Are the current producers ruining Home and Away?

[Blaxland 89]

I'm getting very confused with the current show. Especially since the early years are repeated. I don't watch the 2015 version but to read the episode guide section on here in upcoming Australian episodes. There seems to be a Charlotte, a Josh and now a Damo and a Greg! 

[JamesC10]

Lucy Addario needs to leave soon. I never really rated Cameron Welsh but I preferred him than Lucy. I try to watch Home and Away again every few months but it's terrible. I think Dan Bennett can be a good script producer but Lucy Addario is destroying the show, in my opinion. Marilyn, Alf, Leah and Irene are my favourites. But Irene needs a big storyline soon. Why is she always so underused? Lynne McGranger is a brilliant actress.

[Light of the Bay]

Lucy Addario needs to leave soon. I never really rated Cameron Welsh but I preferred him than Lucy. I try to watch Home and Away again every few months but it's terrible. I think Dan Bennett can be a good script producer but Lucy Addario is destroying the show, in my opinion. Marilyn, Alf, Leah and Irene are my favourites. But Irene needs a big storyline soon. Why is she always so underused? Lynne McGranger is a brilliant actress.

Oh yeah, she really does. Cameron Welsh did a fairly good job in 2007-2008 but after that he was terrible and led the show to where it is now. Dan can make improvements but he is not in charge ultimately. 

They need to realise what an asset Lynne is to the show. Fantastic actress and Irene needs to have a more central role within the community. I also wish the writers would give Irene some backbone again. I've been re-watching the Angie Russell storyline recently and it struck me how different Irene was back then; she would defend her family to the last breath. 

[Homeandawayfan.]

Some improvements seem to be happening but I think the crime aspect of the show will be around, which is not too bad as long as they write a good script. Emmerdale and EastEnders have crime stories but have a decent script written. I love a juicy crime story but not as cold and calculating as Addario has it. H&A still needs to cut down on the crime stories to a degree and get some of the community spirit back. Dan Bennett is being met with some positivity but I do feel he was partly responsible for the cloak and dagger style H&A has seen in recent years.

[jodlebirger]

Some improvements seem to be happening but I think the crime aspect of the show will be around, which is not too bad as long as they write a good script. Emmerdale and EastEnders have crime stories but have a decent script written. I love a juicy crime story but not as cold and calculating as Addario has it. H&A still needs to cut down on the crime stories to a degree and get some of the community spirit back. Dan Bennett is being met with some positivity but I do feel he was partly responsible for the cloak and dagger style H&A has seen in recent years.

I agree. 

He was responsible for the stalker storyline (and Sarah storyline too??). The stalker and Sarah were storylines that was exciting at that time, but with storylines like that you always need to make things more and more shocking to keep people interested, and that doesn't work in the long run.

It is better to keep people interest with character which have been developed from the start, so you can get excited for them, sad for them and happy for them whatever they are going through. I think it is better not to think so mechanic about what's grabbing people's interest.  And that will keep people's interest in the long run. 

But it is also more difficult to write such storylines, and sometimes I think that producers and writers often take the easiest way too get the viewers attention because it feels the right thing to do. But for a long running soap I think it would have been better not being so calculated. Because that's what the show is, calculated. Even the less criminal characters are calculated for example Marilyn and Palmer. They are just there to give "humor" to the show, Alf and Irene are just there because they are iconic to the show, just like Ash and the others are there only for excitement and romance storylines. 

I think the whole show would have felt more natural if the characters were written more like people we should learn to know, and not only like cartoons with one purpose. It would have been easier to connect with them if there were more focus on their backstories, and we were together with them in all their sorrows, drama and happiness. I feel like the characters used to be more like that. Even in the stalker years. But from 2010, the characters have written much more one sided. 

[John]

Some improvements seem to be happening but I think the crime aspect of the show will be around, which is not too bad as long as they write a good script. Emmerdale and EastEnders have crime stories but have a decent script written. I love a juicy crime story but not as cold and calculating as Addario has it. H&A still needs to cut down on the crime stories to a degree and get some of the community spirit back. Dan Bennett is being met with some positivity but I do feel he was partly responsible for the cloak and dagger style H&A has seen in recent years.

I agree. 

He was responsible for the stalker storyline (and Sarah storyline too??). The stalker and Sarah were storylines that was exciting at that time, but with storylines like that you always need to make things more and more shocking to keep people interested, and that doesn't work in the long run.

It is better to keep people interest with character which have been developed from the start, so you can get excited for them, sad for them and happy for them whatever they are going through. I think it is better not to think so mechanic about what's grabbing people's interest.  And that will keep people's interest in the long run. 

But it is also more difficult to write such storylines, and sometimes I think that producers and writers often take the easiest way too get the viewers attention because it feels the right thing to do. But for a long running soap I think it would have been better not being so calculated. Because that's what the show is, calculated. Even the less criminal characters are calculated for example Marilyn and Palmer. They are just there to give "humor" to the show, Alf and Irene are just there because they are iconic to the show, just like Ash and the others are there only for excitement and romance storylines. 

I think the whole show would have felt more natural if the characters were written more like people we should learn to know, and not only like cartoons with one purpose. It would have been easier to connect with them if there were more focus on their backstories, and we were together with them in all their sorrows, drama and happiness. I feel like the characters used to be more like that. Even in the stalker years. But from 2010, the characters have written much more one sided. 

I agree particularly with the bold paragraph.

I think this is down to the way the show is being written currently.  Moments of high drama are most effective if used sparingly against a background of normality.  Too many moments of high drama and too little normal background living and the dramatic moments lose their impact because there is no contrast and they become "normal".

We need more of the characters living their normal lives.  Actually most people's normal lives contain moments of interest which most of us could empathize with.

That way when we do have occasional moments of high drama they would grab our interest and attention.

[c120701]

Lucy Addario needs to leave soon. I never really rated Cameron Welsh but I preferred him than Lucy. I try to watch Home and Away again every few months but it's terrible. I think Dan Bennett can be a good script producer but Lucy Addario is destroying the show, in my opinion. Marilyn, Alf, Leah and Irene are my favourites. But Irene needs a big storyline soon. Why is she always so underused? Lynne McGranger is a brilliant actress.

Oh yeah, she really does. Cameron Welsh did a fairly good job in 2007-2008 but after that he was terrible and led the show to where it is now. Dan can make improvements but he is not in charge ultimately. 

They need to realise what an asset Lynne is to the show. Fantastic actress and Irene needs to have a more central role within the community. I also wish the writers would give Irene some backbone again. I've been re-watching the Angie Russell storyline recently and it struck me how different Irene was back then; she would defend her family to the last breath. 

I completely agree, there was a scene recently when Leah was missing and Irene was a blubbering wreck and was being reassured that the SES would find her, whereas normally Irene would be a pillar of strength for whoever she needed to be one for, but I think as they had VJ & Zac out searching they just used her to fill the distraught nearest & dearest quota, completely ignoring who Irene has been for the past 20 years. 

[dee123]

Lucy Addario needs to leave soon. I never really rated Cameron Welsh but I preferred him than Lucy. I try to watch Home and Away again every few months but it's terrible. I think Dan Bennett can be a good script producer but Lucy Addario is destroying the show, in my opinion. Marilyn, Alf, Leah and Irene are my favourites. But Irene needs a big storyline soon. Why is she always so underused? Lynne McGranger is a brilliant actress.

Oh yeah, she really does. Cameron Welsh did a fairly good job in 2007-2008 but after that he was terrible and led the show to where it is now. Dan can make improvements but he is not in charge ultimately. 

They need to realise what an asset Lynne is to the show. Fantastic actress and Irene needs to have a more central role within the community. I also wish the writers would give Irene some backbone again. I've been re-watching the Angie Russell storyline recently and it struck me how different Irene was back then; she would defend her family to the last breath. 

I completely agree, there was a scene recently when Leah was missing and Irene was a blubbering wreck and was being reassured that the SES would find her, whereas normally Irene would be a pillar of strength for whoever she needed to be one for, but I think as they had VJ & Zac out searching they just used her to fill the distraught nearest & dearest quota, completely ignoring who Irene has been for the past 20 years. 

Which is a big no no in my books. I would of used Chris as the worried one. He like her more than he'd probably ever admit.

[alexx]

I think this is down to the way the show is being written currently.  Moments of high drama are most effective if used sparingly against a background of normality.  Too many moments of high drama and too little normal background living and the dramatic moments lose their impact because there is no contrast and they become "normal".

We need more of the characters living their normal lives.  Actually most people's normal lives contain moments of interest which most of us could empathize with.

That way when we do have occasional moments of high drama they would grab our interest and attention.

Exactly. This is what a few of us have been saying to the point of being repetitive and tedious, over the past few years. And that is exactly what I've meant whenever I've said the show should become 'H&A' again (not be like the 80's, not any particular period, just H&A again) because what you've just described is what the show used to be.

[CaptainHulk]

We just need more laughs to be honest. Even if it's something like Oscar getting covered in poison oak while on a bush hike, or Evie getting locked out in a towel or Maddy having a bad hairdo.

The kind of thing the show used to well.