Stereotypes and Characters of Soap Operas

Stereotypes and Characters

The ultimate power couple -

Often the ultimate power couple will be the couple who every character in the soap looks up to either for guidance or support in hard times. The couple will face many difficulties which would often break apart any couple although they get through everything hand in hand. Stereotypically one of the partners will be more desirable and will be the love interest of other characters and people will be envious of them. The couple represent the expectation of what a great relationship should be.

Kat and Alfie from EastEnders are a good example of the ultimate power couple because they have faced many problems such as when Kat had cheated on Alfie and became pregnant with another man’s (Alfie’s cousin) baby but soon reconciled.

The underdog -

More than likely the underdog will be the character who is at a disadvantage and not expected to achieve and appear to fail at everything they try; the audience feel hopeful for the underdog and wish for them to succeed. In spite of everything, this character will somehow manage to exceed expectation and achieve what they wanted after a tough challenge. 

Ian Beale from EastEnders is a good example of being an underdog. From a young age he has been pushed to the curb, an example would be when he was a teenager and aspired to be a caterer however his father argued with him and did not support him. Despite this he went through school, started some businesses and bought the local café.







The super villain -

Not often truly evil however a character who wishes to create trouble through wrong doings. It’s not a character that will only do this once, it will be a continuing occurrence.

Michael Moon from EastEnders is a good example of this stereotype because there have been multiple occasions where he has been involved with wrong doings, for example when he framed Ronnie with breaking into the Queen Victoria pub even though he had seen Jay Mitchell and Abi Branning running from the scene.

The girl/boy next door -

This stereotype refers to a character that is an average, cute, kind and unassuming person often viewed in a romantic way and is frequently the choice over a more provocative character such as the vamp. This character will be dependable in a relationship.

 Sophie Webster from Coronation Street is a prime example of the girl next door because even though she has faced trouble in the past she broke through it all and became a Christian. She is also a very pretty girl and viewed as a candidate for romance.

The wayward youth -

Young people relate to this character more as it is often a character who is an essentially good yet a troublesome young adult. If they get into trouble they are rehabilitated rather than punished due to them being a juvenile,viewed as a cheeky and immature adolescent.

Lauren Branning from EastEnders has been a good example of the wayward youth since she first appeared on the soap in July 2006. Since then she has had affairs with people and had problems with alcohol, despite this her intentions have never been purely evil.

The rebel -

This character is not always a teenager however it is often stereotyped to be. The rebel is someone who has a problem with society who wishes to break the rules and violate social norms; they will live by their own rules which differ from society.

Lucy Beale from EastEnders is similar to Lauren Branning and both could be either the wayward youth or the rebel because she too has had affairs and problems with drink. However she uses sex as a weapon and is always hiding things, including cocaine which was found in her jewellery box.

The straight laced good guy -

The straight laced good guy will be the character who seems very reserved and will be the type of person who doesn’t do anything audacious. Their relationships with other characters will be very restricted not going out to parties or large social events although they will get along with most characters due to their good nature.

Dennis Savage from Hollyoks is a prime example of the straight laced good guy as when he was offered a job in Mumbai he is unable to go due to his fear of flying. Similarly he is a helpful young boy and is rarely involved in trouble but is always known for trying to help sort out the problem.

The vamp -

Often this character is sexually alluring although doesn’t have to be attractive and most likely seen to be heartless. In most cases they are dangerous and if they are crossed then they could resort to murder in order to get what they want.

Janine Butcher from EastEnders is most definitely a vamp as she has sex with Danny and tells him it is a one off, then later on kills Michael after Alice had stabbed him once and framed her. Although after being found out she tries to wriggle her way out of it in devious ways that are to the extremes of murder.

The matriarch -

This character is female and will represent a woman who is head of the household or looked up to as a mother figure to all the characters. She is a strong character who is in a stable life and is always

reliable.

Peggy Mitchell from EastEnders is most definitely viewed as the mother of the soap as she is the recurring owner of the Queen Victoria and is always the strong, independent go to woman if any character is ever in trouble. For example she is the one who bails out Sam, her daughter even though she later breaks the conditions of her bail and causes problems when Peggy and her family are forced to use the Queen Victoria pub as collateral for a loan which almost loses them the pub.

The bungler -

The bungler is often a male, father figure and is seen as incompetent as well as being unable to focus on any task at hand. A very common factor is that they are incapable of accepting failure and are very naïve.

Ian Beale from EastEnders is a bungler because he is always getting himself into difficult situations where he has to explain his actions soon after. Even more so, he was planning to propose to Denise however his plans are soon compromised and turmoil is created.