tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2585163331194032530.post185095856340613517..comments2023-11-02T09:08:08.645-04:00Comments on We Love Soaps: Want To Try A Foreign Soap? Three British Soaps to Get Hooked On!Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659344675956886092noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2585163331194032530.post-19057166819452567482015-05-22T20:20:52.473-04:002015-05-22T20:20:52.473-04:00Because of the amount of foreign TV I watch, I use...Because of the amount of foreign TV I watch, I use a VPN service that allows me to watch these shows at their broadcast network websites on the day they're broadcast. I've been watching EastEnders, Emmerdale, and Hollyoaks for years now. (It costs me a little over $6 a month, but I prefer this to buying a premium cable package!)<br /><br />If you don't care if you're a week or two behind what's currently being broadcast in the UK, then you can watch both Coronation Street and Hollyoaks at Hulu (with advertising). Example: Today is May 22 and the latest episode at Hulu for Corrie is May 15. Hollyoaks just put up the May 5 episode. So that's not too far behind. <br /><br />A couple things I love about British soaps is the diversity and the more ensemble nature of the cast. Just about every character gets their turn at having a story. Also, I actually prefer the larger cast size coupled with the half-hour format. I think EastEnders currently has a cast of over 50 characters in "The Square" and some evenings we see over 20 of them. No time to get bored with screen hogs like in US soaps .. lol! .. And Bill Bell was right. The half-hour format is the perfect one for soaps. You're usually wanting more and actually anticipate the next episode.<br /><br />If you want some quick run-downs of what's happened (or about to happen) on these UK shows, I recommend the "Whats On TV UK" website at: <br /><br />http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/soaps <br /><br />Once you select the soap you want to review, you can read "Coming Up" with day-to-day spoilers or look at "The Story So Far" for a rundown of what's happened day-to-day in the recent weeks.<br /><br />FoxCranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13826849478948616154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2585163331194032530.post-38650816864260272732015-05-22T19:44:57.302-04:002015-05-22T19:44:57.302-04:00Big fan of EastEnders! Watch on local PBS station....Big fan of EastEnders! Watch on local PBS station...we're a bit behind (fall 2005) because we only get two episodes a week, but best show on the telly! (Just don't grass to the old bill about me, ya plunker!)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08836504587567344171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2585163331194032530.post-82980834419239833342015-05-22T18:14:26.612-04:002015-05-22T18:14:26.612-04:00British soaps are the absolute best! In the case o...British soaps are the absolute best! In the case of "Coronation Street," it's pure domestic drama like U.S. soaps used to be through the mid-1970s. Unlike today's U.S. soaps, not everyone is super-rich (in fact, "Corrie" prides itself on characters predominately from the working class, which is rife with drama). No master villains who secretly keep dead characters alive in their basements for years. No crime mob. And NO 60-plus actresses unrecognizable from too much cosmetic surgery. It's Dickens for 21st Century.RICKIE BOGUILLEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17803421612121555130noreply@blogger.com