DAYS- A show without Bo, Hope, Steve, Kayla, John, Marlena?

[MikeGoldy]

OK, so I was thinking how during last winter, how bad the show tanked, and a lot of that was blamed on the major popular characters not being used, like Bo and Hope, and John and Marlena. However, Hogan could have written well for the characters he DID to have to write for. So, do you think the show could survive without the six major stars for the show? And what stories would you create for the characters DAYS does have? Lets see if you could do better than Hogan!

[Ryan]

This should turn out to be a pretty good thread.

First off, there aren't a "big six," there's the "big 4". Steve & Kayla were featured heavily, but the story wasn't well liked by some fans. I didn't really have a problem with the story because I knew that it was being re-written on the fly. When you write stories that are supposed to interconnect with others, and suddenly you're told that your big connectors can't be used, you gotta change. When a story is planned out so well, you would think that someone would have a backup plan. It's obvious that Hogan didn't, and the show suffered for it.

Overall, I wasn't disappointed with the show this past year. Yes it could have been better, but the same can be said for all shows. IMO, the acting and dialog saved the show from going even more downhill. The stories could and should have been better, but as a DAYS fan who doesn't just watch for the "big 4," I wasn't majorly disappointed.

Kudos to creating this thread btw. Hopefully it'll get a lot of responses.

[Dr. Jay S.W.]

As much as I hate them, John and Marlena are the big 2 even more so than Bo and Hope. I prefer Bo and Hope any day, but thats just me. Do I think the show could survive without them, Yes and I think it would have to. Its actually a shame truth be told that DAYS is so dependent on these 4. To lose so many viewers over 4 characters is ridiculous and it proves that Days needs some more talent.

[darraholic]

I could live without Steve/Kayla & John/Marlena. I'd be tempted to stop watching if Bo/Hope left though.

Overall the show would tank without John/Marlena & Bo/Hope. Most of the fans of the show are usually supercouple fan bases.

I actually like the storyline Hogan has for Steve & Kayla right now. I think it has alot of potential for some great acting. I'd like to see Bo/Hope & John/Marlena get a storyline outside of this Brady vs Dimera plot.

[MikeGoldy]

Thanks Ryan I think the show has improved certainly from the JER years, but there was so much potential that was wasted. If I had been writing the show, and I was told that due to budget, "the big four," couldn't have been used, I would have certainly worked in core characters like Caroline and Maggie and Abe and used them as the anchor characters; The Shawn and Belle story could have been very romantic, the two fighting their feelings for each other, as they escape from Philip; Philip and Willow could have grown closer; Kate could have faced off with Willow; Caroline and Maggie could have been involved in Nick and Cheslsea's story; Billie could have actually been involved in Steve and Kayla's story; so much could have happened, but didn't. I could live without John and Marlena, but I would miss Bo and Hope terribly. But I STILL think the show could have been good without them

[DrewH]

Unfortunately, past writers have based the show solely on J&M and BOPE. They are the two main couples you think of when you think of Days of our Lives. That's TPTB's fault for surrounding the show around them. What else are fans supposed to invest in if we're getting these four crammed down our throats year after year. When it comes to those four, balance was never even thought of. So when writes, who like to use balance, come in and take the spotlight off of those four, there is backlash. Where are John and Marlena? Why aren't Bo and Hope doing anything? Why isn't John involved? There are more characters on this show than those four. Sadly, every time the camera is taken from them, or they're not involved, the writer is going to face heat.

[Ponz]

IA with Ryan about Steve and Kayla. They are popular and historically significant but aren't in the same category as the "big 4". For those who began watching after 1992 (which is most of the audience), S&K are still relatively unfamiliar characters. Bo/Hope and John/Marlena have anchored the show for 15 years. They are a sign of continuity even for viewers who aren't invested in the couples. DAYS without them would be like B&B without its original four. It just feels "off".

As to whether the show could survive without them, it depends how the passing of the torch is handled. In the early 80's, TPTB succesfully phased out vets like Mickey/Maggie & Doug/Julie in favor of the new generation of supercouples. It worked because the younger characters were well developed, introduced gradually and integrated with the veteran cast. It's not enough just to give a newbie the Horton or Brady name and expect viewers to instantly invest in the character. That seems to be TPTB's mindset with Jeremy, Stephanie & Jett. I've enjoyed Nick & Chelsea interactions with Kate, Sami, Lucas & Billie but tend to FF-wd their scenes with newbies. The Shawn/Belle/Philip triangle also seems out of place and isolated on the show. In sum, the current younger set is hopelessly ill-suited to replace the "big 4".

[MikeGoldy]

Personally, I'm glad that Steve and Kayla were brought back, but I guess you're right that they aren't in the boat as John and Marlena and Bo and Hope in viewer popularity. Of course, DAYS is responsible for that too. It seemed the show went out of its way to act as though Steve and Kayla didn't exist for 15 years, and then they are plopped back into the show as if no time had passed. I believe that Sweeney and Scott, and Beemer, Madison, and Johnson, Lauren Koslow and Julie Pinson, could drive the show. But the writing isn't there; Hogan fell apart and didn't take advantage of what he had

[Pest Spray]

The show can't survive without the core four (Marlena, John, Bo and Hope), and its their own fault.

I disagree. J&M and B&H have never been "shoved down people's throat" the way that EJ/Sami and Jerkemy/Steph are now. They were on consistantly, but never like Sami and EJ are these days. The thing is that people fell in love with those couples, the characters and the actors. They became a part of their daily routine, a hobby for some. They watched them for years, breaking up, longing for each other and reuniting with a bunch of drama. Then, the show goes downhill writings wise, they bring on a bunch of characters, put them on every day and expect us to enjoy them because they were either tied in to core families or well, HOT, in the mind of TPTB. So people hold onto their favourites and watch for them.

I WANT to watch Days Of Our Lives, I quit watching the show in 1997 because it just became awful after J&M's wrecked wedding with him taking off to cure the annoying creature pretending to be Roman Brady, Sami's second paternity lie and whatnot. I continued watching my favourite couple and other characters I like.

[tylerbo20]

I personally would like to see Drake Leave the show...opening Marlena to be paired with others. Kill John off if he leaves...bring back the original Roman.

[sarap]

I would mind S&K left, in fact I wish they never came back. As for J&M/B&H, I think the show needs both couples to have good stories. That's what's been wrong with the show in a large part since January.

[Dr. Jay S.W.]

[IMissAremid]

I don't think the show can survive with those 6 characters were unavailable, but I think a lot of the problems last winter were the horrible storylines more than the fan faves being off screen. If I held the pen, how would I write the show? Let's see...

1. Sami marries EJ to end the feud but to her chagrin and surprise over a period of time actually develops romantic feelings for him and struggles with the shame/confusion over that development that she doesn't disclose to EJ right away. They have a stormy, but passionate marriage, with lots of ups and downs and lots of complications because of their bizarre past, secrets being kept then revealed, and because of all the intrafamily drama that still lingers as suddenly neither of them seem to fit in with their Brady or DiMera worlds any more.

2. Shawn and Belle go on an extended honeymoon sailing around the world with Claire and stay off our screens thanks to John Black's inheritance money (well if he's offscreen/dead they might as well stop pretending Belle is broke).

3. A bitter Lucas returns to drinking but vows to get revenge on the DiMeras somehow joining an also sour Phillip at Titan, who has assumed control over the company from Victor. In another move as Titan CEO, Phillip helps Billie regain control over Countess Wilhelmina. She hires Anna DiMera as a lead designer for a new fashion brand launch for CW but makes Kate her boss. The women clash over differing work habits and as a Tony/Anna/Roman/Kate quad unfolds.

4. A medical complication with the twins forces the revelation that EJ is the father of at least one of them, but also DNA tests show that he is actually the long-thought miscarried son of Tony and Anna and not Stefano. It comes out that the memories of him being Elvis Banks were implanted in his memory by Stefano for the purposes of making him a better pawn to execute his schemes against Salem's residents.

5. Stefano uses his clout to make Mythic's problems with the SEC go away but the condition is that Sami/EJ move into the DiMera mansion after they marry. Tony and EJ struggle with forging a father-son relationship as Tony joins EJ to help rebuilding the company, and Sami agrees to do PR there. Mythic battles Titan for clients.

6. Phillip hires Stephanie as a nanny for Tyler Kiriakis after Stephanie had got close to the child while Steve/Kayla were raising him and the two start to fall in love. The problem is Lucas made his move first.

7. Roman, distraught after seeing Anna turn to Tony and Sami marry EJ, finds comfort in rekindling a romantic relationship with Kate.

8. Mike Horton comes to Salem and romances Billie, but neither Jeremy or Chelsea is happy about the relationship. Bonding over their frustration about the romance, they start to get closer even though Chelsea is in a serious relationship with Nick, who Mike Horton helped get his job back at the hospital.

9. After Abe dies as one of Andre's victims during the feud saga, Jett moves in to comfort Lexie and they have a passionate affair. (Yeah I went there again) Celeste lectures Lexie about the affair, but Lexie is angry at Celeste for getting close to Stefano again.

10. Sami becomes a bad bitch again and she and her mother-in-law, Anna, don't get along. Sami worries about Anna being a liability for Mythic as she resumes a romance with Tony even though they are business rivals and is upset with the way she sees Anna as having hurt Roman. Anna has no love lost for Sami because of the way she treated Carrie over the years and worries that Sami is merely biding her time to get Lucas back.

Ok yeah I have other ideas but I'm bored... so I think I'm gonna wrap this post up.

[IMissAremid]

I disagree that J&M and B&H have NEVER been shoved down people's throat the way other characters like you say Sami/EJ are now. I simply couldn't watch Days during the Alex North days because I got so sick of that J&M storyline and I personally didn't care that much for the post-Zach death/Patrick Bo&Hope storyline either and they forced that drama on us CONSTANTLY. That doesn't mean I approve of the show not having any John&Marlena storyline right now, because I don't even though I prefer Bo and Hope. I still wish J&M had been just as big a part of this summer storyline as Bo&Hope. Because I do see a correlation between the huge ratings swoon in Feb. and the Big 4 being shoved to the far corners of the canvas. For that reason, it really pissed me off that when they finally did wise up and rouse John from his coma that they never promoted that more heavily in spoilers/promos for the show.

But as others have noted I don't think Steve/Kayla are really part of a Big 6 or that any Big 6 exists because J/M and B/H are so much more important to the show than them and as someone who has been watching 15 years I had never seen Steve/Kayla until this current run and their storyline thus far has been so awful I can't see how that is gaining the couple many new fans. I am cautiously optimistic for the upcoming storyline with the baby however and those two have grown on me finally over the course of the summer I admit.

[MikeGoldy]

It's so sad when I hear people talk about Steve and Kayla like that lol They were SO popular back in the day, but their return was so butchered and they were gone so long... they should have brought Kayla back first by months, developed her character, had her meet someone new, THEN bring Steve back... but no, they had to do it in the worst way possible