DAYS: John in a coma through May?

[Evan]

I'm not a Drake Hogestyn/John fan, but I feel bad for him. It's sad that the vets are still being treated terribly.

[R!ck]

As I see it, Hogan has the huge Steve/Kayla/EJ/Sami/Lucas and the island stories (which suck btw) in full force and he refuses to use anyone else in a storyline because he does not know the meaning of BALANCE. He did the same thing on ATWT. He'd use half the cast 20/20 episodes while the rest of the cast was lucky to get in 3 episodes a month. And then when he wrapped those stories up he would push all of them to the backburner and write for the others. The man dows not know how to balance a show.

And all this hogwash about the budget. C'mon people think about it, Really just stop and think. JER left in April, and there were ghostwriters and Beth Milsten during June-October. Milsten did a great job at wrapping up storylines ans starting new ones. Sheffer was credited as HW starting in October. During October, November and December the show was running on all cylinders, hitting 2.6's and 2.7's in the ratings, The vets were being used, and story lines were great.

By mid January the transition had occured and Hogan started creating new stories. These stories were not what the audience wanted to see and the ratings started to fall.

But here's the real kicker THE BUDGET IS THE SAME NOW AS IT WAS THEN! (1.3 million smackaroos per week)

So I'm sorry if I don't buy the whole "budget issues" nonsense.

[Pest Spray]

I feel so bad for Deidre, Drake, Kristian and Peter being treated like this. And before someone comments on it, it doesn't matter whether they get paid or not, it's about respect.

[JER Soaps Fan]

DaysFanJean, I completely agree with you.

FYI: I choose to disagree that the vets aren't on due to budget issues; I believe the theory that they're paid based on contract. To me, that makes the most sense. If they're recurring, it'd be a different story.

Having said that, I think using the younger actors and featuring them more was either forced by Corday who was pressured by NBC, perhaps, to prove that the franchise could sustain itself when the time comes to phase out the vets.

Think about it: why invest in the show past 2009 if there are no fanbases for Shelle, Chick and others? And if those fanbases don't equal and rival the size of the fanbases for vets and their couplings?

I'm willing to go through with it, too, DFJ, because I don't see where this different show is coming from, so to speak.

If Hogan had Shelle, Chick, Marlena, John, Caroline, Shawn, Bo, Hope, Sami, Lucas, Max, Abby, and Alice, Steve, kayla, Philip, Victor, Kate, Bille, etc go on a plane to see Stefano for some silly reason -- only to have it crash and they all die.. and the show lived on with EJ, Gabby, Duck, Maggie, The Robinsons -- a new family with two slutty daughters after the same man who's about to go to the seminary! -- and The Corinths --- a new "core" family with a hot stud son whose aim is to sleep with every girl in Salem -- and so on and so forth, THEN we could say we have a different Salem.

Not now. the family connections are there. Even if they're just mentioned and not seen. They're using supercouple's children, vets' children...etc... so this is just a preview of what the "future" "Days" would be like, logically, when the vets of today die off, literally, and the "new generation' would have to carry the show.

In order to prove that the show could sustain itself, they'd have to push these stories and risk it all. That's my theory.

[Ridge]

These theories are all nice and dandy but they are not working mathematically or dramatically. You can not set up for the future by destroying the past and the foundation of a show. It NEVER works like that, it has NEVER and NEVER will, especially in soaps. Soaps never just throw out the current and bring in the new. You can bring in 1000 characters with the last name of Horton and Brady and it will not mean anything to viewers of the show if they can not feel that connection, and that connection will not be felt if they are not interacting with the CURRENT Bradys and Hortons. This is how soaps have done it in the past and if DAYS had done it that way it would be hitting its major lows in total viewers, demos and HH.

And THAT is the 2nd point... how can you sell a show past 2009 if the show is hitting new lows? What you are telling investors is that we changed the scheme of the show to better suite the viewers who will watch it past 2009. And those viewers are much less than those that were watching it before the scheme was changed, but you should still invest in our show!! Really!!

Their risk has failed. And Hogan's stories and the deliverance of them for nuDAYS suck too, so that does not help.

[DaysFanJean]

This would be carefully planned and plotted. It is not failing. All soaps are in slumps and Days has dipped very little by comparison and they have built in a period of adjustment. I believe that so far so good and as the stories unfold and the fanbases will build and when they are on solid ground, it will be great for Days again. The thing is, the fans who aren't satisfied with jumping ship are loving trashing what is happening. I think everyone will get tired of reading that and just ignore it.

[Jane1978]

I think you are on something here. The thing is, even if by some miracle DAYS survives and is bought by other network, the vets will be gone and the budget will be even smaller. Corday knows it so he has atleast try to build fanbases for characters which are going to stay on the show past 2009. And I do sometimes think lately that some story decisions are based on it, mainly the fact we never see vets in a romantic, touching scenes anymore. It´s almost like Corday and Sheffer didn´t want to show them as rooting couples/characters, only as supporting.

[Ridge]

I was on the other side of the fence too , I loved Hogan's first few months when others didn't.

No way is reaching new lows in total viewers "dipping very little in comparison". All soaps are not in THOSE slumps, and all soaps have not been in the steady decline that DAYS has been, especially during sweeps. Those soaps had + after their ratings while DAYS had -. See RATINGS: 7. DAYS 2,738,000 (-180,000/-926,000) <------ new low; (same/-.6) (The only soap that came close to -.6 was B&B, which was still at number 2 while DAYS was at number 7); 18-49 5. DAYS 1.3/9 (same/-.9) <------ ties low rating; No soap came close to -.9 except PSNS which is cancelled. The demos are what matter the most and DAYS is down almost a whole point from last year whereas other soaps are not. That is not "little in comparison". These storylines don't seem carefully planned and plotted, but that as IMO, and the viewers are not going to sit and wait for the plots either, that's not IMO, that's what the ratings prove.

This is a board to post and discuss, when DAYS is worthy of the love I will be the first to give it, no matter WHO gets tired of reading it .

[Mason]

Is everyone forgetting November and December when DAYS was vet heavy and we were getting great romantic stuff with John and Marlena and Steve and Kayla? Obviously, something happened, otherwise we would still be getting stuff like that now. It's not like Hogan doesn't want to write it.

[px780]

If they had the desire and the will the budget would not be an issue, because they could find a way. But they don't. And, for the most part, I'm ok with that. Like I've said before, the show needs to stop relying on their big four plus Sami.

I'm not ok with the coma, though, because it's a horrible tease to some very loyal fans. John should have just died. It would've been a bolder move for a show that needs to prove it can do that, and really it'd be easier to try and build great storylines from something that pisses fans off than leaving it to fester like this.

Plus this storyline should be much further along. Either John should be awake or Marlena & Kayla should be researching a way to try and pull him back. At this point, I can't imagine that the eventual payoff (the moment when he wakes up) will be all that dramatic or rewarding. Total misuse of his time in a coma, imho, because they're not building a gosh darn thing. And now he won't be awake and present for Sami's wedding to Lucas (unless, of course, this is yet another stupid failed wedding), which after her change of attitude could have been a huge rewarding moment for all of us that have listened to her !@#$%^&*] about him for a decade.

[PhoenixRising05]

Jane and Jean, I agree with both of you.

There are some days when I wonder if Corday has already been in talks about a new home for Days and maybe they told him that there would need to be major cuts. Maybe the vets would have to be reduced to supporting or not there at all to make a move. No one really knows. As I said, they don't have to say anything. It's pretty obvious there are major issues and they are on the financial side. You can keep bringing out all the legalities or whatever but Corday is not this stupid. Everytime Days has had a fall like this he has made changes or said something. Something is up. Hogan's balance was never this bad at ATWT. Never. If anyone tells you that, that is their anti-Hogan bias showing. Yes, he had balance issues at times but never like this.

On another hand, I still think we will see improvements in the next few weeks and especially over May and the summer. I am confident in that. I am always optimistic but I know Corday will try to find a way to make the improvements needed even if he has to work around hirdles.

The simple fact is this...you don't go from having great balance for weeks to showing the same characters over and over for 3 months. No one is that stupid and no one would do that unless they were forced to. Days knows they have to have the big 4 around or at least involved. Something is keeping them from doing it. If people think they would willingly backburner those 4 for this long without good reason behind it, then this is a wasted argument. People say to think about this realistically so why don't we do that. Why would Corday backburner 4 of his biggest stars for 3 months when all he ever does is preach supercouples and rave about how research shows who the fans are interested in and yada yada? It makes no sense for him to all of a sudden ship the big 4 off to backburner land for this long without reason. Even if Hogan wanted to do it, Corday will eventually force him to work them in because I am sure he is getting overwhelming reactions to all this. He can ignore fans at first but, eventually, he always caves. Why do you think so much of Days gets re-written all the time. Corday always caves to fan demand eventually and the fact that he hasn't yet speaks volumes.

Just look at the way Days has handled issues with the show in the past and you will realize something isn't right here. This isn't your typical "Days has issues let's fix them ASAP" situation. Nothing has been done or said yet and that is what is troublesome because that says this is alot worse then anyone thought. That is my side to it and everyone can beleive what they will.

[Ridge]

Hmm.. .what is carefully planned and plotted.. Let's see:

A BRADY wedding shower with NO BRADYS. Doubtful. Sami had a wedding shower with EJ, Kate, Lucas and Phillip. NO Bradys. VERY carefully planned.

And on the run storyline where one month earlier the person they were on the run from was on their tail and a month later the person doesn't even show up for weeks and is walking around town like he doesn't even care that the daughter her was screaming about could be alive. That is carefully plotted. Its plotted so that people can just forget that considering all the money, the alleys and the points Phillip has he still can not find his daughter.. of course.

Hmm... Sami has an amniocentesis at what 3 months pregnant when no woman usually does until the earliest sometime their 4th month. Very carefully planned. A storyline going around in circles... carefully planned.

Steve is psychotic for months now, is known to have been destroyed for the DiMeras, no one knows why, he is in and out of the ward, screaming repeatedly and yet fans have no explantion, not a SINGLE CLUE as to why the DiMeras wanted him, what happened to him when he was gone for 16 years but we do know he is crazy and being controlled by the DiMeras. Yeah carefully planned, plotted and original?

Yeah it sounds carefully planned and plotted.. just we want to see.

[PhoenixRising05]

Really? I distinctly remember you not giving the show any credit until December. You were one of the posters who kept saying the show was boring and rather uneventful in October and November.

As for other soaps not being in slumps, how many of those shows still have what they gained during sweeps? None. Yes, I know it adds revenue and all that junk but what good is it when you can only reach those levels during sweeps months? It's not going to help build audience if you go up one month and ar in decline for the next two. That isnt' helping a show's future at all. Sweeps are important but the goal is to build on sweeps gains, not completely lose them a mere two weeks after sweeps is over.

Oh, and Ridge, Sami didn't actually have an amnio and Days's timelines for things like that is never on par so that is a non-issue. I already said the shower was lame but it was nothing but a plot device. I accepted that beforehand and I was able to tolerate it even though I still was disappointed. As for Philip, he walked around like that because he lost hope and started to beleive they were dead. He was still having people search but there were no leads so he wasn't going to just wander all over. He was going to wait until his people came up with something.

[Ridge]

Awesome points px! Marlena was determined in January that John wouldn't be in the coma forever. It would have been interesting to them doing some research about it (though of course it would involve Nick, the hero!).

IMO, DAYS should have killed John off. It would have made for a good story to bring him back from the dead or from imprisonment. Many fans feel he has left the show already anyways.

[px780]

I would love to believe that. But then I flashback to Salem High and Belle & Shawn's last island adventure (this one's much better, though), and it's like...yeah, Days is that stupid. They would do that, without being forced to, because they have. Only last time it worked better for them in the short-term, from a ratings perspective.

I'm sorry but that totally runs contrary to the entire network television model, which is Big Events in sweeps months followed by reruns and/or placeholders. Networks don't seem to care about building on sweeps at all, except for their goal of growing from one sweeps period to the next. Days could at least try to play the game next sweeps period, imho.