DAYS: Hogan Sheffers ORIGINAL Interview

[Ponz]

I know closing down production is normal. I just thought the timing- just 4 weeks after the New Year break- was peculiar. It could be nothing, though.

[KLN]

I'm very weird on Days right now.

On one hand, I do enjoy the characters that are frontburner. I like Steve and Kayla... not 'hardcore' on them like some are, but I like them well enough. And I love Nichols. Nick and Chelsea are fantastic, the both actors are great. Max and Abby aren't bad. And I love Martha Madison/Brandon Beemer as Shawn and Belle.

However, even though I like everyone that's on the frontburner right now, it's still no excuse for backburnering the vets. I like the 'newbies,' but I like the veterans too... for me, they are the show. I'm all for rotation, but it's time to bring J/M and B/H back to the frontburner. They need stories. Not just scenes, but stories... stories of their own. It's sad that the show might not be able to afford using them regularly.

As for the budget issues, I can see it plain as day. Sets are smaller. All the action seems to take place in one location throughout the week to keep from having to put up different sets each day. It's nothing that really jumps out at you, but little things start to add up and when you end up looking back at older episodes, you realize, "Damn, the show looks really tight-budgeted now." And that, for some reason, tends to take away from my enjoyment of the show. I know it shouldn't, but it does.

And the background music is still such a huge issue. Scenes that should be uber-dramatic are given the most dull background music, and it completely takes away from the scene, causing it to fall flat. A good example are the recent scenes when Kayla removed John's kidney. That should've been played with huge dramatic pull, and yet it was treated like a filler scene the way it was shot and edited. Because of that, there's not alot of things that make me say, "Wow, I have to tune in tomorrow!" Even if there's something I'm looking forward to, I don't really have an excitement to see it because I just know it'll be played flat. That's not really the fault of the writing, I don't think... it's all a failure in execution.

Anyway, the show isn't bad right now. The characters featured aren't bad... in fact, they're quite good. But I'm missing certain elements. While I'm thankful that the show has hired talented actors to play the newer characters, and I'm thankful that the writing team has given the new characters plenty of layers, they aren't "Days of Our Lives." I'm missing MY SHOW. What I'm seeing isn't horrible... a little boring at the moment, yes. But not horrible, not a crazed JER-induced acid trip. And despite enjoying certain things, I keep tuning in and thinking, "Where's my show?" Days might've had its flaws over the past ten years, but I've always appreciated that it was recognizable. And right now, there are many things that I just don't recognize and it's causing me to yearn for a little familiarity. I want my Bo and Hope! And cheesy as they may be, John and Marlena are integral and belong on the frontburner. Hell, I'd even do backflips for Jack and Jennifer to return. Chelsea, Nick, Billie, Kate, Steve and Kayla can only take the show so far before balance needs to be renewed and Days returns to the ensemble multi-family show I've always known it to be. Knowing that Days (as I know it, anyway) will be gone in 2009, I'm just wanting a few final kickass years for the vets. I don't want 'em going away prematurely! They should be used as much as possible right now, to give the fans a few really good final memories... right now, especially.

[Ponz]

Wednesday's show was also taped on Feb 26th. It appears the show did take a 10 day break and have been taping two eps a day to make up the time. The plot thickens.

[dawn9476]

They may be doubling up and taping two shows a day. That is nothing new to soaps. And it gives more reason to think that they shut down production to save money, not to adjust to changes in the writing.

ETA: Passions has been taping two shows a day for years in November and December so the cast can take two weeks off for the Holidays. Other soaps tape two shows a day sometimes for various reason as well.

[King]

I had no idea. Interesting!

Well, God knows whatever they need to do to save money...they should be doing!