Emmerdale fans have sparked a fierce online debate about the future of the ITV soap.
After a year of storylines which have included the return of Mandy Dingle and Kim Tate, the death of Frank Clayton and Victoria Sugden’s traumatic rape, some fans believe the soap is riding high.
Read more: Emmerdale fans APPALLED as Andrea ‘took advantage of’ a drunk Graham
Others, however, believe it’s become boring and formulaic and have called for it to be axed.
Writing on Digital Spy Forums, one disgruntled viewer said: “Should Emmerdale be sacked off TV? In my opinion, Emmerdale at the moment is just blatantly boring and dull!
“Nobody is happy as everybody is still going on about the awful factory fire which happened at the start of August!! At the moment I wouldn’t care if Emmerdale got sacked off TV because all the characters just annoy me.”
Read more: Emmerdale fans ‘bored’ by ‘predictable’ Graham and Millie paternity storyline
Another agreed, writing: “I fully agree. Maybe it should be on ITVBe, or ITV2, where all the brain-dead dross is found.”
A third said: “Emmerdale has lost its continuity: it is now crisis after crisis, sex, more sex and crime. The village atmospere has been abandoned. What sort of age group and lifestyle are the producers catering for?”
“We all enjoy a bit of escapism, that’s why we watch the soaps,” wrote one more. “But I fail to see what is enjoyable about modern Emmerdale – it’s cliché-riddled, poorly-scripted, with bad continuity, and full of characters with no character.”
“Absolutely agree, it should be axed. Emmerdale was amazing a few years ago but I think it’s just lost its touch,” added one more.
Others said it was lagging way behind the other soaps, and some said they had even stopped watching. One claimed Moira’s character had been “ruined” and some said the soap was on too often, writing: “Nothing lasts forever. Emmerdale should not be on six times a week to start with, it’s mad.”
However, others defended the soap, with one user saying: “It’s no worse than any other soap.”
Another said: “No, it shouldn’t be cancelled. But it needs a bit of a shake-up. Too many dull characters and a lack of interesting storylines.”
“Emmerdale is really bad at the moment,” said another. “It’s about as bad as some of the US soaps got before they were cancelled. That being said, though, I don’t think it should be cancelled but I do think they need new producers who have a bold vision for the show.”
One more added: “I agree it certainly should not be cancelled. These soaps go in a cycle, look at EastEnders and how bad that was and look how good it has become. I agree a new producer is needed.”
“Emmerdale will come good again no doubt,” believed a hopeful soap fan, while another said similar: “I don’t think it needs to be cancelled yet, but it needs to be revamped.
“Go back to four or five episodes a week. No hour long episodes, unless something actually happens, and go back to summer hiatus for the writers and actors to rest and rejuvenate.”
A user called Littlegreen42 was way more devoted, typing: “It’s the best soap. Yes it has lulls now and then, but it’s still more consistent than the other soaps.”
“Can’t be that much of a brain-dead soap, it won the best soap award and rightly so,” stated another.
Soap fans know that Emmerdale was one of the big winners at the National Television Awards in January, after scooping the prize for best soap.
The show fought off competition from EastEnders, Coronation Street and Hollyoaks to take the trophy at the awards – voted for entirely by the viewers – for the third year running.
It was one of two prizes the ITV show took home from the star-studded ceremony at the O2 Arena, with actor James Moore – who plays Ryan Stocks – also winning the award for best newcomer.
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