Why are characters staying on show longer this days?.

[j.laur5]

In  last few years more characters have seem to have stayed  longer and obviously pandemic was hugely factor on why actors wanted to stay longer but however pandemic long over now and we got Tane and Mackenzie both are not past four years and we haven’t had regular character leave in over year and we only had three new regulars in last years . 
 

Dean/Jasmine/Tori/Ryder/Ziggy all past stayed past four years. 

I think Colby and Willow would stayed longer if there storyline’s went in different direction. 

 Personally I prefer more coming and goings as keeps show fresh with new characters and both Dean and Ziggy were very stale by time they left and same with Ryder and Jasmine. 

I got to say i really am starting to feel lot characters starting to get stale Mackenzie/Tane/Cash/Rose. 
 

You thoughts ?. 

Edited July 9 by j.laur5

[CaptainHulk]

Just wish some characters post 2021 would bugger off tbh lol

[adam436]

The show does need to start cultivating long-term characters. We have 7 mainstay characters which is certainly a good number, but they won't necessarily be around forever. Georgie Parker takes yearly breaks for theatre, Ray Meagher has been cutting back in recent years and Lynne McGranger also takes time out for other projects at various times. Any of those 7 could decide to leave next week for all we know, and the show needs to be prepared for when they do. 

The problem is that I can't realistically see any of the current younger cast still on the show in 10 years time, or if they are, they will have very little development and probably be going around in the same circles they are now. That's a writing issue though - any character should have the potential to become a stalwart with the right development and writing (not taking into account other factors like acting, viewer popularity etc.).

[hapitoby]

2 hours ago, adam436 said:

The show does need to start cultivating long-term characters. We have 7 mainstay characters which is certainly a good number, but they won't necessarily be around forever. Georgie Parker takes yearly breaks for theatre, Ray Meagher has been cutting back in recent years and Lynne McGranger also takes time out for other projects at various times. Any of those 7 could decide to leave next week for all we know, and the show needs to be prepared for when they do. 

The problem is that I can't realistically see any of the current younger cast still on the show in 10 years time, or if they are, they will have very little development and probably be going around in the same circles they are now. That's a writing issue though - any character should have the potential to become a stalwart with the right development and writing (not taking into account other factors like acting, viewer popularity etc.).

This. There's a big writing issue. A lot of the newer cast aren't memorable or just interchangeable. Changing cast is good to keep it fresh but it's good to have familiar faces around too. Good writing can have characters that still feel fresh and can be explored 5+ years later. Bad writing has the burn out in a year or two and either repeat their storylines or float around aimlessly till the three year mark, only to be replaced by similar type characters.

I think Leah and Justin are used quite well and John too. The rest of the older cast could definitely be utilised better. Alf is used fine considering he's reduced time but he definitely feels more grumpy the last few years.

[j.laur5]

1 hour ago, hapitoby said:

This. There's a big writing issue. A lot of the newer cast aren't memorable or just interchangeable. Changing cast is good to keep it fresh but it's good to have familiar faces around too. Good writing can have characters that still feel fresh and can be explored 5+ years later. Bad writing has the burn out in a year or two and either repeat their storylines or float around aimlessly till the three year mark, only to be replaced by similar type characters.

I think Leah and Justin are used quite well and John too. The rest of the older cast could definitely be utilised better. Alf is used fine considering he's reduced time but he definitely feels more grumpy the last few years.

Got to say the last episodes since he's been back have been better but it’s plot convenience on how characters act at times expressing in last 7 years or so. 

[hapitoby]

13 hours ago, j.laur5 said:

Got to say the last episodes since he's been back have been better but it’s plot convenience on how characters act at times expressing in last 7 years or so. 

Overall this year he seems slightly less grumpy I think. But yeah characters just act really dumb for the sake of plot at times. The Heather being Marilyn's daughter thing was a mess. 

[stevester55]

16 minutes ago, hapitoby said:

Overall this year he seems slightly less grumpy I think. But yeah characters just act really dumb for the sake of plot at times. The Heather being Marilyn's daughter thing was a mess. 

Totally agree the Marilyn Heather plotting was daft..I watch a lot of the old eps to remind me that the show had everything we loved to the sunny credits and song for what to be axed crazy as it's iconic...Blame Lucy addario..There would be an out cry in the UK if corrie or Eastenders had there theme tune dropped..I've said for a while now the writing team and lucy have had there time and now need a massive refresh ..have a younger cast and families and a school back as Lyrik xander rose ect just don't do it for me sadly..

[adam436]

As I've said, the show needs to be starting thinking about the next generation of stalwarts, but the writing needs to improve first. You can have the best actors in the world who want to stay for the long haul, but if the writing and development is there, then it won't work. Tori was character who developed - like Mackenzie, she too would just jump from one relationship disaster to the next, but the writers eventually took in her new direction with a baby (and a unique take on the pregnancy for H&A too, rather than just an unplanned one!). 

We've definitely had characters in the last 10 years who I thought had long-term potential. The producers could have created a little family for Dean and Ziggy with Jai, Isabella and maybe a teenage sibling of Dean's. Ryder was a character who worked naturally with both younger and older cast and links to the iconic Stewart clan. 

For those complaining about too many younger cast staying too long, another part of the problem is that they are all the same age. Back in the day when we had a wider spread of ages, characters staying 4+ years seemed less noticeable because the different ages would mean different interactions, different storylines and development etc. 

We also need to keep in mind that actors are generally on 3 year contracts. Looking back 3 years, 2020 had a low turnover of cast and many of the 2021 additions (Chloe, Mia, Logan) left after 12-18 months. 2022 was a bigger year for comings and goings, so it would be reasonable to expect a bigger refresh in 2025, either the actors wanting to move on or the producers deciding the characters have run their course. 

 

[James Martin]

I agree there needs to be a better succession plan. Ray is 80, Lynne is 71.  It's not unreasonable to believe both will be taking serious thoughts about retirement soon.  Ada and Georgie play this generation's stalwart characters, but let's remember Leah started as a young adult and slowly evolved into the position she occupies within the show today.  It's accepted the cast has a very high turnover, but it needs those long serving characters amongst the overall cast for the format to really work.

[adam436]

 You also never know what's around the corner - other soaps have had veterans we expected to stay "forever" unexpectedly quit, which would have taken the producers and audience by surprise. 

What is the succession plan? Following the "big six", the next longest running characters are Justin (8 years), Mackenzie (5 years) and Tane (4.5 years). The producers must be happy for Justin to stick around for the foreseeable future or they wouldn't have married off him and Leah, but Mackenzie has had very little development - as I said, she just jumps from one relationship to disaster. It's been 5 years, so I would have hoped the producers would have invested in at least some development if they wanted to keep her around for the long haul.

I do wonder if the producers might look to the not-so-distant-past to fill the gap - I can't see any classic 90s characters returning, but I could see the producers trying to lure back Dan Ewing or maybe Sophie Dillman and Patrick O'Connor to fill a void if any of those stalwart characters left in the next year or two.