Y&R: Significant Decline in Black Viewers?

[Faulkner]

I ask this because of the sudden, shocking drop in Y&R viewers. Of course, there are multiple factors at play - like the show being boring, for one - but in all my 18 years or so of watching Y&R, I've never seen such a dismal selection of black characters. I wonder if this is causing black viewers to flee in droves. Y&R's black viewership had become a significant part of its identity until very recently. Black viewers have always been big viewers of soaps, but Y&R had that "value added." Here, they saw a show that truly valued them enough as viewers to create frontburner storylines around characters that looked like them and shared their culture and language. Victoria Rowell and Shemar Moore are household names amongst black America solely on the strength of their Y&R visibility. (Their followings allowed them to transition smoothly into film and primetime.) While GL's Speakes, Grants, and Bourdreaux, AMC's Fryes and Keefers, OLTL's Gannons, ATWT's Griffins, and GH's Wards have all been phased out over the past decade or two, Y&R had the Winters family, and Bill Bell made them as important to Genoa City's canvas as the Abbotts and the Newmans. Many black women I know identified strongly with Drucilla Winters; before LML made her a lunatic, she was an unapologetic, take-no-prisoners, fashion-forward wife, mother, and business executive who didn't let anyone walk all over her.

But now...Devon? Lily? Karen? These are characters that are throwaways; they are not at all culturally specific or particularly vivid portrayals of black people. Neil Winters has always been an interesting case. KSJ is an incredible actor, yes, but his "strait-laced," assimilationist portrayal of a black man was more compelling when placed contextually alongside Dru and Malcolm. But the current bland cast of black characters only makes Neil seem blander.

The funny thing is that LML, for all her flaws, really understood that the Winters were an integral part of a show. She put them front and center - that is, until Dru took that long walk off a short cliff. Since then, Y&R has been more Lily-white than it has been in two decades. (Yes, Lily is nominally the show's young heroine, but when has she been written with any allusion to being a black woman?)

I can't help but wonder if black viewers have felt let down and, as a result, have tuned out. Does anyone have access to stats on this?

[MoTheGreat]

To tell you the truth I was let down when they brought back CK. & if black people can't related to Dru daughter the way CK plays her. That's the writers fault for telling black folks we should be happy with any Lily as long as thier a black teen on there.

Anyway I say they can kiss my black ass & I guess other black viewers are saying the same thing.

[DaytimeFan]

What an interesting theory and one I hadn't considered previously.

It makes sense, Victoria Rowell is the premier African American soap actress and I hardly think CK is fit to stand in VR's stilettos. Frankly, Karen is a joke. CK is a joke. Devon is the biggest joke of them all.

Kristoff St John's role as Neil really succeeded because he was juxtaposed against VR and Shemar Moore...Tonya Lee Williams on the other hand was just plain classy and was aspirational. Neil Winters is a flatter character that needs to be contrasted to something else.

And of course if viewers, in this case African American viewers, don't see what they like they tune out. VERY good point.

If I was MAB I'd be on the phone to VR yesterday!

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I think it has something to do with, but is not largely the main factor. I think people, regardless of race, will watch a soap opera no matter what if the quality of the writing and acting is there. Y&R for years was the most consistently written and acted soap on the air, when its structure was tampered with over and over again over the past 3 years, people left and haven't come back. I think the recent sudden falls stem from that building up over time, over anything else.

Yes, I guess it's nice to identify along racial lines with characters, but if the entire show isn't holding up, will African Americans, Asians, Latinos, and other ethnic groups tune in to watch crap consistently? I think a lot of people tend to stereotype ethnic groups and think they'd tune in no matter what, as long as someone of their ethnicity is on screen. I personally think that if white viewers are tuning out because of crappy writing and mismanagement, so are other ethnic groups.

[soapluva]

I know some of my friends and family who refuse to watch Y&R because the see Neil as the ONLY black character they can relate to and that was not the Y&R they came to love over the years. Lily and all the others are not real to them. IMO Y&R needs to bring back Victoria Rowell, Tonya Lee Williams with little Nate. I know I can say I miss seeing both ladies on my screen.

[MTSRocks]

...Not all black people act the same way.

Honestly, Dru was a hot mess by the end of her run. LML ruined her, with her angry black woman phase.

[MoTheGreat]

If they can just recast Lily to be more like her mom & give her something better to do then who her next man going to be. I know I'll watch Y&R again.

I know some people said if Davetta comes back they will watch again. I said recast Lily with more of a fire & charisma black people will come back. Both CKLily & Neil are bland & this what black people are left with. But Neil always had somebody to make him interest. CKLily doesn't make him interesting.

[Faulkner]

Totally...I think the "race" factor is one of many issues that have adversely affected Y&R. The show used to be reliable and consistent, and the disappearance of strong black characters is one way the show has veered away from Bill Bell's vision.

I think viewers seeing characters like themselves is attractive to viewers, though, especially when it's so rare in mainstream television. There's a reason why relatively low-rated series like "Girlfriends" and "I Love New York" were among the most-watched shows amongst African-Americans; they, for better or for worse, validated black people as people worth building stories around. People like good stories, but people like good stories even more when they can directly relate to them.

[Faulkner]

Totally not...but there are ways of speech, dress, and carrying oneself that are specific to black people, and when you've been raised in a mostly black community, it's not unreasonable to share certain cultural behaviors and traits.

[All My Shadows]

It's hard for me to say whether or not the disappearance of black characters has caused a disappearance in black viewers. Speaking as a black person, I for one am not cut from the mold of I won't watch anything without black people. I was raised on "The Jeffersons" and "What's Happening!!" but I was also raised on "Bewitched" and "The Brady Bunch." I don't relate to someone simply because they're black. I relate to the characters because of their experiences and who they are (and yes, black people do have experiences that white people don't).

I grew up during the era of Y&R where its black characters and white characters weren't separated by anything...they were who they were and that was it. All of the characters intermingled. The thing is, in my house and in my grandparents' homes and such, there was never more talk about Neil, Dru, and the others than there was about the white characters. When I think of the Y&R of my childhood, I immediately think of Victor, Katherine, Paul, Nikki, Christine, and then Dru and Neil and Olivia come to my mind too. My people never paid more attention to the Winters family than they did to the others...they were just characters like everybody else.

I can honestly say that I don't know any black people (out of over a hundred cousins, at least 50 aunts and uncles, other relatives, and countless friends) who wouldn't watch something just because there are no black people in it. Yeah, we love "I Love New York" or "Flavor of Love," but so do most of my white friends who are my age, and I guarantee, if I'm looking for black people to relate to on TV, I'm definitely NOT looking for them on those shows!

[detroitpiston]

All My Shadows, I can totally relate to you. I grew up on shows like Hangin with with Mr. Cooper, Sister, Sister, Martin, Steve Harvey Show, and Good Times reruns. But also shows like Beverly Hills 90210, and Melrose Place. So I've learned to not just watch a show just because people who look and act like me aren't on it. But if they are it certainly is a plus for me.

[MoTheGreat]

I watched Sabrina the Teenage witch, Boy Meets World,& that Amanda Bynes show that use to come on channel 11 . But couldn't get into Beverly Hill 90210. Watched Melrose Place because that Shue guy. I thought he was so hot. I don't watch I Love New York or Flava Of Love. Never have never will.

[DaytimeFan]

I don't think it's a race issue. It's not a Black/White thing. I think it's about being able to RELATE to the characters. Fans of Y&R were so fortunate to have such well written, relate able characters like Dru, Malcolm and Olivia among the scores of others (Jill, Kay, Victor, Nikki, Brad, Lauren, Paul etc etc etc)

[Darn]

Black people are like all people, we'll watch what's watchable. An added bonus is having people to relate to. My mom tells me that it used to be something of an event when a black person was on TV (not playing a servant or shucking and jiving for laughs), which probably accounts for why Roots was such a seminal event in American culture.

I personally started watching Y&R for Billy and Mac and they were nothing but white and bland (lol), I came to appreciate the fabulousness of Dru and VR pretty quickly though.

Michael Logan had an article in TV Guide after Shemar Moore left the first time, how viewership dropped sharply, most of the lapsed viewers being African-American. It was interesting. I also recall reading that black viewers make up something like 25% of daytime viewers.

BTW Neil, to me, is like any dull half of a supercouple, much less interesting without his better half. He's bland as f.uck with or without Dru (or a drink in his hand) but she so commands the screen that you forget the wallpaper in the background.

[DeeeDee]

Anger wasn't the problem.

It was Latham's complete inability to write a strong woman in a coherent story within the correct emotional context.

Look at Sheila.

Look at Nikki.

Look at Victoria.

Look at Sharon.

Look at Jill.

Look at Ashley

Look at Katherine.

Look at Lauren.

Look at Phyllis.

Look at Colleen.

Look at Lily.

Under Latham every female character, no matter how dynamic, became absolute nightmares.

Yep.

The problem with Neil is the writers not writing for him for several reasons.

But that's a whole other post. lol

Amen.