Days: Is Anyone Sick of the Sheffer bashing?

[JER Soaps Fan]

And yet, I could almost guarantee that a million more people woulld tune in when things really got rolling again.

JER's not everyone's cup of tea, this is true, but ratings just DO go up when he comes. He's proven it twice. (The second time was a success, financially, but remember, things only went by the wayside after Corday clealry interfered and screwed JER over).

[KLN]

I won't deny that JER has always been able to get people's attention.

I just feel like, for the most part, alot of his stuff does more long-term creative damage than good. Others can love him all they want -- I think he's D.O.A.

[Ryan]

Ratings are low because of a combination of things like the announcement that DAYS could be canceled after 2009, the lack of familiar characters on screen (Steve & Kayla may be vets, but to many on DAYS they are new characters), the lack of the big 4.

The writing for DAYS is not bad by any means. I may dislike some of the stories, but IMO if JER were writing what we're seeing now, I would have quit months ago.

DAYS is still one of the better shows on the air.

And as far as Hogan goes, he did write for the veterans on ATWT. As someone who watched most of Hogan's tenure on ATWT, I can say that I was happy to see my favorites in stories....favorites who just happened to be vets. If you wanna know what ATWT writer doesn't write for vets, all you have to do is look at ATWT right now....

[JER Soaps Fan]

See, I'm not buying the cancellation teaser turned off viewers.

Yes, people on SON know about it. Ditto that for the TV types at the press conference were Zuck-ASS h[#$$%]le said that. But what about Susy Jane, the high school cheerleader who doesn't read soap mags or surf soap message boards? Or Jane Fowler, the put-upon housewife who watches TV all day, neglects her kids and is too poor to afford the internet? I think far more people are oblivious to Zuckass' remark than those media-savvy types who are.

[WTGH]

Gosh, I love you.

[KLN]

I think you underestimate the number of viewers who surf the web.

They don't have to be regular posters, or even read the boards on a daily basis. When Zucker made the comments, I saw people posting about it on even non-soap forums that I visit. All it takes is one click as a lurker to see it, and I'm sure a great majority of people thought, "Great, I have no reason to keep watching anymore."

Then, of course, there's word of mouth. Friends talk about soaps with their friends. One friend reads about it, tells another friend... that friend tells another friend, and so on and so forth. Word gradually gets out.

And then finally there's the magazines, which people don't necessarily buy, but they skim through at the checkout in the grocery. Many, many people do that.

[JER Soaps Fan]

You're right. It's just a fact that JER writes slow stories. But somehow, lol, ratings would STILL be higher than they are now.

We'll agree that his magic doesn't seem to work as well for "Passions" (but he is bringing the magic back, and it did work, for the first two years or so of that show, before he realized the bad politics that took over soaps since his first "Days" tenure), but for some reason,"Days" viewers love him. Oh, they say they hate him. But his stories warped characters and the show's canvas--and brought ratings up.

that's the problem. Do you want smart characters, character-driven drama... or the exact opposite, but with higher ratings and a greater show life expectancy?

[KLN]

Oh, if there's one thing that I hate, it's someone telling me what I feel.

[R!ck]

Did you watch ATWT?

Ghosts, Microchips, Haunted Castles, Funhouses with EvilClowns, and a Sci-Fi story about 3 beautiful women who were sent to a Spa and rapidly aged to 70? And boy did I love every minute of it.

[JER Soaps Fan]

Fine. poor choice of words, and a violation of Journalism 101.

"Days viewers seem to love his writing."

(accurate, based on ratings, and yet it includes ambiguous language to account for those who aren't mentioned and may not love his works.)

[psychofan]

Well, it's no secret that I detest Hogan Sheffer. I find him to be the most boring writer in soaps and I hate every single one of his stories. He's ruined days for me.

I do understand where the original poster is coming from, though. As a huge JER fan and Megan McTavish fan, I have to endure their bashing on a regular basis.

[Ridge]

I never saw Sheffer on ATWT.

I expected better from him on DAYS. He had a lot to work with and he made several BIG promises that were never followed on, that is where the dissapointment comes from. NO writer should throw familiarity out of the window and balance. His stories have gone around in circles so far with no progression. Day to day interactions are nice to a point. Comparisons to JER are pointless because Hogan is a different (and better?) writer as everyone here is saying. DAYS fans would be doing this if it were any other HW, but Hogan whose name was synonomous with quality was expected more of and it is hard for people to accept that he has just not delivered yet. This May or summer is his big test. If it fails then it is pretty much over for him, IMO (and probably DAYS too I guess).

[JER Soaps Fan]

Hogan needs to go off the wall to REALLY get attention.

For instance, kill of John and have Marlena grieve for a couple of months and then become a full-on SLUT. But have her sleep with hot, underwear model type 20 or early 30-somethings. As they say in many marketing classes, go for the almighty gay dollar, which can be quite valuable!

Anyway, Marl's bedroom can have a revolving door (better to showcase those hot young bods!)

For Shawn and Belle, of course, let them be happy -- but you have to have more nude Shawn scenes. (And make the show TV-MA to allow for real nudity.)

Let's see...

Philip and Mimi should get together and become f[@#$#@]k buddies. (Again, showcase more nude Philip and some nude Mimi, to go for the "straight" dollar, and audience.)

Hmmm... make Hope a cop and let her and Bo go off on some big adventure that puts both their lives in danger. But not fake deaths kind of danger. Exciting, romantic danger and intrigue.

EJ -- he NEEDS to marry Sami, and dabble in the supernatural to become abnormally powerful. He shouldn't take over the show, but he definitely should be able to control Sami's mind or become a bat and spy on her that way -- or something!

Lucas needs to die. ASAP.

Billie, grieving Chelsea's rejection, should be a whore again.

So should Kate.

I'm sure there are far better things that JER can come up with, but the idea is SHOCK, SHOCK SHOCK. Don't let viewers be complacent and think, "Oh, why watch? John's with Marlena, Bo's with Hope, Steve and Kayla are boring and blah, blah, blah, everyone's happy..." Give 'em a reason to watch!

[JER Soaps Fan]

at this point, it seems there's only one obvious choice: family tragedy.

Alice is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo going to bite the dust.

[Ridge]

That doesn't make sense dude. Head writers come in and take shows by storm ALL THE TIME, it is their job, it is their time to shine. DAYS was in a better position for this too because it was always on shaky ground and should have gone the extra mile to prove itself, and it had storyline climaxes, several character exits and a lot to work with. This has all been said before. Hogan shouldn't be given 48 months to make the show turn around. If he is such a good writer he should be able to do it like all the other shows have.