June 29 - July 3, 2009

[Daphne]

I wonder if GH can realistically reclaim its audience? Did this decline start with the return of Michael and a SORAS'd Kristina or is it something else?

[Ann_SS]

GH's demo trouble was noticeable in April, but it recovered somewhat during May sweeps. It has been trending downwards since then. The decline in the women 18-49 demo suggests to me that there has been a significant shift in GH's audience. Y&R was able to regain its women 18-49 demo though it overall viewers have never really recovered. I don't necessarily believe that quality is linked to the ratings, but Y&R took steps to fix itself and its audience returned for where ever they went. GH is the same ole, same ole so its viewers may not return.

[UKBoi]

I love how everyone is all doom and gloom about soaps dying when 5 out of 8 soaps are up in total viewers from the same time last year.

[smadleyb]

Poor GL can't even catch a break on it's death bed - Friday was it's best day of the week and it didn't even count

[rsmith2k2]

I realize DOOL is an exception to the group due to Wimbledon. Do the rest of the soaps as a group tend to go up/down/no big changes historically during the big July 4th holiday week? If not the remaining soaps in total, any ABC or CBS-specific trends?

Thanks for the ratings Toups and also other stat contributors.

[MarkH]

Even though these weeklies are mostly just random fluctuation, I am surprised by the B&B rebound over last week/last year. I wonder what happened? There wasn't any great big story last week. Just Bridge breaking up for the hundredth time.

[DRW50]

Was Brandon Beemer in his underwear in any of those episodes? That's one of the rare times lately I want to tune in.

I'm actually pleased Y&R went up, because I would like to believe that is due to the focus on the Phillip secret being revealed. I don't know what was on Tuesday's episode, although I know many of you have said that the individual daily ratings are meaningless.

I'm impressed that OLTL managed to hold the lead over AMC and GH. On the one hand, I can see Frons saying it was all due to Starr/Cole or Todd the womancrusher, but I still want OLTL to succeed and I hope they will not get the wrong idea about what they should showcase.

[Soapsuds]

He was in his undies but not sure if that was that week or the week before that.

Here is what happened on Tuesday's Y&R:

Guessing Cane lied to her about a call he just made, Lily secretly grabs his cellphone and notices the many calls he's made to Langley. Lily later leaks to Jill about the many calls Cane's been making to his uncle. Nina confides to Neil about her concerns about Cane and suggests that Lily might be in danger. Nina stops by the Chancellor Estate to get a blood sample from Cane who admits that he has a "thing" about needles. After the samples are taken, the group starts to argue during which Cane switches his sample. Nine catches him touching them and calls him on it. At the hospital Victor receives a photo of him with Mary Jane on his cellphone along with a demand that he come to Jimmy's in an hour. Worried about her comatose daughter, Phyllis tells Mary Jane that Summer must have pulled out a cookie from the garbage can. Paul's curious to see Mary Jane there so Nick explains that she's a friend of Phyllis'. Later, Mary Jane leaks to Phyllis that Nick is not the father of Sharon's baby because Jack is. Guessing he was just calling Sharon, Phyllis blasts Nick for not focusing on their daughter. When she reminds him Jack's the father, she realizes that Nick didn't know. A desperate Mary Jane hints to a nearby Heather that Phyllis may have done this deliberately so Heather calls her office about research on Mnchausen's Syndrome. While Gloria discreetly hides at the bar, Jeffrey approaches Victor at Jimmy's and hints that Ashley wouldn't like to see that photo of him with Mary Jane. He offers to keep his secret if Victor will pay him all the money lost when the Cayman Island bank went under. Not interested, Victor warns a nearby Gloria that she's made a huge mistake. He confronts Jill who offers to talk with Jeffrey in exchange for a job. Victor turns down her offer too. Paul tells Nina that a cop who accompanied Phillip's body cannot be found.

[Ann_SS]

B&B's ratings are so closely tied to Y&R that I always expect B&B to rebound

[DRW50]

Thank you, Ruxton Hills. Now we know what caused the ratings spike. Gloria and Jeffrey

[MarkH]

Yeah..or board shorts or bedsheets or ...

Leslie Anne Down also looked amazing in her trousseau...I imagine that didn't spike the numbers, though. Ashley Jones, though, might have...she has been looking remarkable.

[Soapsuds]

Your welcome. Adam and Rafe were on Monday. So maybe fans tuned in to see if they kissed more...LOL

[Soapsuds]

Umm....Brandon was packing pretty well so maybe he did bring up the ratings.

[DRW50]

You may be right. True Blood fans enjoying seeing her in her element. And wondering who that old man with her is.

[Scotty]

Ha....I love it that OLTL is the top-rated ABC soap for the second straight week.