May 26-30, 2008

[AddictedToSoaps]

I used to be a huge fan as well, and I feel the same way.

[bbcanuck]

I'm not a big Zendall fan, but I don't think anybody can discount the appeal of this couple. They can't carry the show...no individual or couple can. I think the return of TnD and JnA fans have made a big difference, but the increase in numbers is because Zendall is still there. As for Greenlee and Ryan, I don't think they have as big an impact, but only because they neither has a decent sl. I keep hoping they will pull Greenlee out of the Zendall orbit...I think this is only infuriating Zendall fans. And I think it's time to really put Greenlee and Ryan to the test...a front burner sl and a close watch on the daily numbers to find out if they really have the appeal. Kind of a "fish or cut bait" kinda thing. I don't know...guess it's an idea anyway.

[Steve]

Woohoo for AMC's rise!

What thrills me the most is seeing AMC hit #2 with teen viewers for a week that centered on the vets.

[Soapsuds]

So it looks CBS was stupid enough to count Monday?? I knew it was going to be low numbers. And OUCH....GL with a 1.4 for Friday.

[Toups]

They weren't listed as specials so, yup, I guess so.

[Soapsuds]

Also AMC and GH have the same daily numbers for the week...yet GH has a 2.2 and AMC a 2.1.

[SteveFrame]

That all depends on who you ask in regards to Zendell. They don't have an alternate name on the Internet for jsut no reason at all - that name begin ZENDULL.

There are just as many fans out there that hate them as do love them.

Just as I tell the EJ/LUCAS/SAMI fans all the time - it is nice to think that your fave is only responsible for good ratings, but the truth is if they are responsible when the shows ratings are high then they are just as responsible when the ratings are low - unless they are no where near the show at all. Sad fact is that just as EJ/Lucas/Sami were just as responsible any good ratings DAys has gotten in recent weeks - they were just as responsible for the low ratings of the last year.

And same for Zendell.

It is not any couple or any one character - it is all in the writing folks. If you will notice any rating spike in the last two years alone it has been because of writing. And most times when the ratings spikes happen guess what folks - it is when the majority of the cast is on. Look at AMC's rise this week. All of the cast was on as part of a big event that featured them all. Right in the midst of it was the sextette too.

When OLTL had the great February with Todd's execution and featured Kelly/Kevin alot that month - it was about more characters - they got a spike.

When Days first started it's recovery and stabilized - guess what it was when the show became about more folks and had balance.

Besides the balance, these were all when the writing was good. AMC went up last week because the story was exciting. GH went up last February because the story was good. OLTL went up the week before last because the story was exciting - the writing was there.

Even angry fans will drop that anger if the story is exciting enough. If the shows would concentrate on good balanced story-telling and excitement / drama consistently the ratings would not be in the shape they are in.

Even as good as OLTL is right now, the sad fact is that it has not been consistent. If Ron had not been hindered by the strike things might be different but the sad fact is that during the strike OLTL got boring. I don't think it even has to be things like the wedding and this week with Dorian. Just create conflict and leave the viewers wanting more.

When I used to watch my soaps, back in the 70's and 80's and even the early 90's, even during the slow times, you were always left wanting more. You couldn't wait to see it the next day. It has been a long time since I have felt that way about any of my shows from more than a week or 2 weeks lately. OLTL has been the only exception to that for awhile now.

[Soapsuds]

As a matter of fact all of ABC has the same numbers for Thursday and Friday. I think that has happened in a long time. It means viewers watched AMC and stuck around to watch GH as well.

And Y&R's numbers...so many 3.5's...who would have thought.

[SteveFrame]

It's funny that Days is doing once again what it did before - it is become more of a young young people show. They keep not really building the upper end of the 18-49 demo while rising in Girls 12-17 and the lower spectrum of the 18-34 demo.

These are the demos that don't help Days as much with ad dollars. And they are also sadly the most fickle of fans and are the key demos that deserted Days when it needed them the most before.

[wiccachick_1]

Well as long as we're throwing out ideas, I don't understand why they don't stop trying to force the Kenlee relationship. It's not working. It's making both women look ridiculous and the best chemisty Kenlee ever had was adversarial. Why don't they let it be Zendall VS Rylee instead of the big happy family crap that nobody is buying anyway. Let Kendall and Greenlee grow into the Dorian and Vicki of Pine Valley. Let Kendall decide to run Enchantment and drive Greenlee and Fusion to its knees. Let's have some adversarial comedic fun with Greens and Kendall trying to divy up the Fusion girls and that gives Babe and Amanda something to do as well. Let Zach back Kendall and Ryan stick up for Greens and let the games begin. Zach and Ryan have good chemistry when they don't like each other too and I never really understood when the two men became such "good friends" anyway. Zach never trusted Ryan and Ryan never gave him a reason to trust him. And vice versa.

And while we're at it, AMC is missing the boat by letting Billy Miller go as Ritchie. His character is bad to the bone but he has wicked, wicked scene chemistry as Opal. Let her take him on as a pet project and try to find whatever good is left in him. I'm sure the two of them would ROCK it and it would give Opal something on the burner to do. It doesn't even have to be front burner...but ON the burner would be nice for one of Pine Valley's most colorful characters. (I'm STILL on a Palmer/Opal high from their scene at the hospital this week.)

And yes, Zendall has a lot of appeal and it's one of the few bright lights in a dismal McTavish and Bears stained recent past. Add Zendall to a growing list of pairings that I enjoy watching and there's something to build on. I would just hope that Pratt comes along and balances air time. There's room enough for everybody. It's easier to support couples when they don't seem to be in your face 24/7.

[marceline]

I don't see how the increase can be because of Zendall. Zendall was also on when the ratings were (further) in the toilet. I respectfully submit that while Zendall is obviously very appealing to some fans there are many viewers who find them - if not downright noxious - at least VERY overrated. I'm not a Zendall fan, nor am I a Zendall hater, I just find them and the rest of the sextet, boring. For me, they are the equivalent of "This has been a test of the emergency broadcast system..."

I've said before that AMC is a chimera (no pun intended) of two different shows: Sex(tet) and the City and everyone else (TnD, the Hubbards, Erica). In another place and time, one of these shows would be spun off. But that's not going to happen. So unless Frons is fired, I fully expect that a year from now we will see a whole new slew of skinny bitches and cromagnon men while the Hubbards will be living in California next door to the Santos family. And every other thread will be "X is no Kendall (real!Greenlee, Zach, or Ryan)!"

[Angela]

MONDAY, MAY 26

1.(1) Y&R: Monday: 3.5/5,093,00 (+399,000)

2.(2) B&B: Monday: 2.4/3,279,000 (-288,000)

3.(3) DAYS: Monday: 1.8/2,405,000 (-508,000)

4.(5) ATWT: Monday: 1.8/2,388,000 (-255,000)

5.(8) GL: Monday: 1.4/2,121,000 (-139,000)

*.(4) OLTL: Monday: 1.4/1,857,000 (REPEAT)

*.(7) AMC: Monday: 1.4/1,756,000 (REPEAT)

*.(6) GH: Monday: 1.2/1,482,000 (REPEAT)

TUESDAY, MAY 27

1.(1) Y&R: Tuesday: 3.5/4,887,000 (-206,000)

2.(2) B&B: Tuesday: 2.9/3,999,000 (+720,000)

3.(*) GH: Tuesday: 2.3/2,966,000 (+345,000) - Fri. to Tue.

4.(*) AMC: Tuesday: 2.3/2,874,000 (+378,000) - Fri. to Tue.

5.(4) ATWT: Tuesday: 2.1/2,817,000 (+429,000)

6.(*) OLTL: Tuesday: 2.2/2,769,000 (+115,000) - Fri. to Tue.

7.(5) GL: Tuesday: 1.8/2,645,000 (+524,000)

8.(3) DAYS: Tuesday: 1.9/2,513,000 (+208,000)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28

1.(1) Y&R: Wednesday: 3.7/5,068,000 (+181,000)

2.(2) B&B: Wednesday: 2.8/4,003,000 (+4,000)

3.(3) GH: Wednesday: 2.2/2,817,000 (-149,000)

4.(4) AMC: Wednesday: 2.2/2,811,000 (-63,000)

5.(8) DAYS: Wednesday: 2.0/2,772,000 (+259,000)

6.(5) ATWT: Wednesday: 2.0/2,757,000 (-60,000)

7.(6) OLTL: Wednesday: 2.1/2,710,000 (-59,000)

8.(7) GL: Wednesday: 1.7/2,360,000 (-285,000)

THURSDAY, MAY 29

1.(1) Y&R: Thursday: 3.5/4,902,000 (-166,000)

2.(2) B&B: Thursday: 2.6/3,603,000 (-400,000)

3.(5) DAYS: Thursday: 2.2/2,891,000 (+119,000)

4.(3) GH: Thursday: 2.0/2,834,000 (+17,000)

5.(7) OLTL: Thursday: 2.0/2,634,000 (-76,000)

6.(6) ATWT: Thursday: 1.9/2,618,000 (-139,000)

7.(4) AMC: Thursday: 2.0/2,551,000 (-260,000)

8.(8) GL: Thursday: 1.7/2,328,000 (-32,000)

FRIDAY, MAY 30

1.(1) Y&R: Friday: 3.5/4,777,000 (-125,000)

2.(2) B&B: Friday: 2.7/3,653,000 (+50,000)

3.(5) OLTL: Friday: 2.1/2,692,000 (+58,000)

4.(7) AMC: Friday: 2.1/2,618,000 (+67,000)

5.(4) GH: Friday: 2.1/2,521,000 (-313,000)

6.(3) DAYS: Friday: 1.9/2,491,000 (-400,000)

7.(6) ATWT: Friday: 1.8/2,447,000 (-171,000)

8.(8) GL: Friday: 1.4/2,009,000 (-319,000)

[MarkH]

Lynn Liccardo's blog today provides a delightful historical overview on the ratings.

An excerpt:

[GHJunkie4Life]

Not surprised by ATWT...

Happy for General Hospital and Y&R although Y&R is far from being how good it use to be right now...

[EricMontreal22]

ATWT actually spent some time lower in the ratings in the late 70s when AMC (and OLTL very briefly) and then GH overtook it no (I knwo for most of the 70s it was the undisputed champ)? wasn't 1981 a bit of a mini comeback?