“it pretty much was basically just a soap opera”
Well, yeah. What else could it be? All the beautiful shots in and around the castle would be worthless if the actors just stood around looking pretty. LOL! The series showcases the castle, so within those confines, what else could they do? Comedy? Adventure? Song & Dance? Opera? Sit-Com? Reality? Game show?
A lot of Shakespeare is soap opera too. Human nature being what it is, cheap drama with tension, conflict, sex, scandal and cliff-hanger endings sells, and the media producers know it. So, enjoy it for what it is.
or ignore it for what it is, like me
Maybe it was disappointing because I’m a P.G. Wodehouse fan.