October 31 - November 4

[MichaelGL]

Yeah rooting for the loss of viewers for already weak ratings is gotta get back the GL you so loved and cared about. I doubt even more budget cuts for GL is going to turn it around if it dips even more in the ratings. Isn't that partly the reason for why the show is in such a bad shape now, other than a out of touch TPTB?

[samanthamorgan]

Congrats to GH for taking the #1 spot in the 18-49 Demos. GH has been fantastic!

[Soapsuds]

It doesnt deserve the ratings they are getting now. They deserve lower ratings. After seeing Friday's show, they sure do deserve it!

[DanielRand]

I have never understood people who say things like this...it is mindnumbingly shortsighted and juvenile.

First, your comment presupposes that what is good and what is not is based on YOUR opinion. I beg to differ with that.

If you are unhappy with Guiding Light, don't watch it...show your displeasure that way. Or, if you care so much about the show (an idea for which I harbor some doubt), handwrite and mail a thoughtful letter to the show or to CBS. They pay more attention to that effort than to angry screeds on a message board.

But don't wish evil on a show you do not like. I do not enjoy certain other soaps that I've looked at, but I would never wish them cancellation or lower ratings. I realize that every show is somebody's favorite.

In fact, wishing low ratings or cancellation on any soap is an insult to every soap, as it is basically the equivalent of asking to hasten the decline of the soap genre. Do you really think if some of the nine remaining soaps start disappearing that the genre will thrive? More likely it will send stronger signals to the networks that the once profitable daytime soap genre is not worth investing in. Of all the soaps launched in the past 20 years, how many are still on the air?

Oh, and by the way, GL may be in 8th place, but the rating is more important than that. It has been at 2.3 for the past few weeks, and was even lower last year. So if the show keeps at 2.1-2.3, it will have stable ratings, but at a greatly reduced cost to CBS due to the recent budget cuts. So while it may not be increasing in ratings, it will be a more profitable show for CBS.

Forgive the rant, fellow posters. I've watched GL for going on 24 years now, and would hate to see it go...as I'm sure you all would feel about your show. Plus, contrary to the original poster's opinion, I think the show is quite good right now...it has its good points, and its bad points. Nothing's perfect. All just my humble opinion, of course.

[Miss Trudy]

I saw last Friday's episode of Passions and it was awful! They deserve those ratings and worse! Haha burn in hell Passions! I saw one episode in the past three months! I am a Passions expert!!

[SpiritualJunkie]

It is truly refreshing to see a longtime GL viewer actually enjoying the show right now.

I'd love to know your definition of crap because I personally loved Friday's show. There was a nice balance of comedy, angst, romance and drama.

[Soapsuds]

I have my opinion of GL and you have yours. The difference is that "I" dont bash posters for their opinion like you do! You are the one coming off childish and immature! BTW...I have seen GL for over 30 years more than you. So dont tell me about your years of experience watching it! And I have already stopped watching GL but watched just to see what all the big deal was about. And it was about NOTHING!

What romance? I didnt see any on Friday. What drama? Didnt see it. Comedy? Where? Sorry Spititual I didnt see it.

[OneLife Fan]

OLTL needs to get higher up .

[DanielRand]

I didn't see an 'opinion' in your posting...just a generic spewing of venom. Usually, an opinion contains points and some form of constructive criticism. You just hate something and want everyone to know it. I didn't bash you...I just called you on that.

Well, you see, the way soaps work is that you have to watch for an extended period of time to fully understand the storylines and their ramifications. That way, you gain the full effect of the plot twists and payoffs. I could tune into a soap I do not regularly watch for one day and not be entertained in the manner in which a regular viewer would be, because it is similar to walking in on the middle of a movie and trying to figure out what is going on. To then judge the movie 'awful' or say that it 'deserves' failure without really knowing what is going on would be the forming of an opinion based on a merely superficial review. It is hard to take such a person seriously.

[dimples]

Even Passions? Cause trust me, that show is just BEGGING for low ratings .

Wrong. An opinion is a belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof: Dictionary: Answers.com. It is, at best, a view or belief.

I think Cameron is more than well aware of this. What you seem to fail to see is that not everyone is going to view soaps in the same style you do. I know I tune into soaps based on how well they can draw me in or grab my attention and not initially to just sit and watch to see if it will captivate me over an extended period of time. Different strokes for different folks.

That's the point. It's not a professional review. It's just an opinion. Let Cameron bash the show if he wants.

And it's equally as hard to take seriously someone who can't give advice without coming off as condescending. And if you can't take the review seriously, then just ignore it. It's that simple.

[DanielRand]

But opinions/views/conclusions without some rational and intelligent arguments to support them are...well, of the 'X Sucks' variety. Is that really worthwhile in a discussion forum?

I agree with that, and I fully realize that everyone views soaps differently....and that each of the nine soaps have something distinctive and unique about them. They are not 'all the same', despite what non-viewers might suggest. I know Guiding Light is not for everyone, and the same could be said about Y&R, Days and the rest. I still feel that daily, regular viewers gain much more from the shows than the occasional viewer...there is more emotional investment and intimate familiarity with the characters and stories for regular viewers. But some people are occasional viewers...and if that works for them, great!

That was intentional...perhaps it was the wrong tack to take, in retrospect. Perhaps.

I yet maintain that hoping for a soap to decline in ratings or be cancelled in a time when the genre is struggling for survival is against the best interest of that genre and its fans. We may not all watch the same shows, but we are all soap fans. I may not care for General Hospital or Days, for example, but I would not want fans of those soaps to ever lose their show. If you don't like a show that you don't watch, why wish it and its fans ill? Let it go and move on to something else, something positive. That's what I'm about to do...with this topic!

[cal3]

The show doesn't offer enough for those who tuned out to tune back in. Shane said it -- the damage done is substantial. Merely having Viki, Dorian, David, Clint on the show isn't enough of a reason to tune back in. It's especially not enough of a reason when you still have Clint and Viki doing little more than pimping Jessica's love interests. Also problematic is the use or misuse of history. Long time veiwers want to tune in to see their characters react to the situations based upon who the character is. When the character has no consistency or integrity remaining you have destroyed the reason to care about the character in the first place. Case in point is the disaster involving Carlo. Carlo was once a wonderful and compelling villain. Now he's a joke. No offense to TC as he remains wonderful.

Sorry but I belong in the camp thinking that OL has earned every bit of their low ratings. The Tess story and Clint's return should have been major reasons to watch. Instead it was all about the roosters. BTW is anyone going to tell Asa about Jessica's DID or that she's pregnant? Thought not.

Carlo should be out and about and making Asa, Viki, Clint, Bo and Kevin's lives miserable. Instead he's stuck in kiddie land playing with Cardboard.

Basically it's rearranging the deck chairs on the Titantic. If and when the IIC actually do make some real changes then hopefully people will come back and ratings will reflect the changes, but the longer you wait to make real changes the more time you give the viewers who h ave left to find alternatives and the more damage is done to recover from.

[dimples]

Fair enough. We'll agree to disagree cause this isn't even my debate to begin with. All I will say is that you can give an opinion about someone's comments and still be nice about it. Remember it's not what you say but how you say it. That said, I hope we'll get along fine as fellow posters here. Hope you keep enjoying GL .

[DanielRand]

Good advice...for all posters.

Yes to both! And all the best to whatever soap is your favorite.