Coronation Street and Emmerdale have brand new slots from March – and it is a genius move.
It’s fair to say that Corrie moving to three hour-long episodes has split fans.
Some are outraged it is leaving its traditional 7.30pm slot.
Others think an hour is far too long for any soap to air at one time. While Emmerdale leaving its 7pm home is practically sacrilege.
There are some who even blame ITV for forcing them to choose between watching Corrie or Emmerdale and EastEnders.
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But that’s just par for the course.
Over the last few years the BBC has treated EastEnders abysmally – it is a shadow of what it once was.
It has been thrown around the schedules as if its fans don’t matter – and ratings have plunged as a result.
ITV schedule changes will be a triumph for Coronation Street and Emmerdale
ITV has shown no such disloyalty to Emmerdale and Corrie – it remains steadfast at all but essential times.
And as a result they have much larger loyal followings.
For them – three hour-long episodes will be much more rewarding to watch.
After all – they were watching an hour anyway – just split up. And Emmerdale being on before just gives an added bonus of 90 minutes of drama.
Moving the schedules around will prove to be a genius move.
The changes to Corrie in particular will allow the pacing issue to be sorted out. Episodes will flow better.
There will be no need for those pointless mini-cliffhangers that you get at the end of the 7.30pm episode.
That will be a blessed relief to the actors as much as the viewers.
Instead there will be episodes that are essentially mini-movies three times per week.
Storylines can be more fleshed out – more involved and more satisfying.
And the bonus is that it will no doubt increase ratings for the nation’s favourite soap.
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For soap fans that can only be a good thing.
Whether it comes at the expense of EastEnders is a decision for the BBC.
If only it had as much faith in Walford as ITV does in Weatherfield.
Want more spoilers from Coronation Street? Entertainment Daily has a dedicated Coronation Street spoilers section for you to get your fix before the latest episodes air.
Coronation Street usually airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
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