I find it funny that ATWT is ranked #4 in Total Viewers and it only has one more year on the air. Yet, shows like OLTL, AMC and GH are safe with no word of cancellation in sight.

ATWT can stay on longer than that only if the ratings improve which I hope they do. I want all soaps to go up and stay on the air at least another 5 years but that will not happen. Except Y&R and B&B they might be on 5 more years i'm sure that will deff be Y&R that last 5 more years.

These shows are in trouble! The ABC shows are approaching GL levels when it was cancelled. But the ABC shows have a much higher budget than GL had so there will have to be big ABC cuts if these numbers continue. I've said it before -- I think you'll see more shows adopting GL's style because they'll have to once budgets are cut. ABC can't continue to shell out the big bucks to GH for a mere 2.36 million viewers.

As an aside, I do not want other shows to adopt GL's look, because I hated it and it was the final nail in GL's coffin. I'm just saying that with viewer levels dropping so quickly, the networks will have to cut budgets even further. It will translate to what we see on our screens.

I find it funny that ATWT is ranked #4 in Total Viewers and it only has one more year on the air. Yet, shows like OLTL, AMC and GH are safe with no word of cancellation in sight.

It all boils down to the almighty dollar.....and it also doesn't hurt when you own your own soaps. Obvisiously AMC, OLTL, and GH are still making maybe for ABC.

It all boils down to the almighty dollar.....and it also doesn't hurt when you own your own soaps. Obvisiously AMC, OLTL, and GH are still making maybe for ABC.

That's true but last I heard was AMC was in the red. I don't know how they are making money. They have the same or lower ranking than the soaps being cancelled. There 18-49 have plummeted as well. Oh well....LOL

That's true but last I heard was AMC was in the red. I don't know how they are making money. They have the same or lower ranking than the soaps being cancelled. There 18-49 have plummeted as well. Oh well....LOL

It's been said on here somewhere that they come in regularly underbudget (at least I believe as far as OLTL is considered), so that helps them save money.

The thing with the ABC soaps is that ABC owns their dramas. So they make money and they can keep it all. No licensing fees or any of that stuff. I said it before and I'll swear by it, all ABC soaps will end on the same day. The reason I believe that is because those 3 hour long dramas are like the big 3. They are ABC's 3 hour long soaps who have been placed in their time periods since 1978 (1977 for AMC) and not changed since. I believe that AMC's cancelation thing was a rumor. There is no "ABC is contemplating canceling AMC." ABC owns it and they will cancel it whenever they damn well please. The problem is, is that without AMC, the other two suffer. A huge lead in is would be gone. I think that is also a problem AMC faces, it has no lead in. Let's say AMC was moved to 12:30, opposite Y&R, that would really help ABC because they have strong local newscasts in all O&O markets as well as many major affiliated markets. Quite honestly, that's something ABC should have done in 1977 when AMC expanded to 1 hour and placed Ryan's Hope at 1:30. I call that smart scheduling. A strong lead in to a new show that then builds up an audience that will then go on to watch the next stronger/older soap and so forth.

When will the day 2 day ratings be posted?

Damn what happened with GH?

Wow the start of sweeps and ALL of the ABC soaps are below 2.0

The thing with the ABC soaps is that ABC owns their dramas. So they make money and they can keep it all. No licensing fees or any of that stuff. I said it before and I'll swear by it, all ABC soaps will end on the same day. The reason I believe that is because those 3 hour long dramas are like the big 3. They are ABC's 3 hour long soaps who have been placed in their time periods since 1978 (1977 for AMC) and not changed since. I believe that AMC's cancelation thing was a rumor. There is no "ABC is contemplating canceling AMC." ABC owns it and they will cancel it whenever they damn well please. The problem is, is that without AMC, the other two suffer. A huge lead in is would be gone. I think that is also a problem AMC faces, it has no lead in. Let's say AMC was moved to 12:30, opposite Y&R, that would really help ABC because they have strong local newscasts in all O&O markets as well as many major affiliated markets. Quite honestly, that's something ABC should have done in 1977 when AMC expanded to 1 hour and placed Ryan's Hope at 1:30. I call that smart scheduling. A strong lead in to a new show that then builds up an audience that will then go on to watch the next stronger/older soap and so forth.

Your "all cancelled on the same day" thesis makes sense...but does a network really want to generate a sudden, unproven 3 hour programming hole? Plus a primetime void for Soapnet? I could imagine something more like a "phased retirement"....one after another in 6-month intervals.

id watch days if Jack and Jennifer returned to Days....or even if the dimera's long lost children returned...Peter? Kristen?

I haven't paid attention to this thread in weeks, but GH hit a 1.8 household?! Are you flipping kidding me?

People were quick to cancel Sunset Beach for a 1.8 household ten years ago.

These numbers are pathetic.

Only about 65,000 viewer difference between AMC and GH, AMC is teetering close to the 1.8

Your "all cancelled on the same day" thesis makes sense...but does a network really want to generate a sudden, unproven 3 hour programming hole? Plus a primetime void for Soapnet? I could imagine something more like a "phased retirement"....one after another in 6-month intervals.

ABC has basically packaged all 3 hour long soaps and they did that years ago. So I think they will come up with a new form of daytime programming to fill those 3 hours. Once they have that, they will air them in some big showcase thing. Some Finding Erica, MVP, etc... If that fails and does not bring in the numbers ABC wanted, I would assume they would already have a back up like reruns of Greys, DH and Brother's & Sisters until they can come up with something that works unless they are content with the reruns. The same would apply to Soap Net. They can just air more episodes of Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill and whatever else they have. Also, if everything they try fails, they can just go all NBC and give the hours to the affiliates.

OLTL needs to re-think how they execute stories and inject some MUCH.NEEDED.BALANCE into the show. I fear if they continue their current course, their ratings will not improve. The show IMO has been awful lately.

Does anyone know if Y&R, AMC, OLTL, GH, and DAYS do good on Soap Net.

Edited May 2, 200916 yr by ATWT_GL_fan

Thank goodness someone remembers the hell that GH was in the 1990s under Guza. Bibel is so full it. I wanted to scream when she was pimping Guza.

Even Guza's first run, when he was fortunate enough to inherit some of Labine's stories, was marked with flaws, like the start of Jason as mob thug, the start of branding Laura as some type of unworthy woman to Luke, rewriting her history with the Cassadines to make Luke and Lucky into big (self)-righteous moral crusaders.

During Guza's second tenure, I remember a Marlena column asking how such a great show could be so incredibly boring day in and day out. This was in the middle of the awful Baby Michael story which ate the show whole. Then his other stories seemed to never really get off the ground (remember all those long drawn out attempts to write for Stefan/Laura).

Looking back, I realize Riche was probably the only one stopping him from completely destroying the show.