October 1-5, 2007

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Days has it worse than any other soap really. They've lost almost a million viewers from last year, no other soap has lost that much. Also, there's no companionship for it on NBC, as CBS and ABC have. There the time slot changes, and the fact that NBC overall is in shambles. Also, NBC is hosting the summer Olympics next summer, for while Days will be preempted for nearly 3 weeks, that's not a good thing. It's going to take a miracle to go from a 1.8 to a 2.3 even. These days, soaps don't just rise consistently, it's really ever man for himself. Let's be realistic here, it's hard to foresee Days gaining even half of those viewers back, that they've lost this year.

If quality were any implication of ratings, then Y&R and GH sure as hell wouldn't be top 3.

[sarap]

John's death is the reason I won't be watching Days next week. Why would I want to watch the end of my favorite character?

[NYC123]

Any sort of drop for anty soap is BAD!

DAYS i think in my opinion is still boring. But it has got me back last week. I don't see DAYS rising above 1.9. That is really sad.

OLTL I am surprised. I hope it rises next week! It has been so GREAT!

I hope ABC soaps can rise. People who want shows to go down is not good for Daytime. Daytime does not need any drops.

[beachbum]

Come on man, if Days is the best daytime has to offer we're in deep [!@#$%^&*]

[P.J.]

Certainly not thrilled by the numbers, but ATWT held steady, and that's good. Thursday, with Carly breaking down with Jack drew the highest number of viewers, which me likey.

However, I cringe, hoping the latest twist doesn't drive people away.

[billyjill]

Why are Days ratings so low? Because daytime has a long memory, and it takes a while to shake off crap, it takes sustained excellence, over which people will get hooked again. Soaps are addictions, it's not simply that every good week gets rewarded with good ratings, it just doesn't work that way. We all know it, people tune in when they get the idea that there's going to be a good story, and they trust their own sense and intuition above everything else. After you get week after week of only half pay-offs, it's harder for you to get excited. The loss of Passions doesn't make it any easier either.

And yet there's no such thing as getting undeserved ratings, the way it is is the way it is. Per-episode quality is not the only concern for a soap writing. It takes a lot of upper-level planning, on the scale of weeks, months, etc, which IMO Days is not doing. Having said all that, I don't mean to come off as a nag, I too am really sad for Days ratings as well as any soap that's having trouble finding footing, it's a sad thing for all of daytime and its hard to keep up the good fight in the face of what at times seems insurmountable odds. I can't celebrate any dip, this is too precarious a situation to be petty.

And at the risk of sounding totally depressing ... I'm really scared what a writers strike could mean.

[Vee]

OLTL deserves better.

[Dale]

OLTL typically has lower numbers on Thursdays and Fridays. Perhaps people took some time off to get away and make an extra long Columbus Day weekend. But that 2.0 really hurt them. Ouch!

I fully expect OLTL to go back up to number 4 next week.

[Toups]

This whole year has proven that it's not the right time for Sami to be the leading female character on this show. It's clear and simple, Marlena and Hope should be the leading female characters. I know November and December shows have already been written, so Hogan, Meg, Ken, and Ed better wake up and realize this for 2008.

[MichaelGL]

Psh forget about DAYS, all of the soaps are doing poorly, not only DAYS. Look at that large gap between Y&R and B&B! 4.0 AND A 2.8? WTF? Barely any of the soaps are pulling in 3 mil total viewers w/exception of a few.

Ratings are sh!t. Pure and simple.

Poor DAYS,,,,they're having a difficult time with that timeslot change.

[MichaelGL]

Yes we are. Look at the hacks we have at the helm for almost every soap. Ed Scott and Ron Carvilati are the only positives.

I keep thinking back to hearing about the execs of NBC/Sony visiting the set and being in such a good mood. Surely they have something up their sleeves to have so much faith in DAYS, so I'm not completely worried. I'm worried, but not completely.

[jcar03]

I am so sick of the negative Nellies whose sole purpose in life if to bring everyone else down.

[Kylie]

Nice to see B&E working their magic at AMC. Seeming more and more like they're wolves in sheeps clothing, who are leading AMC to the slaughter. I wish I could say I was surprised, but I'm not. I had a bad feeling about them after their first interview. I wish I could say I have faith that they'll turn it around, but I don't. It's all so unfortunate. They could have been just what AMC needed. Megan broke a lot of hearts, and B&E had a real chance to mend them. Pull the fans who were hanging on by a thread back in, show the heart and soul of AMC again. Instead, they seem to have choosen to repeat Megan's mistake, only they're not as bold as she was, and are trying hide their lack of creativity and orginialiy under the guise of playful interviews, and continuously pointing out that they won't do it. *sigh*

[daysfan]

Yes I know there needs to be consitency with good stuff on Days, but the thing was is that even if the couple weeks before weren't great they were not horrible and actually slowly began to climb!

But when the awesome week comes.....they FALL?! At times, Days does deserve the ratings it gets but I still have slowly been losing faith in ratings over the years.

And my goodness....ATWT is in fourth place?! Okay that is good for ATWT fans since it's pretty much been off/on the soap in seventh place all this past Summer when Days would rise but still....my goodness I haven't heard it was that great but it's sad to see ATWT who people still complain about that high. Sorry ATWT fans, I still feel happy it's in that place but it is at the same time sad.

AMC was never anything special but I tried watching OLTL last week and it seemed fantastic!

[DaytimeFan]

Frons needs to be canned. ABC has hemorrhaged viewers faster than a hemophiliac on blood thinners as all 3 have hit new lows. I really don't understand what the hell Bob Iger is thinking...Frons is a moron who has absolutely no feel for soaps. Frons is over and I think he knows it. OLTL doesn't deserve the ratings its getting, the show is really, really good. GH and AMC on the other hand are horrible and should be rated lower than they already are.

DAYS is f-----d. The timeslot shift has hurt them, losing a soap companion has hurt them, zippo promotion from NBC has hurt them, Sheffer's dull as hell writing has bottomed out the demographics and Ed Scott's production values have done nothing but probably eaten up some of the budget. Speaking of Sheffer, I think I know the problem with his writing; not only is it dull, drab and boring but he's also very masculine focused. The women on DAYS are pathetic and I have to wonder if this hasn't alienated a few viewers. Even 'bitch' characters like Kate, Sami and Julie have had their claws cut...Sheffer needs to be fired. Bring back Sally Sussman Morina or B&C!

CBS...what can I say. CBS' promotion of Y&R is not going to slow down with the 'Ashes' storyline and it's paying off, the show is now in + numbers compared to last year even though, creatively, it's a dump...B&B seems to be recovering nicely with that brilliant Kay Alden on the writing team, the show isn't perfect and the ratings aren't back to + but I think the show stands a shot at closing out the year + or at least breaking even. I'm very surprised about ATWT but I have a feeling this is a momentary boost, basically ATWT is benefiting from AMC and OLTL hitting the skids. GL is slowly fading away but it isn't the horror show that AMC has become which is why it's ratings have been relatively static.