O.J. Didn't Do It (Kill Soaps, That Is)

[Sylph]

O.J. Didn't Do It (Kill Soaps, That Is)

By Marlena De Lacroix

There he is on my TV, the man who "killed" soaps! Yes, it's O.J. Simpson, in handcuffs again today in 2007 at his arraignment, accused of, among other things, feloniously ripping off his own sports memorabilia in an armed robbery in Las Vegas. As you surely recall, he was charged with the murders of his wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994 and went free after a sensational trial televised live during the same daytime hours as our favorite soaps. Every few months or so after his acquittal, I'd read an article claiming that it was the competition from O.J.'s daily televised trial that caused a terrible decline in daytime soap ratings that continues to this day.

In honor of O.J. coming back from the daytime "dead" this week, Marlena would like to say, baloney! The 1995 O.J. trial might have caused a slump in the ratings, but what really "killed" the soaps since the 90s had little overall to do with him. At the same time as the trial, the early to mid-90s, dozens of new cable channels were emerging and proving to be stiff competition for the three networks, whose long-running soaps had forever almost monopolized daytime air time. I believe that what did the soaps in was massive backstage panic among network execs and producers who were afraid that old-fashioned soaps couldn't compete in a new atmosphere and with the new production standards provided by the wide choice of new cable channels.

About the same time as the O.J. trial, I happened to be interviewing an astute soap executive producer who had been around since the 60s and knew the medium of television better than anyone. My first question: "Why are you casting only beautiful, inexperienced actors under 35 now, instead of the older, really talented actors like the ones you are famed for casting directly from Broadway?" The producer sat me down in front of the TV in his office, put a remote in my hand and instructed me to click around the available channels. The "dial," which used to have 12 stations, now had 237. "You see which stations you stop and pause at the longest?" he asked. "It's the channels that have the most attractive people. They are young. They have immediate sex appeal. That's who you stop and watch. That's how television is going to work from now on."

And so began the casting of pretty faces over real actors whose experience, talent and nuance had added immeasurably to the texture of soaps over the last decades. (Think Gerry Anthony and Judith Light in the 70s on One Life to Live as just two of the many examples.) A short attention span and a fast finger on the remote also ended the era of long, involved, multi-layered storylines, spurring plots full of action, flash, violence, and just about anything that shocked or seized the immediate attention of viewers. Remember Megan McTavish's male rape of lesbian Bianca on All My Children, or just about any story done "tabloid" style by Jim Reilly, such as the burying alive of Carly on Days of Our Lives or Sami being sent to the gas chamber to be electrocuted for "murder" on the same show? Don't forget countless attention grabbing "natural" disasters that storylines have been hung on: fires, tornados, air crashes, a character falling down a well for a month. The flashy violence-laden mob stories on General Hospital were repulsive but successful in keeping the show relatively well-rated among soaps.

Cut down, too, were the long, drawn-out, reassuring family scenes (beloved by an audience that longed for emotional connections of their own) in which older, wiser characters (like As The World Turns' Nancy Hughes or Days of Our Lives' Alice Horton) advised younger characters on what to do with their love lives. No room for introspection or an endlessly repeating plot in the new speeded-up medium! Soon, most actors over 50 faced the choice of a facelift or firing. Some who survived were exiled before our very eyes to the far corners of the screen (think Jackie Zeman, Bobbie rarely on GH).

This is only the beginning of Marlena's theses on why soaps declined in ratings in the 90s and 00s. Once the numbers started going down, the networks were so freaked they went for flashy quick fixes rather than honoring the loyalties of their long time audiences. If you notice, I stay away from cursing out individual head writers, the usual fan reason for the decline of the soaps we watch every day. These writers are just trying to cater to whatever the network's latest idea of what works on daytime in this new television era happens to be. The results have often been disastrous: Let's pause a moment and gag along with Marlena in remembrance of some of the worst, most stupidly "inventive" storylines, such as McTavish's noted above. I also didn't get into the crime that networks now prefer to please the tastes of teenage viewers than rather us older fans who have religiously watched soaps for decades.

In the Comments section below, tell Marlena why you think daytime has declined since 1995. In my opinion, it wasn't the fault of O.J. Simpson, who I bet never watched a daytime soap in his life.

[EricMontreal22]

SUCH a good piece even if I usually don't agree as much with "her' as this.

"About the same time as the O.J. trial, I happened to be interviewing an astute soap executive producer who had been around since the 60s and knew the medium of television better than anyone. My first question: "Why are you casting only beautiful, inexperienced actors under 35 now, instead of the older, really talented actors like the ones you are famed for casting directly from Broadway?" The producer sat me down in front of the TV in his office, put a remote in my hand and instructed me to click around the available channels. The "dial," which used to have 12 stations, now had 237. "You see which stations you stop and pause at the longest?" he asked. "It's the channels that have the most attractive people. They are young. They have immediate sex appeal. That's who you stop and watch. That's how television is going to work from now on.""

Sad but so true. I was reading one of LaGuardia's soap books from the 70s the other night trying to sleep, and they had a big piece on the first supercouple from DAYS--Doug and Julie and I realized Doug was in his 50s when it was written... I mean soaps have ALWAYS ALWAYS had pretty people but it hasn't been quite as age and youth obssessed as it has now since the 90s (though I do think this trend started--of casting oftentimes models over actors--since the 80s with the mad rush for youth--way before cable became so massive).

I do think OJ helped lead to the immediate slump but it's been a scapegoat ever since--ironic that nowadays the OJ trial would air primatrily on cable and wouldn't interupt the soaps the way it did then

However I do think

"Remember Megan McTavish's male rape of lesbian Bianca on All My Children, or just about any story done "tabloid" style by Jim Reilly, such as the burying alive of Carly on Days of Our Lives or Sami being sent to the gas chamber to be electrocuted for "murder" on the same show? Don't forget countless attention grabbing "natural" disasters that storylines have been hung on: fires, tornados, air crashes, a character falling down a well for a month. The flashy violence-laden mob stories on General Hospital were repulsive but successful in keeping the show relatively well-rated among soaps."

This has only gotten worse for sure but even in the 70s the soaps were FILLED with examples of "sudden attention" shock stories liek these that backfired--the trend is older rooted than Marlena thinks.

The fact that uber hack James Lipton (who I only liek to bring up so much because he of course is SO annoying on Actor's Studio) wrote and EVEN CREATED so many soaps from Another World in 66 to Capitol in 87 and NEVER EVER had ONE successful tenure only speaks to this. Yes soaps are at a nadir now. but I don't see it as quite as severe--or even different than other eras.

Still--very good piece

[Dr. Jay S.W.]

Ill respond to this the same way I would regarding OJ's muder trial. OJ did that [!@#$%^&*]!

[IMissAremid]

OK I stopped reading when I got to the part about Carly being buried alive and Sami's execution for murder.

Carly being buried alive happened BEFORE the OJ trial, BEFORE OJ even had the chase and was arrested so I don't know what that has to do with anything in her article and Sami wasn't sent to the gas chamber. She was lethally injected.

[Sylph]

She didn't say it happened after. And she didn't said it happened before. And I don't see your point?  I think she was just describing the era of the nineties, when all the trash stories came to life. They didn't happen exactly when OJ's trial was, but +/- 5 years and that's your period when it all began.

[Sylph]

I don't agree with her on many things and she isn't my favourite soap columnist. Sometimes, she nails it, sometimes she doesn't. She writes well. And I sooo totally disagree with her and Y&R - she likes it under Latham, I hate it.

[IMissAremid]

You're right.

But that still doesn't change the fact she got Sami's method of execution wrong so she needs a better copy editor. That is my point.

[Steveo4]

It's of no relevance whether a story happened before or after the OJ trial because that's exactly what she's trying to say in this article....that soaps dying had nothing to do with the OJ Trial! When she brings up storylines, she's referring to the sudden attempts by execs to compete with cable channels, NOT with the OJ Trial. So in doing this, I think she proves her point even further.

[IMissAremid]

Yes. I know. That's why I said Sylph was right. I need to learn to stop posting before I have my cup of coffee in the morning.

[Steveo4]

Oops, I didnt see Sylph's post until after I posted.

[stenbeck212]

Unfortunately she didn't name this producer. Then we could all find him and smack him around. This guy had to be over the hill himself, and yet he's justifying the idea of turning a multi-generational form of storytelling into an ageist club. Porn has immediate sex appeal too, so why wasn't he advocating filmed orgasms on soaps? The entertainment industry has become such a copycat business that no branch of it stands alone anymore.

[JER Soaps Fan]

"or just about any story done "tabloid" style by Jim Reilly, such as the burying alive of Carly on Days of Our Lives or Sami being sent to the gas chamber to be electrocuted for "murder" on the same show?"

IMissAremid, I'm with you. PLEASE don't back down.

She got it wrong.

Either that, or she needs a copy editor (or a new one, if she has one -- OTHER than herself).

The quote above suggests that she thinks BOTH events happened "on the same show" and since she's speaking only of "Days" storylines, and given the context, it leads the reader to believe she intends the "show" to denote the meaning, "episode, instance."

Those events didn't happen on the same show.

You're right, IMiss. Be proud!

[Sylph]

No, she doesn't.

[Sylph]

Doesn't matter.

You're right, she should have checked that one.

[bellcurve]

Interesting that Marlena loves Lethal, seeing as though Lethal is doing almost everything Marlena has said is the factor for the decline of soap opera viewership in the 90's and 00. Tabloid writing, casting for pretty over talent(Sursok), and no heart. Y&R is a show with no heart. It's a convoluted, plot-driven mess.