I think "pissed off" is part of it for the uber-invested fan. However I think for the general fan, the big thing is continuity. All sorts of deficiencies in planning over the past year contributes to a lack of continuity.

I do agree that refusing to ever like another character is, in theory, absurd, since all characters except Alice (and Julie and Mickey, if they were ever on) were new at one point.

The confounding variable however is the quality of characterization. The character writing for this show has enjoyed a steady decline over the past decade at least, and combine it with the fact that they try to introduce too many new characters at a time (see: Langan's teen scene), and resentment from the general fan IMO becomes justified.

In short...

I don't like this:

"I refuse to like anybody new that isn't already my favorite because they're new and not my favorite."

I totally understand this:

"I refuse to like anybody that isn't well written and comes at the irrational expense of established characters."

I personally do think that the latter is more a model for the general fan than the former. I think the former is what one could come to THINK everybody is like based on internet message boards. But internet message boards have their own internal politics and blah blah blah, so in actually they are not necessarily indicative of the mentality at large (depends on who you look at, of course, but you can see how it would get to be unscientific to draw conclusions from the internet based on things like volunteer bias and self selection, establishment of echo chambers, etc). I have noticed differences along these lines between people who are new to message board culture and people who are long entrenched in message board culture. I even know that my own behavior has changed since I became a regular poster, I begin thinking thoughts that I didn't before.

Anyway, in short, I think the big picture ratings drop is the show's fault and not the viewer's. Customer is always right.

BRAVO! Totally agreed on this end!

If the emotional connection were even somewhat declining, fans wouldn't have continued to complain about having their fav characters return to the show! In today's episode (U.S.), fans including myself were ecstatic to see so many long-term faces, like John, Marlena, Bo, and Hope, all gathering together. With that, many people have already titled it to be one of the best episodes in a while. With that being said, if the emotional connection had declined even somewhat, fans wouldn't have been thrilled with this episode and prior few, particularly focussing on the return of John, Tony, and Stefano.

The rest also takes into consideration which groups of fans were speaking about. As someone already mentioned, there are many groups of fans, that don't care much more for the veterans, and devote more of their attention to the current and younger characters.

In my opinon, the average fan that once loved the characters that have been off-screen for a while, will once again feel the connection, when their character(s) returns on-screen. It's a connection that can't be diminished in a minimal amout of time.

For me, at this moment, it is.

When I started watching 11 years ago, I watched the whole show. Granted, I was 12 and not into the internet yet, but I loved it all.

Then it slowly diminished to only watching John and Marlena, but occasionally watching Bo/Hope, Carrie/Austin/Sami. Then it went to only John and Marlena; then only Marlena; then only select scenes;

Now, especialy with clips/previews/recaps online, I've probably only watched a whole hour combined in the last six months of new shows. I'm done hoping that the show will get better. I didn't even tape Johns awakening because I wasn't that attached anymore to the show anymore.

If they wanted me to be invested in new characters, they would shown my faves in good stories with them (or at least in the same episode) so I had a reason to watch the show.

And don't shove heroine Sami Brady down my throat. It's more annoying than evil Sami. Balance should have been the key, but for me it's too late.

For me, at this moment, it is.

When I started watching 11 years ago, I watched the whole show. Granted, I was 12 and not into the internet yet, but I loved it all.

Then it slowly diminished to only watching John and Marlena, but occasionally watching Bo/Hope, Carrie/Austin/Sami. Then it went to only John and Marlena; then only Marlena; then only select scenes;

Now, especialy with clips/previews/recaps online, I've probably only watched a whole hour combined in the last six months of new shows. I'm done hoping that the show will get better. I didn't even tape Johns awakening because I wasn't that attached anymore to the show anymore.

If they wanted me to be invested in new characters, they would shown my faves in good stories with them (or at least in the same episode) so I had a reason to watch the show.

And don't shove heroine Sami Brady down my throat. It's more annoying than evil Sami. Balance should have been the key, but for me it's too late.

Thanks for posting that!

That's where I see myself at if Days were to continue on for another ten years. I'd eventually just give up.

I think the major reason why so many tuned out from January to the end of April (and even still now, but DAYS seems to be rebounding in the ratings), is because the show was boring, the fab four being backburned and the filler that was in place.

I think that viewers that have stopped watching and are only testing the waters, definetly still have an emotional connection to the fab four characters, but it will take a good storyline and a reassurance from the show that these characters will be used 3-5 times a week for them to make the trek back to show for a sizeable amount of time.

For me personally, Feb-Mar-Apr were the hardest months to get through (outside of S/K) in a long while, and having no Bope or Jarlena on my screen was hard to swallow and seeing them now everyday is like a treat...I am cherishing it alot more than I did before.

I think backburning these characters only will make those who loved them or just liked them before, appreciate them ALOT more now that they are back.

So my answer is no, the emotional connection is not gone, but the trust connection and general interest connection has been strained over the 1st qrt of this year and is only now starting to be repaired.

ICAM! Although for me it has been EJ/Sami that were about the only things that interested me. I'm not against Steve and Kayla but feel like I've been given next to no reason to care about them based on how they've been written since they returned to the show and I missed their original run.

Edited June 4, 200718 yr by IMissAremid

Kenny, I think those viewers probably won't come back. I know from experience. I got into DAYS in the 80s and especially the 90s, so when Sussman left and a lot of my favorite characters left, I was willing to keep watching. Of course, then Langan came on and totally changed the show to "Salem High." I lost interest and stopped watching (gradually... I went through the "I'll FF what I don't like" phase, then the "I'll only watch Mondays and Fridays" phase, and finally the "I don't care about the God Damn Ghoul Girl!" moment.) Since then, DAYS got better a few times and I watched the show from time to time. "This is good," I said. But I never said, "This is just like the good ol' DAYS." It may very well have been, but with the connection severed between DAYS and me I found I could never get back into it totally.

You can't go home again.

Edited June 4, 200718 yr by juppiter

It's probably too late for a ratings rebound, but I think that's a genre-wide thing and Days is slightly ahead of the curve in terms of collapse.

At the same time, though, I kind of believe that if they got these four actors out there (well, at least three of them), they could pull back a few lost fans. Those actors have undeniable charisma, something much of the rest of the cast lacks, and if they were out there in the more mainstream media they could use it to revitalize a connection with people. I mean, they lasted for decades, despite years of bad writing and weird shifts in character. 6 months away will diminish their drawing power but not kill it. TPTB just have to exploit it better so people, y'know, know that they're in a major storyline now.

As far as I'm concerned, I haven't felt connected to the show in a long time, and the stupid neverending kidnapping crap was pretty much my breaking point. I still watch occasionally and follow through spoilers & summaries, but I don't feel anything about most of the characters. I like Sami, because I like the actress, and I really enjoy seeing Maggie and Celeste. I hate Willow and Tony. The rest of them, though- whatever I felt has turned to meh.

It's probably too late for a ratings rebound, but I think that's a genre-wide thing and Days is slightly ahead of the curve in terms of collapse.

At the same time, though, I kind of believe that if they got these four actors out there (well, at least three of them), they could pull back a few lost fans. Those actors have undeniable charisma, something much of the rest of the cast lacks, and if they were out there in the more mainstream media they could use it to revitalize a connection with people. I mean, they lasted for decades, despite years of bad writing and weird shifts in character. 6 months away will diminish their drawing power but not kill it. TPTB just have to exploit it better so people, y'know, know that they're in a major storyline now.

OK this is a very good point. To the viewers that quit watching when John was gone, they don't know he's back and alive again because they couldn't bother showing that in any of the promos. That was a mistake. Because Days was pretty great this last week and those viewers missed out on a good week for their faves.

I agree writing was excrutiating for the first 3 months of this year. Whereas, in the past, we were inundated with flashbacks, Days just rehashed the SAME scenes over and over. I kept thinking...didnt we see that same crap yesterday?

It also felt like a weird actors strike, and we were watching scrubs(coughs, Gabby, willow) for 60% of the show. Sami and EJ got me thru it, but even their scenes were repetitive and ridiculous, at some point.

I loved the Bo and John scenes this week. They made me laugh...on purpose. The whole Jarlena toungue sucking thing kind of squicks me, but, hey, to each his own. I hear tomorrow we get a "rack" attack by doug and Julie...please make that stop! All in all, I thought the pacing and stories were really improving as of last week. Here's hoping the uptrend continues.

If the emotional connection were even somewhat declining, fans wouldn't have continued to complain about having their fav characters return to the show! In today's episode (U.S.), fans including myself were ecstatic to see so many long-term faces, like John, Marlena, Bo, and Hope, all gathering together. With that, many people have already titled it to be one of the best episodes in a while. With that being said, if the emotional connection had declined even somewhat, fans wouldn't have been thrilled with this episode and prior few, particularly focussing on the return of John, Tony, and Stefano.

The rest also takes into consideration which groups of fans were speaking about. As someone already mentioned, there are many groups of fans, that don't care much more for the veterans, and devote more of their attention to the current and younger characters.

In my opinon, the average fan that once loved the characters that have been off-screen for a while, will once again feel the connection, when their character(s) returns on-screen. It's a connection that can't be diminished in a minimal amout of time.

Jinxed, this is the first post in this thread that I agree with 100%. You put into words what I couldn't (and didn't have to because you beat me to it ).