cody_1990

I definitely think the ending of Colbert should be a warning for soap fans. Politics aside, the networks are obviously willing to cancel shows that are losing money regardless of legacy. While we have no reports soaps are a financial burden for networks at this time, I can imagine the time may come. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/global-advertising-revenue-1-trillion-linear-tv-decline-1236079668/ This report from December says by 2029 streaming will have overtaken networks for the majority of ad dollars. Most linear tv is struggling now, imagine then. I suspect Days will get one more year renewal until 2027, just because the show is currently Peacocks second most streamed original, but if NBCU leans more into live events and films for streaming and cuts peacocks programming budget, I can honestly see them cutting Days, especially since they don’t own the show. B&B and Y&R are both renewed until 2028, if 2029 hits linear tv like expected, I could see cuts or cancellations by 2030. GH and BTG same. Will any of these show move to streaming permanently? I could see it but possibly with cuts to runtime and episode counts. And they will have to probably move to a Days production model, filming months in advance. Y&R and GH have the biggest online presence along with Days, so it will be interesting to see if they can last past their network runs.

I feel like everyone likes the character behind the scenes (writers, producers) and Greg. And, as much as Leo is hated, Greg has a pretty decent fan base online as well. I am sure that's been noticed. I think TPTB sees Leo as the comic relief Days has constantly had for decades. Calliope and Eugene in the 1980s, Vivian and Ivan in the 1990s, Bonnie in the 2000s. I feel at a certain point, Leo could of worked like that. It's just the show has him involved in situations and with characters now that make the him insufferable. All the other comic characters mentioned were totally outlandish and in a sense proudly owned it. They were never boring. Leo has been outlandish and campy in the past, but IMO like a lot of other characters under Ron, he was tamed and pushed into stories that made no sense. Now he's in this boring and totally predictable relationship with a character who honestly if he were to disappear tomorrow, what would be remembered of him? I remember liking Leo and Gwen's relationship at one brief point and seeing the potential of them being good comic foils who could have gotten into Vivian and Ivan type situations easily. Now, I just can't see it working. Both characters have had been written to terrible for to long. I've began to feel lately, the major reason the new writers and producers seem to be falling flat is they are scared to make big moves. They continue to showcase characters who were heavily featured under Ron. In the past, when the show has gotten new writers, there was a large cast exodus that followed, why not this time? Why are Kristen, EJ, Leo, Gwen, Alex and Rafe still there? This is a show that fired its two biggest stars at one point and were able to turn the show around and bring nearly a million lapsed viewers back. They honestly have nothing to lose. Their budget is literally 30% of what it was a decade ago. They are on one of the smallest streaming platforms in the US. They should be doing big things. Changing things and reshaping the canvas, not playing it safe.

Days is in a unique studio situation as well, having had two very large sound stages to film on for years. After NBC sold the Burbank studios, Days became pretty much the only main tenant, and it has stayed like that for almost two decades. I feel being in that situation really has helped keep them on the air. They save so much on not having to build and tear down sets everyday. They have a bunch of sets that never come down like the Horton Town Square and Brady Pub. Studio costs really are one of the least talked about reasons for the demise of soaps. Guiding Light shot in such small studios, they could only have like five or six sets up at once. Their two studios combined barely equalled one of Days studios. I could totally see this being a blessing for B&B for so many reasons, and maybe help save on future budget cuts. I wonder if Y&R will join them there? I assume their future location will be announced soon as well.

I keep hoping they will. If they ever bring Abby back (which I assume will happen at some point) they could just have Laura return with her. I know it’s kinda silly, because Laura hasn’t been an important character on screen for 25 years and I assume if they did bring her back, she would just eventually go off screen again. It just makes me so angry that a character so important to the history of the show was killed off like that. To prop up a character who honestly disappeared herself with such a few fans even carrying lol I felt the same exact way when Will was murdered, it’s just all so unnecessary and proved how little the people in charge at the time cared about the history of the show before the 90s. It’s angering to because Days has always been the soap that respected its history the most I feel. But they need to fix a lot after the last 7 years.

I assume his contract is up soon, unless he signed more than a year. I was actually thinking he might be moved back to breakdown writing once Jamey Giddens moves to BTG, I am not sure when that happens with the shows tape schedule lol

Great to see Mike for sure! And Marie sitting off to the side of him! So happy they are having Maree Cheatham back for the 60th. She is the only original cast member left, and was there at day one. The Marlena story has me curious. Is it just a revisit of “Queen of the night” or is it possession again? Maybe a serial killer story? It looks like someone is stabbed at Halloween. I am wondering if that pod thing that was used during the Kate, Marlena and Kayla in heaven story last year is holding Abigail? Obviously someone is returning from the dead, I doubt it’s Stefano. The trailer is well put together. Not really into Leo raising a kid, mostly cause I hate the character. The rest has me Intrigued. Hopefully it’s a good summer!

Wow, they do really share a close resemblance. Obviously if he is joining the show, we won't see him on screen until next February or March lol but I am sure we'll get news soon if people are making connections.

Watched Mondays episode, wow! That’s all I have to say. It was heartbreaking to watch. You really don’t know how invested you are in these characters until moments like this. Deidre was absolutely phenomenal in that whole episode, as I am sure she will be in the coming weeks. I was a bit torn about having Bo and Hope being the contrast in this episode, but I understand why they did it. And when Bo woke up and said fancy face to Hope, it broke me even more! Honestly, there are no more words except bravo to everyone involved and RIP to the greatest hero that ever existed in soaps John Black 😢

I think it’s successful in streaming terms. These streamers definitely spin success their own way though. Broadcast TV does that same too. The fact the show has according to that article cracked the top 20 across all streaming platforms says a lot when you compare Peacock to Netflix or Disney. Drawing viewers everyday is so important. I subscribe to Netflix and probably watch it once or twice a week, unless I am binging something, then it’s like maybe 3 or 4 days for the week. I could go days or weeks without visiting Netflix. I’ve actually been thinking of unsubscribing just cause I feel I can use the 10 bucks a month on something else lol Financially speaking the show made more money for NBCU when it aired on NBC and got 1.5 million viewers a day. I am sure it makes half the revenue it did before…but I think NBCU never expected Days to get 2 billion streams in 10 episodes, or to still make 100 million dollars a year or whatever they made before the move. They just wanted the loyal fan base to visit their service everyday, and a show that literally costs pennies to make compared to a regular scripted show. And if you compare streaming to television, 600,000 viewers is a lot! That’s more than The CW and Bravo have watching their channels everyday (minus a few select shows). Broadcast TV is so doomed. Look at this list https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/most-watched-channels-2024-tv-network-ratings-1236259845/ No wonder NBC is programming like half its weekly schedule this fall with live sports lol it’s the only programming that they can still make money on. Sports viewers for the most part have a similar loyalty to soap fans. You can expect they’ll tune in everytime their favourite teams are playing.

Great news! This really shows how helpful soaps can still be. The amount they all have been written off by executives and the press over the years is really so short sighted. We all remember Jeff Zucker, the man who nearly destroyed NBC pronouncing Days dead in 2007. Almost 20 years later and it's propping up one of NBCU's most important ventures. I wish this would equal more budget for Days. Even enough to spruce up some sets would be great. The fact Days has gotten more eyeballs watching it than a season of Lord of the Rings, a show that costs over 100 million dollars a season to produce 10 episodes, really goes to show you how much money these platforms are pretty much throwing away. 5 more seasons and 1200 episodes of Days could be produced with that cash! Hopefully this means Days still has a bright future ahead. I assume if the show continues to produce this type of viewership, even if NBCU were to dump it, it may turn up somewhere else.

Also, someone knocked over the head (usually in the D Mansion) and imprisoned in the secret tunnel room or whatever it was. I swear that must have happened at least a dozen times the last few years, and each time it drove me crazy!

https://luminatedata.com/blog/streamings-unlikeliest-success-is-a-60-year-old-soap-opera/ Not really new information, but further articulates that Days is the most successful Peacock show in terms of viewing. Peacock obviously has a lot of problems, as it has yet to turn a profit for NBCU and while still growing it's subscription base, it's happening slower than other platforms. Honestly, if Peacock were to dump Days at this point (not that I think it will), I could see it moving to another streaming or broadcast service pretty easily.

Co Sign!!!! I have been watching the show regularly over the last few weeks and am pleasantly surprised by how much easier it is to watch each day. This definitely is confirmation for me that Paula and Jeanne wrote the stroke episodes, cause I felt the same way watching those. Could be more exciting for sure, but interactions now make more sense and everything seems to be a bit more character driven which is great. I will add though, there are still about 10 or so characters i'd love to see gone, and hope a few will exit in the future! Otherwise, happy with the changes so far.

Retro TV re-aired the first episode of The Doctors a few years back, but has never aired it since, though it was apparently available for streaming at some point. Some screen captures exist here. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5597472/?ref_=ttep_ep_1

She did yeah. Her first stint in 2008 was 6 months or something. When they moved her out of Steve and Kayla's orbit and into the RoboJohn story she became interesting. Ava became friends with Nicole, but Tamara didn't resign. It was a shame she left the first time, but all her returns since that original stint fell flat for me. The character really floundered under Ron. Her romance with Rafe was horrible and unnecessary IMO. Her relationship with her kids could of worked if they tapped more into her instability, but much like her, her children were kind of unnecessary as well (Tripp is such an awful character). I feel like the show only brought her back so much because she once was popular on another soap and maybe cause of her emmy win. Hope we never see Ava again, but good luck to Tamara! She is very talented.

Got my book, I must say Jeff Ryder and Patrick Mulcahey are very candid in this. Patrick especially holds nothing back in his dislike of Paul Rauch lol and it’s so nice that Tom got to interview Joyce Corrington, her perspective in the early creation is very nice to read, especially about how NBC and Fred Silverman were against their post civil war idea and went all in on it being a daytime version of Dallas. I am also glad the overall consensus amongst everyone was how stupid it was to tame Iris, in no universe does Iris Cory work as a heroine. It’s also interesting to read how the original idea was to move Russ and Pat Matthews to Houston, which honestly may have worked better. Long term they probably would have fit in more with that canvas and it wouldn’t have led to total 180 change with the characters.

Wow! The episode were Sunny is raped is so intense. I've never seen it before, as with most pre and post AOL Classic Soap Search. Marcia McCabe gives an amazing performance! You can really feel Sunny's pain. Emmy worthy for sure. Seeing these really makes me angry that Hogan and Sunny were dumped by the writers to come, they really should have been end game.

And if some of this material was tweaked or rewritten by the incoming head writers. I can't imagine RC treating any story to do with rape with the sensitivity and realism it should have. I totally agree. Also, I hope Belle is called out for having any sexual relationship with him to. I've always hoped that if this story was told that it would be as realistic as possible, and that it would cause the Dimera's to tear apart, Johnny and EJ's relationship especially. In real life these things break families forever. It would be totally normal and expected that Johnny would never look at his father the same again, that this would forever alter their relationship. Realistically, it probably won't happen that way. I mean Kristen is currently written as a viable love interest for the brother of the man she raped. And I'll be totally shocked if Sami's past transgressions with Austin are addressed properly during this.

Tom Lisanti’s book is out now Texas fans! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DZ1NBXT6 Apparently it’s been selling quite well. I just ordered mine. Excited to dig in. Here is an interview with Tom and Caryn Richman talking about Texas and other things. https://www.youtube.com/live/5ifCwT0xYlE?si=zumRFNCpKGMsRkfQ Also, according to Tom’s instagram he’s next book will be about the 77-82 period of Another World, including Lovers and Friends and For Richer for Poorer.

Unfortunately, I have a feeling they don't have the streaming rights for the show, so their free live feed will probably be turned off until they're airing a show they do have the rights to stream. I think it goes off and on all day for this reason. I hope I am wrong, because unless you have cable at this point, you wont be able to watch in Canada.

Angie $#@&ing Watts!!!! What an amazing episode! Bravo to everyone at EastEnders. And what an amazing surprise with Sharon seeing Ang! Let's hope the show continues to live up to this high.

You know I totally get the message. Days content is copyright protected, the show is produced to make money, it’s fair for them to be angry BUT, neither Corday or Sony(who own the rights to distribute the show) make any effort at all for fans to watch classic content. I know about music copyrights and actors residuals, but you have 15,000 episodes to pull from. Early episodes are not as restrictive to share as the 80s and 90s content. Share things on social media, perhaps Peacock can post classic content or select episodes. These things help keep fans engaged, especially now while they burn through the utter garbage that they allowed to be produced under the banner of Days of our Lives. Honestly, fan engagement is the main reason these clips are shared. No one is making money off posting clips on social media. Fans just want to chat with others and share moments they enjoyed from times when the show was in a better place. It’s just so frustrating and annoying, especially while we wait for hopefully brighter days ahead. They need to put more effort in what they’re currently selling and leave fans alone.

Good News. They could honestly cut another half hour while their at it. The show has become to much. Why does a show that is suppose to be set in small backstreet need 6 half hour episodes a week and 65 regular characters? It's insane how greedy ITV has been, and it will probably be that greed that ends the show.

Yeah, if it was true you think they would have started further back during the Classic Soap Channel years. I really wish whatever happened a few years back between P&G and Retro TV regarding EDGE would have ended up with them able to gain the rights to air what episodes are available. I think of all the P&G properties, Edge would work the best in syndication, mystery and crime would have a wider appeal I feel.

I remember watching his Archive of American television interview that you quoted above specifically to hear about his time on soaps and was quite annoyed how dismissive he was about them. Soaps were part of his career for over 30 years. He worked with Irna Phillips, wrote for 7 different soaps and starred on Guiding Light for many years. In his defence, it did seem like he had a very limited time for that interview, but why give it at all if you can't deep dive into your career properly. He really wanted to focus on the TV specials he wrote and of course the actors studio. Interesting note, the acting school which he was dean of at Pace University recently announced it would be closing down due to low enrolment. Guess they aren't able to compete with other institutions. And yes I agree, it is offensive for him to put himself in the same league as Irna, Agnes and Bill. His soap writing was subpar at best.