How Passions Fans Are Attempting to Rewrite History

[Max]

Before I begin the subject at hand, I just want to say that I am not going to deny the obvious: I couldn't be more thrilled about Passions' long overdue cancellation. However, this does not mean that I have no sympathy for what Passions fans are going through, given the fact that I experienced the same feelings eight years ago: Indeed, I do have sympathy for many Passions fans, with the sole exception of those who never gave a rat's ass about AW's cancellation; those people who fall in the latter category are simply not deserving of my sympathy.

Now that my initial thought's about Passions have been stated, I'd like to address something that has been going on amongst Passions fans for much of this week: their attempt to rewrite history. Indeed, in an attempt to justify what a "mistake" Passions' cancellation was, some fans have made statement after statement that simply are not true. Now, I don't believe that these folks are deliberately making false statements in an attempt to rewrite history, cause if that were the case, these people would be lying. Rather, I believe that--because of a combination of ignorance, sadness, and anger--the Passions fans are making such false statements without realizing how wrong they are.

There are so many falsehoods (which is what I will call these statements; since I don't believe that these are outright lies) being made by Passions fans in an attempt to rewrite history. The purpose of this post is to list each of these falsehoods, along with the actual reality of the situation.

Falsehood: NBC is to blame for the cancellation. They did not do everything they could.

Reality: NBC did virtually everything it could to make Passions succeed, from their massive promotional campaigns to forcing its affliates to air the show in the post-DOOL time slot to keeping the show on for eight long years despite terrible ratings. (It should be noted that no other soap in the entire history of NBC was ever given so many opportunites to help it succeed in the ratings. Indeed, virtually all other NBC soaps were treated in the opposite extreme: little promotion, not getting aired on many affiliates, and being cancelled at the drop of a hat anytime there was a ratings problem.) And, for those of you who blame NBC for not firing JERk, you need to keep in mind that--despite the fact that NBC owned the show--the network's contract with JERk likely contained a clause that stated that JERk remain in control of the soap unless he retires or dies. (Therefore, if NBC wanted to fire JERk in an attempt to rescue the soap, they could not have done so without a brutal legal battle.)

Falsehood: JERk is solely responsible for the bad ratings that led to the cancellation.

Reality: Actually, this statement is true for the most part. However, the fact that the word "solely" is inserted into the statement makes it false. Certainly, JERk deserves most of the blame for the soap's bad ratings. However, one of Passions' hallmarks--the terrible acting--cannot be blamed on JERk; clearly the terrible actors themselves made people not want to watch the show. (Well, I guess you could get really technical and say that JERk was to blame because he hired these actors. However, the bottom line is the actors themselves deserve the blame for their horrible performances.)

Falsehood: The Today Show's decision to expand to four hours is the reason why Passions got cancelled.

Reality: Can't you see that this statement is just as faulty as stating that Passions was the reason AW was cancelled? The reason why Passions (or AW back in 1999) was cancelled is because of miserable ratings--plain and simple. The Today Show was merely Passions' replacement (just like Passions was merely AW's replacement back in 1999). Hell, for all we know, NBC may have been wanting to get rid of Passions for many years, yet held on to it solely because the network didn't want to give back an hour of time to the affiliates; since daytime is a dying business, it just so happened that the most profitable replacement for Passions was an extra hour of the Today Show. (The important point to remember in this possible scenario is that NBC may have wanted to cancel Passions long before thinking about adding another hour to the Today show. There's no way to prove that the idea for Passions' cancellation didn't come until after NBC first thought about expanding its morning program.)

Falsehood: Passions' enjoyed critical acclaim.

Reality: This statement would only be true if your definition of "critical acclaim" meant occasional praise from TV Guide (whose Michael Logan has a huge bias in favor of both supernatural storylines and JERk) and Entertainment Weekly. When I talk of critical acclaim, I am referring to the gold standard: The Daytime Emmys. And, here, the fact remains that the show won ZERO Emmys in all the major categories that count. (Yes, I concede that Passions won some technical Emmys, but those categories are very minor.) Furthermore, please don't respond to my opinion by stating that "NBC soaps couldn't win Emmys because the network only has two soaps." This argument is completely bogus, as evidenced by the fact that AW's Charles Keating and Anna Holbrook both won Emmys back in 1996, a year in which NBC only aired two soaps.

Falsehood: Passions outperformed AW in the ratings.

Reality: There were a few weeks in December 2000 when Passions scored a 2.9 rating--which was better than what AW had in 1999. However, keep in mind that there were very few weeks in which Passions received ratings in the high 2's. (And also keep in mind that all soaps did so much better than normal in the ratings during those couple of weeks in December 2000.) For the vast majority of time, AW's ratings in 1999 (which usually ranged from a 2.5 to a 2.7, and never fell below a 2.4) were higher than the ratings Passions got during its first 1.5 years on the air (which usually ranged from a 2.0 to a 2.3). Therefore, on average, there can be no denying that AW had better ratings than Passions.

Falsehood: Passions did so much better than SuBe and PC in the ratings.

Reality: This statement is only partly true. In regards to PC, there are two points to be made: First, PC actually consistently outperformed Passions in the ratings during Passions' first year on the air (while PC never once got better weekly ratings than AW). Second, once PC did finally get lower ratings than Passions, such ratings PC got were only slightly (as opposed to sizably) lower than what Passions had at the time. Now, regarding SuBe, it can be stated that Passions did indeed get sizably better ratings back in 1999. However, the ratings that Passions is getting now are almost as bad--if not just as bad--as what SuBe got when it was cancelled. Most importantly, comparing Passions' ratings to those of SuBe or PC is most definately not an apples to apples comparison: Passions was the beneficiary of massive network promotion and a great time slot (that NBC forced all of its affliates to air it at), while SuBe and PC got little network promotion and were often aired at bizarre times of the day (if the affiliates even bothered to air those soaps at all).

Falsehood: Passions' cancellation is the worst thing to ever happen to daytime.

Reality: Such a belief is completely absurd. If you examine history, the most damaging things that have occurred have been the cancellations of extremely long-running soaps (specifically I am referring to AW, SFT, TEON, and LOL); the loss of such daytime institutions has been a far greater blow than the loss of an 8 year old soap (which, by industry standards, is a relatively short run). Additionally, the deaths of many of daytime's most legendary performers have hurt the genre far more than Passions' cancellation. Furthermore, Passions' cancellation is not even the worst thing to happen to daytime in recent times; rather, that distinction goes to Bob Barker's decision to retire as host of TPIR (something that will cause certain soap's ratings to drop far more than Passions' cancellation).

However, it is just not past history that Passions fans are trying to rewrite. Additionally, an effort is now being made to rewrite "history" before certain events even occur. Take a look at these examples:

Falsehood: Passions' cancellation is the reason why DOOL will likely get cancelled by NBC in 2009.

Reality: The reason why NBC will likely cancel DOOL in 2009 is not because NBC will soon become a one-soap network; rather, the reason for DOOL's impending cancellation is due to the fact that the show just isn't making much (if any) money for NBC, given that that ratings in the mid-2's are not enough to offset the massive costs NBC incurs by broadcasting DOOL. Believe me, if DOOL gets Y&R type ratings come 2009 (which would allow NBC to make a sizable profit off the show), it will have no trouble getting renewed on NBC, regardless of NBC now being a one-soap network.

Falsehood: Passions' cancellation is the reason why ABC will cancel one of its soaps in order to make room for a third hour of Good Morning America.

Reality: This statement would only be true if it read "The Today Show's expansion is the reason why ABC will cancel one of its soaps in order to make room for a third hour of Good Morning America." Again, remember how I already proved that the fourth hour of Today is not the reason Passions got cancelled (it was merely its replacement). Any move by ABC to expand its moring program is merely a reaction to what the Today Show is doing. And, just as importantly, any cancellation of AMC or OLTL is merely a response to the fact that both shows just aren't making ABC much money (which would still be the case if Passions remained). To say that Passions' cancellation is the reason why Good Morning America will expand is to deny this logical conclusion: if The Today Show was expanded to four hours--while Passions was still being kept on the air--ABC would still be considering the option of expanding Good Morning America (and cancelling one of its soaps to make room for it) as a reaction to the The Today Show's expansion.

Falsehood: Passions' cancellaton will be the reason why so many soaps will soon be cancelled, thereby leading to the destruction of the entire genre.

Reality: I've already told you why other factors--and not Passions' cancellation--will cause DOOL, AMC, and OLTL to likely be cancelled. If the other two soaps in danger--GL and ATWT--are cancelled, it will also be because they are not making much money for CBS and P&G. (And both of these soaps would still face cancellation in the near future even if Passions was not cancelled.) It is just simply absurd to think that the cancellation of a short-lived soap (that's the joke of the entire industry) is responsible for the demise of the entire genre.

So, to all the Passions spin doctors, please stop trying to rewrite history. There is nothing you can say or do to deny the ultimate fact: that Passions has been a failure, both artistically and commerically.

[KLN]

Christ almighty, did it take you all day to write that?! LoL

I agree with what I've read (thus far) except for you referring to the Daytime Emmys as "the gold standard." The Daytime Emmys haven't been a gold standard for anything in years.

[Soapsuds]

Ummm...Maxi why are you starting another thread about this? It is already in other threads. Why rehash it again? I smell a rat.

[Mr. Brightside]

Everything you said was true.

[Mason]

I'm so tired of this. PASSIONS is cancelled now. What more do you want?

[Danni]

Oh, for [!@#$%^&*] sake, will you shut up already? AW ain't coming back! Get over it!

[King]

Everything you said was definitely true! Except for the part about JER not being to blame for the bad acting. You hit the nail on the head when you said he had final say on all castings, which he did, and it was a mistake he made time and time again.

[Drew]

when NBC says it has cancelled Passions for Today, I don't see how you can claim it as a falsehood.

Affiliates don't have to air NBC's full lineup. They want their local time. They gave an hour for an hour. AW was cancelled by Proctor and Gamble.

[bongobong]

Falsehood: Passions outperformed AW in the ratings.

Reality: There were a few weeks in December 2000 when Passions scored a 2.9 rating--which was better than what AW had in 1999. However, keep in mind that there were very few weeks in which Passions received ratings in the high 2's. (And also keep in mind that all soaps did so much better than normal in the ratings during those couple of weeks in December 2000.) For the vast majority of time, AW's ratings in 1999 (which usually ranged from a 2.5 to a 2.7, and never fell below a 2.4) were higher than the ratings Passions got during its first 1.5 years on the air (which usually ranged from a 2.0 to a 2.3). Therefore, on average, there can be no denying that AW had better ratings than Passions.

I loved AW but you're comparing lemons to lesbians. AW was getting about a 2.2 when it was cancelled in '99, if trends continued its ratings would probably be lower than Passions now. That's just HH ratings too. Demographically Passions was able to hold onto much more of DAYS' W18-49 than AW did. When you factor in the costs of actors, etc. NBC probably made WAY more money with Passions then they would of with continuing AW. Though I enjoyed Passions its probably going to be more profitable to air more Today, as un-needed as a 4th hour of the show is, its a reality. NBC likely has less daytime hours to work with than CBS or ABC because of the extra hours they need in Latenight. GL and ATWT I'm sure make less money for CBS than NBC made from Passions, but CBS has nothing really to replace then with. They could expand B&B but my guess would be is that international sales are the real cash cow for that product and they don't want to mess up a good thing.

Peace guys

[Im-n-a-whirl]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't CBS want AW but P&G turned them down and cancelled it anyway?

[Mason]

PASSIONS is no better off than AW now. Just let it go already.

[Mason]

You're thinking of ABC, but yes that's true.

[DruRocks]

Bloody Christ.

Who are you? GOD?

[dawn9476]

Considering that Passions has came close to getting cancelled in the past few years and the fact that 2006 brought its worse ratings ever, I think Passions would have been canceled anyways and NBC would have gave that hour back to the affiliates.

[Drew]

What is the point of saying "AW has worse ratings" ... it was cancelled. If it had worse ratings and stayed, then people would have an argument.