Does anyone think Home and Away has become boring and predictable?

[10079229]

As a fan of Home and Away for more than 20 years, I feel that in the last year or two the storylines are predictable and boring and the characters are 2 dimensional. I really wouldn't be bothered tuning in anymore. Bring back the days of Pippa and her house full of kids, Fisher, Sally, Haley and Noah, Shane and Paige etc. All soaps are predictable, but come on Home and Away! The female cop and bad boy dynamic has been played out too many times, the Mason clan is a poor version of the Brax brothers, another man/teenager being deceived into thinking he is going to be a Dad and the younger characters such as Hunter, Olivia and Tabitha are hard to watch. Neighbours had a lull a few years ago but they have upped their game and are more interesting than Home and Away. Maybe Home and Away is targeting a younger teenage audience and I am too old to be interested in it anymore. If so, this is devastating! Does anyone agreed?

[Dazzle]

Home and Away are definitely targeting a younger audience, and one that is more interested in criminals and guns than character development.

That being said, I absolutely detested the Braxtons and the way the show became all about them, so it's a big plus for me that they've gone. I find the Morgans a lot more likeable and though we've been dumped straight into their witness protection mess, at least they're fairly straightforward and likeable characters themselves.

I agree the teenagers in the whole are bland and two-dimensional. Matt for instance was a cool and funny guy when he first appeared in the bay, but now he's just as boring as the others. Why they don't make the most of Alec Snow's big personality I don't know!

I like Olivia and think she has potential to be a great character. However, the writing doesn't seem to be there any more. Oh for the days of teenage characters like Belle, Nicole, Drew and Aidan!

I was ready to give up on H&A for the first time a couple of years ago when Heath and Brax were the main players. I'm very glad to say it's improved for me since then. A huge improvement has been more storylines for the older generation who were little more than extras there for a couple of years.

There's also far too many really dire actors in H&A at the moment who were very obviously only cast for their looks.

[10079229]

You have made a good point that Home and Away are hiring characters based on looks rather than acting ability, as Kyle, Phoebe, Nate and Hunter are prime examples. And yes at least the more mature characters are getting a bit more air time but I still feel the bulk of the storylines and characters are uninteresting. The relationships between characters are lacking, Cat was confiding her woes to Roo recently and all I could think was 'since when have they become such good friend?' Home and Away needs drama, suspense, humour and the building up of good character relationships!

[Dazzle]

You have made a good point that Home and Away are hiring characters based on looks rather than acting ability, as Kyle, Phoebe, Nate and Hunter are prime examples. And yes at least the more mature characters are getting a bit more air time but I still feel the bulk of the storylines and characters are uninteresting. The relationships between characters are lacking, Cat was confiding her woes to Roo recently and all I could think was 'since when have they become such good friend?' Home and Away needs drama, suspense, humour and the building up of good character relationships!

Kat and Ash are current main players who are also woeful actors in my opinion (though I do find Ash likeable at least). I thought the same as you about Kat confiding in Roo when I can't even remember them having a serious conversation before.

The lack of character and relationship development seems to be something that affects all soaps these days. Their main interest now is winning viewers with sensational storylines and not with realistic and compelling characters that viewers can identify with. I must admit that I am looking forward to the upcoming plane crash because disasters are something H&A used to do very well.

Marilyn and John fostering is a positive development, but I wish they'd bring Jordan back. He was a good actor and likeable with it. I think drama queen Evie is well past her sell by date now, as is Nate. I wouldn't be at all sad to see either of them go (and I liked both characters when they first arrived in the bay). Nate and his never ending merry-go-round of love interests is the epitome of boring and predictable!

[pyrocanthus]

I used to love watching Home & Away in the late 1980s but it has lost its shine since characters like Pippa, Elsa ( to name a few) went. I watch Neighbours now.

[FunkyMonkey]

Home and Away seems to be hit and miss lately and