October 16-20, 2006

[Soapsuds]

I am anxious to see the Total Viewers for all the shows.

[Darcy]

It's interesting that all the ABC shows did relatively well on Monday and Tuesday and then kind of went into a free fall. OLTL fell half a point from Tuesday to Wednesday and GH fell almost half a point from Tuesday to Wednesday and they went from a 2.9 on Tuesday to a 2.3 on Friday (more than half a point). I just noticed a kind of a similar thing with B&B for this week too and it looks like most of the soaps got their highest rating on Tuesday. Sweeps ratings should be interesting. I think GH should do great with Laura's return and OLTL and AMC may benefit a bit as well.

[ademption]

I think this is very true. I've gone to various boards and the level of distrust in TPTB at Days is very high. If they see spoilers that are favorable to their fav couple/character, they say they'll believe it when they see it. They don't believe that Hogie will be able to deliver on the promises that he has said in the mags.

I also think that some prominent fanbases are unhappy with Days right now. For instance, the Shelle fans are unhappy with the direction that Hogie has taken Shawn. They think that Shawn has been acting out of character and that he would NEVER have gotten involved with a hooker. They expected that Hogie would have united Shelle once Shawn had his falling out with Mimi.

Some Bo/Hope fans are upset about the depiction of Hope as well--almost a harpy. I've seen comments where fans question whether Hogie understands the character. They want Billie/Chelsea to stop interfering in Bo/Hope's relationship. Like the Shelle fans, they want Bo/Hope reunited--like yesterday.

Steve/Kayla fans have been upset b/c they have hardly appeared on the show since. They don't like the depiction of Kayla. They thought that she would come off a bit stronger than she has. They also don't like Billie's interference and what they perceive as a triangle storyline for Steve/Kayla/Billie.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of Days' fans don't watch the entire show every day, but only watch Days when their faves appear or when their couple is reunited. I don't fault Hogie for that at all. I place the blame on the previous Days' writers for writing such bad storylines overall that now so many people are not fans of Days as a whole but just fans of their faves. I hope that Hogie can write compelling enough storylines and characters that people care about that fans will watch the entire show and not just their favorite

character(s)/couples.....

I also think that some Days' viewers are having a hard time adjusting to the different styles of JER/Sheffer. For people more accustomed to plot-driven stories, rather than a mixture of plot/character-driven stories, it's kind of jarring. I think people expect action all of the time and find the scenes where Hogie provides additional characterization boring. I absolutely love those quiet scenes b/w family members etc, but not everyone does. It's an adjustment and we might lose some Days' fans, who just preferred the old Days under JER.

I would prefer that Days builds its audience slowly and that the loyalty to the show has great depth like the fans' support for Y&R. I hope that Days increases the ratings, especially for the sake of its survival. But I don't expect a miracle where it would surpass B&B in the next 6 months if not the next year. A LOT of fans are very reluctant to watch the show again b/c of past writing. Hogie is going to have to do a LOT to win these past viewers back. I have faith that he can, but it's going to take some time to regain the trust of old fans. Here's hoping that Days will return to its former ratings...

[RalphOrtiz]

Does anyone know what's happened to the SON Top Ten list? I don't see it on the board.

[King]

Those are good points, ademption. Even though the show is top notch right now, some characters are unrecognizable at the moment.

Hope's a cold hearted, moronic [!@#$%^&*].

Mimi is a lying, manipulative [!@#$%^&*] now.

Kayla is a whiny victim.

Shawn's done a complete 180.

[SteveFrame]

With the board being down, Matt didn't get to post it. And then since then he has been so busy. He posted that he hopes to get the General list up today, but doesn't know when he will get the Member's List up.

[EricaKane4life]

Frigg'n EXCELLENT POST!!!!!

And you're so right on, man. I agree.

[PhoenixRising05]

Great post ademption and I have noticed all that.

The fact that some only watch the show for so and so or for happy couples does irk me a bit. I mean Hogan just can't reunite everyone at once because it would just come off terrible IMO. You don't want everything that has happened to be for nothing. Sure, some characters are out of character but I don't even see that as an issue. I mean Shawn has been through alot so is it unrealistic for him to be acting out or being rebellious? Same with Hope. Yes, she is acting like a hag but she lost her son and so much has happened so I can buy that she would be like this. I don't like it but I can see it. Mimi is back to where she should be. Steve/Kayla has been a disappointment but Billie's involvement has been nothing to even worry about, especially with Billie telling Kayla and Steve she will step aside. I know the fans don't trsut Days or Hogan but they should tune in and find it for awhile before already losing patience or faith in what is being done.

I think the majority of soap fans, especially lots of Days fans, are just so darn picky (not on SON but overall). It's ok to want things but to be so impatient to only tune in on certain days or when certain people are on is just stupid IMO. They are entitled but I wish some day daily spoilers got pulled. I mean give out spoilers but not detailed day to day ones because, that way, people can pick and choose days to watch. Of course, there still is the EE so it's hard to get rid of everything. The good thing is that most of these fans don't count in the ratings unless they are a nielson home. I hope that people do come back and a slow ratings build is better since it means a better change of holding on to the audience. Days was at a 2.7 all summer and a 2.8 earlier this year so it can get to that point pretty easily. The 3.0 barrier is the thing they need to set their eyes on as a goal to get to in the next 6 months.

[David V]

Isn't that just it? As we've said before, Days and certain other soaps have allowed themselves to become too couple-oriented and plot-oriented rather than being the ensemble that Y&R is. Even B&B to a large extent has this problem with fanbases, namely the Brooke fans and Taylor fans.

[PhoenixRising05]

Yeah and that is the show's fault but it isn't just that. I mean now you have the fan campaigns and the couple names and stuffing polls...it is way beyond silly. It really isn't about the writing or story with some fans anymore. It's about the couple just being together and, when they are together, it's complaining about lack of airtime and story. Not to mention there is a good deal of people out there who tune in for one actor or couple. That is not the show's fault. The fans have changed over time. What is great about SON is that many of us watch the show as a whole or give a show a chance before judging it. The overall fan has become too picky. I think cable has played a part. With more choices, people are much likely to tune out nowadays. Loyalty has gone down the tubes in most respects. Sometimes I wonder if the general fan even knows what they want judging by what I read in the mags and other boards. Some want happiness and some want the opposite. Couples reunite and then fans get bored. I mean it's no wonder alot of shows have a hard time figuring things out. The fans can't even figure out what they want. Some fans pick apart stories and episodes to the point where the fun is gone and some even judge stories and episodes before they even air!!! Hogan seems very in tune with fans needs but if fans never tune in long enough to see if they are getting even some of what they want then the show is not going to do any better. The good thing is most of those fans don't count in the ratings. I hope that Days fans tune in to the whole show for awhile and just give a try because, if given enough time, I think they will stay for the long haul and know Hogan does care about them. He won't be perfect but if a fan knows they are cared about I would think that would go a long way.

The fact of the matter is many shows don't even care about consistent quality and that plays a huge part in why fans can't trust soaps anymore in general. They target sweeps and the emmys and put all their eggs in a basket for those things rather then the whole year or all the time. Why can't GH and the other ABC shows ever do big things in September or January? It sickens me that they are rewarded for putting in a good effort 3 months out of the year and it also sickens me they get rewarded with awards for emmy bait. ABC and B&B ignore their problems and can't admit changes need to be made. Thank heavens Days made a change and whether it works or not remains to be seen. Y&R has made too many changes but they are doing fantastic in ratings but who knows what will happen in the long run.

The bottom line is the fan landscape has changed. SON is one of the only places that I know of left where people are mostly of the "old school" fan type where they stick with their shows and give things a chance while also criticizing. I think the big point that has to be grasped by the general fan, or all fans, is that you will never have things the way they were. Things change and many want things the way they were in the 80's. We have all seen with JER and other writers who had glory periods that the magic rarely repeats itself and that periods can't be recreated. New glory periods can be started but you can't have what you had back. Many fans still hold on to those hopes and that is why they are so quick to judge and tune out and that is a major issue.

Fanbases are great to have but they should never control a show or writer. Soaps need to take risks even if you risk alienating fans. By risks, I mean good character-driven story risks. Thinking outside the box is a must since almost everything has been done on daytime. When a fanbase (s) get to the point where everytime they boycott the show changes stories or gears (*cough* Days *cough*), then there is a major problem. The writers need to just write and see where it goes. They must see things through or, otherwise, you wield too much power to fanbases and they will think you will fold everytime they complain. Nothing can ever be perfect and what one fan or group likes, others may not. If a writer writes something and the ratings spiral, then make a change. There should never be a worry over what one group, or several groups, think. Y&R can get away with so much and so can other shows because they don't have to worry about destined couples and so on. It's about the story and the character's, as it should be. Too bad that can't be the case for all soaps because I feel they would all be better off if it was.

End of rant .

[Chris B]

I think DAYS can get beyond the fanbase wars. Though the show is much improved, it is merely on level playing field with the other good soaps now. If it were ATWT or Y&R this would be considering a boring patch. Once Hogan rids the show of JER and does his first big sweeps (I predict Febuary), the viewers will come back.

Right now millions of viewers don;t care or even know about Hogan. There needs to be a big shocking event that NBC promote and get people to test out the show. Once they see, "hmm this is good," hopefully they will keep watching.

[whyamcwhy]

Wow, great post Phoenix!!! I do think soaps become too couple and fanbase centered especially Days. I thinks fans become so centered on one pairing or character that it can really limit what the show and writers can do. I think it is really sad that some fans only watch for one pairing or character. They really miss out on what soaps are about IMHO. A good soap should be character driven and well written enough where couples can come and go, break-up, etc. without hurting the show.

I noticed that Y&R seems to do a great job of balancing what couples are together and is character driven enough outside of the pairings. So when a couple breaks up, it isn't that big of deal because the stories are compelling enough to balance everything out. The only other soap I watch (or used to watch) is AMC. They are the complete opposite. The show is so plot driven right now. And sorry to say, but I feel that it is being driven by Babe/JR and by Zendall right now. I think that it could be a real problem if TIIC continue to center so much of the show on these people/pairings. I think it really is limiting the show right now and the actors. I realize that Zendall is popular and has a large fanbase but one fanbase should not be dictating the show and the storylines. JMHO. I just think that AMC needs to be careful about getting too fanbase or couple-based in their storylines.

Maybe I am old fashion in the sense where I watch soaps for the characters and the storylines not the pairings. And Days is really pairings focused so that may be the problem why they are having such a fluctuation in the ratings. The audience may not trust the new writer yet.

[Bree]

Great post. I think what you've said is the reason why DAYS hasn't gained in the ratings. But I think it's a great time watch the show right now. These episodes where we're seeing more character-driven dialogue and interaction has been refreshing to see. Nobody is really isolated anymore in their own stories. But it will take time. The show won't fully be out of transition until probably after the holidays.

I also wanted to add that I agree with Phoenix and whyamcwhy. I don't watch for certain characters or couples, and those that do that really hurt soaps.