Days: Is Anyone Sick of the Sheffer bashing?

[psychofan]

I think it was primarily because JER was gone (and I'm not blind...I know that us JER fans are scarce) and people assumed the show would be much better, and it was good-- I'll admit it. Hogan was great. But then fans became used to his style of writing, and when he started slowing things down, fans lost interest.

[psychofan]

Strange that I FFed through the entire episode on Friday.

[R!ck]

I came up with another possibility of why the viewers are leaving and the ratings are falling

Since JER's first stint DAYS was turned into an plot driven, over-the-top, cheesey, dark, gothic, campy soap. Every writer since then has copied that same formula. Because of that formula DAYS has been the #1 soap in 18-34 & 18-24 for 12 years and #1-#3 in 18-49 for just as long.

When Hogan took over he got rid of the campy, cheesy, over-the-top storylines. So the viewers who were used to that type of storytelling started tuning out. People may not like it, but this isn't the 70's & 80's anymore, soaps cannot rely on traditional storytelling nowadays if they want to stay afloat. The world is to fast paced for someone to sit and watch an hour of a character driven show, with nothing exciting happening. Yes it's nice for some viewers who want to relive the magic of the golden era of soaps, but in the long run it's not going to work. Even Y&R is slowly changing it's formula, and it's up 300,000 viewers from last season.

If soaps want to stay on the air they need to move into the 21 century and stop recycling the same stories. Soaps need to be fast paced, action packed, and full of mystery and romance. DAYS has been plot driven far to long, so while traditional character driven stories are nice for long time viewers, or fans wanting a little nostalgia, it's not going to bring back viewers or ratings up. It's sad, but as John Black would say "That's a fact"

Take a show like CSI Miami, if all of a sudden they stopped working the violent over-the-top cases and just focused on the characters only, How long would it take for the show to tank? I know someone is going to say, but that's a prodecural drama, and that's what the original show is based on. But for 12 years, DAYS has been a different soap than it was in the 60's-80's and when you try and mess with the formula that people have become accustomed to, it's a recipe for disaster.

Just my 2 cents

[JER Soaps Fan]

I guess the problem that I'm noticing is that BOTH camps (pro-Alice's death and anti-Alice's death) are making assumptions about Frances Reid that they can't possibly confirm without knowing her personally.

For instance, who is anyone to say that she definitely would want to die before her character does? who is anyone to say that she would be offended and feel like Corday was almost "racing" the longevity of her character versus her life span?

Also, who is anyone to say that Frances WOULDN'T want Alice to go out with a bang and be brutally murdered or die in a car accident or explosion or something that no one would forget?

No one can speak for Fran but Fran.

so it seems silly that we argue, as if we know her, "Oh, Frances wouldn't want that!"

I'd fall off my rocker laughing if Corday gave an interview, after the fact, that he and Frances talked and she wanted the most sensational, over-the-top, gory way to leave and go out (in her words) "on top" in a memorable way.

It would teach everyone that we shouldn't assume.

Vice versa, I suppose.

[sema608]

I know. 13 pages! I went back to watch Anime on Adultswim last night and it went to 13 pages? Mama Mia!

OK, why in the world would we want JER back? That really boggles my mind. I forgot who said this, but maybe that poster is onto something about fans wanting the dumbed downed version of Days. Days' isn't perfect. I'd be foolish to say it is. However, I think Hogan will build upon Days' history rather than destroy it. We're in this weird post-transitional phase, but then again, I don't know if we ever got out of this phase. There's still more punches thrown at Hogan and he and his team have to do all of these rewrites.

I remember a post that said Hogan put John in a coma and didn't follow through. Well, he was supposed to come out of it sometime in February, but that got pushed back. Add that change to the many ones we had to go through from then onwards. I think what we're going to see for the upcoming sweeps was initially February sweeps.

As for the lack of airtime, I don't know what to say. However, for Drake, if he wanted time off since his stalker incident, I can see him secretly asking for it. Why announce to the world that he's going to be on vacation so that stalkers could line up at his house? That's one option I'm thinking of concerning Drake's lack of airtime. However, it doesn't excuse the rest of the months he hasn't be onscreen.

Why did Corday say Steve and Kayla's story should be aired for 6 months? Why 6 months? Why only them? He obviously shot his foot in his mouth. If this is supposed to be Hogan and Steve/Kayla's faults, then why did he even say this at all? He definitely told us in so many words that he was the one to dictate who was going to get screentime. Now he's backtracking and blaming Hogan and Payla? Now, he's saying he's using to use the vets? Give me a break.

There's too much Corday is telling us between the lines. He could say how much "THEY" were wrong and promise us a year we can't forget, but in the end, he will dictate his own vision and Days will end up in the same situation as it is now, except maybe by then Hogan will walk or will be forced to be let go. If that happens, I'm done with Days. I don't want it to go back to what it was like before and I don't want the higher PTB ignoring what we want.

I'm only being so patient with the show right now because I'm waiting for Hogan to deliver and Corday to step back. I can see Days being one of the top 3 soaps under Hogan's pen. Plus, it's the only soap I've gotten attached to after ATWT. So, if Hogan can make something out of ATWT, he can do it for Days. However, that means Corday has to put aside his agenda and let the fans have what they want.

[billyjill]

I admit Hogan was never my first choice and there are a few names that get me buzzed more than his, but I certainly was excited when he was in and JER was out, and I am NEVER going to wish JER back ... isn't it enough that he's brought down an entire network of soaps?

Also I do believe that Corday is interfering, Corday always interferes and that'll sadly probably never change. But it's only fair to try and separate what flaws are due to whom, though I think the discussions here have proven that a lot of it is stuff we'll never know. Still, there are some problems that are clearly writers' problems and not EP problems; while Corday is making life difficult I do believe Sheffer could be handling the challenge better.

[psychofan]

Excellent post!

While we love DAYS characters, the reason we love the characters is because of what they have done to add to the plot.

Well, I'm in that handful of people who never wanted him gone. lol

[JER Soaps Fan]

*Standing ovation*

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BRAVO, Rick!

I think that is the best post in this whole thread.

It sort of goes back to what I said: "Days" fans can complain all they want now, but based on ratings, and the kinds of stories he told, it seems those kinds of stories are what what they WANT.

Not traditional anymore. That's not cutting it. "Days" has been the "out-there" soap for far too long, it seems, to make it off what workED in the '60s.

[daysfan]

R!ck, you are right in much of your post, but I think that if they are going to have a story like that they need to have the character's developed first. We need to see character interaction, and development before they get thrown into some big adventure story first. Mabye I am just stuck in the old days but I love character driven stories and although I do love those dark, gothic, and adventure stories I prefer character driven ones.

Those kind of stories flesh the characters out, and after the character driven stories end then the adventure/mystery/umbrella stories can start.

That is just what I think.

[sema608]

Hmm. That's a good point. I think the change was too drastic for Days fans to swallow. I never thought about it that way. I know people don't like change as how the saying goes. It's just I never thought of Days has this "over the top" show. I thought it was acting out of its character, but you know what. The ratings started rising in the summer. How would you explain that one?

[psychofan]

It might have been in the early 90's, but since then, that is how DAYS has been known. And I love that

[psychofan]

Okay, you started watching in 1994 (or so you say) and yet you hated all of the types of stories that were being told back then? I don't get it.

[psychofan]

WHAT?! That makes no sense!!!

[sema608]

You know what, psychofan? I actually liked a lot of the stories circa 1998 up to the slasher story (2003 ?). I haven't like Days from that time onwards. I loved the actors and I ate everything up, whether it was the story, chemistry, the characters, and the actors. It was the actors and their chemistry no matter what the dialogue was that enticed me. BTW, that was also the time where I started watching many soaps for the first time. Some of the stories are a little fuzzy, but the Princess Gina one was insane. I didn't like her and John, but that story was exciting. Is that what you mean by over the top? I thought it was Angel-like (Angel vs Angelus).

[psychofan]

1998-2004 is definately the best of DAYS for me.