While it has great characters, it also has some of the worst. Overdone slapstick really gets tedious. The whole Burt character is a bit too silly, talking to himself and generally being a dimwitted buffoon. He's a caricature of all that's wrong with sitcom acting. His movements and facial expressions are exaggerated to distraction. Dutch is an unfortunate complete idiot. There's nothing funny or likeable about him whatsoever. Overacting in the extreme. He's awful, and every scene he appears in dies immediately. He's easily the worst character in TV sitcom history. But the preacher Tim was a close second and his departure from the show was welcome. All his scenes are just not written well, and other than Dutch he's clearly the least talented of the cast. A dull, bland character whose lifeless presence drags the show down in several ways. It's a balance that just about works but doesn't hold up to modern viewing. Ventures into the ridiculous well too many times and eventually lost it's charm and focus. It's enjoyable for what it is for the first couple seasons, and there are many hilarious scenes. Other scenes just end dumbly or annoyingly. Perhaps groundbreaking at the time but there were better done more authentic shows back then. Falls into the formulatic choreographed tricks of the genre of the era. This plays to cliches and tries the patience at times. It lacks that consistent authentic feeling that makes the viewer get completely immersed in it. Benson, The Major and Billy were actually the highlights, and of course Bob. There are some truly touching scenes between family members from time to time that actually choked me up. Some things were done really well and others failed hard. People must've been stoned out of their wits to endure this silly mess for the entire 4 seasons, when only the first 2 were remotely bearable. Ever been stuck in the mud with the tired spinning? This show starts to feel like that midway through Season 2. The wheels came off with the Demon Baby and Alied Abduction nonsense. I don't understand the 8.2 rating here, but then I don't understand the majority of the ratings here. Disheartening. 4.5 rounded down to 4 to compensate for the the incomprehensible high rating. By the start of Season 3 things had become so ridiculous and asinine that it had become basically unwatchable. Dialogue had become absurd beyond endurance. Yes, they tackled serious controversial issues but they handled them in a silly, clunky ham fisted and light hearted fashion. Plot starts going in circles. The trick to writing a likeable character is to make them at least a little believable in their actions. Like in Andy Griffith. Gomer is immensely likeable because he's a bit slow but also very genuine, funny and clever. A good guy. Goober who replaced him was a slobbering idiot and didn't work out for me. A slightly dim character is cute and endearing, but when you have so many in one show that are incredibly stupider than a bag of dead catfish eventually you're just going to get irritated by them. That's what happens here. Case in point: Bert. Danny to a degree too. It was simple minded unenjoyable rubbish. Poorly choreographed too. Not much discernible talent found in the cast. There's talented people, but they unfortunately have to play idiotic roles and dumb themselves down to meet the meager expectations of the director and producer. Luckily this show did served as a springboard for so many to pursue successful jobs and even careers, actors and production personnel as well. When the best character ends up being a dummy it's kind of a warning sign. A 2 season run would have been plenty. It's amazing how people fall in love after knowing each other a few minutes, then spend the rest of the time lying and cheating on them. Maybe I don't understand what the show was driving at, but it didn't seem like it was hitting the mark. WKRP, Barney Miller and other shows of the era succeeded because the characters were true and developed while here they were just all over the board. Teenagers falling for senior citizens? Gimme a break, man. Anyway, I'm happy for the success it achieved but I don't get it. Nope, I don't get it at all. They don't make 'em like this any more. Thank goodness for small mercies. The attempt to replace Benson with another listless character was a very ill thought out move that fell flat. That guy was horrible. Unfunny and unoriginal who only tried to act and talk like the character he was replacing. At least try and give him his own personality. Let him make the role his own. What started out as a mildly clever show deteriorated into one of the most annoying messes I've ever tried to watch. I forced myself to complete the 3rd series, and it's a testament to my fortitude that I prevailed. Could not bring myself to even start the 4th Season. I know my limitations.
Review of Soap
