Errol

The show tied Dateline in Total Viewers with 2.45 million viewers. Not sure why whichever site you're quoting (link maybe?) has it at 2.55 million. That said, yes, it did better than the show itself. Which hopefully proves a point to the network. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it outrated the Story of Soaps but was below the Y&R 50 special which had a more friendly time slot, airing on a Monday at 8:00 p.m.

After much speculation, and just one day after announcing his departure from “Days of our Lives,” actor Steve Burton is set to reprise his role as Jason Morgan on ABC’s “General Hospital,” it was announced last night in a promo aired during the network’s broadcast of the primetime special “General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling.” In the promo, co-stars Laura Wright (Carly Spencer) and Kelly Monaco (Sam McCall) can be seen walking out of two of three mystery doors. Wright opens the promo, walking out of her door, saying, “You know what they say when one door closes…” followed by Monaco opening her own door and commenting, “Another door opens.” The two then eye each other as a dimly lit third door is shown at the center, only to open up to reveal Burton as the lights get brighter. “Happy anniversary, ‘General Hospital.’ Stay tuned. Big things are coming to Port Charles,” says Burton as the promo closes to mark the conclusion of the primetime special. Shortly after the big announcement, the show shared the promo and promotional pictures on social media. Additionally, an interview with Burton was published by Daily Drama, which is home to his new podcast with sometimes “General Hospital” co-star Bradford Anderson (Spinelli), titled “The Daily Drama Podcast with Steve Burton & Bradford Anderson.” The podcast launched in November 2023 and is available on wherever you listen to podcasts. In the interview, Burton said, talked about being let go from the daytime drama series in November 2021 following his decision not to comply with the since vacated Disney/ABC vaccine mandate for all employees and how things led up to his imminent return to the show, specifically how everyone tried to keep details of his return to the show a secret but were a bit unsuccessful in keeping a complete lid on things. First up, Burton notes that there were no hard feelings behind the scenes after he was let go by the studio/network, saying, “I didn’t have any ill will because ‘GH’ was my family. I was there for so long. I grew up there. This show, ‘General Hospital,’ has enabled me to live such an amazing life. “I know it’s hard for people to believe because a lot of emotions get in there, and I understand,” Burton continued. “People get emotional. It was an emotional time in the country, in the world…but I like to focus on love, I like to focus on gratitude. I truly believe when one door closes, another door opens.” Steve Burton, Kelly Monaco Eric McCandless/Disney As for keeping his return a secret, Burton explains it was not easy, considering people would notice him back on the studio lot and immediately put two and two together. He says, “We tried to keep it super low profile in the building,” adding, “Here’s the thing. Once you start telling makeup, hair, wardrobe, it’s hard. It’s supposed to be hush-hush but I’m going back in the building…you can’t just drop me in the dressing room and then take me up to stage and shoot something without people noticing.” So, how does Burton feel to be back on the show? “It was incredible going back.” He added, “Just the welcome back from everybody on the lot, starting with the people at the gate. It was amazing.” Click here to hear more from Burton on his return to the soap opera that helped make him a household name, including how he thinks his character should make a reappearance in Port Charles. Laura Wright, Steve Burton Eric McCandless/Disney A first air date back for Burton was not known at press time, but according to Soap Opera Digest, fans can expect to see the actor back on screen imminently, which means he’ll be appearing on “Days of our Lives” as Harris Michaels simultaneous to his return to “General Hospital” as Jason Morgan considering the Peacock original series tapes six to eight months ahead while the ABC soap tapes within the more traditional three to six weeks ahead. Check out the promo aired during the primetime special below. Note: The post Steve Burton Returning to ‘General Hospital’ as Jason Morgan, Details How Things Came Together appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website. Read More

What did I tell y'all? His post has received just over 137,000 views as of this (my) post and has been up less than two hours.

Carla Hall (“The Chew”) is going on a global adventure in the all-new Max originals series, “Chasing Flavor,” where she’ll explore the unexpected roots of popular dishes within today’s American food culture, from chicken pot pie to ice cream, which leads her to Ghana, Italy and Turkey, among other countries. The series premieres Thursday, February 1 on the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned streaming service. In “Chasing Flavor,” Hall traces the history and lineage of dishes, discovering the interconnected, international origins and cultures that paved the way for today’s American cuisine – because if you don’t know the history, then you don’t know the dish. Over the course of six half-hour episodes, Hall will dive into other American classics, including shrimp and grits, hot chicken, barbeque and more. “‘Chasing Flavor’ brings together so many of the things I am passionate about,” says Hall of her new series. “It’s about food, and family, and sharing stories and history and travel. And more importantly, giving credit to the cultures that had a hand in a particular dish.” She added, “I’m really proud of this show. Everyone involved in making it, myself included, put their heart and souls into it. It was a wonderful adventure, and I can’t wait for others to share it.” In one of the episodes, viewers will follow Hall as she takes an unexpected dairy adventure from the United States to Italy and Turkey to discover the origins of ice cream. Stopping at New York and Philadelphia’s top ice cream spots, Hall will learn the unique churning methods used to give the classic dessert its smooth, creamy texture. Then, in Italy, Carla discovers the difference between ice cream and gelato. Meanwhile, Hall uncovers a unique ingredient in Turkey that gives ice cream its silkiness. Among other stops around the world, Hall will go on a taco trip to Mexico to discover how a vertical flame helped cultures collide to create tacos al pastor. She also explores how Jamaica helped to shape the flaky crust of chicken pot pie, and in Ghana, she gets a spicy taste of the roots of hot chicken with chef Eric Adjepong. Check out the official trailer below. “Chasing Flavor” begins streaming on Max beginning Thursday, February 1. The series is produced by Fremantle’s Original Productions for Max. Note: The post Max Sets Premiere Date for Carla Hall’s ‘Chasing Flavor’ appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website. Read More

Exactly. With millions now getting Hulu for free through that T-Mobile deal, this will definitely add to Hulu's total subscriber base significantly. Would love to see what impact, if any, this has on the amount of people said to be subscribers beyond the current 48 million or so that the service is said to have right now. We'll likely not see the proper figures until Q2 or as late as the conclusion of Q2/beginning of Q3.

I definitely don't think they'll be dropping Hulu as a standalone service after this news: https://deadline.com/2024/01/hulu-t-mobile-streaming-bundle-apple-tv-netflix-1235694383/ Considering Disney+ isn't on this already, I don't see how that deal with Hulu could be signed if Disney were going to just get rid of Hulu as a standalone brand. It seems that Disney is just doing a "hard bundle," with Hulu directly integrated within Disney+ so that people who subscribe to both don't have to watch from outside one single app. Again, Hulu + Live TV is making Disney far too much money to just drop those millions of subscribers, and there's no way LIVE content from Hulu can technically exist within Disney+ due to carriage and licensing deals.

After spending just one year in Salem, Steve Burton is already gearing up for the next adventure in his life. In a YouTube video published on Wednesday, the actor announced that he taped his final scenes on “Days of our Lives” as Harris Michaels, a character he first portrayed on the daytime drama series in 1988, marking his first foray into soaps, and again in 2022 for spinoff series “Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem” (Chapter Two). In the Daily Drama exclusive video, Burton said, “Well, I just shot my final scenes here at ‘Days of our Lives’ and I just wanna say, thank you so much to the cast, to the crew.” He added, “It’s been amazing. I can’t believe it’s been a year already. So, thank you so much to the fans. It’s just, I’m always so full of gratitude. So thank you. Stay tuned.” A final airdate for Burton was not revealed in the actor’s video. However, with the show taping six to eight months ahead, don’t be surprised to see him on screen through at least the early part of summer. A representative for the Peacock original series had not responded to a request for comment at press time. Soap Opera Digest reports that Burton taped his final episode just before the show broke for its Christmas holiday break. In an interview with the outlet, published shortly after it was announced he would be reprising the role of Harris Michaels on “Days of our Lives,” Burton noted, “When you’re in the busi-ness 36 years and people are still calling? I’m super-grateful.” Burton and former “General Hospital” co-star Bradford Anderson recently launched their “Daily Drama Podcast” featuring interviews with other daytime stars, including Laura Wright, Kate Mansi, Tamara Braun and James Patrick Stuart, among other content features. The podcast replaced the duo’s “It’s Awesome Podcast.” Prior to returning to “Days of our Lives,” Burton appeared as Jason Morgan on “General Hospital” from 1991-2000, and again from 2002-2012. Soon after, he joined the cast of “The Young and the Restless” as Dylan McAvoy. After departing the CBS soap in early 2017, Burton returned to “General Hospital” in September, remaining with the show through November 2021, when it was announced the actor had been let go from the ABC series after not complying with the network’s since vacated vaccine mandate. He reprised the role of Harris Michaels on “Days of our Lives” beginning in April 2023, appearing five months after the show first announced his return. Last week, it was announced that Burton and his wife of nearly 25 years, Sheree Gustin Burton, were officially divorced. Watch Burton’s announcement video below. Burton also addressed his exit in an Instagram video. Watch Burton and Anderson’s conversation with Laura Wright below as they discuss the inner workings of daytime television, particularly “Days of our Lives” and “General Hospital.” Plus, Burton talks about his time working on both series and touches a bit on his exit from the latter series. Note: The post Steve Burton Exits ‘Days of our Lives’ as Harris Michaels; Actor Reveals He Only Signed a One-Year Deal With Soap appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website. Read More

Who says they hadn't already? ^not me confirming or reporting anything.

Get ready to witness “General Hospital” star Kelly Monaco (Sam McCall) as she dons her dancing shoes once more during ABC’s broadcast of “General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling,” an all-new primetime special dedicated to the daytime drama series which is celebrating its 60th year on television that is set to air Thursday, January 4 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, following the network’s LIVE broadcast of “The Golden Wedding” (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET/delayed PT). The special will also be available to stream the next day on Hulu. Hulu In a post on X (formerly Twitter), executive producer Frank Valentini shared some behind-the-scenes photos of Monaco and “Dancing with the Stars” professional dancer Valentin “Val” Chmerkovskiy as they rehearsed, which marks a reunion for the pair. After Monaco won the first season of the popular ABC competition series back in 2005, she returned in 2012 during the show’s 15th season, dubbed the “All-Stars” edition, with Chmerkovskiy as her dance partner. The pair placed third. “So much fun. So many surprises. Don’t miss ‘#GeneralHospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling’ – our primetime special airs tomorrow night at 10pm (EST) on @ABCNetwork,” said Valentini in his post. Valentini’s post came in response to Monaco’s which was posted nearly two hours earlier on Wednesday morning. In her post, she said, “I put my dancing shoes back on for the @GeneralHospital primetime special (featuring a special appearance by @iamValC). ‘General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling’ airs tomorrow (January 4th) at 10pm on ABC. Don’t miss it!” Kelly Monaco, Val Chmerkovskiy, Frank Valentini PHOTO: X/@valentinifrank On the Tuesday, January 2 episode of “General Hospital,” Monaco was noticeably absent from the series as soap alum Lindsay Hartley (“Passions,” “All My Children,” et. al) stepped in as Monaco’s character Sam McCall for the third time. She previously filled in for Monaco in 2020 and 2022. Valentini, Monaco nor ABC have commented on what may have caused the sudden recast at press time. However, it could be that Monaco was given time off to rehearse for the special. Either way, she’s already back taping at the show and will appear in the emotionally filled memorial episodes dedicated to the late Jacklyn Zeman and her character Barbara Jean “Bobbie” Spencer which is set to air next week Wednesday, January 10 and Thursday, January 11. Last month, ABC announced it would air a retrospective special dedicated to “General Hospital” that will feature a robust slate of current and past cast members, including “Dancing with the Stars” pro dancer Chmerkovskiy, who also made an appearance on the soap in an episode aired in December 2012. The special also features several celebrity surprises from “General Hospital” alums Emma Samms, Rick Springfield and Amber Tamblyn, among others. Also, look for ESPN host Stephen A. Smith to take part. Smith has made several appearances on the soap throughout the years as Brick, an enforcer who works for Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard). “General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling” airs Thursday, January 4 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Check out a promo for the primetime special below. Note: The post Kelly Monaco Dons ‘Dancing’ Shoes for ABC’s ‘General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling’ Primetime Special appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website. Read More

I'd rather people not share articles posted on the message boards that were originally published on the Soap Opera Network website as the articles are only shared on the boards for discussion-driving purposes. If sharing on social media, share the original link which will show up as it should. The original link is always referenced where it says the following: An example for properly sharing article links on social media (this case Facebook) is as follows:

As reported last week, soap alum Brian Gaskill is returning to daytime television for the first time in 15 years, joining CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” in the role of Seth. Courtesy On Tuesday, it was revealed that the actor will make his official debut on the soap opera beginning Monday, January 8. He’s set to appear in several episodes with his character described as someone who will cross paths with Nikki. That said, the January 8-28, 2024 issue of TV Guide, on newsstands Thursday, reveals that Seth is a man Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) meets at an AA meeting. In addition to “The Young and the Restless,” Gaskill has had several other roles in multiple soap operas, including playing David Michaels in the short-lived primetime series “Models Inc.,” a spinoff of “Melrose Place.” Gaskill is probably best known to soap fans for his role as Bobby Warner on “All My Children” or Rafe Kovitch on “Port Charles.” Following the cancellation of the latter series, Gaskill was cast as Oscar “Ozzy” Marone on “The Bold and the Beautiful.” He would later have roles in “As The World Turns” (playing B.J. Green) and “Guiding Light” (playing Dylan Lewis). From 2012-2015, Gaskill appeared as Chase Walker on “The Bay.” Since then, he’s appeared in a few other television shows, including “Castle” and “Casual,” among others. Note: The post Brian Gaskill Debut Date on ‘The Young and the Restless’ Revealed appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website. Read More

I'm getting a kick out of these major publications attempting to cover soap news: Not only don't they link to SID's article, but this is Lindsay's third time portraying the character which they even note with their inputting 2020 and 2022 in their own article. Then they take posts from X/Twitter to prove "fan outrage." Sigh.

Dominating ABC’s primetime and late-night schedule on Sunday, December 31, ABC’s broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” hit a three-year high among Adults 18-49 and Total Viewers in primetime and late-night, Nielsen reported on Tuesday. Kicking things off from 8:00-10:00 p.m. was part one of the highly rated entertainment special’s primetime edition, which averaged seven million viewers and a 1.81 rating in Adults 18-49. The special was up year-to-year by +35% in Total Viewers (7.0 million vs. 5.2 million) and +33% among Adults 18-49 (1.81 rating vs. 1.36 rating) to score three-year highs in both measures – since 2020. Part two, which aired from 10:30-11:30 p.m., averaged 10.4 million viewers and a 2.93 rating among Adults 18-49, jumping +30% year-to-year in Total Viewers (10.4 million vs. 8.0 million) and +32% among Adults 18-49 (2.93 rating vs. 2.22 rating), also hitting three-year highs – since 2020. The second half of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” now ranks as the highest-rated entertainment telecast on any network in primetime since March 12, 2023, when ABC broadcast the Oscars. As for the late-night edition, part one (11:30 p.m.-12:37 a.m.) averaged 18 million viewers and a 5.33 rating in Adults 18-49, peaking in the midnight quarter-hour with 22.2 million viewers and a 6.41 rating among Adults 18-49. The show was the highest-rated entertainment special on any network in two years – since ABC’s 2021 broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.” Up +30% year-to-year among Total Viewers (18.0 million vs. 13.8 million) and up +30% among Adults 18-49 (5.33 rating vs. 4.11 rating), part one ranked as the No.1 program on New Year’s Eve among Adults 18-49 and Total Viewers, and was the evening’s No.1 most social program across all of TV and ranked a solid No.1 among social video consumption on the night, growing its video views count by +20% over last year. Part two of the late-night portion (1:09 a.m.-2:07 a.m.) of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,” which came on after ABC’s affiliates took a break for local news broadcasts, also managed to see an uptick in viewership year-over-year, averaging 5.1 million viewers (+19%; vs. 4.3 million) and a 1.47 rating among Adults 18-49 (+14%; vs. 1.29 rating). In November, ABC announced a deal to continue bringing New Year’s Eve coverage from Times Square through 2029, signing a five-year deal with producer Dick Clark Productions, a division of Penske Media Corporation. Note: The post ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest’ Hits Three-Year Highs in Primetime and Late-Night appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website. Read More

I believe one of the main reasons episode counts fell for some *ahem* actors is due to episode guarantees being reduced in contracts over the years and Frank Valentini taking over as EP in 2012. Previously, you could see out of hand it was to have actors appear in roughly 95% of every episode aired in a single year.

Glad you like it! We also just added a similar feature for monthly episode counts.

For the third time in three weeks, and the first of 2024, “General Hospital” has temporarily recast a key role, this time with “Passions” alum Lindsay Hartley stepping in as Sam McCall, replacing Kelly Monaco, on the Tuesday, January 2 episode of the daytime drama series. Kelly Monaco PHOTO: CRAIG SJODIN/ABC In the episode, Hartley, who has previously filled in for Monaco in episodes aired in 2020 and 2022, shared some hot and heavy scenes with Dominic Zamprogna, who plays Dante Falconeri on the daytime drama series. Dante and Sam have been romantically involved storyline-wise since 2021. Hartley’s sudden appearance as Sam follows last week’s temporary recast with Nicole Paggi (“Hope & Faith”) appearing as Maxie Jones, replacing Kirsten Storms, and Courtney Fulk temporarily replacing Eden McCoy as Josslyn Jacks. McCoy had taken a leave of absence from the series shortly after losing her mother to cancer in November. McCoy returns to the set this month and is expected to appear on-screen again sometime next month. For those wondering what happened to Monaco, details on what caused her absence were not known at press time, but don’t fret: the actress is already back taping at the show and will be a part of next week’s emotionally filled memorial episodes dedicated to the late Jacklyn Zeman and her character Barbara Jean “Bobbie” Spencer who the people of Port Charles will learn has passed away. Zeman herself passed away in May after a short battle with cancer. The two tribute episodes are set to air on Wednesday, January 10 and Thursday, January 11. Monaco can be seen in the cast photo sitting next to on-screen sister Kate Mansi (Kristina) and on-screen mother Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis). Standing behind Monaco is the aforementioned Zamprogna as Dante, who is there to support his girlfriend. PHOTO: CHRISTINE BARTOLUCCI/DISNEY In addition to appearing on “General Hospital” as Sam McCall occasionally, Hartley is probably best known to soap fans for her iconic portrayal of Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald Crane on “Passions.” She also starred in the soaps “All My Children” and “Days of our Lives.” Outside of acting, Hartley has directed a number of made-for-TV movies for Lifetime and Tubi, among other providers. Note: The post Lindsay Hartley Steps in for Kelly Monaco as Sam McCall on ‘General Hospital’ appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website. Read More

Or, as I like to joke around saying, an intern who doesn't know anything about the topic they are writing about. But that's just me being rude. Otherwise, I agree, it must be a Phyllis fan. Haha.

Didn't know where to post this, but I found this effing hilarious: https://people.com/lauralee-bell-jump-scares-young-restless-castmates-video-8421035

Right, which is why I said at least on December 29. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Nope. At least not on December 29, 2023.

It’s been ten years since SOAPnet signed off as the first and only cable network devoted to airing episodes of current and classic soap operas 24 hours a day. So, how have viewing habits changed since the network signed off? Let’s break it down! Since officially dissolving as of 12:00 a.m. ET on January 1, 2014, SOAPnet has been replaced by a multi-platform world where watching shows on the go has become the new standard via streaming capabilities. For instance, instead of watching episodes of “General Hospital” on ABC or catching up at night on SOAPnet back in the day, viewers can now watch the show Live and On Demand on Hulu, the ABC App and ABC.com. In fact, if you missed an episode, you no longer have to wait for a weekend marathon to catch up. Now, you can watch up to two weeks On Demand at your leisure with what we now call binging, or if you utilize the DVR feature courtesy of a Hulu + Live TV subscription, you can hold as many episodes as you want until you delete them. ViacomCBS As for “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “The Young and the Restless,” Paramount+ is their official streaming home, in addition to watching daily on CBS. Fans can watch Live and On Demand via a Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscription or just On Demand with the Paramount+ Essential plan. Before Paramount+, both shows and a plethora of other CBS programming were available to stream on CBS All Access. The rebrand to Paramount+ in 2021 resulted from Viacom and CBS merging to become ViacomCBS, which itself has since been rebranded to Paramount Global. Evans Vestal Ward/Peacock | Deidre Hall, Drake Hogestyn, Jackée Harry, James Reynolds (“Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem”) Starting in September 2022, “Days of our Lives” left NBC after nearly 57 years on broadcast television, becoming a Peacock exclusive series. Peacock renewed the series for two more seasons in March, which will cover the show through its show’s 60th anniversary. The move to Peacock marked the first time that a daytime drama series had become exclusive to a streaming service, not including the short-lived reboots of “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” which at launch were available on Hulu and the discontinued Hulu Plus premium option, along with the ability to purchase episodes on the since discontinued iTunes store. Prior to being exclusive to Peacock, same day episodes were available to stream for free on Peacock hours after the show’s NBC broadcast starting in April 2020. CBS/Lionsgate Before streaming, and several months prior to SOAPnet’s final broadcast, same day episodes of “The Young and the Restless” were moved to then CBS-owned TVGN starting in July 2013. “The Bold and the Beautiful” joined its sister soap on the channel in December 2013, and so did “Days of our Lives” in August 2015 when TVGN was rebranded to Pop TV. In the years since acquiring all three soaps, “Days of our Lives” was dropped from the channel in 2016, with “The Bold and the Beautiful” following suit in 2017. “The Young and the Restless” remained on the channel until 2019. Since 2020, the channel itself has become virtually obsolete, airing no original content. This is a far cry from when it gained mainstream attention with the well-regarded and critically acclaimed comedy series “Schitt’s Creek,” which ended its run in 2020 and later swept all seven major categories in which it was nominated during “The 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards,” including Outstanding Comedy Series. The Pop TV website is rarely updated and mainly highlights “NCIS: New Orleans” and “Law & Order” reruns as part of its schedule. In fact, the page links to a TV schedule featuring a list of crime reruns and links to curated Paramount+ programming. Beyond that, the channel also promotes its never-updated social media platforms, all of which last saw any attention from a Paramount intern in April. Ironically, considering the lack of updates, the website notes that the network is “TV the way it should be: effortlessly entertaining and home to some of the most buzzed-about shows in television, including ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and ‘One Day at a Time.’” Outside of the failed SOAPnet-like rebroadcast attempt by Pop TV and a plethora of streaming options currently available, another more modern way of watching the soaps is through FAST (Free Ad Supported Television) services, such as Pluto TV from Paramount Global or Unlocked Channels from ABC. Courtesy of Pluto TV In October 2021, Pluto TV launched the Soaps Channel dedicated to rebroadcasts of “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful.” While initially saying there were plans to provide fans with additional episodes from other daytime and primetime soaps, the channel continues to only air episodes from the two CBS stalwarts. Pluto TV is available as an app on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Playstation, Tivo, Xfinity, Roku, and other Smart TV-enabled devices, including those designed by Samsung and Vizio. You can also stream programming via its website, plutotv.com, without registering or signing up. By doing so, however, you can customize your viewing experience. Courtesy of ABC ABC launched a beta version of the all-new “General Hospital Spotlight” FAST Channel in May. The channel allows fans to watch episodes of the daytime drama series from 2018 and later for free at any time, 24/7, with no login required. The channel was officially launched in late June and is available exclusively on ABC.com or via the ABC App. SOAPnet launched on January 20, 2000, and after nearly 14 years of broadcasting, the channel ended its run at the stroke of midnight, airing the final 2013 episode of ABC’s “General Hospital” (originally aired on Monday, December 30). Throughout the episode, viewers were treated to endless commercials promoting ABC and ABC Family programming, including “General Hospital,” and the since-canceled shows “Revenge,” “The Chew,” “The Fosters,” “Switched at Birth,” “Pretty Little Liars” and “Ravenswood.” ABC Family was rebranded to Freeform in 2016. SOAPnet, LLC As stated by Anne Sweeney, the then co-chair of Disney Media Networks and then president of the Disney/ABC Television Group, “SOAPnet was created in 2000 to give daytime viewers the ability to watch time-shifted soaps, before multiplatform viewing and DVRs were part of our vocabulary. But today, as technology and our businesses evolve, it makes more sense to align this distribution with a preschool channel that builds on the core strengths of our company.” That preschool channel, named Disney Junior, formally replaced SOAPnet on cable and satellite services on January 1, 2014, marking the official end of the channel and “the new way to watch soaps.” “Disney discontinued their SOAPnet broadcast. The SOAPnet channel is no longer available from any television provider,” read a message immediately after the channel signed off. Read a detailed background on the Rise and Fall of SOAPnet Note: The post Life After SOAPnet: How Soap Fans Watch the Four Remaining Daytime Soaps in 2024 appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website. Read More

On Monday, January 1, 2024 (New Year’s Day), the two broadcast networks that still carry scripted programming as part of their daytime lineups, ABC and CBS, are set to provide a different set of programming than they offered on Christmas Day, with ABC airing The Rose Parade along with sports, while CBS is set to air reruns of its regular daytime schedule. Meanwhile, Peacock releases an all-new episode of “Days of our Lives.” On ABC, the network will broadcast “The Rose Parade” from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET/8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. PT. Marking its 135th year, the annual event brings residents and visitors to Pasadena, California as they celebrate New Year’s Day with grand floats covered in flowers, spirited marching bands, and high-stepping equestrian units. Immediately following the parade, the network will air its coverage of College Football with the Cheeze-It Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Tennessee game. As a result, ABC will preempt its full daytime schedule, including “The View,” GMA3: What You Need to Know” and “General Hospital,” on both the East and West Coasts. All three shows will return to airing original episodes on Tuesday, January 2. As for CBS, the network is set to air reruns of its entire lineup, including “The Price is Right,” “The Young and the Restless,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “The Talk” and “Let’s Make a Deal.” Don Diamont, Lyndsy Fonseca, Thad Luckinbill (“The Young and the Restless”) PHOTO: AARON MONTGOMERY/JPI STUDIOS In the case of “The Young and the Restless,” the series will air episode #7739, which originally aired on October 17, 2003, and is a continuation of the repeat that the network aired this past Friday. In the episode, Nick (Joshua Morrow) questions Sharon’s (Sharon Case) loyalty, J.T. (Thad Luckinbill) and Brad (Don Diamont, now Bill Spencer on “The Bold and the Beautiful”) work together to rescue Colleen (then played by Lyndsy Fonseca), and Kevin (Greg Rikaart) keeps up appearances with Lily (Christel Khalil). On “The Bold and the Beautiful,” the show continues airing episodes from its Rome, Italy location shoot, this time episode #9049, which originally aired on Monday, June 26, 2023. The episode featured Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) surprising Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) with a romantic gesture via a private performance by opera singer Andrea Bocelli, while Liam (Scott Clifton) confided in Wyatt (Darin Brooks) about his trip to Rome. Veronica Bocelli (real-life wife of Andrea) also appears as herself. Watch a snippet from Andrea Bocelli’s performance below. Both “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful,” along with the rest of the CBS daytime lineup, return to originals on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. As for “Days of our Lives,” which is the only daytime drama series airing an original on New Year’s Day, the people of Salem ring in the New Year with a bang. As Paulina and Abe (Jackée Harry and James Reynolds) celebrate together, Tate (James Martin Mann) finds Holly (Ashley Puzemis) unconscious after she is the victim of tainted pills. After learning what happened to her daughter, Nicole (Arianne Zucker) is beside herself. Elsewhere, Theresa (Emily O’Brien) is furious with Alex (Robert Scott Wilson) when he suggests that Tate might have been involved with Holly’s drug use. Lastly, Harris (Steve Burton) has questions for Stefan and Ava pertaining to what happened to Holly. PHOTO: XJJOHNSON/JPI STUDIOS Watch this week’s “Days of our Lives” promo below. “Days of our Lives” streams all new episodes weekdays exclusively on Peacock. Visit PeacockTV.com for more information. Note: The post Sports Preemptions, Classic Soap Rebroadcasts and an All-New ‘Days of our Lives’ Sets the Tone for New Year’s Day 2024 appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website. Read More

Ratings were terrible in the first few months following the pandemic shutdown, yes. However, when B&B and Y&R are the only ones showing improvement over those 2020 numbers, I think it is worth noting. It shows it's taken time for them to build back their audiences while the other shows, which had gotten early bounces (like the game shows) are definitely not performing so great. I could add 2019 to further compare if that helps clear things up even better, but I'm not sure it would. We started getting all-new episodes every day like we used to when B&B went back to originals on July 20, 2020. Y&R and GH soon followed in August, and DAYS, which technically never stopped airing originals, returned with episodes filmed after the pandemic shutdown in October. Otherwise, yes.

ABC's decision on canceling One Life to Live should have been reversed before they made the announcement. The show was on an upward trend in the weeks/months before the decision and was outpacing General Hospital in many instances, not to mention it remains the highest-rated canceled soap of the last 30 years and the only soap within that time frame to gain viewers during its final months on the air (not just a last-minute bump for finale week). Sí

I started adding additional years to compare the current ratings to so as to put in perspective how the shows are doing relative to a trend. I did this because we were long told that All My Children and One Life to Live were canceled due to their trend of losing viewers. Therefore, when you look at how a show does this week, last week or compared to one year ago, you don't have a clear picture of how the networks are looking at the positive or negative aspects of a show. For instance, OLTL was trending upward just before it was canceled. But it was down in the two years prior, which justified ABC's decision even though it should have been reversed before announcing the decision. The fact that Y&R and B&B in particular still manage to outpace their 2020 numbers when most shows (daytime, primetime or otherwise) can't say they are up in anything compared to any recent periods, it's necessary to mention or highlight when people claim the sky is falling and the shows are about to be canceled or placed strictly on streaming. I started out by doing two year differences and then adding three year differences a while back. This way, when available, you can see how the show is doing this year relative to last year, two years ago and three years ago. If the trend is just down, down, down or up, up, up (or some other mix) then you can understand why a show is either canceled or renewed. Does that make sense?