Gray Bunny

10 hours ago, lucaslesann23 said:

Chad/Stephanie/Everett: “We wanted to create a complication in Chad and Stephanie’s relationship. We had laid in way back when that Stephanie talked about a guy that she dated when she was in Seattle and that she thought things were getting serious and then he ghosted her, he just disappeared. We mentioned it a few times and decided to go back to that, and Everett is now in Salem and there’s a bit of a mystery of why is he back now? Is he still interested in Stephanie? Is that going to be a problem for Chad and Stephanie?”

Harris/Ava/Clyde: “Ava and Harris really have a pretty solid bond, but Harris has joined the police force and Ava is getting strong-armed into running Clyde’s drug operation. So what I wanted to set up was this kind of Batman/Catwoman situation — he’s investigating crimes and she’s the one committing them. So will Harris become aware of what she’s up to and how does she navigate it? Gil and Clyde are not really that upset about Harris being a cop. They’re like, ‘Oh, maybe this would be good to have someone that’s so close to the cops,’ and it’s putting Ava in an even worse position. So it’s a complicated romance. I did want to tap back into the mafia princess that she had been because I feel like some of Ava’s edges had been softened a little bit over time and she spent a lot of time making lasagna.”

Gabi/Stefan: “Stefan is fighting to try to clear Gabi of Li’s murder and the noose is tightening around Gabi.”

Xander/Theresa/Alex/Konstantin: “When John Aniston [ex-Victor] passed away and we finally were writing Victor’s death into the show, we thought about what story could generate from it and started kicking around this idea of Victor’s longlost son. So we decided to do a misdirect where you think one person is the heir, but it’s really someone else. So we revealed it to be Alex, knowing that it was Xander, and that Theresa was going to stumble upon the letter revealing that. At the same time, she’s kind of stuck with a problem, which is Konstantin, and it’s in both their interests to keep quiet about what the other one is doing. Underneath it all, Theresa still has lingering feelings for Brady, so will that be a problem for her, too, while she’s trying to move full steam ahead & go after Alex?”

EJ/Nicole/Eric/Sloan: “There’s always a rooting value from the audience for Eric and Nicole, and to raise the stakes, we decided to cement EJ and Nicole, and Eric and Sloan, by having them get married. So we have EJ and Nicole about to have a baby, and Sloan finding it difficult to adopt one because of her bad history, and then Nicole is involved in an accident and goes into premature labor, and she and her baby are kind of in jeopardy. She will receive help from an unlikely source: Leo and Dimitri, who are fleeing town at this exact moment because they are on the run and they are the cause of the accident. Leo stays behind to help her deliver the baby and then Nicole is in distress and the baby needs to be rushed off to the hospital so Dimitri agrees to do it. So we have the adoption falling through over here and Dimitri’s rushing off with the baby over there ... and is it possible these two stories are going to cross?” 

 

Wow. I can do without at least half of the characters mentioned. Like literally the whole Harris/Ava/Clyde paragraph could be deleted and I wouldn't miss anyone mentioned. November Sleeps... 

Greg Rikaart is actually very nice in real life and not at all queenish. He might be doing this thing called acting when playing Leo. 

49 minutes ago, sheilaforever said:

B&B and Jacob Young had a fallout before (back in 1999). He happily returned to B&B after AMC's cancellation. Never say never in the entertainment world...

 

That said: dropping RIck and Maya was one of the super stupid decisions in the 2010s on B&B - alongside killing off Aly. The show had such a strong momentum going (2014-2015) and totally killed it.

Agreed. Something switched on the show immediately after the Aly killing. The show's focus got completely out of whack and it took years to recover and become something half-way worth watching again. 

 ' Bravo fans may never get to see newest installation of “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip.” Multiple sources tell Page Six exclusively that the network is considering tabling the Peacock spinoff following Caroline Manzo’s sexual assault allegations against Brandi Glanville. “‘Ultimate Girls Trip’ Morocco is probably never going to air, and now they are thinking about tabling ‘[RHONY] Legacy’ also,” one insider shares. “NBC is really pissed off because they feel like Bravo let [production company] Shed ruin multiple shows, ‘RHONY’ obviously [being one].” However, a source close to Peacock tells Page Six that “RHONY Legacy” will air as planned, while no official decisions have been made regarding “Ultimate Girls Trip.” ' 

Dang, things are really starting to crumble in the Housewives universe. Granted, it was bound to happen sooner or later, but perhaps Bethenny just OJ'ed the modern day soap opera and accelerated its downfall. 

On 11/1/2023 at 8:24 AM, BoldRestless said:

Thank you @JAS0N47 this is amazing!

GL may have had classics on 12/25/98 and 1/1/99 - can anyone confirm? Soap Central says GL did not air for the holiday on 1/1/99 and has a blank for 12/25/98

 

I remember this one. On January 1st, 1999, they did a "Soap Classics" episode. It was originally going to be the 1990 episode with Reva driving off the bridge in the Florida Keys, but made a quick change and aired an episode from July of 1993, the episode that featured Michael Zaslow for which he earned his 1994 Emmy. Zaslow had just passed away a few weeks back. Maureen Garrett was filmed doing a special intro/ending for the episode, explaining the episode's significance and acknowledging Zaslow's passing. 

12 hours ago, Antoyne said:

I genuinely don’t know why running DiMera is so important to these people. They all live rent free in a mansion and I imagine could make millions at any high level position in this company that we have no idea what it does.

It really is stupid. 

And with all the ups and downs of Gabi Hernandez, who used to be the punchline to a joke, Camila Banus' charisma helped keep the character front and center and gave her a strange rooting factor even when Gabi was completely in the wrong. But these last few months being saddled with greasy Stefan, obsessed with taking over this floundering former crime empire who are now into... pharmaceuticals? Who knows what DiMera does, but they've run this character into the ground. How's her daughter doing these days...? 

2 hours ago, JAS0N47 said:

FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 1/2/89-1/6/89 & 1/9/89-1/13/89:

FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 1/16/89-1/20/89 & 1/23/89-1/27/89:

Dang, what happens to DAYS in the first half of '89?  Looking at the ratings on your page that begin in August '89, they're suddenly down in the low 5's. 

2 minutes ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

I don't know whether this is a kind of fatigue with death & grief or if it's that Tyler is really touching a lot of folk, but whatever it is, it seems to be hitting many people extra hard. 

I think it's because we were all rooting for him. We were all familiar with his work over the decades and how he can really shine. Plus, this is yet another celebrity gone too soon who had a long struggle with addiction. We hoped he could turn things around and have a successful comeback, just like Matthew Perry and others. It's sad to see public figures succumb to this, especially when there are so many non-celebrities trying to overcome the same inner demons. 

I'd rather have Daylight Savings Time all year round. I'd rather it be dark in the morning versus driving home in the dark. 

The first week is always an adjustment for me, as it gets darker earlier and it feels like total hibernation mode until you adjust. Funny how in the middle of the summer, you still feel compelled to go out at 8:30pm at night but in the dead of winter, you wanna stay in for the night by 6. 

Welp, another RHONY alum never to be seen on Bravo again. Can't say I'm surprised; just surprised it took so long. 

Meanwhile, I see The Countess' cabaret show in one month and one day. The Q&A portion of the show, if she has one this time, should be interesting... 

4 hours ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

Good Grief! Look at DAYS - 4 consecutive weeks 6.2, 6.6, 7.4, 8.1   what a ride! 

+1... and pulling way ahead of the AMC/OLTL/ATWT crowd during the holiday high.  Plus GL back in the mid 6's.  Let's see what downfall 1989 will bring... 

17 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Maybe this was a rhetorical question, but the last time was 2014

Really? lol  I guess I could check my storage and find it. I would guess it was a fluff piece that mostly focused on things out of their control, like castmembers leaving and whatnot. 

On 10/28/2023 at 12:56 AM, carolineg said:

Well, damn.  Who am I going to ask if me and my friend have a steak dinner riding on a bet if whether Eileen Davidson was born a man or not?

I remember in the mid 90's, it seemed like every other issue, "someone" (likely their own mother) kept writing in to ask the names of the young twins who played Abigail Deveraux on Days of Our Lives. 

But anyhow, this is a sad but inevitable time marker in the soap opera genre. I was a loyal subscriber for too long. I finally stopped renewing in 2018 when I found myself looking at them weeks after they arrived, and only read the historical articles... and even I can only re-read about Luke & Laura's first wedding or Viki going to Heaven or Bo & Hope at Oak Alley for so many times before it gets redundant. 

I always looked forward to my new issues in the mail during the late 90's/early 00's, and the Best & Worst issues once had guts and honesty. I mean, when's the last time they did a "Most Disappointing Show" category or openly admitted to a Worst Recast? Just don't show it to J Eddie Peck's wife or she'll have a fit, as she apparently did when they named him worst recast on AMC ("We invited these people into our home! Waaaahh!") 

Regardless of the Soap Awards being rigged or too heavy on one show, it was always a fun time to watch. 

This was my first issue... thanks mom for getting those early issues for me whenever DAYS was on the cover... 

47 minutes ago, JAS0N47 said:

Don't know why, but when I see a comment like that, I double check and make sure I typed it correctly, and I did...

 

After all is said and done, it'd be fun to go back and dissect the Households to Average Audience, since the household number represents a different amount of people year to year.  For instance, right here in 1988 it shows Guiding Light's 5.2 rating equals an audience of 4,590,000 viewers.  Yet, I can remember reading something about GL's numbers as late as 1999 saying they had 5 million viewers. But by 1999, GL's rating points were usually in the upper 3's.  (although that 5 million number figure may have been in reference to its previous year's average, which averaged around a 4.0 HH I believe) 

GUIDING LIGHT:

My first break began in the fall of 2000 with Claire Labine's work in full swing. The storylines just seemed so pointless and bad to the point where I just didn't have any enjoyment out of the show. This was when there was that underground club at Millennium that Danny was running with that May girl always saying, "cigars, cigarettes, cigarillos!". Meanwhile, Reva's job du jour was being a refugee crusader, Harley/Philip were imploding... I really can't remember the other stories at the time (San Cristobel, etc.) but I just felt it was a waste of my time and I was busier in life so I had limited TV time to spare. In hindsight, I wish I had stuck it through because I know there was some good stuff I missed in 2001 and early 2002. I finally got back into the show in June 2002 for its 50th TV anniversary. 

My second and basically final break was around August 2007. Like @althea-davis I can't recall a specific story as to "why", it was just overall an unenjoyable program again. It became a chore to watch, the stories were bad, the low budge look of the show and its limitations made bad stories look worse (I do remember Reva getting "hit" by Olivia's car, even though Reva was standing on Main Street. Oy.) 

I only checked it out the following summer when they were doing that movie recreation story of Josh & Reva's 1989 wedding, and again during the final few weeks of the show. 

From the start of August through the 2nd week of September, you saw 4 shows hit the No. 1 spot  (Y&R, DAYS, GH, OLTL). That's pretty interesting to see the top spot switch from week to week. All that is missing is a good week for All My Children. 

9 minutes ago, JAS0N47 said:

FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 7/18/88-7/22/88 & 7/25/88-7/29/88:

FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 8/1/88-8/5/88 & 8/8/88-8/12/88:

Boom! There it is  Congrats to DAYS, 35 years later 

38 minutes ago, dragonflies said:

 

 

Good. 

Stefan should have stayed dead and Jake should have never existed. One less useless character taking up screentime. 

On the other current topic in this thread, until a male character is castrated and has his penis re-attached upside down, or a character who is half male/half female get pregnant by their own father, we can proudly keep our heads high knowing DAYS is just one step above Passions. But just one at this point... 

37 minutes ago, DaytimeFan said:

Kyle not referencing 'this town' or 'in Beverly Hills' is shocking. 

I feel cheated   And considering the "closet" remark during the season with Denise's alleged dalliance with Brandi, I'm surprised she didn't use a similar quip... 

Side note: Anyone else side-eying this whole Kyle/Mauricio "separation" these days...? 

29 minutes ago, Antoyne said:

These are mostly awful. And Kyle robbed of us “in this town”

Yeah, pretty ho-hum and the deliveries on most are flat. 

23 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

https://deadline.com/2023/10/butler-real-housewives-ultimate-girls-trip-sues-bravo-sexually-assaulted-brandi-glanville-phaedra-parks-1235581218/

What a mess. I will say Brandi has a point in that bad behavior gets rewarded on these shows. Kinda icky that Bravo producers encouraged her in UGT 4 to give them another round that she gave in UGT 2 and now she's caught holding the bag on both.  She's not innocent, but she's not completely guilty. 

Man, after seeing such a nice rebound in January and February, I was hoping to see a spike for everyone during May sweeps, but now we're seeing just the top soap (sometimes top 2)  in the 7's with the rest of the top half down in the 6's.  I guess it's inevitable. And now it makes sense at how DAYS will soon be able to hit #1.... 

20 minutes ago, Cat said:

She was scared for her TV life IMO.

Also thought it was interesting that on WWHL the night reunion aired, Andy had Luann and Dorinda on, and Ramona in the audience. I can't imagine that booking was done by accident.

That was jarring and kind of a cruel tease. First, you air the NYC we've got. Then you air the NYC we actually want. At least they're aware the audience misses them enough to switch out the RHUGT airings to have NYC Legacy first. 

So I think overall, I saw about 6 episodes of NuRHONY (the first 3; the last 2-3) and so I watched the reunion, and yeah, Ubah took all the wrong cues and tried to make all these random "side bombs" work and it all fell flat and made it awkward. There's a time and place for everything, and she misfired with every outburst. 

I think I called it for myself when I watched the first episode and I stand by my first instinct: Sai has an annoying voice and really thinks she's something when she isn't. I'm not surprised she became the person viewers dislike the most. I don't even know all the dynamics of Jessel's marriage, but I do know that I love how she always keeps a calm demeaner when she's handling those cackling hag haters. The more she stays calm, the more irked the haters become. That's a good skill to maintain so props to her. 

That's all I got on them. Tomorrow we return to Beverly Hills!

23 hours ago, j swift said:

 

My practical question is where does he keep the myriad of wigs that he seems to have available at a moment's notice?

He's ripping them off from the 5 background extras who keep playing musical wigs. I swear, this show.... lol 

16 hours ago, ranger1rg said:

Speaking of Salem exits (Shawn and Talia), it's great that people can leave town so easily -- no packing to do, no apartment to clear. Talia left with one 20" rolling suitcase.

I guess all her physician crop tops fit in there.

Yeah, that's annoying, especially with the characters that don't just live in a hotel room or single room above the pub.  Like, what's going to happen to Belle & Shawn's house, which is supposedly Hope & Bo's home that's been reduced to one single room with mismatched patterns all about.