Expectations of soap opera's

A main summary of the expectations of a soap opera is that there are many different views towards what a soap opera expects and what they have constantly seen therefore turning into a routine of how the events are to be played out.

To begin with, the first emotion in question is the viewers who are dismissive. Those who are dismissive regard the soap opera as entertainment instead of drama. However the soap operas constantly have dramatic story lines which portray life in the world, a dismissive viewer sees the soap opera as comical regardless of its drama especially since they are aware it isn't real. For this reason, their expectations are not as deep as those who are committed to the soap opera as the do not feel major emotions or create attachments to the program. Those who do are affected by the issue's tackled in the soap opera.

The second type of viewer is the fanatic fans who rush their errands to watch the soap opera, in shorter terms, the viewing times of the soap opera are included in their daily routine. The viewers who are fanatic gossip and really feel the emotion portrayed within the soap opera. For this reason their expectations are higher and require some more drama within the soap to fulfill their needs in television, making them harder to please if an event is too common. A reason for the attachment is escapism, where the viewer can relax and feel what the characters feel according to the course their lives have taken. This is an important aspect to the success of how the soap operas have pleased the viewers.

Those viewers who are not committed are less easy to please as they not care much for the program and could regard it as unrealistic and unbelievable, the main reason for this is because the show may contain too much doom and gloom, which is not possible in reality to such a small area of the country. Clearly, there expectations are very low. Most of these viewers would not even watch the soap opera in this case.

The expectations which are fulfilled within the drama cause gossip about the soap opera after the show is finished. The viewers who are fanatics or who tend to gossip more about the show. Some quotes show how this is achieved:

• 'Yes, at school every day...have you seen Eastenders? Did you watch Coronation Street last night? They're the main topic of the morning, or it could go on all day.'
• '...as soon as Eastenders is finished the phone will go and they'll be on the phone to discuss what happened.'
• 'I think its become alot more up to date. It used to be a bit of a woman's soap, but since its changed and has become more in line with most other's.'
• 'A lot of doom and gloom, they're not happy characters, some sort of problem, i don't expect them to be happy.'

These quotes show how different viewers perceive the show differently which affects how they react afterwards. Another point is where the viewers watch the soap. The main area being within the household and with family. This could increase the expectations as the whole family contribute to what they want to see from the soap opera.