Members Gray Bunny Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 When I started watching soaps, Another World was in the 3.5 (Y&R's current number) ballpark area and had just survived nearly being cancelled in '94. Meanwhile, Loving was at a 2.5 and was being completely revamped as The City in order to gain attention and save itself. 15 years later, and they would be in 1st and 2nd place. Wow. (Yes, yes, I know ratings points equal different household #'s than they did back then, but even so...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Carolyn1980 Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 It's all relative. When I started watching, the ABC soaps had over 10 ratings, and 35 shares (this was the early 80's). CBS's Capitol (whose title made no sense, BTW, lol) was canceled with a rating over 6.0. The bar just keeps dropping and dropping. And while a ratings point now represents more HH's, it still represents the same percentage point. It's just that 1% of total HH's is more now than it was then. But it doesn't make it any more attractive to advertisers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 Ruxton, you're right that they never give Mindy any stories. It would be nice if they made some effort. They certainly have enough time to fill up. There's no reason for her not to be in Springfield for good. Besides the more recent low points like firing Andrea Evans and A Martinez, how else has Frons shown his contempt for OLTL? In past years I mean. If he hates it that much I wonder if it will be canned before GH and AMC even if the ratings and budget stay stronger than theirs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jfung79 Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 With the ABC soaps collapsing in the ratings, CBS hearing GL cancellation backlash, and everyone in the soap world ending up on World Turns, I'm starting to get more optimistic that ATWT will survive. Stunt casting is bad but it might still work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Carolyn1980 Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 Don't get your hopes up. ATWT is toast in 2010 unless CBS's replacement game shows tank in a huge way. (Not trying to make you feel bad, just being realistic. ABC soaps can drop much lower than the other shows because ABC owns them, and they support an entire cable network). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SteveFrame Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 With soaps these days it is just a lot easier to lose faith in them. Once again a lot of stuff from soaps is making headlines in Variety and newspapers and stuff but unlike before all the stuff is negative. You won't believe the people I ahve talked too both on the Internet and those not on the Internet who are just discouraged by the news coming out of soaps these days. Even people off the Net and away from soap mags are hearing some of it. Susan Lucci having to take a paycut. The cuts. The cancellations. All of it. I mean Good Morning America even mentioned Susan Lucci having to take a paycut. ANd even though we know it is done for survival, but when people hear about the person they see as the face of daytime having to take a paycut it undermines their confidence that the shows will still be around. So it is easy for them to give up on their shows - esp. when the shows don't offer them anything. And then many of the headlines and stuff have centered around GL being the oldest show in broadcasting history now being cancelled. It just undermines people's confidence in the genre and in the shows. And then when the shows aren't offering you anything. I mean they keep doing all this big plot stuff and these shocking moments but beyond the shock and the awe they never plan out what they are going to do. I mean I ask you with the return of Jesse and Angie to AMC. What was the purpose? Sure fans got Jesse back but for what. After their big story they have basically done nothing with them at all. Now they are just there. Jesse fills Derek's position in town, and they are just basically the town cop and mother and father to Frank. It's as if they never planned what they would do with Jesse and Angie and expected that fans would just be thrilled they were back. And look at all the deaths on AMC - they have been nothing and meant nothing in the long run. And I fear Y&R is headed the same path. They are reading the message boards and undoing every thing that fans didn't like and then it seems after that there are no plans what to do with the stories after that point. It's just a sad trend and viewers are just disgusted with some of it. And looking at soaps having to make cuts and cancelling long running shows, getting rid of big money makers to survive, many fans are just thinking why suspend belief and deal with it anymore. There is just no sense that it is worth because the shows won't be there for long anyway. So why try anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 I think AMC is a show which very blatantly has preferences based on the headwriter. All the headwriters have some themes in common (Zach, Ryan, and Kendall always have to be on the frontburner -- even if Pratt clearly loathes Kendall), but also some pet projects. B&E wanted Jesse and Angie back and that was probably the only good thing during their run. Then after they were fired, any plans for Jesse and Angie seemed to fall by the wayside. And now AMC just has horrible gimmick after numbing, demoralizing gimmick. I'm still disgusted that they killed off Stuart, and for what? Randi and her first love/john? Adam pawing at crazy Annie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cara mia Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 Are those ABC numbers right?! Wow! So low, so depressing. I don't want the genre to die out so I'm always rooting for shows to do well. If AMC, OLTL and GH tank, it won't mean new writers, it will just mean canceled shows! I don't watch GH and have no desire to, yet I don't get the ratings being so low. I just figured Sonny and his family was not my cup of tea but that there must be legions of fans out there who like the mob and that's why the show is centered on mob. Am I wrong? Or is are the bad GH ratings due to something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members brimike Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 Bingo. And that, my friends, is the final point. We are beyond the time frame of "Maybe they'll fire this head writer" or "maybe they'll fire this EP". We are at "We'll just cancel the show". Some call me fatalistic, some call me defeatist - but the truth is, I'm a very positive guy. Hell, some posters around here HATE me for being so tolerant and forgiving. But this is where we're at. Five years ago, it was "Fire this EP and HW". No longer. Now shows are willing to keep what they have until they run out of steam. I know this is news NOBODY wants to hear. I'm with ya. But I'm sorry to say, even if changes are made behind the scenes, they are last-ditch efforts. I'm the first to admit when I'm wrong, and if I'm wrong now, I will happily eat my words. But I'm pretty sure out of the SEVEN shows left on the air, FIVE of them will be canceled with the current head writers/EP's in charge. Just my speculation, but that's my guess. Like I said, I will HAPPILY eat my words and admit I'm wrong if in fact, I am wrong. I have no problem being humbled. I just don't think most of these shows care enough at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tgilbrea69 Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 I would have to say that Friday's ATWT episode was probably the best one that I have seen in several years. I was glued to the set the entire time. Shame they can't do that for more than a couple hours per year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tgilbrea69 Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 BTW - Does anyone know if ATWT will every really get an intro, or is the 5 second globe thing (which was done in Keynote program on the mac) all we get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members quartermainefan Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 If JER were alive he would figure out some crazy story to save one of these shows. Since JER is gone, it would take P.T. Barnum himself to figure out how to fill the seats and get people watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sylph Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 People are not delusional. People know these shows are gone. Wanting them to end with as much dignity as possible, which a new head writer might provide, is nothing to laugh at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members brwnsugar33 Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 At the rate ABC shows are falling I don't know what they can do to save itself. GH has become mostly mob centric and plot points and there is no respect for the history of the show. There is no real rootable couples and most of the women on the show are portrayed as weak. No couples are in a marriage for the long haul it is like musical beds. the women they have as leads are being whitewashed for unforgivable crimes against children. The viewing audience is made up of alot of women but the networks don't realize that we don't want doom and gloom. For some people soaps are an escape from the real world if only for an hour. I hope and pray these shows will turn it around and start listening to what the fans want to see instead of backstage politics and agendas and make the changes to get the viewers back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ann_SS Posted July 4, 2009 Members Share Posted July 4, 2009 I long figured out that Guza and Phelps are not going any where. They are riding the cancellation train. Replacing Guza and Phelps 5 years ago may have saved GH. I don't think that it would make any difference at this point. Soaps are out of season. It is the end of the line for most of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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