June 22-26, 2009

[BlueLick]

Wait a minute, Frons got fired?

This could be a great thing for ABC Daytime, especially SoapNet which really hasn't been SoapNet the last two years.

I think ABC made the right decision but its too late in the game as the soaps will struggle with or without him. I hope the person who replaces him saves all three soaps and they make a turnaround like DAYS has.

I honestly think Frons' firing was a wakeup call or ABC's opportunity to save the genre one last time. It could be a reflection on how the performance of the soaps the last 2-3 years was unacceptable and things need to turn around for the better.

[SteveFrame]

I'm enjoying Cristian/Layla and Brody/Jessica and other aspects of OLTL but I could give a flying f___ about Kyle/Fish. I just don't care about the characters at all and I am just not one to follow a gay story just because I happen to be gay or bisexual. I know someone jumped all over me at Facebook when I said I had never watched Ugly Betty and said I was not a true gay man if I didn't support the shows that had gay characters. When did TV watching become agenda watching.

I watch what I enjoy and don't watch due to some agenda.

I have the same problems with the Kyle/Fish story that I would any other story. I am so tired of stories built around new faces and new characters. Just look at the posts in this thread alone where people are saying they tune into these shows and don't see anyone they know.

What has made soaps so special for years is the attachment you have to the characters. That is why I watch soaps. I watch to see the people I care about and have developed relationships with. I always love new characters and love getting to know them but only when they are blended in with other characters I love. To see a whole story developed around 2 characters that have been nothing but fringe nothing players for so long, and then to have the announcement already that another new character is coming that will be a part of the story too.

There are things I love about OLTL but right now Ron has gone on new character and new face overload. One day I tried to watch and over 2/3 of the characters featured that day had been there less than a year. It is sickening when OLTL has so many folks they hardly use.

They should have tied the Kyle/Fish story to more of the canvas better than it has been so far. And the proposed comedic way that they intend to in according to spoilers is not going to do it for me.

It would have been neat if Kyle or Fish could have been CJ Roberts or even Danny Wolek or hell even Joey Buchanan (it is not out of the question that he could have had a brief thing in college or while away from Llanview one of his many times away). But Kyle and Fish are both characters I care nothing about at this point.

And it's just overload for me right now with so many new faces and new characters on the show. It is just as bad as what Higley did when she brought in the McBains and all the gang associated with them. Now Carlivati is doing the very same thing. And he had such promise. One of the things that made him work in the beginning was the emphasis he placed on the characters we knew and loved, and now he has done the same thing as Higley. New characters and too much of certain characters. We went from the Spencer Truman show under Higley to the Todd/Starr/Cole/Rex/Gigi show under Ron.

[DRW50]

I agree with you but I'm enjoying Fish/Kyle on merits, so far at least. The story is still undeveloped and I wish Fish had more personality (he did last year), but Kyle's a fascinating character and I like the potential of what his relationship with Fish could be. Bad boy/good guy. The coming out part of the story doesn't interest me as much, although I guess I should be happy to see a soap doing a coming out story again. There are too many who believe that now everyone is accepting of gays and if you come out your family will give you a parade.

BlueLick, Frons hasn't been fired. We were wishful thinking.

[marceline]

You're a homophobe! Homophobe! Homophobe! Homophobe! Self loathing homophobe! I just wanted to get that out of the way.

I know where you're coming from on this. I see talk about Rachel, Shaun and Greg and I know I'm supposed to care by the rules of diversity but I don't. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Shaun. I think he's really charming and a great addition to the canvas. Plus the actor did something that made me his fan until the day the sun supernovas. I think its ironic that we were force-fed Vincent but its Shaun that's survived.

However, I find Rachel boring. Now I admit that I am Ellen Bethea's bitch, now and forever so there's no recast who will ever take her place in my heart but I warmed up to Sandra Grant so I'm not completely unreasonable. Bottom line, I don't care how many black people they bring on this show. I don't care if it becomes "Tyler Perry's One Life to Live." I'm out.

People keep laughing at me on other boards but I wanted a story where John and Todd got together. That made sense to me based on the characters interactions. As it is now, if this story doesn't "work" for some reason they can wipe it off the canvas in a few weeks and it will be like it never existed. Kyle and Fish are disposable newbies. That wouldn't be the case with Todd and John. I even had a chance to ask the actors about it at ME's fan event (TSJ was there) and the answer made me love both actors even more, if that's possible.

[Ann_SS]

I find the instant Fish/Kyle love marginally better than the ridiculous Olivia/Natalia love. I still laugh at the idea that Olivia is a lesbian or sexually attracted to woman after all the years she has been on GL.

None of which are reasons for ABC to fire Frons.

No, he did not.

[DRW50]

Is this very different from what OLTL did with Tarty? Todd threw away his entire life and abandoned his children for Marty. Now he's all over Tea, he's suddenly a great father again, and Marty barely shares scenes with him.

I think Todd has been so destroyed as a character that he would be hard to take in any relationship. I don't believe Todd cares about anyone but himself.

It's almost better, in some sad way, that this gay relationship is not among prominent characters, because OLTL screws it up when they write relationships for big characters (Rex, Todd, John).

Who is Rachel? Why should we care? They had a perfect opportunity to make us care when Hank came back, but now he's off taking dirty photos of the servants at the Buchanan mansion, I guess.

I liked Shaun more before they decided to move him back with Todd and with Moe. The actor doesn't bounce off against those characters very well. Destiny is too green to be a strong scene partner yet. Shaun seems very adrift because he's almost entirely surrounded by adrift characters. I hope this will change soon.

[rhinohide]

Are you drinking?

And I wouldn't laugh at you about John and Todd. I remember Easton telling a story where the director cut in on a scene he had with TSJ and warned Trevor to stop acting like Todd was coming on to John.

[JackPeyton]

ABC Daytime right now is the view and the soaps. whatever replaces the soaps someone will still have to oversee, however i dont see it being Frons. I can see them putting him fully in charage at just soapnet.

and im sure soapnet can hold onto what they have right now. from reports it seems to be gaining actualy. d-list wannabe reality shows and old movies have done many networks well. its something many people tune into, unlike soaps.

[Cyberologist]

Soapnet just wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. Most thier movies I can find online.

As for not understanding why ABC would fire him....I don't care about the rest of his shows

I'm talking about his ABC soaps which he has systematically destroyed with his favoritism and lack of vision.

IMO, he's gutted GH and I know he's not "writing the show" but it is said that position for all soaps approves outlines it has also been said for years his hands are all in story lines and he micro-manages to a fault.

He hired Guza and he can fire him but he won't. Instead he hires his wife and another one of Guza old buds to help him write a show. Doesn't say much for a HW making the big bucks IMO.

[rhinohide]

Cyber. Frons' bosses don't care about that for the most part. They care about him meeting his financial objectives and the subsequent impact on Disney's overall financial reports that drive their stock value. There are so many ways he can meet his Net Operating Profit objectives, but as long as he hits that forecast, he's in good shape and makes his bonus every year.

[dragonflies]

It's pretty bad when Pratt has to copy McT's work. He has NO originality whatsoever

[Angela]

Yikes, well at least DAYS & Y&R are doing well. Sony magic? lol

Thanks Toups.

[dragonflies]

AMC did the WORST of the soaps during the Obama pre-emption LOL

[Angela]

1.(1) Y&R: Monday: 3.4/4,858,000 (+27,000)

2.(2) B&B: Monday: 2.4/3,444,000 (+197,000)

3.(3) DAYS: Monday: 1.9/2,569,000 (-91,000 DNC; Pre-emption)

4.(7) AMC: Monday: 1.8/2,526,000 (+347,000)

5.(4) OLTL: Monday: 1.8/2,508,000 (-12,000)

6.(5) GH: Monday: 1.7/2,424,000 (-38,000)

7.(6) ATWT: Monday: 1.6/2,327,000 (+41,000)

8.(8) GL: Monday: 1.3/1,856,000 (-7,000)

1.(1) Y&R: Tuesday: 1.9/2,664,000 (DNC; Significant Pre-emption)

2.(2) B&B: Tuesday: 2.1/2,909,000 (-535,000)

3.(3) DAYS: Tuesday: 1.9/2,556,000 (-13,000; Pre-emption)

4.(6) GH: Tuesday: 1.9/2,517,000 (+93,000)

5.(5) OLTL: Tuesday: 1.8/2,415,000 (-93,000)

6.(4) AMC: Tuesday: 1.7/2,271,000 (-255,000; Pre-emption)

7.(7) ATWT: Tuesday: 1.5/2,038,000 (-289,000)

8.(8) GL: Tuesday: 1.3/1,676,000 (-180,000)

1.(1) Y&R: Wednesday: 3.5/5,041,000 (+183,000; from Monday)

2.(2) B&B: Wednesday: 2.4/3,263,000 (+354,000)

3.(3) DAYS: Wednesday: 2.1/2,984,000 (+428,000)

4.(4) GH: Wednesday: 1.8/2,459,000 (-58,000)

5.(5) OLTL: Wednesday: 1.7/2,358,000 (-57,000)

6.(7) ATWT: Wednesday: 1.7/2,328,000 (+290,000)

7.(6) AMC: Wednesday: 1.7/2,256,000 (-15,000)

8.(8) GL: Wednesday: 1.5/2,138,000 (+462,000)

1.(1) Y&R: Thursday: 3.5/4,927,000 (-114,000)

2.(2) B&B: Thursday: 2.4/3,290,000 (+27,000)

3.(3) DAYS: Thursday: 2.0/2,815,000 (-169,000)

4.(5) OLTL: Thursday: 1.7/2,302,000 (-56,000)

5.(4) GH: Thursday: 1.7/2,237,000 (-222,000)

6.(6) ATWT: Thursday: 1.6/2,162,000 (-166,000)

7.(7) AMC: Thursday: 1.6/2,139,000 (-117,000)

8.(8) GL: Thursday: 1.3/1,843,000 (-340,000)

1.(1) Y&R: Friday: 3.6/5,120,000 (+193,000)

2.(2) B&B: Friday: 2.4/3,181,000 (-109,000)

3.(3) DAYS: Friday: 2.1/2,891,000 (+76,000)

4.(4) OLTL: Friday: 1.8/2,476,000 (+174,000)

5.(5) GH: Friday: 1.7/2,319,000 (+82,000)

6.(7) AMC: Friday: 1.6/2,232,000 (+93,000)

7.(6) ATWT: Friday: 1.6/1,970,000 (-192,000)

8.(8) GL: Friday: 1.4/1,853,000 (+10,000)

[Daphne]

Can anything save ABC daytime? Or ATWT for that matter? Good Lord these numbers are pitiful!