Are the current producers ruining Home and Away?

[John]

I find it interesting that you didn't quote the last sentence of my post.

I find the accusations of bullying, shouting down and ridiculing rather puzzling. We all know that those things do occur from time to time on the board. If they are persistent they are dealt with under the rules. My impressions has been that those who are feeling that writing, characterisation etc. has been poor have been guilty of bullying and ridicule as often as those who find them currently acceptable.

I'm sure if you look back through posts on the board you will find that both sides of that discussion have had ample opportunities to air their views.

As this is a discussion board neither side has been prepared to meekly accept the "superior arguments" of the other. Is that a surprise?

I say again, over recent months I have noticed a definite move toward storylines that involve a larger number of characters and also much more interaction across the age groups in the cast. The show is starting to have much more of a community feel. There are storylines such as Maddy's cancer and Hannah's recovery from spinal injury which have issues aside from the old soap staple of "making up and breaking up".

As for the introduction of new and interesting characters the jury is still out on that. There are several characters who have left recently or are about to leave so we'll have to wait and see.

It's and individual decision. Do we maintain the rage over slights or hurts from the past or do we move on? Are we prepared to be open minded enough to give the show another go?

[kmp1963]

I do urge some of those who have abandoned watching the show to revisit it now.

The River Boy/Surf Gang era of the show is fading into the background as it was always going to. The show feels as if it is in transition to a new era and at the moment I don't know what that will be. I look forward to it with some excitement.

What I do note is that there is an increasing use of storylines which involve quite large groups of characters across the age groups. The older characters are being involved with the younger cast in storylines. e.g. Maddy's storyline and the departure of Sasha. I welcome these developments.

I am one of those who voted with my remote over the last two years. I was encouraged to give my once loved show another chance this year after hearing of the departure of the Braxtons along with other behind the scenes changes.

However so far I'm struggling to invest in any of the new characters. And for me that was always the secret to the shows success. Characters that I loved and cared about. Obviously the long termers are still great, but I feel that the show invested all its effort into the Braxtons for so long that the remaining characters were little more than supporting cast and the consequences of this are still evident.

I would love nothing more than to start enjoying the show again. BUT they need to make huge changes to both cast and the quality of the writing to get my vote.

At the moment the only characters I care about have been in the show since before the current producers took over. And that can't be a good sign surely.

Sorry forgot Jett. Love him, such an amazing talented young man.

But for the rest. If a cyclone wiped out half the town and killed every character introduced since about 2010, I'd probably be cheering.

[Gerard]

I have been a massive fan of H&A since it began, and have probably only missed a handful of episodes. I often give the series the benefit of the doubt and a lot of leeway, and I'm sure I will continue to watch no matter what. I used to enjoy H&A immensely up until around the departure of Pippa, and have stuck with it since then, although for me enjoyment has varied a lot. I think the last time I thought it was on top form was during the Sally/Milco storyline when they was some incredibly good material, and a real treat to those who had stuck with the series for over 20 years.

While part of me does get excited about the latest Braxon-related peril, I am growing a bit tired of it all. I can't say I've noticed yet any big change on screen back to more traditional H&A storylines. The Maddy and Hannah storylines are good up to a point, but I feel it is a bit of overload to have these two running concurrently. But they do have more of a place in classic H&A than whatever the next hostage or stalker drama will be.

The Palmers are great, It would be perfect if we could see Marilyn and John take on another teen or two, and Jett is more of a classic H&A troubled teen than many of those currently around. If they would only build up the fostering/family aspect a bit more, and phase out the younger characters who have no real purpose. I would suggest they concentrate more on larger families - it feels like everyone is scattered over too many locations - it would give more of a natural setting for teens and adults to interact.

While I seriously doubt we're entering another golden age, I do live in hope that H&A is past its worst. Only time will tell if things improve...

[Bobby Forever Missed]

I do urge some of those who have abandoned watching the show to revisit it now.

The River Boy/Surf Gang era of the show is fading into the background as it was always going to. The show feels as if it is in transition to a new era and at the moment I don't know what that will be. I look forward to it with some excitement.

Why would some of us want to revisit the show? We've been bullied for expressing our views over the poor writing and characterisation. We've been shouted down and ridiculed. We've been mocked and accused of making comments just to cause arguments.

What can possibly be good enough to have us watching again? What can be good enough to have me watching it again? Have they got rid of love triangles? Have they stopped having people recover from serious illnesses within the space of a couple of episodes? Have they introduced new families or characters that cover different age groups? Have they stopped focusing on displaying eye candy instead of fleshing out the characters and their back stories? Have they stopped introducing random characters and then just as they get interesting getting rid of them? Or just having them as someone's love interest?

My thoughts exactly Tele! i am sick to death of being condescended to/ my opinion being rubbished just because I don't watch the current show well why should I? what's in it for those who DON'T like Teens/violence and yet more teens? NOTHING that's what! everyone is entitled to go there own way without having to put up with smart remarks and patronizing replies

[TelephotoMarigold]

I find it interesting that you didn't quote the last sentence of my post.

Why?

I find the accusations of bullying, shouting down and ridiculing rather puzzling. We all know that those things do occur from time to time on the board. If they are persistent they are dealt with under the rules. My impressions has been that those who are feeling that writing, characterisation etc. has been poor have been guilty of bullying and ridicule as often as those who find them currently acceptable.

I'm sure if you look back through posts on the board you will find that both sides of that discussion have had ample opportunities to air their views.

Really? I have been the target of personal attacks on this board. I have been accused of many times of being a Braxton-hater. Of having to defend my views. There has even been a personal attack which according to the rules should have been taken down and was never done so. I have been trolled on this board and targeted. All of this is why I rarely post in here now. That is from my viewpoint.

I say again, over recent months I have noticed a definite move toward storylines that involve a larger number of characters and also much more interaction across the age groups in the cast. The show is starting to have much more of a community feel. There are storylines such as Maddy's cancer and Hannah's recovery from spinal injury which have issues aside from the old soap staple of "making up and breaking up".

As for the introduction of new and interesting characters the jury is still out on that. There are several characters who have left recently or are about to leave so we'll have to wait and see.

So I should tune in to watch Maddy, a character I don't like, whose introduction and conception was flawed because what? She's somehow turned into the pinnacle component of the community? Or Hannah, a character I don't even know? Why would the storylines begin to involve a larger number of characters? Would that possibly have something to do with them losing certain characters because the actors have left?

If you detect sarcasm in my post you would be correct but other than that there is no malice, no intended slight to anyone or any particular group of fans. You are the one urging people to watch again, to "revisit"... so I'm asking why? Twice you have quoted Maddy as a reason. Is there nothing better than Maddy? Is the writing better? Have they begun to fix everything that was wrong before?

[Gerard]

I think unlike Neighbours, where Jason Herbison seems to do interviews several times a year, and keeps viewers informed broadly of where Neighbours is heading, and it's obvious he has a great passion for the show, there is a distinct absence of this kind of feedback from TPTB at Home and Away. There is no obligation to keep the fans informed and we can all speculate of course and draw our own conclusions, but I think a lot of fans and former fans who have been less than happy with H&A's current direction not getting the reassurance they are seeking that things are going to change for the better.

Some of us are prepared to stick with H&A and hope that things improve. I don't think anyone, apart from those working on the series, can say with any degree of certainty that H&A will be in a better place in 6 months time. We can speculate that given knowledge of behind the scenes changes, that it is likely things will get better, but until it plays out on-screen, it is speculation. There are no guarantees. On the other hand, no one is being forced to watch, and if you wish to get back 2.5 hours of your time each week, you are entitled to do that. But I can understand why viewers would try to stick with the series and criticise it in the hope it will change, rather than just walk away. It's personal choice.

Personally from what I've seen play out on screen at UK pace, I can't say I have seen any marked improvement yet - things may have got slightly better and I just haven't noticed. I think H&A has had many problems over the past few years, and I doubt that all of these will be fixed easily. There is no one solution to the problem, e.g. getting rid of the Braxtons, or any other characters, is not going to make everything better. Whatever happens, it isn't going to happen overnight.

[Homeandawayfan.]

Some of us older fans have been accused of "blowing our own trumpets" when we say we have watched the show for 20 years or more compared to people who have only watched for 4 or 5 years. I know people who were not born when the show started can watch reruns but there are probably many 10-20 year olds who dont have a clue who Neville McPhee is or Damo Roberts, Shane Parrish, Emma Jackson, Carly Morris is etc.

[John]

So I should tune in to watch Maddy, a character I don't like, whose introduction and conception was flawed because what? She's somehow turned into the pinnacle component of the community? Or Hannah, a character I don't even know? Why would the storylines begin to involve a larger number of characters? Would that possibly have something to do with them losing certain characters because the actors have left?

If you detect sarcasm in my post you would be correct but other than that there is no malice, no intended slight to anyone or any particular group of fans. You are the one urging people to watch again, to "revisit"... so I'm asking why? Twice you have quoted Maddy as a reason. Is there nothing better than Maddy? Is the writing better? Have they begun to fix everything that was wrong before?

I take no offence at your comments. I see no reason to. As a staff member we tend to get accused of bias by both "sides" of any discussion and cop abuse from all sides. It goes with the territory. Nobody is forcing us to be here.

No. I am not urging you or anyone else to revisit the show to watch Maddy or Hannah because they are great characters whose journey in the show has been uniformly well written. That's not the case.

I am saying that I find the storyline involving Maddy, Roo, Alf, Marilyn, Oscar, Spencer and others around Maddy's cancer interesting because of the interaction between all of those characters as they deal with the situation. Roo is trying to be a sustitute parent but is doing a very poor job. She is far too emotional and soft. This is in character. She has no experience and her own life hasn't shown great judgement in many of her choices.

Alf on the other hand is doing a really good job. He has been unfailingly supportive of Maddy but not afraid to be tough when she has needed it. I see Maddy gravitating more to Alf as a rock than to Roo. In this we are seeing that softer side of Alf which has always been lurking beneath his gruff exterior.

Oscar from the younger cast has seen Maddy for the person she is. Immature, needy and prone to run away from difficulties ... and relationships. He doesn't want to be a part of that merry go round. But, with the maturity which has been part of his character he sees Maddy as a friend who needs his support and he's prepared to cop the abuse involved in giving it.

Other community members have become involved in activities such as the Colour Run.

I find Hannah interesting because her accident has provided the opportunity for Andy to be involved and to grow as a character as that happens. I don't write him off because he is a Barrett and involved with the Braxtons.

There are other storylines emerging at the moment that show promise for me. I understand that the above is a personal view.

If the show is improving then those who have elected not to watch for whatever reason will miss that improvement. If they watch at least their decisions will be informed.

[Slade]

My view is that whilst I wouldn't go as far as saying that the producers are ruining the show, I certainly don't think it's as good as it was before. Although I've thought that for many years now, ever since the 2000-2004 period ended. However there is a clear difference in the storylines for me from when I first joined the forum in 2008 and over the last 2-3 years. Back then whilst not my favourite period, it was still for the most part quite enjoyable. I wanted to post about the episodes almost every day whereas now I'm more of a lurker and only feel motivated to post when there's a particular part of the episode worth discussing (although I suppose it doesn't help that my job has become more demanding also so I don't have as much time). Home and Away is not my favourite soap anymore and watching some of the episodes now feels like a chore. Not quite sure where it's gone wrong TBH (Yes I know the whole premise of this thread is about the producers and people have their opinions but they are just that - opinions). But I just don't care enough about most of the characters and I would say the vast majority, I feel indifferent. Even in the character discussion threads, I rarely comment on a character I really like because I just don't feel the same way about them as some of the ones in the past. And I only post to have a rant about a character that I find annoying which I suppose in a way is sad. About a year and a half ago I said to myself, if it wasn't for the fact that I was a member of this forum I would have stopped watching the show for sure. But I stopped posting here for a few months and was still watching every episode anyway. I guess I'm one of those viewers that keeps hoping things will get better. But I'm not I'm expecting anything to happen anytime in the foreseeable.

[Homeandawayfan.]

I did flick through a few bits of tonights episode and it just highlighted everything I dislike about H&A right now. Brax up in court, a creepy stalker, a fistfight in the recap. And as I said, the unbearable harsh music in the background adds to the dark and macabre tone the show has. It is now the same as one of those rubbish American thriller series where everyone's lives are in danger, then a ex lover shoots them in the head or drowns them. ATM H&A is the most unwatchable of all the drama series and that is no exaggeration.