Right. Concentrate on the individuals WITHIN the couples first.

The show has to be about more than the couples.

Stories can be generated by the jobs the characters do, but so few characters are actively working anymore. Round out the characters. Allow them to be more dimensional. We're wives, mothers, AND career women (or uh, men). So we'd like to see the characters we love being wives, mothers, and career women, too.

Put Kayla, Hope, Lexie and Marlena back to work. Show them being the competent professionals we'd like them to be. Not just for a couple of days, but regularly. Show them interacting with their patients/co-workers, with family members: Brothers, sisters, parents, their friends, etc.

When discussing things, let them agree. Disagree. Agree TO disagree. But let us see it.

Show more women scenes...women shopping, grabbing a bite, sharing their problems with each other, encouraging each other. Show more of the guys together hanging out, shooting a little pool or something.

These things are starting to happen but they're so S L O W to be incorporated.

A little romance is good too. It seems like when the writers think romance, they're thinking sex so that makes me wonder where the women writers are. I'm sure men can write great romance too but Hogan doesn't seem able to.

Hi Guys!

I am a loyal lurker who rarley post. I come here because I find that this board is the ONLY board (with the exception of Spoiler Diva) that isn't slanted torward a fanbase of some sort. It's a refrshing place to read about Days. I've been a loyal fan for decades. I know this show inside and out. It's a family tradition for my clan. Here's an honest breakdown from my point of view of which female stars have "owned the screen" since the shows inception in 1965.

1965-1972 belonged to Flannery. Currently on B7B, she really did her best work on Days as deranged but likeable Laura Horton.

1972-1980 belonged to Susan Seaforth-Hayes Sorry, but she is the Queen Bee of this show historically. WHY? because the show was a bonified critical and nielsen ratings HIT during her time at the top, and the show racked up Emmys and got a Time Magazine cover. She also displayed grace and dignity during her wild stardom, and her romance with Doug really started the Supercouple era on soaps. Her on screen nuptuals with Doug scored the highest ratings in soap history AT THE TIME. Later Luke and Laura, and the Steve and Kayla out did this event.

1980-1990 belonged to the female on the other end of a supercouple In this order; Deidre Hall, Kristian Alfonso, Patsy Pease, Mary Beth Evans, and lastly Melissa Brennan (later Missy Reeves). All had a turn at top watchability and screen time as Days became a "Couples Soap".

1991-Present belonged to Dee Hall Her return in 1991 solidified her in the credits as top billed actress. Alfonso and Eileen Davidson gave her a run for her money at times, but in realityshe continues to be the face of Days.

Her fans are bold, brash, and st times rude. They are vigilant, and remain scared that she may be replaced. Obviously, the show has gone through cycles, and history tells us a new era will come.

I'll say this from my opinion only. I haven't ernjoyed Steve and Kayle this go round. The magic seems lost with me. Their run in the late 80's was magical, but it's lost its dazzle. That doesn't mean they aren't great actors (they are, BYW). It just means this is not 1988.

HOWEVER, the reaction on Dee's page is reprehensible, crude, outlandish, and shameful. Dee's fans, no matter what reason they feel they have, need to stop being so insanely defensive. If they'd push for a better show as much as they push for more screentime for Dee, they might come closer to getting what they want. As it stands now, they've pushed this longtime general fan to...

Just wishing Dee would go away. I love Dee, but I wish her obsessed fans would just leave this show, and the rest of us true Days fans, alone. If that would take Marlena leaving town, sadly, I'd be for it.

ONCE AGAIN: I LOVE DEIDRE HALL, but I love Days more. and her fans are simply not good for the shows survival.

Please post more often.

Yeah, Dee's return wasn't smooth. I remember feeling like they went through all that trouble to get her back to backburner her for a while. It was frustrating. The pit thing sure was fun to watch. Strangely over the top, and yet character driven. That event really sparked the John/Marlena/Roman triangle. To me, that is probably the best love triangle in Days history (maybe tied with Doug/Julie/Addie or Bill/Mickey/Laura).

I think that Days has been damaged by certain fan bases acting like their couples or characters should own the screen. It's really silly and ridiculous. The "knee pads" comment made about Stephen Nichols is a great example of what I'm talking about.

Dee is a great actress and an intregal part of Days history, but her fans screaming for change has resulted in rewrites and changes in direction for the show in the past. Whether that helped or hurt the show, who knows.

All I want is a show that makes good drama again, and doesn't write to make this or that fan base happy. Days problem is its need to remain a couples driven soap. There's nothing wrong with that, but you have to create drama for the couples for the show to move forward. A couple is only as good as the individual characters involved. J&M seem bland right now because the two characters involved have lost their personalities, and seem unable to have a storyline without the other being involved. We need more characterization for the couples to remain strong. Let Marlena have her own storyline, one in which John isn't the knight in shining armour there to rescue her. Maybe a change would be good, and make this couple watchable again.

BTW: the comment about Crystal Chapelle earlier in the thread is a good point. She was the star of the show for a while there, and I liked the Carly years. Her and RKK had good chemistry. Thanks for the tour down memory lane.

It was the "knee pads" comment that really got me, it was so nasty. I know that Deidre Hall has the capacity to be a great actress, and Marlena certainly is an iconic character. But some of her obsessive fans are ruining it for her. BTW, I agree about the Roman, Marlena, John triangle. And I loved the Stella-Marlena plot, it brought Marlena back to life again

Great post DaysFanatic. And like Ponz said, please post more often!

Great post DaysFanatic. And like Ponz said, please post more often!

Not only is this the most balanced board on the net, it's the nicest too. I like how protective this board is against extremist intuders, and how open it is to new members.

Thanx, and I will

I LUV your banner Cheyenne

Well really, she is. LOL Deidre is the face of DAYS and has been for the past two decades. I don't understand how anyone can debate this.

I started watching Days when Deidre Hall wasn't on the show. She's definitely not one of my favorites.

I've watched DAYS when Ms. Hall was there, and I've watched DAYS when she wasn't. To me, it makes no difference (whether she's there or not). But, for God's sake, will someone please write her character with integrity again!? What this show has done to Marlena over the years is nothing short of criminal.

I saw nothing wrong with his blog. I loved reading it. I don't know why he would be trashed for giving us the 411. He didn't have to do it, but he did. It's good to know that the new producer actually gives input and cares about the quality of the show. I have more hope for Days now.

Edited August 20, 200718 yr by sema608