Are the current producers ruining Home and Away?

[Gerard]

To think that back in the day, Shane was the "bad boy" - stole the odd car, but generally just played fairly harmless pranks and got up to mischief with Damian before quite naturally evolving into one the good guys along with Angel. Likewise with Jack Wilson, had a sneaky smoke and blew up a caravan, but otherwise generally harmless fun like mistakenly getting into bed with Fisher (not sure they could do that story nowadays), but all more or less believable and entertaining storylines which either ended humorously or there was a moral lesson. Such antics would be too tame for H&A nowadays, where lives have to be in serious danger week in week out.

It's a pity they couldn't try something new here and create a spin-off series (call it "CSI Summer Bay" or whatever) and take the Braxtons & hangers-on and make them centre stage. In that show, bring in some rival gangs and increase the use of the Police Station and the hospital, and increase the budget for crazy stunts and push the PG rating to the limit. Then back in "Home and Away", replace those characters with a regular family or some foster children. Tone down the violence and bring in some warmth and happiness, humour and fun, family dramas. Let the two shows run back to back for 6 months or so and axe the one performing least well - or if they're both successful in their own way, keep them both going.

Back in the real world... if Home and Away is ever going to change from its current format, now would be a good time to do it.

[Jezz]

Will they heed Ray Meagher's words or just brush it under the carpet and just satisfy the target audience of viewers who are under 20 years old and carry on the endless tiresome crime stories and OTT pregnancy plots and love triangles. Lots of younger viewers like the direction of the show whereas us bunch of older fans who watched the show 20+ years ago find it is something they no longer recognise. Mischievous and fun teens of our day such as Damo and Shane replaced with violent hardened criminals like the Braxtons and Andy Barrett.

You're stereotyping mate! Sure some younger viewers like the current direction of the show because that's all they know with the plot-driven drama that is dished out these days but I think many younger viewers would be happy to see the show become what it used to be like pre-2000.

The show was popular with all ages in the 'good old days' so I can't see why it would be any different now. People of all ages will continue to watch if the show is consistently written well with good character-driven drama and an even spread of exposure for each character.

I suspect short-term characters get a lot more storylines purely because they only remain on the show for three years and the writers and producers want to add as much as they can with these characters before they're gone in a flash.

[Matt]

Will they heed Ray Meagher's words or just brush it under the carpet and just satisfy the target audience of viewers who are under 20 years old and carry on the endless tiresome crime stories and OTT pregnancy plots and love triangles. Lots of younger viewers like the direction of the show whereas us bunch of older fans who watched the show 20+ years ago find it is something they no longer recognise. Mischievous and fun teens of our day such as Damo and Shane replaced with violent hardened criminals like the Braxtons and Andy Barrett.

Dan Bennett seems to be back but whether this will lessen the violence and sensationalism in the show remains to be seen.

Whether or not the violence and sensationalism stops, I believe, with Dan Bennett, is irrelevant. He knows the show inside out (a statement from Bevan Lee himself) - even when we had the Stalker, the Wedding Explosion, the School Fire, the Cyclone, the Helicopter Crash (2005/06), the show still had an amazing ability to give off the family vibe and have well-rounded and incredibly three-dimensional characters! I can't wait to see what Dan has to offer, because it's got to be more interesting than the dribble that's on television at 7pm now.

[sindikatas]

Will they heed Ray Meagher's words or just brush it under the carpet and just satisfy the target audience of viewers who are under 20 years old and carry on the endless tiresome crime stories and OTT pregnancy plots and love triangles. Lots of younger viewers like the direction of the show whereas us bunch of older fans who watched the show 20+ years ago find it is something they no longer recognise. Mischievous and fun teens of our day such as Damo and Shane replaced with violent hardened criminals like the Braxtons and Andy Barrett.

You're stereotyping mate! Sure some younger viewers like the current direction of the show because that's all they know with the plot-driven drama that is dished out these days but I think many younger viewers would be happy to see the show become what it used to be like pre-2000.

The show was popular with all ages in the 'good old days' so I can't see why it would be any different now. People of all ages will continue to watch if the show is consistently written well with good character-driven drama and an even spread of exposure for each character.

I suspect short-term characters get a lot more storylines purely because they only remain on the show for three years and the writers and producers want to add as much as they can with these characters before they're gone in a flash. I agree about stereotyping. I was 16 when I started watching the early years and now i'm 21 so I can still be considered a new viewer.

[adam436]

I suspect short-term characters get a lot more storylines purely because they only remain on the show for three years and the writers and producers want to add as much as they can with these characters before they're gone in a flash.

But then using them too quickly can be just as detremental, as there is nowhere left to take them after a couple of years without being repetivie or the viewers getting sick of them. If they had more "down time", the actor might stay longer because the character is still a challenge and still getting interesting storylines. But I see your point - the longer they stay, the fewer storylines they get.

[Homeandawayfan.]

Excuse me I am not stereotyping I can assure you.

[jodlebirger]

Will they heed Ray Meagher's words or just brush it under the carpet and just satisfy the target audience of viewers who are under 20 years old and carry on the endless tiresome crime stories and OTT pregnancy plots and love triangles. Lots of younger viewers like the direction of the show whereas us bunch of older fans who watched the show 20+ years ago find it is something they no longer recognise. Mischievous and fun teens of our day such as Damo and Shane replaced with violent hardened criminals like the Braxtons and Andy Barrett.

You're stereotyping mate! Sure some younger viewers like the current direction of the show because that's all they know with the plot-driven drama that is dished out these days but I think many younger viewers would be happy to see the show become what it used to be like pre-2000.

The show was popular with all ages in the 'good old days' so I can't see why it would be any different now. People of all ages will continue to watch if the show is consistently written well with good character-driven drama and an even spread of exposure for each character.

I suspect short-term characters get a lot more storylines purely because they only remain on the show for three years and the writers and producers want to add as much as they can with these characters before they're gone in a flash.

But the entertainment in general has changed a lot the last 20 years. Everything is more fast paced than it once was. Not only H&A has changed, everything from media, films, movies books, shows and so on. Things change and not always for the better... but you can't just bring back things like they once were and just expect them to be exactly the same.. Because we have changed, so most people will look at them with "different eyes".

But with that said, it is not an excuse for not writing consistent storylines, and characters with a good and more natural development. But I don't think bringing back H&A like it once was will be a success.

The show had to change with the times, but when you are developing something you still ned to evaluate it... and to take the most positive things about those things in the development and scrap those things that don't work anymore. You don't move a show or something else forward with scrapping everything about it both good and bad things, because then you are creating a new thing... and not developing the old one.

And sometimes I get the impression that everything new is exciting and then the producers are forgetting a bit too much about those things which actually are good and important about the show. It really felt like that when they started to change things in 2010.

[Jezz]

I agree about stereotyping. I was 16 when I started watching the early years and now i'm 21 so I can still be considered a new viewer.

My point exactly! Younger viewers also appreciate the Early Years as well.

But then using them too quickly can be just as detremental, as there is nowhere left to take them after a couple of years without being repetivie or the viewers getting sick of them. If they had more "down time", the actor might stay longer because the character is still a challenge and still getting interesting storylines. But I see your point - the longer they stay, the fewer storylines they get.

I completely agree but with a limited timeframe I just feel the writers and producers want them inundated with storylines consistently but the problem with this though is it erodes character-driven drama and it doesn't allow viewers to understand and get to know new characters who appear on the show for the first time.

Excuse me I am not stereotyping I can assure you.

I'm certain you didn't intentionally stereotype but by referring to people under 20 as being satisfied with the current format of Home and Away of 'endless love triangles and tireless crime stories' you're categorising everyone in that age group as being satisfied with these storylines when I'm sure there's many people in that age group who hold similar attitudes to you about the current state of the show and have their criticisms of it.

But the entertainment in general has changed a lot the last 20 years. Everything is more fast paced than it once was. Not only H&A has changed, everything from media, films, movies books, shows and so on. Things change and not always for the better... but you can't just bring back things like they once were and just expect them to be exactly the same.. Because we have changed, so most people will look at them with "different eyes".

But with that said, it is not an excuse for not writing consistent storylines, and characters with a good and more natural development. But I don't think bringing back H&A like it once was will be a success.

The show had to change with the times, but when you are developing something you still ned to evaluate it... and to take the most positive things about those things in the development and scrap those things that don't work anymore. You don't move a show or something else forward with scrapping everything about it both good and bad things, because then you are creating a new thing... and not developing the old one.

And sometimes I get the impression that everything new is exciting and then the producers are forgetting a bit too much about those things which actually are good and important about the show. It really felt like that when they started to change things in 2010.

I think every show that has lasted for many years needs to evolve for it to remain sustainable and fresh show to viewers.

However incorporating key elements and ingredients of the Early Years can still allow the show to evolve without it necessarily losing its roots and origins in the first place. That's the biggest challenge that the Home and Away crew confronts heading into the future.

I agree with your assessment that many things have changed in the past 20 years in the film and television industry.

[sindikatas]

.

[Homeandawayfan.]

H&A has at least done well to be on our screens for over 27 years. I think all soaps go through peaks and troughs. I do take on board the thing about Dan Bennett, I think H&A will probably be a better show, still bold in storytelling like it has been since 2005 and carrying on some of the current direction but a better balance and better written stories. A cast cull would help and bring in a new family.