DAYS: Duck Downgraded...Franc Ross not on contract

[DaysFanJean]

You and me both. I see no purpose for her at all. Duck, on the other could add a lot to the show.

[PhoenixRising05]

Fine Steve. I will just continue to be positive and enjoy my show.

If you are that unhappy with the show, why are you still watching? Even when Days was great back in December, you never gave them any credit. In fact, you never even mentioned anything anywhere. You claim that month was good but I don't recall a single comment from you during that time, except in a ratings thread during that month where you said something like "They still weren't getting higher ratings" or something.

I get you don't like what you are seeing but to come into threads and say things like "My mother said if you don't have any good things to say, don't say anything at all" and then go ahead and post something anyway is doing nothing but stirring the pot. You may as well had come out and said what you wanted to say at that point since you already posted.

Everyone has a right to opinions but you never gave the show a break under Hogan, even back in December when it was good. I know you will say you did but I would never know because you never really said you did at that time. Your always pointing out Days and ATWT and how bad they are in the ratings thread but what about the other soaps who are falling just as hard now? Why don't you bash GH for the piss poor memorial they gave Alan? GH's balance is nearly just as bad as Days but you basically mention it in passing.

If you dislike Days so much, just stop watching. Some people honestly act like they force themselves to watch it just so they can complain. I know I am seen as the great Days spin doctor or the always positive one but god knows someone has to be. I am always looking to give the show the benefit of the doubt. It may not be here much longer and it does have problems but it is not as bad some make it out to be. Some need to recognize they have limitations and that it takes awhile to adjust to all that. We don't need Corday to say anything...it's pretty clear there are behind the scenes issues. The show is in many ways still trying to fix itself and get things together writing-team wise and character-wise. I don't mind differing opinions but when some come into threads and hardly ever acknowledge the positives then it gets to be nagging. I just wish some would give them a break.

I never stopped watching the ABC soaps until the quality sank so much that I couldn't stand it any longer. Plus, changes were not being made. Days made a change and things are still being worked on. Days has budget issues and God knows what else is going on that we don't know. All that should be taken into consideration IMO. The quality is there and once the balance improves and the pacing the show will be fantastic. Maybe I am just a different-type of fan. The old school type that finds a favorite show and sticks with it through the good and the bad and doesn't bolt unless I feel like I am being unappreciated as a fan or it's hopeless. I have never found that to be the case on Days. I always say it's easy to jump ship when the going gets tough but it's more rewarding when the show gets good to fans who are still there through it all. As soon as Days gets good, the bandwagon will be full but a select group will still be there. A group that stayed because they love the show. Maybe Days isn't everyone's favorite and that is fine. I always say stick by your favorite. Days is mine and that is why I stick by it and defend it but the other shows I watch I turn them off at times because I am not into what is happening or what is going on. I am not as big of a fan of them so that is probably why. I still don't all together give up on those shows though. Maybe it's just the way I am.

Whatever the case, maybe it's just me not feeling well lately or maybe I am just frustrated seeing so many people jump ship when things go bad but I can't keep silent anymore. I have to vent once in awhile

[DaysFanJean]

I was one of the ranters about the original OTR story but now it's my favorite so things change. It has to be what each person is looking for. Right now I'm so disgusted with how Hogan has ruined the beautiful wedding for my LUMI and their baby girl that I could throw up and give it to Hogan ........argh and that means I'm furious. So, right now I'm not watching that story which is beyond disgusting. However, even though I'm not thrilled with the rest of the show, I'm glad to see some worthwhile hope.

And I still maintain that Duck could be very interesting but Gabby is a redux of Jan and Willow.....not good at all.

[SteveFrame]

Phoenix, I have quit watching - the first time I have quit watching since 2000. Today was it for me. For the last few weeks it was sporadic but today I cut it off and I am through. Even when I was upset about Stefano I kept watching. I never fully quit. As you will see my new signature as of tonight, Days is through for me.

I have only ever quit watching Days one time and that was in 2000 when it became a new show under Langan. And that is what is happening now.

And as to your quote:

Well I do feel underappreciated by Days. Days quit on me a lot sooner than I have quit on them. I gave them a bunch of opportunities. I stuck with JER and was the most positive fan I could be. I stuck through Higley when the show was God-awful. Even then they did try to meet me halfway and for that I stuck around. But Days isn't meeting me halfway anymore. It is a nuDays and it is not for me. So yes I am through.

And as to not mentioning much in December that was when I wasn't welcome in Days threads. And I stayed out because of comments and to let the waters chill. And as to not making positive remarks - right now there is not much positive to say but the good day to day writing for the most part, and I have said that. When I find something positive to comment on I will.

Right now Days is terrible and just as bad as it was under JER or Higley. The writing is terrible because of the stories and the oversights. And I guarantee that if it was another show that had a shower like the one they gave Sami you would be the first to say something about it esp. if it was an ABC show or Y&R. Well just because I have had a 30 year love affair with Days I can't overlook things and spin them for good when they are not good. Things like that with the Marlena oversights and stuff are wrong and Hogan & COrday need to know they are wrong and not be given a slide for them. It is terrible writing and they need to know that. And if they are doing what you said - saving the vets for later - it still does not excuse the terrible writing that is being done now. Days has lost all sense of family without the key family members being there.

Hogan has even managed to ruin EJ and I didn't even think he could do that. I thought he put Craig on way too much on ATWT but he has even exceeded that with EJ. Craig has his hand in a lot of stories but not like EJ does. And I am glad that I am not the only fan who sees him just like JER's version of Tony - because he is.

And as to AMC & GH I have made several comments about the balance issues on them lately as well as OLTL and have fussed about too much Amber on Y&R. Look around the posts are there. If you will notice that is the main reason GH has dropped from the #2 spot in my rankings.

AMC had lured me back for awhile too but it joins the shows that are not being watched by me anymore. I have not watched AMC any this week because of the balance issues. GH is down with me too as well as ATWT.

And if ATWT doesn't improve in a few weeks it will join AMC and Days in my discard pile.

Days doesn't care about me as a fan anymore. It is not the show I grew up with and loved and they have made that clear. And as to the last part I do feel that certain parts of Days as it is now is hopeless. It is not the same show and I am not the only one who feels that way.

ETA: And as to why I don't talk about other shows as much as I do ATWT, Days, and even AMC - those are the 3 shows I love the most and I am harder on them because I know they can do better. They have. The other shows I don't have as much love for and am not as passionate about.

[DrewH]

Wow!

Go Phoenix! You have just said, in nicer terms than I would've, what I have been thinking for the past couple of months now. Way to go!

[Mason]

For the record, Phoenix, I completely 100% agree with you. EXCELLENT post!

[PhoenixRising05]

I didn't mean to come off as harsh Steve. I just questioned why you would continue watching a show that you obviously weren't happy with.

I do think RIP Days in your sig is a little extreme. Daytime isn't in bad shape right now and reminding everyone of doom and gloom is not exactly the best thing to do but your choice.

Anyway, if that is how you feel then I respect your choice and opinion. I am still of the position that Days got screwed by NBC due to the budget. Hogan is not this bad and Corday may be dumb but he isn't stupid. He would never do any of this on purpose. It's like I said in Tuesday's thread...they are either saving the vets for later, dragging their feet until May and the summer, or just can't afford some of these people until they take cuts or something. I am willing to let them work out what they have to as Hogan has only been here since the Fall and Days is under alot of pressure and is bascially strapped for cash. It took GL a long time to adjust to their budget issues and I am willing to give Days the same luxury.

[Mason]

November through mid-January was awesome, and I firmly believe DAYS is headed in that direction again. It's just a matter of being patient. And after suffering through Langan, Higley, and JER II, that's not a problem for me.

[SteveFrame]

All I will say is for those that don't want anyone to say anything negative about Days or for not to always say anything negative about Days they need to quit doing the same thing to other shows.

Some people one in particular never has anything to say nice about one show, but I guess that is different.

You can't have it both ways.

[DrewH]

I know you weren't trying to actually point anyone out, but I feel that I fall under that category due to my dislike for the current state of Y&R. But there is a big difference between Y&R and DAYS. DAYS, although it's not bad IMO, has budget problems right now. That's why we're not seeing vets. I don't know how many times that has to be said on this board, but I will continue to say it. To go from seeing the vets from October-January, there's something wrong there. Something happened.

Y&R, on the other hand, doesn't have a budget problem, yet their stories suck. And Hogan has done a great uplfifting from where DAYS was, just a year ago. The Hack has put Y&R through a downward spiral from where it was just a year ago.

The difference is, DAYS may be "bad in your eyes, but there's a reason for it, a reason far beyond Hogan's control. Y&R is bad because the writing team sucks and The Hack chose to hack off all of Y&R's veteran writers. It was her decision.

So yes, I will continue to spat nothing but hatred for that woman, who is killing the greatest daytime soap opera.

[Roman]

Steve, with all due, I have been wondering myself for some time why you would watch a show that you have said that is horrible. When the ratings come out every week, you comment on other shows, but when Days's ratings are posted, you (and some others to be fair) say that the show is suffering because it stinks so bad.

So......why keep watching? To bash it?! To prove that you are right, so you can say "I told you Days stunk but no one wanted to listen"? I think, personally, that Days, with its faults, is light years ahead of where it was a year ago. If it wasn't, I still wouldn't be watching, just like I wasn't when JER wrote the show into the ground.

All I'm saying dude, is that if you (and others) think it is that bad, why waste an hour of your day watching it and then post about how bad it is?

I just don't undestand. I just want to know. Not trying to start anything. I just need to know this answer.

[PhoenixRising05]

Exactly Hogan. We have been through worst. I knwo that firsthand. I realize many have been burned too many times but this is different. Hogan's rep is on the line. Days's future is on the line. They are not that dense...they know what they have to do. Things happened, Days has to backtrack after December because of it, and now they need to adjust and hit their stride.

The fact is we didn't get no sweeps preivews which never happens, we had a dramatic shift from one weekn in Jan. to the next and the show was never the same since then, and it's very clear the show is dragging things out for some reason and is holding back. I am confident they are getting ready to bust out again and, when they do, watch how fast people flood back like nothing ever happened. When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, well find the life raft and abandon ship.

I am not that big on GH the past few years but I still watch and find some sort of enjoyment. Same for many other soaps. If I am upset with those shows and can't find anything to say about them but rip them apart, then I just stay out of it because I know there are some that do enjoy it or enjoy it more then me. I still find Days highly entertaining and I have watched this show since the 80''s.

If people want to tune out, fine. It's ok to not find something as enjoyable as others but if you can't find one thing to enjoy about the show or one thing positive to comment on then why you are watching is beyond my comprehension. Those of us that enjoy it or find some sort of entertainment in it, will just keep on watching and enjoying. It's the way it works and things will get better. I know they will.

[PhoenixRising05]

Liek Drew said, no other show has to deal with what Days has to. GL has budget problems too but Days has many more factors to deal with, like:

1.) Fickle Fans and fanbases.

2.) A network that wants out of soaps and is deliberately trying to screw it over.

3.) A tight budget and lot of vets.

4.) Fixing the large amount of damage done by previous writers (which is still not done).

The other shows don't have many excuses.

[SteveFrame]

I have said time and time again Drew that my problem is not solely with the vets being backburnered. I see the writing as the big problem followed by the balance. I think Days is being written just as bad as JER and Higley. If the stories were interesting and good the balance wouldn't even be that much of an issue for me. The biggest problem I have with the balance is that you can't have Marlena on for 3 days in a story that could have gone on without her and then not have her on in a story where she should have been there. That is bad writing and makes a bigger issue out of the balance problem. My biggest problem with JER was that he ignored family ties at times in favor of his stories. Well Hogan is doing the same thing and it is bad. Budget issues do not excuse bad writing.

And as to the writing thing someone has chosen to hack off all fo Days veteran writers too and since they have all been gone the one thing that I felt Days had going for it under Hogan has slowly disappeared. Some of these new script writers are not that impressive at all. Maybe it was a budget thing but some of the ones that have replaced them have just as much time in the business as the ones who were fired so they can't be making a lot less money than the Days veteran writers were esp. ones like Harmon & Brown.

Y&R is a new show under Latham, but her stories are interesting for the most part and do feature vets for the most part and that helps alot. But I have said over and over if the stories are good you can watch it, but right now the stories are bad and much of it is so repetitive. But again it goes back to the love thing. I have never loved Y&R as much as I do Days and because of the love I have for Days I expect more out of it, and because I know Hogan can do better I expect more out of it.

As I have said budget problems do not excuse bad writing.

[DrewH]

Oh, and yet every post you've made has the balance being the problem. Hmm...

And can we please be reasonable? To say that Hogan's writing resembles that of Higley and Reilly is ridiculous. I don't feel like I'm watching complete morons anymore, saying the most idiotic things and repeating the same line over and over again. I don't see flashbacks of a scene that I just watched before the commercial break. I see character interactions rather than 4 characters ONLY being scene within a group.

I am watching characters now. I feel that I'm watching real people with real emotion and real direction.

The stories being good or bad is nothing but opinion. I find the stories on right now to be quite enjoyable, the best stories DAYS has seen in years, and that's saying something since half of the characters we see now are fairly new to the show.