Days: Is Anyone Sick of the Sheffer bashing?

[sema608]

Yeah. IA, psychofan. Then again, that's when I first started watching Days. I wish I had those years (1998 - 2003) on tape. I didn't like the Salem Stalker. I was grossed out when Cassie (?) fell out of the pinata or whatever. That story was a mess. Days was different, but it was interesting.

Maybe, to make a JER and Hogan fans happy, there has to be a mixture of both styles. That doesn't mean having JER and Hogan share the throne. Man, they'll kill each other, LOL. Reading everyone's perspectives is finally making so much more sense. It seems there has to be a balance not only in the writing, but in the writing styles. Hmmm.....

[psychofan]

You're right about that. JER used to have that balance with characters and still did a little befor he left. He had the characterizations of Sami down perfectly. I think that Beth M was the best writer when it came to mixing the two.

[R!ck]

That would be fine and dandy, but what about the millions of people accustomed to that type of storytelling? We going to throw them out the window too? When a show is a certain way for 12 years you just cannot change it in 3 months and expect the people to continue watching. It has to be a gradual change and incorporate both writing styles into the stories.

[Q Steph]

Maybe Hogan isn't to blame for every ill that is compromising Days of ou lives, but he does share in the blame. I will concede that Corday interferred ith his vision, but as a writer, you find a way to give pathos to the material you have to work it. Hogan either can't or is refusing to as a means to establish his anger with Corday.

Also, if Corday is such an ominpotent presence that continually interjecs himself, why did he let JER ruin Days for almost two years? It stands to reason that he would've interjected, but no. The show suffered without an end in sight until Hogan was brought on. I don't have an original source to quote, but wasn't Hogan signed on with unilateral creative control? Assuming not and he is a slave to Corday's machinations, then he can't be entirely at fault for being forced to pen stories his heart is not into. But still, he has guided the ship into very stormy waters and does carry some magnitude of guilt.

Hogan shouldn't be impeached for the mistakes of others, namely Corday and NBC, but let's not console his ego. The realization has become obvious that he is not the rainmaker he once was on ATWT and even during that heralded teure, there were droughts. His writing for the past few months on Days has been listless, uninspired, trite and mind nimbingly boring. Many are being accused of jumping on the anti Sheffer bandwaggon, but how are those who stand accused different from those who believe he can do no wrong? I don't think Stephen King has always sold a best seller.

At this point, I don't think it's premature to assume that he has been outright sabotaged, victimized by forces beyond his control or is just suffering from writers block. I'm inclined to believe it's the latter; his creative resilency just isn't there at the moment. Being edited is a bitter pill, but you just have to swallow and try not to indulge in passive aggressive sabotage.

[sema608]

Lots of gratuitous male nudity?

Beth is a good writer, but her writing's missing something. However, I think a big mistake was made in not promoting her to co-HW. She started the change and she did keep the ratings consistent (although the news of JER's exit got the adrenaline rushing). I think her and Hogan would make a better team than Hogan and Meg. Unless Beth asked not to be co-HW, I don't see why she wasn't assigned the position.

[R!ck]

Nevermind, it just went out the window.

[sema608]

DOOLFan4Life, Hogan's only written for ATWT. Not everyone is going to know what his writing style is like. In fact, many of the Days fans had never seen his work because they didn't watch ATWT. I remember when the news first broke out, many were happy, but a good chunk wanted to know what his writing was like, too. The more I think about it, I think the drastic changes (behind the screen and onscreen) caused the viewers to leave in droves. I love Hogan's work, but I forgot to think about the many fans who are used to the writing style before Beth and Hogan took over. I think that factor also helped Days suffer in ratings.

[PhoenixRising05]

Well, if one positive comes out of this thread, it's the fact that I finally had my suspicious confirmed about the majority of Hogan bashers.

It's the fact that some want JER back and want that crazy, over the top storytelling back. Guess what? Days fans don't. Yes, that was a drastic change and it's ok to so something that is a little campy. I am all for mystery and adventure stories but there is no way that I want a return to the crap JER was giving us. He clearly lost what made those types of stories good under him during his first run-a traditional slant. All of JER's outlandish stories in his first run had that slant. There was a touch of realism involved. During his second tenure, not so much after his first few months. Everything was watered down and the same thing happened to Passions in the past few years. It is only just now coming out of it. You don't need those types of stories on Days to get ratings. Days was doing just fine and growing until January. I do think it as a change for some fans and those are probably the majority of those who bash Hogan. That and some ATWT fans that are still irked by certain things during his tenure there.

I also see some bring up why Corday never interfered with JER. He did. Several times. He did it during the SSK story, during Melsawen (which is why we got the castle crap), he cut the castle story and forced straight out traditional stories on JER, he forced JER to write an Iraq story just so he could get Heather Mills on the show (he wanted to support her cause and is a friend of Paul McCartney's), etc. JER always found a way to still do something he wanted, like when he turned the Zack story into Hope/Bo/Billie Version 2,000. Corday always interferes and that is why this can't be blamed on Hogan. How would you feel if you had all these great things planned and made all these fan promises only to have cast changes and forced re-writes screw up everything? You saw what Hogan wanted to do early on and then Corday pushed his ass into the middle of it and that was it. Hogan can try all he wants to be professional and try to make the best of what he wrote but, if it's not what you planned or wanted, it's never going to turn out amazing because your heart simply isn't into it. That would be like someone telling me I can't write a book on a topic I want but I can on something else. I could do my best to do it but it wouldn't have that same energy and enthuiasm because it's not what my heart is into.

I do think Drake took time off and I also think PR and KA were scheduled for a break but nowhere near as long as this. Nevertheless, I just can't see why some blame Hogan. The evidence is all there that this is Corday. JER's type of storytelling won't work and to those citing Y&R and others who have adapted themselves to the "shock and awe" storytelling niche-take a look at the ratings of late. They are tanking for everyone so how it can it be said that storytelling like that works? Days tanked under JER too but the vets were on so that kept everything up. If those vets weren't on, he would've reaches the numbers Days is hitting now because JER was already pissing off every Days fanbase.

As for Beth, I am starting to get as annoyed with that as I am with people begging for Sheri Anderson. I love both writers but, in Beth's case, she wrote for two months and those two months were tying up loose ends and ending stories. She did a great job but how do we know she could give us any better? I mean, storyline climaxes are always exciting so that helped make her short tenure memorable. I know Beth and her work and I agree she should be co-HW but I don't think one could clamor for her to be a long-term HW and say she would do better, especially with Corday there. We didn't see her come up with anything that was truly her own. Now if someone suggested B&C...then you got something because they knew Days and they knew how to make most people happy. They also proved they could write well for everyone new and old and we don't know how someone like Sheri could write for some of the characters that joined since her last tenure. Plus, they were original and proved what they could do during a longer period. They never seemed to be interfered with either. That was the biggest mistake Corday ever made IMO.

Bottom line...I am hopeful things will change for the better because the changes we are said to be getting is what I beleive is close to some things Hogan wanted to do. Days fans are fickle and are never going to be truly happy. There is always a reason to complain. It's been that way for years and that is why the Days HW job is the hardest in the business. You are damned if you do and damned if you don't and, to me, that makes Days the biggest bangwagon soap ever.

Also, stay on topic please.

[Ryan]

the thread has now been re-opened.

[sema608]

WOW. I love your post! ITA, especially with that last part. Kudos!

[Dr. Jay S.W.]

I haven't bashed him but I am indeed disappointed. I dont want to put the blame on Hogan because I think it is Corday screwing things up, so no, I have no problems with Hogan.

[psychofan]

The only thing that Hogan has done that I truely think was a good idea is the Sami/Celeste team. I love Tanya Boyd and Celeste, so I think it's great that he is giving her more to work with. ...and that's probably the only positive thing I have to say about Sheffer. lol

....JER used Celeste a lot when he first arrived in the Salem Stalker, and he used her a little during the island/castle stuff....but after that, for the years of 2005-2006 we rarely saw her. I don't know if it was him, Corday, or Tanya...but she just dropped out of sight.

[JER Soaps Fan]

It probably wasn't Tanya. My bet's on Corday. I distinctly remember an interview with Tanya where she said she thought the SSK was literally a godsend because she needed the money and Corday rang.

I think Tanya's just happy right where she is. Now let's hope she stays there!!!

[JER Soaps Fan]

Wow, Phoenix, I didn't draw that conclusion AT ALL, lol.

I thought, based on ratings, the exact obvious. That it's obvious that fans miss the over-the-top stuff and it's just too drastic a change. I mean, if most of the "traditional" fans left after Reilly's first tenure, doesn't it seem that the ones who stayed and who are still with the show, are fans of the sci-fi, supernatural, weird stuff?

That's what I'm getting...

[R!ck]

Please don't speak for me or other DAYS fans Phoenix , as I am a DAYS fan, and know many many others in real life that have stopped watching because of the changes. And how can you say DAYS fans don't like those storylines when the show is down almost a MILLION viewers from last year, and it's hitting record lows in every demo? The proof is in the pudding.

I can't jump on the "cancellation" bandwagon, because as we have seen with AW and PSNS, cancellation does not mean the show plummets to record lows. I don't necessarily want JER back at DAYS, but I want DAYS to be an action packed soap with a little comedy thrown in, and some over the top plots every now and then. Hogan can do it, I know he can, he's the person who got me hooked on ATWT. I also do not place all the blame only Hogan, as Corday is to blame as well.

At any rate we will just have to agree to disagree because we are not going to change each others mind