March 16-20, 2009

[MikeGoldy]

DAYS is doing now what it should have done a long time ago. Get rid of the dead weight and create new characters and stories. They stopped living in the past and are starting to see the results.

[rangethatrover]

Well from what i read here people enjoy Days right now.

[Vee]

Of course it does, almost everyone's under 40.

I would attempt a rebuttal, but I know you're already racing across the board looking for popular opinions to go against so you can keep your indie cred. Wiiiilllld Reeeebellllssss!!!

GH will rise, but it will only rise to a new maximum increase. It is a slippery slope and it gets lower every month. Each year the "high bar" for GH gets smaller and smaller.

[Vee]

You know what, though, I realize I have basically done what Jack accuses me of. And I'm not necessarily trying to say he's wrong about me. But I don't think I'm wrong about him either. If I went and got a dozen people and we all decided hey, we like DOOL, started postin' about it, I guarantee you that suddenly Jack would be sippin' the Haterade. "I dunno, its so over, I'm over it" Swerve! Another JackPeyton special.

I will say this: I think in three to six months I will reevaluate DOOL's standing, and see if my crackpot theory has been borne out or not. Hopefully the baby stories will be done then, and we'll see where it stands. I believe it will be sinking again. If I am wrong, I will come back and lick Jack's boots. And Jack will look bored and disaffected.

[Angela]

Does anybody remember when DAYS moved back to 1 pm in NYC (and probably other areas)? I'm wondering if that's contributing to their current upswing, getting back the lunch hour in some big markets.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

It was in September of 2008, the beginning of the fall schedule.

[rangethatrover]

I think Days is just one of those old fashioned soaps that people are enjoying right now. It doesn't make people insane with hate/love/disappointment like OLTL does. And I think most of all it caters to a younger, not particularly picky audience. Dena writes middle of the road, basic, plotty soap opera. That's the kindest thing I can say about that "writer". Maybe she has hit her stride. Days is getting viewers who didn't watch 5, 10 years ago. They don't care about Marlena. And maybe some of those people who tuned in for John and Marlena's farewell actually enjoyed the show despite their leaving and stuck around. I hate saying any of this because there is no one who deserves these ratings less than Corday and Higley. Maybe the show is just watchable.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I'm not saying DAYS is great, or utterly groundbreaking or anything. However, I've been catching it more frequently on SoapNet lately, and for the first time in a long time, the show appears to have at least one solid vision guiding it. It's not perfect, it's far from it, but it's consistent in some way. They've been milking their main storyline for dramatic effect, and not in a very rushed or lazy way.

[KevC1980]

Good job Days...I think the current storytelling is very reminiscent of the JER era, especially this baby switch storyline...Obviously Days has a lot of fans that like these stories that lead up to huge reveals...The Nicole storyline is clearly carrying the show right now...and while some don't like it, the Chloe, Lucas, Daniel, and Kate storyline seems to be getting viewers to tune in as well..

[Vee]

I think if that new consistency can be put on anyone it may be *gasp* Gary Tomlin, who aside from some major mistakes, managed to keep OLTL reasonably on-track through the strike. Chris Whitesell, however, has been [!@#$%^&*] for years.

I agree it seems to be just so-so, but that can't last, especially with almost no veteran cast. And there's no passion behind the work to me. You can't just keep flogging EJ, Sami, and former DAYS teen idols and expect to stay afloat. You need a clear picture of the future. To me they just seem to be looking to next week.

[rangethatrover]

With a 300,000 viewership lead over most shows, there is something going on there.

[Vee]

That lead is called EJ, Sami, Bo and Hope, and a passel of babies. They can only keep flogging that for so long. Plus their usual "ratings cushion" that both Michael and I mentioned. But how far did that get them during the Sheffer era or last year, or JER 2?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Tomlin is a much better fit for DAYS than Ed Scott or Hogan Sheffer ever were. The general DAYS audience doesn't seem to like the type of drama the latter two can bring to the table. Tomlin, on the other hand, is right up the DAYS alley and has always been that way. I don't know why Corday didn't pick him over Scott when he had the chance to do so in 2007.

[rangethatrover]

True- And younger viewers are fickle as hell. The O.C. is a classic example of phenomenon to nothing in 3 years time.

Its Dena's job to keep the viewers interest- so good luck with that..I am very curious to see how that show does this summer.

[DRW50]

The OC was always more of a media darling than a ratings grabber. Then the second season was horrible and people stopped caring.

Ed Scott is seen as a get because of his Y&R years, but Y&R is a totally different beast than most of the other soaps. Even John Conboy, who was Y&R's main producer for years, I don't think he's ever been a success elsewhere (Capitol was mixed at best and his GL run was disastrous).

I think it helps DAYS that they have the right mix of supporting characters. Maggie and Victor and those types of characters have not been leads in a long time, but they work as midlevel supporting players who add to the character of their scenes. You don't get that with Marlena and John because there's always that unspoken tension about who is the lead player in the scene and about their days as the show's stars.

Don't you think the success of the Biggest Loser may also be bringing viewers in?