Are the current producers ruining Home and Away?

[its.like.that]

I didn't say it would be axed because it went away from its roots. What I meant was that it is going to be axed because it's currently crap in regards to the characters/storylines etc. They need a revamp and need one fast. 

[Matt]

7 minutes ago, its.like.that said:

I didn't say it would be axed because it went away from its roots. What I meant was that it is going to be axed because it's currently crap in regards to the characters/storylines etc. They need a revamp and need one fast. 

And what we were saying is that a show doesn't get axed because a couple of viewers out of more than a million think the characters and storylines are crap. Nothing gets axed if the ratings are stable, and it's currently the highest rating Aussie drama on network television

[dee123]

1 hour ago, Matt said:

And what we were saying is that a show doesn't get axed because a couple of viewers out of more than a million think the characters and storylines are crap. Nothing gets axed if the ratings are stable, and it's currently the highest rating Aussie drama on network television

While i agree. 2 things. It hasn't hasn't rated a million or over in awhile and far more importantly and as i'm sure you know Aussie drama isn't exactly in great shape. On free to air there is what? House Husbands, Winners & Losers and stuff on ABC & SBS that nobody watches.

[Matt]

11 minutes ago, dee123 said:

While i agree. 2 things. It hasn't hasn't rated a million or over in awhile and far more importantly and as i'm sure you know Aussie drama isn't exactly in great shape. On free to air there is what? House Husbands, Winners & Losers and stuff on ABC & SBS that nobody watches.

The ratings that are released to the general public (those seen on TV Tonight) only account for Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane... The complete ratings, consolidated, show that the series gets well over a million viewers a night. (Love Child, Offspring, House Husbands, Winners & Losers, 800 Words, Wanted, Janet King, Jack Irish, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Neighbours, with Wentworth and A Place to Call Home on pay TV)

[dee123]

1 hour ago, Matt said:

The ratings that are released to the general public (those seen on TV Tonight) only account for Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane... The complete ratings, consolidated, show that the series gets well over a million viewers a night. (Love Child, Offspring, House Husbands, Winners & Losers, 800 Words, Wanted, Janet King, Jack Irish, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Neighbours, with Wentworth and A Place to Call Home on pay TV)

I stand corrected about Aussie Drama. Though Neighbours doesn't count, it rate less than a 20 year old Simpsons episode these days.

[cadyctslover]

6 hours ago, Matt said:

The ratings that are released to the general public (those seen on TV Tonight) only account for Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane... The complete ratings, consolidated, show that the series gets well over a million viewers a night. (Love Child, Offspring, House Husbands, Winners & Losers, 800 Words, Wanted, Janet King, Jack Irish, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Neighbours, with Wentworth and A Place to Call Home on pay TV)

And how does that compare to where it was 5 years ago, or 10 years ago for example?

[Homeandawayfan.]

I still watch the odd episode, or start to but usually it is just the same violence and cruelty, and sadly i think as for the show going back to how it was 15-20 years ago, I think sadly that ship has well and truly sailed. It has to become darker to survive like Neighbours but H&A has taken that to the biggest extremes.

[Gerard]

While the ratings are only an approximation of a show's popularity, unfortunately they don't reflect how good or bad the series is, or even how good or bad the episode is. Nor is it really a reflection of viewer long-term loyalty. How many of H&A's (approximately) million viewers were watching 5 or 10 years ago? How many of the current viewers really love the show and watch every day? How many people watch the show out of habit, and stick by it despite not really enjoying it? Who really knows?

No matter how far removed from the H&A of old it becomes, or even how bad, unbelievable and OTT it could get, or how many people complain, if the series is still drawing in significant numbers of viewers, it won't be axed. For ratings to fall significantly, it would have to be consistently boring, not promoted, and generally unloved for months on end. I don't think that's likely to happen, however OTT the storylines get.

[John]

7 hours ago, Gerard said:

While the ratings are only an approximation of a show's popularity, unfortunately they don't reflect how good or bad the series is, or even how good or bad the episode is. Nor is it really a reflection of viewer long-term loyalty. How many of H&A's (approximately) million viewers were watching 5 or 10 years ago? How many of the current viewers really love the show and watch every day? How many people watch the show out of habit, and stick by it despite not really enjoying it? Who really knows?

No matter how far removed from the H&A of old it becomes, or even how bad, unbelievable and OTT it could get, or how many people complain, if the series is still drawing in significant numbers of viewers, it won't be axed. For ratings to fall significantly, it would have to be consistently boring, not promoted, and generally unloved for months on end. I don't think that's likely to happen, however OTT the storylines get.

Great post.  ( I guess that means I agree with it!! )

Australian society has changed greatly since the show first aired in 1988.  The show has had to change as well to remain relevant in its current setting.  Even the way it's core components of fostering and interaction between troubled younger people and older people play out differently.  The process of adopting troubled younger people into foster families is much more highly regulated these days.  The range of family models has become much wider, with a greater proportion of single parent families, blended families and, dare I say it, same gender parented families.

Crime rates have escalated.  Even in a relatively small rural city where I live, murders, domestic violence, drug related crime and racial abuse are not unknown as they used to be.

In my view the current show reflects those changes.  It has had to approach the "fostering" of troubled young people differently but it still does it.  It does portray crime because it does happen.

At times I feel the writing lacks good charcterisation and follow through on issues but at other times it shows great understanding and empathy.

I suppose whether the show is "ruined" or not depends on the expectation or taste of each individual viewer and argument as to whether it has been ruined or not seems to me to be futile.  In some people's eyes it will be seen as ruined, in others it will be seen as having moved with the times to remain relevant, and yes I'll say popular.  As the post above points out, if it doesn't retain ratings with a current audience it will disappear.

[Skylover]

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2 hours ago, John said:

The show has had to change as well to remain relevant in its current setting.

One of the main issues though is that it doesn't reflect the changes in society. Almost 30 years in and it hasn't even had a regular gay character. If it's so obsessed with crime at the moment, why not bring in a gay character who Ash is friends with from prison or something?

I am surprised H&A gets away with what seems to be a homophobic attitude.