

[alexx]

Why do you always have to make a comparison to H&A? This is the Neighbours forum, stop talking about H&A.

I like Carmila too. I really didn’t like Conner. Todie can be a good character but some of the storylines they have given him in the past have been dreadful.

[emmasi]

What's with all the bashing? I like Neighbours the way it is. They have the guts to do and say things that H&A would never do, like, I don't know, have some FUN once in a while!

Yes, it's slow paced. Yes, they're not always running off and threatening to kill each other every 5 seconds. Yes, every episode doesn't end with a life hanging in the balance, but so what? I hate to break it to you people, but some people DO have lives like this, where nothing much happens and you make a joke-a-second to make things more interesting.

Neighbours is one of the funniest things on TV at the moment, and why should that be a bad thing? Just because they know how to write and perform comedy doesn't mean they can't deliver a meaningful storyline when they have to. I think the actors are brilliant and can do anything they set their minds to. Ditto the writers. Heaven forefend they should cut through the treacle and tension with a joke or two.

[alexx]

Neighbours has always been heavy on the comical side of things, and I love that aspect of the show. That isn’t what I don’t like about Neighbours, either is it because its slow-paced (I like that), I also don’t like huge cliff-hangers every episode. Neighbour’s isn’t H&A, just as H&A isn’t Neighbours, they are completely different shows with completely different styles in direction and writing.... But I was never comparing the two shows anyway, this isnt supposed to be a 'H&A vs Neighbours' topic.

For me, I simply lost interest, and when someone looses interest in a show they've been watching religiously for 20 years, it has to be due to something. And I think (as I've mentioned before) its because of the huge cast over-haul, introduction to the kinda characters I'm not keen on, and unfortunately for me, the type of characters I don’t really care about are over half the cast now. (all the new 20-somethings, I normally really like 20-something characters, but I’m not keen on the vibe these new ones bring...it seems very 'trendy and 'Chapel Street (MElb)' and influenced by overseas IMO.

I do like the mum-Timmins for comedy, she has some great lines and comical scenes such as Friday's episode, I laughed out-loud at some of her scenes...the one especially with her and the cop when he asked her to go pig shooting with her...'thought you'd never ask' haha..

All in all, I know shows have to move on and change format, but I really don’t like the format Neighbours has 'become' in the last 12 months, the music, the sets, the trendy-teeny-bopper cast...I think they are purposely aiming the show towards a particularly younger audience now, when they used to aim at such a wider-range, and it worked...there was a high percentage of audience that were adults as well as teens.

[ste]

While I agree with Alexx's opinion on how the show has changed, I don't believe this only happened in the last 12 months. While the changes may have been more superficially obvious in the past year (new sets etc) I think the show stopped being aimed at a wide audience (teens and adults) a long long time ago.

[Pete's girl]

On a totally different note - can anyone else the resemblance that new character Rosetta bares to Libby Kennedy?

[alexx]

While I agree with Alexx's opinion on how the show has changed, I don't believe this only happened in the last 12 months. While the changes may have been more superficially obvious in the past year (new sets etc) I think the show stopped being aimed at a wide audience (teens and adults) a long long time ago.

I think it started becoming more predominately aimed towards the younger audience around 2003 - when Jack, Nina, Taj...etc all entered and became the focus, or 2002 or whatever it was. However, it’s become so obvious the last couple of years and I totally went off it in 2005.

Though if you compare 2001 to say 1993/ 1994 the change is remarkably noticeable in who they were aiming at in regards to the audience demographics. So you could say it changed dramatically around that time.

[Tasha-Kit fan]

On a totally different note - can anyone else the resemblance that new character Rosetta bares to Libby Kennedy?

I didnt notice until now but yeah lol do they look alike... I think she bares a strong resemblance to Natalie Blair (Carmella) though which is really good casting

[emmasi]

I think that Libby looks like a white Cathy Freeman, but that's a whole other story.

EDIT: Just so you know I'm not crazy:

[westaussie19]

I am really disappointed with Neighbours.

The storylines are quite pathetic. I know that Neighbours has always maintained comedic storylines, but lately it is becoming so predictable. I think the major problem is the characters.

There are only a handful of characters that I like, and it has a lot to do with the sub standard writing and acting. This is in great contrast to the other Australian soap on weekday nights. I honestly dont know what Channel Ten is planning to do with the show, the ratings must be a concern, but then again its Channel Ten so my expectations are not very high. I will continue to watch Neighbours, partly because nothing else is on at that time, and also because there actually one or two decent storylines and episodes every now and then.

[Drew]

I think If Neighbours wasn't so popular in the UK, Ten would of cancelled the show. The show only get's ratings around 500,000. That's like a third of H&A's ratings!