Pine Charles

22 hours ago, VanessaReardon said:

There is NO evidence out there to back up the claim that Steve & Betsy’s wedding on ATWT got 20 million viewers. The show wasn’t even #1 that week! 
Take heart. By now, that wedding has had more than 20 million viewers via youtube, etc. They just didn’t have 20 million viewers the week that it aired. 

I’ve shared before how I was always skeptical regarding that claim.

22 minutes ago, EricMontreal22 said:

Oh I agree that it doesn't fit AMC (hypnotic tattoos are even worse) though I refuse to acknowledge your last sentence

That is meant as a compliment, actually.

AMC was always the most REAL - and “real” is now..... even though reality shows (namely Real Housewives) couldn’t be more fake.

Am I making any sense?? LOL

The cattiness at the dinner party/in the powder room, a drunk (usually Phoebe) causing a scene at a public event, the delusional diva/business mogul (Erica)..... it’s totally The Real Housewives..... I prefer the Pine Valley (played by actors) version, of course.

I hope that made sense.
I’m really tired.

I believe in one of his books, Cohen said he envisioned those shows as Pine Valley.

13 minutes ago, EricMontreal22 said:

Yes, this was what a writer told me.  He also, though, said that their goal with AMC, more than some other soaps, was always to try to have a wild mix of different types of stories and he felt they were trying that in this case (and to be fair, that *was* what AMC had a rep for whenever I read 70s and 80s reviews where it's either praised or criticized for, more than other soaps, completely running the gamut of types of stories, often in the same episode). 

Well, I enjoyed how you could have high comedy and intense drama all in one episode on AMC.

But besides the playing of the Ouija board or a seance (I read an episode summary from the ‘70s that had little Tad trying to summon spirits w/ Grandma Kate; and we all know about Myra’s seances w/ Nina), I don’t want that lowbrow, lazy sci-fi crap in Pine Valley.

Those Real Housewives shows are truly most like AMC out of any soap (less interesting, of course).

The Voodoo/Jamaica plot was apparently mandated by ABC (and wasn’t Broderick’s idea). 
I believe it was done to compete w/ the lowbrow (yet ratings’ successful) stories happening on DOOL at the time.

May 4-8, 1992:

1993:

8 minutes ago, kalbir said:

From @Soapsuds upload, it looks like the week of June 23-27, 1997 has Y&R at 7.2 and Days at 6.9.

I see that now.

For some reason, that was a missing week in the ratings I found. 

52 minutes ago, kalbir said:

@Soapsuds It was mentioned in the Y&R Classics thread that there was a week in June 1997 where Days was only 0.3 behind Y&R. Do you have the ratings for that month?

 

I know AMC was only 0.3 behind Y&R a couple times in early ‘93.

19 hours ago, soapfan770 said:

 

Thanks for sharing that! I remember reading before that AMC and OLTL both hit #1 in 1987 for various reasons (A rape

story involving at AMC if I recall right)

AMC hit #1 again for a week in late 1987 - I believe in either November or December.

I’m fairly certain this was the week the verdict was read in Ross Chandler’s trial for the rape of Natalie.

17 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Week ending May 20 1984

CBS won 36th consecutive week in daytime ratings, averaging 6.4/25 for week ending May 20, compared to 5.5/21 for ABC and 4.7/19 for NBC, according to CBS estimates.

Top five rated daytime shows were

1. Price is Right (CBS, 8.2/37)

2. Young and Restless (CBS, 7.9/31)

3. General Hospital (ABC, 7.8/27)

4. Guiding Light (CBS. 7.4/26)

5. All My Children (ABC, 7.4/26).

 

Week ending June 3 1984

CBS won daytime ratings race by more than one full rating point over closest competitor, ABC.

For week ended June 3, CBS recorded 7.2/25 in Nielsens  compared to 6.0/20 for ABC and 5.2/18 for NBC. Top five shows of week were 

1. Price is Right (9.5/37, CBS)

2. Young and Restless (8.8/30, CBS)

3. All  My Children (8.3/26, ABC)

4. Guiding Light (8.0/25, CBS)

5. General Hospital (7.9/25, ABC).

 

The Steve /Betsy wedding was 29th and 30th May I believe and the week above  is for that week. No ATWT in the top 5. 

Thank-you for posting that!!

It seems to confirm the “20 million viewers” for Steve & Betsy’s wedding is bs.

I’ve always questioned it, because it never added up.

On 5/24/2020 at 11:14 AM, Soapsuds said:

• Steve and Betsy wedding was the second highest rated episode in soap opera history.  We know the highest one was Luke and Laura.
• Steve and Betsy wedding was on May 30, 1984 and did not count for the yearly rankings for 1983-1984 because the cut off period was at the end of April.  May sweeps has never counted for yearly ranking either in primetime or daytime.
•  

Really?? May Sweeps never counted??

I was always told that a yearly ratings period for daytime soaps is September - September, so the 1983-1984 rankings would be for September 1983 - September 1984.

Anyway, just because someone wrote that doesn’t make it factual.

It was reported for years that GL rated #1 for a few week’s stretch in the summer of ‘84, but someone just debunked that after doing extensive research (GL was, in actuality, #1 in its time-slot for that period, not #1 overall).

Anyway, I still find it hard to believe that a semi-popular soap (at that point in time) attracted 20 million viewers for a wedding.

Steve & Betsy were no Luke & Laura or Jenny & Greg.

On 5/20/2020 at 9:52 AM, Gray Bunny said:

Not sure if this falls under any relevancy other than comparing overall households versus black households, but this was the comparison chart SOD published in their Feb. 14th 1995 issue. The numbers reflect November of 1994: 

Days Of Our White Lives

On 5/24/2020 at 1:59 AM, Paul Raven said:

I'm inclined to agree.

CBS would have been shouting from the roof tops if ATWT achieved those numbers but in all my research, there has never been any mention of ATWT ratings for that week.

Right!!

I wonder who came up with that bs..??

Meg?? 
 

I’ve always been skeptical that that Meg Ryan wedding on ATWT attracted “20 million viewers“.

That couple didn’t even seem THAT popular (does anyone mention them today??).

ATWT wasn’t even in the top 5 rated soaps for the 1983-1984 season (the wedding apparently aired in May of ‘84), and a wedding of some semi-popular couple attracted 20 million viewers??

Wouldn’t that have boosted ATWT’s yearly rating MUCH higher??

It just doesn’t add up.

1987 was considered a strong year for AMC, Eric - due largely to the drama at Cortlandt Manor (the Natalie/Ross affair, and subsequent rape).

AMC hit #1 in the ratings for a week in late ‘87, I think as a result of the rape trial (NOT the Goldie Kane storyline with Erica & Silver).

Soap Opera Digest named AMC the “Most Improved Show” for 1987.

It seemed the momentum was short-lived, however, and 1988 was a bit rocky (until the epic Dixie/Adam/Brooke stuff in ‘89 gave the show another jolt).

On 5/9/2020 at 11:34 PM, GLATWT88 said:

 

HurriKane Erica...sorry bad joke. 

LOL!!

I love it!!

But, seriously - did AMC have a hurricane in ‘97 (or ever)??

I’m thinking that’s a typo, as I have zero recollection of a hurricane on the show.

There was the iconic tornado of ‘94 (and a crappy CGI one a decade or so later), but I don’t remember a hurricane. 

There was a hurricane on AMC??

Opal lays into that hypocrite, Dixie Cooney.

Poor Janet 

This episode made me feel very sorry for Janet, as she’s talking to Natalie in the well.

I think it’s unique when a “villain” character can elicit so much viewer sympathy.

This was even furthered, I feel, with the Robin Mattson version.
 

Erica to the virus:

”You may NOT infect me!!

I am ERICA KANE!!”

??

48 minutes ago, BetterForgotten said:

Robin Mattson brought such humanity and compassion to that role (in her initial years), I don't know if it was ever really appreciated as it should have been. 

I‘ve always appreciated it.

Mattson was a powerhouse as Janet, and my sympathies were always with her.

I felt her pain.

But I’m also one who never thought the Kate Collins version was a complete cartoon, either.

She also, in more subtler ways, brought levels of humanity & compassion to the role.

There’s a scene I just watched from October 1991 - a brief line probably no one remembers - right after Janet is exposed and is in jail; she asks Livia if she can please help her to get her eye glasses back, because “they took them from me and I don’t see very well.”

It’s just said so pathetically, and I just wanted to reach into the screen and give Janet a hug (and this was soon after she shot a teenager and planned on shooting another one in the head).

Anyhow, Janet is truly an iconic soap character.

The highlight for me is 6:32

Janet to Dixie:

”Shut up, you self-righteous bitch!!”
 

“Don’t go?? Fine. You go. And you go to hell and take her with you.”

On 5/11/2019 at 3:13 PM, YurSoakinginit said:

 

I don't believe she was ever nominated, not even for her work in 1987 for the Ross / acquaintance rape storyline... I mention that because it was the first time I really saw how much she was capable of. She was mesmerizing. 

Her never even being NOMINATED is a damn crime. 

I believe the show was more interested in getting Susan Lucci her Emmy (??).

(I’m not blaming Susan personally, btw)