I absolutely agree. Today's episode of Classic Corrie (Christmas Day 2006) was a brilliant episode. Full of laughs, and tears, and surprises, and drama, and an evil David, and a tipsy Claire. And the Rovers was full of fun and laughter too, and a lot of Christmas cheer at the end!
As I said, I will stick with it for now, but my interest in it is fading. Like you, I watch it because I always have, and it feels like family to me, having watched it since the mid 1970s. If I have to desert it I will be sad, as it's been a constant for me since I was a child. Used to watch it with my late mum, and late gran, and everyone I knew watched it, and it was talk of the workplace in the morning - when it had been on the night before. Now, as posters have been saying, hardly anyone they know watches it, and I'm not sure who their target audience is now.
Like you said, I keep saying to myself 'why am I watching this?!' and then they have a good episode or two. So I continue. But as I said, all the bad boys, and naughty girls, and crime and thugs and violence etc, is grating now. As a pp said, many of the boys either end up dead or in the STC, and many of the girls end up sexually abused or pregnant. It's not looking like my beloved Corrie (as I know it) much these days......
I will give it another 6-8 months, but I'm struggling lately. I REALLY hope it picks up again, not just for 1-2 episodes, but for good! Yes, have a dramatic storyline now and again - nothing wrong with that (eg: Alan Bradley, Richard Hillman, Stephen (Audrey's son,) Tony Gordon, Maya, and Phelan.... ) Phelan was a good villain, (mid 2010s,) but it feels like he was so popular as a villain, and so evil, that they kept running with that theme after that, and couldn't seem to go a single week without a bloody villain.
Haven't watched tonight's yet. Will catch up tomorrow.