DAYS: John in a coma through May?

[DaysFanJean]

LOL a six-months see-saw. Well, we'll see. One side of that see-saw will be loaded with lead if this is true and the other side won't be able to carry their weight. I hope that Hogan is not the one calling the shots about how this show will make money at that rate.

[dragonflies]

I'm just curious, what makes some of you convinced that things will improve for Days in the next few months?

[Mason]

Oh, yeah, JER did certainly use the vets alright. But he hacked them to pieces in the process. Say what you will about Hogan, but I'd much rather see the vets less often than have them be destroyed.

[Ponz]

I cannot see how it will work. The ratings decline isn't going to miraculously reverse itself if Hogan/Corday persist with the newbie overload. And all this talk about building for the future and attracting a new generation overlooks a crucial point: younger viewers WANT vets!

Women 18-49

5. DAYS 873,000 (-12,000/-582,000)

Women 18-34

3. DAYS 1.2/8 (+.1/-.1.1)

Girls 12-17

3. DAYS 34,000 (-17,000/-42,000)

[px780]

I'm fairly convinced because it's a Days pattern. Storylines start out with promise, then you slog through months of crap, then TPTB panic and fix everything really quickly and there's a sense of relief and, sometimes, genuine enjoyment as the pattern starts all over again. Right now we're in the crap part of the cycle.

Why are these my only options? Destroyed and off-screen are essentially the same thing to me. In both cases you lose the character, only in one way it's a half-hearted attempt to please you (by showing your old faves) and in another it's a half-hearted attempt to get rid of them, with no ability to follow through and just do it.

And the thing to me about this "experiment" idea- the way I see it TPTB have two options, if they're proceeding under the assumption that the show is dead in 2009.

One is to do exactly what they're doing- throw a bunch of new characters against the wall to see who sticks, then pare it down and re-inject a couple veterans, hoping that will be enough to save the title Days of Our Lives after 2009.

Another is to do the opposite- streamline the show, focus on giving viewers the characters they've been following in excellent, well-planned storylines, hoping that will bring up ratings and save the show.

Of course, you could do both if you wanted to, but they don't seem to want to so it's not really an option.

For me, the route they've taken is incredibly selfish, in my opinion, because they're focused on keeping the title viable so they can profit it from it after 2009. Doesn't do squat for me as a viewer, and I'm not even one of those seriously pissed off about the lack of airtime for Bo/Hope or John/Marlena (of the four, I see only a need for Marlena...if she ever talked to her children, that is). And since it doesn't do squat for me, and I don't believe it's intended to, why should I give them this "experimentation" theory as an excuse/reason for what's going on?

[Ridge]

Yeah, What you said!!

[ChiTownBoi03]

I think I have to agree with the poster(s) who said Hogan happened is the problem. For me, DAYS is my fav soap...ever...so I will continue to tune irregardless, even if I am doing other things while it is on. I will support it...although I can attest to the issues at hand. I can think back to Hogan's first months writing, and many seemed to enjoy what he was doing. But, honestly, I think I enjoyed(enjoy) what Beth Milstein was doing much better. For me, the gloved hand reveal fell short, Patricks comeuppance seemed rushed and underwhelming, and Hope had her baby in under twelve seconds...with no seeming effort on her part for not having drugs.... When Hogan pushed these stories out the way, it was time for him to start his planned stories. I believe at the time, his spoilers alluded to Belle and Shawn being on the run, EJ becoming this formidable villain.

Well, what actually transpired seems like one of those situations where it looks great on paper, but the execution is crap. EJ is beyond creepy, but he's like King Elvis or something...he is *everywhere*, letting everyone know he can terrorize them and *bloody well* get away with it. Sami has now been downgraded to a tortured victim...where is that fire?? Where are those smart schemes she used to cook up?? Shelle and the baby bit, with the court hearing(and MM's great acting) was entertaining and dramatic for me, right up until Victor disappeared and they actually went on the run. I don't think we have even been considering the psychological effects of the conditions they are subjecting themselves to has or will have on Claire. How unrealistic/contrived was it for them to jump *off* a ship, into a raft, and happen to end up on some island in the morning? Steve/Kayla...while they are on alot, the story does not seem to bring us closer to why the DiMeras took him some years ago, or why they needed to brainwash him to do evil deeds. Couldn't they just do it themselves?? Don't they have tons of operatives/minions for things like that? So now we have Steve...gone seriously *ape*, in the mental ward, in what has went from where was Steve all these years to the quest to save Steve...from himself. I have to say, it is not very entertaining.

Amidst all of this, there are a ton of new faces (I only like Nick) which are on almost every other day, in these frontburner stories, minus the vets. I may in the minority on this, but I believe that no matter who is on my screen, if the stories are *great* I will tune in. In this instance, the stories are not-so-great. There are numerous inconsistencies, and Hogan just didn't seem to know how to resolve any of them. It's almost like he said "hey, I have this great outline for a story and we'll see where it takes us!" IMO, there doesn't seem to be a well-planned thought out outline for the future, or these stories. Just potential story props here and there to see what happens, if he gets an idea he'll use it to see where a story develops out of it. That is what it *appears* to be, I am not stating that as fact, just from observation. So with that, even though I watch everyday, even when not paying too close attention, I am not really impressed with Hogan at DAYS at this time. I dont believe ratings are all to blame on the vets not being featured and this that and the other. I just think the stories stink, IMHO. Or the execution of them anyway. Good stories, new faces...maybe. Bad stories, new faces...not so much. So if you ask me, this whole plan to save the show needs to come in the form of first, putting Beth Milstein in the chair next to Hogan.