Daytime and Primetime

[TC]

Amber's a teen?

She must be the oldest teen on television aside from Erica Kane

[heatherwebber]

Amber's not only not a teen she's got enough history on B&B to be called a veteran by now.

However I doubt that what just happened was random. Without getting into spoilers there was a plan for Amber which is probably getting ready to move to another step. This is probably the push to get to that point.

[juppiter]

Young people DO need younger characters to relate to. The problem is, you have things going on like GL's Tammy and Jonathan, cousins, falling in love, and ATWT's Will and Gwen marrying at the age of 18. Young people just can't relate to the young people on today's soaps.

In the 70s you had Luke and Laura on the run. Also unrealistic, but majestic and romantic. What young people WANTED to be.

[PJA]

No Amber is not a teen but she's involved in the story with Danile and lily and notice I said teen and "young adult" stories.

[sheilaforever]

Amber might not be a teen anymore (so is the whole young Y&R crowd) but her Genoa City antics and the show's non-existing niveau are beyond pre-school-childish.

Call me crazy but I don't think young characters = young viewers. In the end it also comes down to good writing. Even the most adamant OC-fans went packing when the show went always one step further downhill storyline-wise...

[PJA]

Amber may be considered a veteran but that doesnt mean anything to me. Paul Williams is a veteran and one of the most boring characters ever on a soap.

[ATWTCarOn4Ever]

PREACH IT! I was DIE HARD OC fan for 1.5 seasons. I stuck it out for the rest of Season 2 and then I was done. And like you said it was the writing. It wasn't original. It was gripping. It almost seemed like it was a fake play or something. Almost as if the characters became cartoons. I no longer cared what the hell happened to Ryan and Marissa. Even worse I didn't give a flip about Seth and Summer who I was head over heels crazy for. And it was because the stories and crap they were involved in didn't seem real to me. Then of course I hear that they killed Marissa and immediately I knew the show was done for.

Anyways like I mentioned before I think part of the problem is that the audience IS NOT THERE. Lots of teens/young adults just have more important things to do and really don't feel interested or drawn to soaps. Fortunately I discovered the world of Daytime a while ago and ever since then I've been hooked.

If I had my wish ATWT would go on forever and forever and I would share its wonderful history, stories, characters, and in fact the entire world of Oakdale to all my friends. But alas a lot of them don't really want to know about it.

Bottom line though is that Daytime needs to decide if it really wants to go after "younger viewers" and how it will accomplish this since the current methods aren't working. Sex is hot and stuff but I'm looking for True Love and I like to see the characters on my soap experiencing the same pains and angst when it comes to life, love, and relationships.

[DeeeDee]

The audience is there. It just doesn't like garbage.

[Dan]

This is an issue that really bugs me. I don't think that the focus on bringing in younger viewers is necessarily the problem. The problem is that those in charge have made quite a few (incorrect) assumptions about these younger viewers.

I grew up watching these shows. I will be turning just 21 next month. Of course, I'm a guy so that automatically disqualifies me in the eyes of the Powers that Be. But I feel that I am a fairly intelligent person. I can understand the beats of a story without having it brow-beat into me or without having it dumbed down for my (less experienced) consumption. Those in charge seem to make a correlation between youth and intelligence. Apparently, teens cannot sit down in one place for an hour without having a story that is flashy and gimmicky. Apparently, teens only want to see teens on screen and, not only that, but teens that have washboard abs and perky breasts.

Maybe that is for some people, but NOT all.

When GL added millions of young viewers to its ranks because of the "Four Muskateer" story (Rick/Phillip/Beth/Mindy), it was not because it was a relatable teen story with beautiful people. It was successful because of the wonderful acting involved by all parties as well as a damn good storyline by Pam Long. Teen viewers liked it, and so did the older generations because it was such a wonderful story.

Besides, teenagers yearn to be adults. They yearn to be treated like adults and to have the responsibility that they feel adults have. I don't believe that they always relate the most to characters their age, but by the older characters who are making it out in the world, something that THEY wish to do themselves. How are they managing their lives with a steady job, with a homelife, and with friends, and all of these overlapping commitments and roles? Beyond that, what about the even older generation who HAVE made it and what advice could they give to younger people just beginning their life's trek. In the end, a multi-generational fabric needs to envelope the canvas, something that few shows dare to try. That and some darn good acting and writing are all that you need, in my mind. No set of breasts will get you anywhere without something more.

What I find interesting is that the most talked about story of the summer, the story with the biggest ratings potential, is a story delving into the complex fabric of a feud between two familes. And not even a bare ass in sight. And here I thought fans were idiots who needed to be trained? Ha.

I was reading the inside jacket of a memoir by a man named Dave Eggars called Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. In it, he says to the reader that that can skip a portion of the book that chronicles his late teens and early 20s because it was hard for him to make that part of his life interesting, despite how exciting it may have been while he was living it. In the end, you need something more to bring in the kids. That is something that those in charge fail to see.