World Cup Tournament World Cup of Soap Operas - The Matches

Michelle Stevens

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Match 1- Dallas
Match 2- Neighbours
 

Barbara Fan

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match 1 - Dallas - no contest, only ever watched 5 mins of Neighbours and that was 5 mins too much for me
over hyped by BBC too

Match 2 - I will go british and say Howards way, my mum liked it on a sunday evening, i went for a bath then!
 

Victoriafan3

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Oh gosh. Really?! This match is just cruel lol

Next it’ll Be Return to Eden against Knots

Dallas is obviously and massively going to win this.

But Dallas is my third fav show of all time.

And Sons and Daughters is my second. Even more now I’m watching it again while I’m older. It’s riveting and brilliantly cast, especially the early years so...

1. S&D
2. Neighbours
 
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James from London

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Match One

I'm not gonna overthink this one. Purely because I'm totally immersed it at the moment, and it is so compulsive, and because something tells me it's the last chance I'll get to vote for it, I'm pressing my button for Sons and Daughters.

Match Two

Fond memories of Neighbours back in the day versus no memories at all of Howards Way = Neighbours.

The Aussies have it!
 

Willie Oleson

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Match One

Eventhough it's been on top of my to-rewatch-list for many years I hadn't really planned on watching Sons & Daughters - like Mel O'Drama, I watched the pilot episodes just for the heck of it.
But I was not prepared for the overwhelming feeling of "coming home".
It's always been a favourite series of mine but it kind of ended up being overshadowed by the beautiful American soap operas.
Considering the very principle of the soap opera genre - hook the audience - S&D knows no equal, and they had to create many more cliff-hangers than Dallas.

S&D has also been a soap to make fun of: the naff and cheap sets (but lots of outdoors scenes!) and of course Beryl's relentless household chores. And yet it's all that domestic stuff that provides some of the most amazing drama.
The acting is sometimes too good for a soap, I had a similar feeling when I watched Knots Landing.
I have fallen in love with these characters all over again, probably more than the first time, and the show's villainess is far more complex and consistently entertaining than her American counterparts.

My opinion might be slightly coloured by the fact that I'm watching this right now, and when I continue with Dallas I'll probably say "this is the best soap eva!".
Nevertheless, right now my vote goes to the Aussie Hit Show.



Match Two

This is an easy one since I've never watched Neighbours.
Howards' Way will always be the ultimate 80s soap for me. Obviously because it's closer to home than the epicness of the American sagas.
Being the eightiests soap isn't necessarily a good thing, though. But the egotism, ambition and lust for enterprise was portrayed in a very convincing way.
There was always a strong sense of family and business being at stake, so you had to know what would happen next.
It also featured an actress whom you'd expect to see in every other British tv series, but her IMDb page looks surprisingly obscure.
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James from London

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The acting is sometimes too good for a soap, I had a similar feeling when I watched Knots Landing.

Yes, I remember I had that same feeling back in the day about both shows, in a way that I don't think I ever did about DALLAS (not until New Dallas anyway).
 

Mel O'Drama

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like Mel O'Drama, I watched the pilot episodes just for the heck of it.
But I was not prepared for the overwhelming feeling of "coming home".

It proves how addictive it is. I wanted to check out the opening scene to see a detail I'd forgotten. And here I am 800+ episodes later immersed in what has been an incredible journey.


It's always been a favourite series of mine but it kind of ended up being overshadowed by the beautiful American soap operas.

I watched them alongside one another in the Eighties, but they appeal in quite different ways. I suppose you could say they meet different needs.


The acting is sometimes too good for a soap, I had a similar feeling when I watched Knots Landing.

Agreed. Although in both cases I find it difficult to put it into words why. It just has to be experienced.


I have fallen in love with these characters all over again, probably more than the first time

Revisiting a series after several decades is quite a different experience, isn't it? I'm appreciating characters and aspects of the series that completely passed me by when I was a teenager.


the show's villainess is far more complex and consistently entertaining than her American counterparts.

The psychology of her character is so rich and compelling. There's that unpredictable Greg Sumner quality that keeps not only the other characters but also the audience on their toes. She's not a safe character. At all.


Being the eightiests soap isn't necessarily a good thing, though. But the egotism, ambition and lust for enterprise was portrayed in a very convincing way.

I know it was frequently described as Dallas-on-Sea and featured a Dynasty alum, but I think in terms of its aspirational Eighties zeitgeist, Howards' Way has more in common with Knots Landing. It became monied and twisty, but its beginnings, while not exactly humble, are certainly grounded and relatable.


It also featured an actress whom you'd expect to see in every other British tv series, but her IMDb page looks surprisingly obscure.

My guess is Susan Jameson kept pipping her to the post.
 

Angela Channing

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Match 1 - I was an occasional viewer of Sons and Daughters back in the 1980s when I got home from school early and always found it compelling. It was superbly written, well acted and always managed to end every episode on a gripping cliffhanger. It wasn't a cosy afternoon soap, bordering on incest storyline and unusually for a soap, two of the main characters were ex-prostitutes and they were always portrayed sympathetically. For a relatively low budget show it was second to none but it's up against a juggernaut that is one of my all time favourite shows. The final seasons of Dallas brings the show down overall but the first few seasons were so thrilling that it compensates for the dire final years so my vote goes for Dallas.

Match 2 - I'm not really familiar with either of these shows other than watching a handful of Neighbours many years ago and wasn't particularly impressed. However, I can't deny its appeal as shown by its longevity which gives it the edge over Howards' Way, a show of which I know nothing other than that which I read on this forum during this World Cup. My vote goes to Neighbours.
 

Jock Og

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Game 1 - DALLAS: Sons and Daughters is my second favourite programme, to come from the land of Oz. However when it is up against my favourite from the American eighties there is no contest. DALLAS gets my vote. There were numerous clouds with the Texas show e.g. Pam's dream (the resolution more than the season); Barbara Bel Geddes and Donna Reed as the two Ellies (even though I felt terribly sorry, for the woman in the 1984 - '85 year), the tease of Wes is Jock, the debacle as regards Pam's fate and all those characters who replaced people who were the show. Lastly but in no ways least I have great admiration for Larry Hagman. God rest him! However the way J.R. was portrayed in the twilight eighties was not the man who could shovel his way out of shit or pay somebody to do it, for him. J.R. being the main star of the show for most viewers became a cartoon, with the mini-series to season 9 (DVD 1 - 10) his best years.






Game 2 - NEIGHBOURS: What can I say other than the Erinsborough folk have been on this earth from the mid eighties and I will always have a soft spot for the 'good days'. As cringeworthy as it sounds now I used to enjoy the introduction of the show, less so now. In the golden years right up to the middle noughties it was a different show, maybe even a better show than the present but alas you have got to move with the times. Howards' Way was a nautical gem of a show, featuring two very capable lead actors Jan Harvey and Kate O'Mara. Yet when those boat/yacht fanatics are competing against the Ramsay Street residents the duration of the soap means something. Also the mainly pleasant vibe was 'chalk and cheese' to the DALLAS or DYNASTY like power struggles, in Howards' Way.


 

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Match 1) DALLAS - this is an easy one for me as it is easily my favourite of the American prime time soap operas.

The 1980s soap had everything you could wish for : big hairdos, big shoulder pads, lots of plotting, feuding, scheming and backbiting.

And in J R Ewing it gave birth to one of the greatest tv villains of any soap opera ever.

I've seen most of the episodes produced when these were broadcast in the 1980s and am due a re-watch on DVD some time soon.

In contrast, I've never understood the appeal or allure of Sons and Daughters so, it's Dallas for me.

Match 2) HOWARDS' WAY - this is a difficult one as I watched and enjoyed both shows in the 1980s.

Neighbours was good for its first 4 or 5 years after which a lot of the popular characters left and I lost interest in the serial.

So, for me, its longevity selects against it.

In contrast, Howards' Way was consistently good throughout its entire run, albeit that this spanned a shorter time frame.

So, because it sustained my interest for the entirety of its run Howards' Way gets my vote.
 
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Carrie Fairchild

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Match 1 - this is a tough one. Dallas was the first US soap to come onto my radar during the twilight years of it's original run. I then fell in love with it in reruns and as mentioned previously, Sue Ellen Ewing is one of my favourite soap characters ever. However, there's just something about Sons and Daughters. The main event is obviously Patricia but the rest of the original cast of characters are amazing, the writing is sharp, the plots were edgy and they just kept throwing cliffhanger after cliffhanger at us. It was full scale soap opera with forbidden love, plastic surgery, exploding wheelchairs, long lost twins. Not that Dallas was in any way subdued but S&D was such high drama. I love it, so it's getting my vote for this match.



Match 2 - I'm more familiar with Neighbours and watched it throughout my childhood but I'm giving Howards' Way my vote in this match. Not that I've seen a great deal of it but I like the cast and it's part of that interesting stable of Euro attempts at Dallas in the 80's alongside shows like France's Chateauvallon and Germany's Das Erbe der Guldenburgs.
 
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