1. Jay DiNitto says:

    There was a real reason for melodrama, as it was a carryover from pre-electricity days. Actors had to perform “larger than life” on the stage to get their point across acoustically and visually–no big screen TVs or sound systems to help them. After television and modern sound gear came around, it took some time for the theatrics and audience expectations to adapt. You’ll notice a lot of the early sitcoms, even all the way up to the 80s, were acted very much like stage plays. Now, with CGI makeup and more efficient post-production, actors can afford to be more subtle and life-like in their performances.

  2. Autumn Grayson says:

    Melodrama can also be useful for parody, and parody can be useful for humor AND societal critique.

  3. Merri B. says:

    My tastes are probably weird, but I’ve always loved anything that contains both pathos and absurdity. There’s just something satisfying on a meta level when you know an imperfect human is grabbing for perfect things, I guess…? Like there’s a level of really raw honesty and creativity in a lot of bad writing. 6_6

  4. Travis Perry says:

    Victor Hugo did melodrama though…Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables can both be considered that. But they’re great stories, full of pathos and at least some complex characters.

    Not all melodrama is created equal…

What do you think?