July 6-10, 2009

[Jane1978]

I don´t understand how anyone can be happy the ratings fell. Sorry, but if this isn´t some temporarily fluctuation related with MJ burial or atleast summer and holidays it just shows all soaps will be done much sooner than we thought. The numbers are down across the board so no sane producer will read it as a sign another HW/EP change is needed. He will read it as the sign the genre is dying and there is no point to try to save it anymore. There is not even a glimmer of hope. If there was just one soap which would go steadily up while the rest is falling, TPTB would no doubt noticed and copy as they always do. But there is nothing. That some soaps which were absolutely awfull last year are a little better this year on one particular week really doesn´t count. There is still no sign of a recipe which could turn the trend around. It´s depressing.

I have no proof for this, but I believe any soap which gets below 2.0 in HH and 1.0 in 18-38 is in a direct danger of cancelation. So the numbers are terrifying. I don´t believe any ABC soap is profitable right now and the budget cuts which are no doubt coming will be drastic. Poor DAYS is still holding by a thread but let´s face it, there is nothing to cut anymore. The show is cheap as hell, with a few sets and poor production values. If they fall just an inch lower that´s it, the point of no return.

Not even Y/R is safe. The demos aren´t so much better than the rest and all these vets and lavish production values are expensive. Soon the show will have to start to cut too and unlike DAYS Y/R cannot exists without its vets. The moment the show starts to cut them, people will revolt and we will see the same vicious cycle of viewers leaving and more cuts coming we saw with all the soaps before.

Not good at all.

[marceline]

GH has lost 600,000+ viewers in a year? That's sad. Especially after the big investment to go to HD. But otherwise it just seems like all the shows bump up .1, then drop .1, and shuffle order a little. Granted nobody should be popping champagne but it seems like most of the shows are fairly stable.

[Mary Beth]

Most shows are somewhat stable with a downward trend, but GH has been dropping hard in just in the last 3-4 months.

As for how I can be "happy" the ratings are down. I don't know. If they can't tell good stories anymore and they won't make an effort to save the genre, then maybe the genre deserves to die.

Am I happy about that? No.

It sucks.

But am I supposed to sit there and keep watching crap I don't enjoy just so that crap will continue to air and nothing will ever change?

It's a catch-22 and the fans are stuck being damned if we do and damned if we don't. The only difference is if we do watch, at least cast and crew keep their jobs. I feel bad that the industry in general suffers because the creative minds at the top are burned out or too egotistical to actually try to save things. Because I like the actors and characters. I'm sure the crews work really hard -- even moreso with budget cuts. It's all someone's livelihood. But that's not on me to maintain. That's on the shoulders of the people who make the decisions, set the story arcs, define the canvas, etc. And no one's holding them responsible . . . . except in the one way we can which is just to turn it off.

I'd much rather they save the shows, believe me. I think soaps can and should be a relevant viewing option. But they should be an entertaining one and, for me, more and more they're just not. And I'm so irritated by this point that I just have very little care left anymore.

[marceline]

Open your window and you will hear me applauding this post.

[DRW50]

OLTL usually at least does not go overbudget. They may turn a small profit. If they hurt from anything it is likely the bleeding from AMC and GH.

[Carolyn1980]

ALL the current soaps turn a profit. Otherwise, they would've already been canceled. Even GL was turning a profit when it was canceled; but it wasn't a big enough profit for CBS, and CBS felt they might have better margins with cheaper programming there (which is why they're going with a gameshow).

There's no real number we can point to and say "that's the number" that can get a show canceled. It varies. For instance, the ABC shows can dip lower than the other non-network owned shows and still turn a profit. Before ABC cancels any of their shows, you can expect them to attempt to cut out all but the cheapest talent (in other words, look for Susan Lucci, Cameron Mathison, Erika Slezak, Kassie DePaiva, Steve Burton, Tony Geary, Maurice Benard, and others, to be long gone by the time their repsective shows have been canceled).

[Ann_SS]

ABC firing Geary, Bernard and Burton before GH is canceled? I'll believe when I see it. I see the 3 of them along with Guza and Phelps going down with the ship. They will take pay cut after pay cut to remain big fishes in their ever shrinking ponds.

[Carolyn1980]

I think what happened with DAYS makes me see ABC making such a move. They fired a bunch of expensive veterans who many thought were not expendable, and ratings are actually up.

I could see GH shifting the focus to the young ones, and offering MB and SB such low-ball offers that they have to walk.....or, taking a cue from DAYS, just not offering them anything except a "See ya."

[Daphne]

If GH continues to fall, I wonder if ATWT could possibly overtake them?

[DRW50]

Yes, but CBS didn't own GL outright. ABC owns their soaps. I thought that made a difference in profit. So that may be why AMC and GH are still on even though they go heavily overbudget.

Supposedly ABC almost cancelled AMC several times over the past few years because of their budget problems, and only thing like Susan Lucci taking big pay cuts kept them afloat.

[Jess]

It is painful watching GH. Spinnelli is so annoying. Now Maxie has turned into such an idiot and the actress has become so hammy. Add to that the fact that the show continues to reward really bad behavior -- I can't believe they are letting Claudia get away with shooting Michael -- and you have a really lousy show. GH deserves its ratings.

[rhinohide]

OLTL sucks. Hard to believe half the soaps out there suck even worse.

[Bright Eyes]

All the soaps suck, unfortunately.

[Sylph]

This was shocking to read. You've really finished the circle from biggest fan who dropped unconscious after every OLTL episode to a completely disillusioned girlfriend.

[Rakesh]

Just a few months ago...