July 13-17, 2009

[dragonflies]

How the heck can AMC be 3rd in the HH yet 6th in total viewers?

Meh it's not over for soaps, they're still viable, they just need people in charge that care about the genre, instead of the same recycled hacks over and over.

It's the people in charge are the ones ruining the soaps

[Ann_SS]

I think that the headwriters and producers want to save their jobs so they are writing what they consider to be entertaining stories featuring characters that the fans "like." The reality is that they are delusional and have no respect for us the fans so they tell the incoherent stories and overexpose characters until we hate them. They are so caught up in formulaic drama for drama's sake that they forget to tell entertaining stories. It does not matter any more. It's over.

[DRW50]

I still think there is a market for soaps, probably not the current brand of soaps, but some version which could air in daytime. I also think that it's still possible for soaps to have a decent level of quality even with few viewers and a small budget. I know the soaps are going through very hard times now but I think many of them are run by people who don't know soaps, or who are burnt out, or don't want to know soaps, and don't care about viewers. There's network interference as well but I still believe if the networks just got their act together and if a better quality of producers were onboard then things would turn around. There's still some good in daytime, here and there. I know all the soaps get bad breaks now but I think some of it is in their control. I've seen Sheffer and Hamner pull the type of stuff at other soaps they are now pulling at Y&R, so I do think if they go then the show might improve.

[Jess]

Yeah, I agree. I think they are done. Daytime lost much of a generation of viewers starting in the the late 1980s and has never recovered. Daytime soaps sealed their own fate when they let that happen. There are shifts in taste, where a viewer goes from one show to another, and there are generational changes, where viewers tune out on an entire genre. A generation tuned out on soaps and now nothing can bring them back. Once you lose a generation, you also lose their children. In a strange way, I think there is a parallel between daytime soaps and the newspaper industry. The only difference in my opinion is the world needs newspapers. I think soaps once served a purpose beyond pure entertainment. Now, they aren't even entertainment for many people.

I agree totally with this. You mentioned OLTL in a previous post and it is a great example. It is stuck at a 1.8 and that is fine I guess. Once GL is gone, whether OLTL is in last place in the ratings or third place has nothing to do with OLTL. It solely depends on whether other shows are moving up or down around it.

[Ann_SS]

I completely agree that the soaps can be repackaged in the daytime tv to attract a younger audience. I have always thought that the telenovela format is the way to go. Yet something like the Real World might work. A combo reality/drama soap without expensive sets or camera work. I am not sure that year round episodes will be feasible any more, maybe 20 to 23 episode seasons like in prime time. Of course, ABC will hire the same tired headwriters and producers and use the same annoying characters.

[remos]

I dunno.... I think it's too early to start hemming the shrouds. Daytime isn't dead yet. I think with all things currently we are seeing a 'corrective'. There is a huge societal shift doing on in almost ever facet of life, and it's too soon to predict how any of it will look in the end. I think we will see Daytime Drama continue in some format - reduced, redone and perhaps only on one network - but we will have it. Telling serial stories, as Tony Geary so rightly phrased it, is part of the human makeup and we've had them forever. So much will depend on how our multi-sensory children grow and express their expectation. We've seen the 'end' of the radio generation and the literature generation, now perhaps it's happening for the tv generation as well, as everything shifts towards the net. In that experience radio and literature adapted. TV has yet to catch that particular wave even though some try.

I think 20 years from now we will still have daytime drama. My selfish hope is that GH is one of the ones that can continue in some sense, but even if it isn't something will be there.

[tgilbrea69]

Wow, I really thought ATWT would go up last week. I was all for them bottoming out in order to get rid of the head writer and executive producer, but it seems like they think hiring some new writers will help the situation (a band aid solution when an operation is necessary). If the new writers can talk them out of doing these stupid self-contained episodes, that will help - but I am beginning to wonder if it isn't all too late.

[Cyberologist]

I strongly agree its been evident to me "for years" they are writing "against" the genre esp ABC soaps

they do "the complete opposite to make an easy success"

fans have said for years what they want to see

but the steadfastly refuse and continue to do so listening to their focus groups.

Which is tanking two of my shows.

I think they want them to fail for other programming for

the time slots. Its pretty obvious they aren't writing for success in two of my favs I've watched for years.

What better way than to say

"hey they aren't watching them"

never mind they make it impossible to care to follow them with lousy story lines, piss poor dialog

its the dialog that gets me in a rant most of the time.

[mamasita]

I agree. The soaps are collapsing. A downward trend, not now..not last month...not last year...this has been going on for many many years and the reason has to do with not one or two factors but with several factors, sort of like a 'perfect storm'.

People, get ready, in the next five years the soaps are dead. Probably Young and Restless will survive on CBS or at a cable channel, maybe along with Bold and Beautiful..maybe if we are lucky enough, maybe as a weekly series.

cheers