What da' heck! I'm adding one more post to this thread.

With so my opinions flying around the web about why Days is tanking, I decided to talk about this with someone who is a general fan of Days today. This person doesn't surf the web. In fact, she barely can figure out how to use a computer.

She's my 74-year old mom.

So I asked her what she thought was wrong with Days. She's been watching on and off since Doug and Julie were the hot couple. She'd taken a few years off from the show, but is now back to watching regularly. She's lukewarm about the show right now, but there is one story holding her interest.

I told her about the ratings being in the toilet, the blame game and the discussions going on on the various websites and posters' theories about what has gone wrong with the show. I told her about one view that is gaining steam is that lack of a story for the big four -- Bo, Hope, John and Marlena -- and the focus on younger characters was the main reason for the ratings fall--in other words, a lack of balance.

She thought about it for awhile and said, "No. That's not it."

"The reason no one is watching is because the stories are crappy."

Her thoughts about balance -- "who cares!" (her words, not mine). She's old and blunt OK.

"Doesn't matter who is on. If the stories stink, the show stinks."

She then said that Days needs to learn how to keep the show fresh. Both of us today just watched the latest episode of EastEnders and we were blown away by how fantastic the show is right now--and interestingly enough, almost no characters that are being featured were on when we first started watching (in 2000). Between Days and EE, there's no comparison. She went on to say that Days should take a page from EE's playbook. Number one: write good stories. Number two: Kill off characters that no longer work, but make the departure of those characters lead into new stories with new characters that seamlessly moves on from the old. And when characters are written off the show, keep them gone. Days hangs onto to storylines and useless characters way too long.

The only story holding her interest is the Sami/EJ/Lucas triangle. She likes all three characters and won't be upset about whoever Sami ends up with.

She also mentioned Nick as a character that she really cares about. But she also said, "Who cares about the kids (China Lee's children) -- get rid of them. They serve no purpose. Why not give Nick a decent story that makes sense?" She also thinks that Jeremy and Jett should fly far away. The DiMeras -- she likes them but would like to see a better story. She also really wants to see Kate and Roman rekindle their romance and wonders why the show isn't making more of a story out of an Anna/Kate rivalry.

Write better stories, get better ratings.

Anyway, that's one non-analytical view from the non-messageboard world. I do have to say that my mom might not be the typical Days viewer though. This is a 74-year old woman who counts David Lynch's "Blue Velvet" as one of her favorite movies of all time.

As much as I enjoy balance and think it is critical, as are the big four, your mother made a GREAT point.

It brings me back to the eighties. It's not like newbies weren't shoved down our throats then. Back then, during the early years, technically Marlena couldn't even be considered a vet though she felt like one.

Yet, the show was so successful. Even though back then no one had ever heard of Roman Brady, Bo Brady, Stefano DiMera, and though Hope had been a child for awhile was sort of still new due to the aging, Marlena was probably the only character who was heavily focused on that you could count as a bit familiar due to the fact she had been on for years.

So...that is an interesting perspective to apply to right now.

Also, so you know, I don't begrudge anyone the right to root for Lucas and Sami even though I'm not a fan nor do I begrudge anyone liking any couple for that matter. When I bring up Lucas and Sami's dysfunctional past it is ONLY to defend the legitimacy of the couple I support, not that I think there is anything wrong with Lucas and Sami fans for liking their couple. But hearing your description of Lucas and Sami, I have to say if I felt like Hogan really was writing them like that (and thus true to their history) maybe I wouldn't be so opposed to them at this point. Because the brilliant description of "it's not love, it's a psychological disorder" is precisely what *I* think is the case when it comes to the EJ-Sami dynamic and why I want to see that pairing explored. LOL. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

IMA, you are loved.

How to save DAYS? It's simple.

1. More airtime/facetime for Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn. PRONTO. You need to bring the core four front and center to entice people to come back, then show them the excellent writing.

2. Let Sheffer go. I'm sure he's wonderful for another show, he's not right for DAYS. Sure, say that "Oh, it's a soap like any other..." It's not. Days has always been different. What works for GH, ATWT or GL won't work for DAYS.

3. Hire Sheri Anderson.

4. This whole "vendetta" solution has been a dream/nightmare of Sami's, the day before she's about to marry Lucas. She wakes up to Marlena knocking on her door with treats as they share a girls night in, talking about everything that's happened.

5. The veterans are never to utter the words Santo, Colleen or letters again or to sit in the Brady Pub unless they're eating burgers.

6. Gotta focus on the couples people like. John and Marlena, Bo and Hope, Lucas and Sami, Steve and Kayla, Shawn and Belle.

7. John wakes up to Marlena (it was all a dream of Sami's), they househunt, find a lovely house and begin to decorate when they find signs that point to there being a henchman of Stefano's in town. They have a housewarming party, make love in their new bedroom and the morning after, Marlena wakes up woozy and John's missing.

8. Bo and Hope start up as investigators together, Steve helps them out while Kayla continues working at the hospital. All changes when John goes missing and the remaining five of them search for him.

9. Shawn and Belle marry, Shawn becomes a cop and Belle starts her own fashion label. They're blissfully happy and cutesy with their daughter. Until, that is, Andrew Donovan steps into town, the spitting image of his father.

10. Fallout of the investiation of John's disappearance is that John is the real Roman. The henchman was able to drug them easily by having been invited to the party. Yep, the man currently known as Roman Brady is in fact working for Stefano.

Right and that is one of his flaws. Hogan does the work to research history but doesn't apply it to stories and scenes properly. It often times appears like it's dropped in just to show off or something.

My point was I don't think he would just ignore J&M's history. It just seems like he and the writers aren't allowed to mention anything about their history with the Dimera's. It's really weird because you hear nothing about it and don't even hear about J&M much when they are offscreen. It's clearly looking like a phase-out process and that is more on Corday's head IMO then Hogan's.

THANK YOU! Bingo. John and Marlena spent the 90s fighting Stefano, kidnappings, brainwashing and whatnot and now they're left out of Roman's rant about what Stefano's done to them. Bo, Hope and Roman were mentioned, possibly Steve too. Yet the two people Stefano's put through the most... not even a mention. Where are they? In their home being cute? Nope, they don't have a home... or airtime. It's so [!@#$%^&*] obvious what they're doing and it pisses me off.

Edited September 23, 200718 yr by Pest Spray

And James Scott (who I feel as though I HAND PICKED myself) is the best leading man in daytime bar none.

James Scott's problem is that he's in a storyline where his character is romancing the woman he raped. I'd have EJ killed, have the camera roll back and let us see another EJ. EJ's beyond redemption if they want to keep him viable. Same for Sami. You can't make Sami a heroine after what she's done. She's kidnapped her mother's child, raped the man she claimed to be crazy in love with, used her son for every scheme from here until Monday and attempted murder so many times I lost count. Keep her a bitch, but have her mature.

And why isn't her son involved in the story more? So much could be done with him.

He could be gay and Sami could have a real problem with that.

I still want a storyline where Will is recast, comes out, Sami has a problem with it and can't deal with him. Maybe it'd be to copy the Luke story on ATWT to have Will bond with Marlena, but she's a shrink and no one's more understanding than Marlena. Seeing Sami realize that maybe all these years that she belived her mother didn't love her (which is insane) that just because Marlena didn't agree with her or accept her actions doesn't mean she didn't love her unconditionally. Have Lucas be the one who handles it maturely and bring conflict to the marriage over that.

Pest Spray, I love most of your Marlena's ideas!

If they were to do anything with Will, I think Marlena needs to be involved in some way. Grandmothers are critical in grandchildren's lives usually, and though Lucas and Sami should be heavily involved Marlena needs to also have a substantial role. I still remember their scenes in 2005 after Marlena came home and it was before the Stan stuff ended, they were very beautiful and shows Marlena is such a caring grandmother, though we already knew she was caring.

As much as we've disagreed in the past about a lot of stuff, I actually agree with you here.

If you're going to do a stunt, you have to know which characters to do it with.

Again, I bring up the master () Jim Reilly.

He uses the female leads to drive his stunts. He knows which demo to go after.

Buried Alived - Carly (a popular leading lady)

The Possession - Marlena (the leading lady of DAYS)

Lady in a Cage - Marlena

Crazy look-a-like - Kristen (another popular leading lady)

Locked in a Secret Room - Marlena and Kristen

THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SCREAMING!!! Bring back JER!!! He knew how to get the ratings....u gotta use the characters that people actually care about to do these stunts!!!

How to save DAYS? It's simple.

1. More airtime/facetime for Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn. PRONTO. You need to bring the core four front and center to entice people to come back, then show them the excellent writing.

2. Let Sheffer go. I'm sure he's wonderful for another show, he's not right for DAYS. Sure, say that "Oh, it's a soap like any other..." It's not. Days has always been different. What works for GH, ATWT or GL won't work for DAYS.

3. Hire Sheri Anderson.

4. This whole "vendetta" solution has been a dream/nightmare of Sami's, the day before she's about to marry Lucas. She wakes up to Marlena knocking on her door with treats as they share a girls night in, talking about everything that's happened.

5. The veterans are never to utter the words Santo, Colleen or letters again or to sit in the Brady Pub unless they're eating burgers.

6. Gotta focus on the couples people like. John and Marlena, Bo and Hope, Lucas and Sami, Steve and Kayla, Shawn and Belle.

7. John wakes up to Marlena (it was all a dream of Sami's), they househunt, find a lovely house and begin to decorate when they find signs that point to there being a henchman of Stefano's in town. They have a housewarming party, make love in their new bedroom and the morning after, Marlena wakes up woozy and John's missing.

8. Bo and Hope start up as investigators together, Steve helps them out while Kayla continues working at the hospital. All changes when John goes missing and the remaining five of them search for him.

9. Shawn and Belle marry, Shawn becomes a cop and Belle starts her own fashion label. They're blissfully happy and cutesy with their daughter. Until, that is, Andrew Donovan steps into town, the spitting image of his father.

10. Fallout of the investiation of John's disappearance is that John is the real Roman. The henchman was able to drug them easily by having been invited to the party. Yep, the man currently known as Roman Brady is in fact working for Stefano.

THANK YOU! Bingo. John and Marlena spent the 90s fighting Stefano, kidnappings, brainwashing and whatnot and now they're left out of Roman's rant about what Stefano's done to them. Bo, Hope and Roman were mentioned, possibly Steve too. Yet the two people Stefano's put through the most... not even a mention. Where are they? In their home being cute? Nope, they don't have a home... or airtime. It's so [!@#$%^&*] obvious what they're doing and it pisses me off.

I like a lot of your ideas, and you are so right that DAYS is unique, and unlike other shows. Hogan is a great writer, but at this point, soaps aren't for him. He's been given a chance, and he has failed. He has had almost a full year, and that is enough time. But, please, lets not make John really be Roman. Not only does that make Shawn and Belle cousins, and Claire an incest baby, but it ruins what I think has made John and Marlena special. I'd like to see John leave, and have Marlena be front and center by herself, but if together, keep them as John and Marlena. Roman is a character that needs to be phased out; we have enough fiftysomething leading men. I like the Shawn, Belle, Andrew idea, and I think the one thing that could save DAYS is someone like Sheri Anderson, who could merge all of the great DAYS eras together, where all the fans would be happy. I'd like to see a huge story for Abe and Lexie, would love to see the return of Mike Horton and have him deal with Jeremy; bring the Hortons front and center; the return of Sara Horton, pair her with EJ, and have Sami the bitch return, dealing with that. And put Marlena, Bo, Hope, Steve, and Kayla front and center, while at the same, develop some interesting younger characters. Stephanie Johnson, a girl who grew up with a mother who mourned her "dead" father for 20 years, should be a fiesty anti heroine who rebels because she doesn't want to feel the pain her mother felt; only to begin to experience a deep connection with someone that her parents had; not be a slutty snot nosed brat.

I like a lot of your ideas, and you are so right that DAYS is unique, and unlike other shows. Hogan is a great writer, but at this point, soaps aren't for him. He's been given a chance, and he has failed. He has had almost a full year, and that is enough time. But, please, lets not make John really be Roman. Not only does that make Shawn and Belle cousins, and Claire an incest baby, but it ruins what I think has made John and Marlena special. I'd like to see John leave, and have Marlena be front and center by herself, but if together, keep them as John and Marlena. Roman is a character that needs to be phased out; we have enough fiftysomething leading men. I like the Shawn, Belle, Andrew idea, and I think the one thing that could save DAYS is someone like Sheri Anderson, who could merge all of the great DAYS eras together, where all the fans would be happy. I'd like to see a huge story for Abe and Lexie, would love to see the return of Mike Horton and have him deal with Jeremy; bring the Hortons front and center; the return of Sara Horton, pair her with EJ, and have Sami the bitch return, dealing with that. And put Marlena, Bo, Hope, Steve, and Kayla front and center, while at the same, develop some interesting younger characters. Stephanie Johnson, a girl who grew up with a mother who mourned her "dead" father for 20 years, should be a fiesty anti heroine who rebels because she doesn't want to feel the pain her mother felt; only to begin to experience a deep connection with someone that her parents had; not be a slutty snot nosed brat.

I really would like to see a writer who could merge all of the elements into one, so that all fans can find something about the show to enjoy. It seems to hard to figure out what DAYS really needs, or what it really should be about or what direction it is going in. If I saw a mix of 70s, 80s, 90s, & 00s(er...maybe not 00s) that would be quite interesting, I think.

Great post IMiss. ITA about Hogan's lame-ass portrayal of women on the show. I've been a Hogan supporter for the most part (support that has dwindled to almost zero now), but since the beginning of his time with the show, I've been constantly disappointed not just by his portrayal of women on the soap, but the for the lack of "punch" at the end of his "big" storylines. Couldn't we have just one story that makes us say "wow" instead of "oh geez"? Just one. His stories start off with promise, get good momentum going, and then like the Sacramento Kings in the fourth quarter against the Lakers, they fall apart despite the talent on the team because of the bone-headed, wimpy decisions on the coach's part. Sorry to use the sports analogy -- I'm a frustrated Kings fan (I'm one of those obnoxious, screaming fans in Arco Arena) and Days makes me feels the same way the Kings do. I cheer, cheer, cheer at the top of my lungs for the team (the talented actors) but constantly get my enthusiasm squashed by a coaching staff seriously lacks something in the decision-making process. (Is it Sheffer, Wyman, Corday, the janitor, my Aunt Suzie--who?) The team then chokes at the most crucial moment and loses the game they had no business losing.

Maybe with Ed Scott this will change. I hope so because personally there are a lot of good things the show has going for it right now. I'm seeing a lot ugly things posted on other sites blaming certain actors, two in particular who I won't name but you know who I'm talking about. These two talented actors have been working their asses off for this friggin' show. I hate to see any actor get bashed or blamed for things they have absolutely no control over.

My evil twin Miou appreciates the shout out IMiss.

I understand you r analogy and agree with it.i.

Is EJ the problem? Is this why people are tuning out in droves? I'm being serious here. I'm a big James Scott fan. I think he's a talented actor. And I'm an EJ and Sami fan--no creeping out for me. Maybe I'm not a "true" Days fan (even though I watch the show everyday) because EJ doesn't bother me one iota.

But is the feeling so strong against this pairing or even against the actor(s) that it's causing "true" Days fans to tune out permanently from the show? I hate even asking this question, because I'm afraid of the answers.

But I'm wondering, is one character responsible for the downward spiral of an entire show? I wouldn't think so, I would think it was the writing. But blame game is flying fast and furious right now. Be honest.

Here is my feeling regarding your question about EJ being the problem. I am not a big fan of his (EJ's) not James Scott as I think he is a fine actor I just felt that he was put front and center too much too soon.I hardly fast forward anything but that is because I never have regardless of what stories are on (unless it is a flash back that I just saw yesterday!)

I will never tune out until Days has been canceled even though I don't always like the direction the show is taking

Edited September 24, 200718 yr by ArizonaDaze

Romance doesn't have to be people sitting around kissing! Romance can be people arguing. It can be people dancing at a big event. It can be people traveling on an adventure. It can be people facing some serious hardship or crisis and relying on each other to get through it. It can be discovering the secret truth about a person. It can be people fighting their feelings for each other. You simply can't convince me "Days" viewers don't want romance when ever since DOOL hired a writer who is allergic to it the show has taken this HUGE turn for the worse.

And I certainly don't think more ACTION is the answer to this show's ratings woes when the only action that Hogan seems capable of coming up with is something exploding (Stephanie and Max's car, Sami and Lucas's garbage, the flowers that knocked out Nick, etc...), someone getting stabbed/shot but not dying (Roman, Benjy, Steve, John, Shawn, Jett, etc...), someone getting locked in a room with extreme temperatures and then doing something stupid to injure themselves as they try to escape (Lucas in ice truck, EJ and Sami in sauna, Belle and Shawn in freezer) or someone getting knocked out by fumes (Steve and Kayla in hospital, Sami in car before meeting Andre, Sami/EJ/Lucas with the briefcase, etc...) and in almost all the instances nothing having much of a long-term storyline or emotional consequence for the parties involved. We've had plenty of ACTION in the past year under Hogan and what has it got us? LAST PLACE.

Well it didn't get "Days" LAST PLACE in the ratings, Phoenix. Your assertion that somehow we are all apparently bitching for nothing because last summer/fall wasn't THAT great just doesn't wash. "Days" had .6 more viewers this time last year and was TIED FOR THIRD PLACE! I wouldn't call that NOTHING. You call regular 2.5 and 2.6s and staying between third and fifth place stagnant? Well I call that SOLID. I call that CONSISTENT.

I also don't know what you are talking about that JER's style somehow changed what DOOL fans want. If you look around the message boards today hardly anyone is happy and none of it has to do with how JER changed our expectations and a lot of it is coming from people who were high-fiving each other when JER left and Hogan Sheffer was brought in. Sure, not everyone has the same favorites so there is a lot of blame being tossed around and sniping back and forth among the partisans, but for the most part I don't see any disgruntled fans asking for anything that unreasonable when you get down to their core concerns. They simply want to see character integrity respected, even if they may have different opinions about what the "true" nature of a character is especially when it comes to these polarizing love tug-o-wars Hogan has cursed us with during his tenure that have turned most of the characters into pretzels to suit his plots. But even more than that, fans want to see compelling stories with a beginning, middle and end featuring satisfying drama and emotional payoffs that reward them for investing in the show. Hogan is not giving viewers these things and that has NOTHING to do with Corday.

Or are you asserting that Hogan is writing this crap under duress like he's trembling in the constant fear of Corday threatening to non-fatally stab him just like Andre or something if he doesn't put redundant and pointless stories that insult the intelligence of viewers on the screen?

This is exactly what I am looking for in my soap.

"Make every effort to assign credit--or blame--to the right person. Soaps are a highly collaborative medium, so it's often difficult to pinpoint which individual is responsible for what you see on-screen."

Marlena De Lacroix, in "Critical of the Critic's Condition", Soap Opera Weekly, September 2, 1997).

As I said on the radio show last night and last week, I am following that statement from now on. There are many who have made concessions for Hogan Sheffer since DAYS has gone into a downward spiral. I made concessions when he didn't deliver in the beginning of the year (when many of us attributed that to budget issues...which we were later proven to be correct). However.......it's now time to assign the blame to the right person (and persons).

The one factor that has been a constant on DAYS for years has been Corday. And the one constant that is blamed for many of the things that have gone wrong with DAYS is Corday's need to be involved in the creative process and not allow his writers to do what they're paid to do....which is write.

While many problems this past year at DAYS can be attributed to Ken Corday & Steven Wyman, Hogan & Meg Kelly are NOT without blame. He is a man paid millions of dollars to write for a soap that has been a mainstay for decades. He's relatively "new" to the game (meaning he hasn't been whored around to the other soaps like most of the writers today) and has a fresh outlook on stories. He's won Emmy's (so what, so has Megan McTavish, that hack whore Lynn Marie Lathan and the hack bastard Dave Kriezman...among many others). Hogan had a lot of hype to live up to, and no one can say the man hasn't delivered on many things fans have wanted. The day to day dialog has improved, couples were reunited, people were happy....and then the show went to hell.

As a head writer, it is your job to come up with the long-term story, come up with the outlines and relay that to your team so they can (in theory) write your vision for the show. It's clear that there isn't a single-vision theory at DAYS (or many soaps for that matter), so of course that will be hard.

Sheffer and Kelly aren't producing the results that they should be. His supporters (and I am one of them) can try and deny the obvious, but it's only making things worse. Corday may interfere with the show a lot, but the writers need to write about that. There is no excuse for the lackluster stories going on right now. They have a POWERHOUSE cast at that damn studio and they're not being utilized. This god damned Brady vs. DiMera storyline was NOT well thought out. Who was the idiot who decided to base the entire feud off of some contrived "love" story designed to cater to a fanbase want a woman and her rapist together (and instead of the show saying hell no, we'll appease you by having their lookalike ancestors be in love)...? I'm sorry, that's not romance...it's sick. It's just as sick as the assbag who wanted to pair Todd & Marty together on OLTL (and it almost happened but didn't thanks to Susan & Roger).

There is no "romance" on the show. There's no emotional connection to these newer characters because quite frankly, we don't give a flyin monkey's ass about them. The people who should be carrying the show aren't because someone has it in their minds that the teens are the "future" (and I say that laughing out loud) of the show. Someone has it in their minds that viewers will care about this stupid drama the younger set is creating for themselves. I'm sorry, it doesn't work. If you want to make people care about the younger set, watch GH during the Stone/Robin storyline and the kind of socially relevant, emotional tale that was. I wouldn't give a flyin monkey's ass if all the younger set went clink boom on bus on Wednesday.

As I said before, DAYS has a POWERHOUSE cast that isn't being used. If they wanted this Brady/DiMera storyline to be as big as it is, I have no problem with that, but involve the people who ACTUALLY have a history and are invested in this feud. Why not have sub storylines as a part of the drama? Why not have a storyline between Tony/Anna/Roman/Kate. Maybe Anna is jealous of the attention Roman shows Kate. Anna may not want Roman, but she doesn't want anyone else to have him either. That creates tension between Anna & Tony, while opening the possibility of a Roman/Anna story, where you then have Tony & Kate feeling left out.

Why not address the things Stefano did to Roman & John, and explore that as a sub story. There is so much potential there that is NOT being utilized and it's sad. Acting talent like Suzanne Rogers, John Anniston, LeAnne Hunley, Renee Jones, Drake Hogestyn, Deidre Hall, Joe Mascalo (they are SO not using him the way he should) and others not doing a DAMN thing! Just languishing on the backburner, brought in to read some f***ing letters 2-3 times a month. What kind of bullshit is that?

There is no excuse for the overall suckiness of the show. Not one single person it to blame, rather a combination of everyone involved in the creative process of the show. I'm not gonna assign the blame all on Hogan (who does have a freakin co-head writer who gets no credit in the press, but damn sure should share some of the blame) or Corday (or Wyman). Daytime is a collaborative process, and it's obvious that everyone collaborating on DAYS needs to go back to the drawing board.

I pray Ed Scott has some effect on the show creatively (beyond just the physical changes on the show). I want him to bring in some of his writing people, as well as reach back into time to find some former DAYS writers who "got" the show and what it is supposed to be.

Word

Here is my feeling regarding your question about EJ being the problem. I am not a big fan of his (EJ's) not James Scott as I think he is a fine actor I just felt that he was put front and center too much too soon.I hardly fast forward anything but that is because I never have regardless of what stories are on (unless it is a flash back that I just saw yesterday!)

I will never tune out until Days has been canceled even though I don't always like the direction the show is taking

Thanks for answering.

Like you, I'm here for the duration. Good or bad, I'm still going to be watching Days.

"Make every effort to assign credit--or blame--to the right person. Soaps are a highly collaborative medium, so it's often difficult to pinpoint which individual is responsible for what you see on-screen."-----Marlena De Lacroix, in "Critical of the Critic's Condition", Soap Opera Weekly, September 2, 1997).

TV, in general, is a highly collaborative effort. MDL is right, though. All the writers must be in sync with each other, and the buck stops with the HW. SW not pulling their weight? Can them. BDW submitting subpar material? Demote them. Story/Creative Consultant bringing the show down? Replace them.

See, the Jett Carver character could have totally had the potential of someone like Shemar Moore on YR, but other than his body, Marcus Patrick doesn't have the charisma. But introduce a girl from Lexie's past, either from her adoptive family who feels that Lexie had dumped her and the family because she is a Carver-DiMera, or even a daughter that Lexie have up for adoption, A drucilla type character from Y&R, who could create spark and energy everywhere, and then tries to seduce old man Carver, at the same time trying to snare herself wealthy Jeremy Horton, but finds the real sparks with Jett, who she feels isn't good enough. Have Celeste battle it out with this girl; again, drama, drama, drama! that is what the show needs