Y&R: Potpourri Thread 2

[alphanguy74]

Really, your'e gonna blame COLUMBUS DAY? Talk about grasping at straws. I'm sure all the postal workers and bank tellers account for half a million viewers.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Yes, the show had a 4.1 on Columbus Day, and it hasn't had one in months. The logical explanation for why Y&R and OTHER SOAPS went up that day was due to it being a holiday. By Wednesday, Y&R was threading back down to its usual ratings territory. Maybe you should, you know, look at the day to day viewers/ratings, instead of coming off so ignorant?

Not to mention, many kids, and college students had off that day too...

Once again, seeing what you want to see. I know not to expect anything less from you.

[MarkH]

There's actually middle ground here.

Y&R was up for Columbus Day, that's clear.

But going ALL THE WAY up to 4.1 is unusual for Y&R...it's a few points above their usual high (3.8 or so).

The deeper message, for me, is that the Colleen f*cking kill stunt WORKED. It created enough of a bump that viewership got especially high on Columbus Day.

Now, WE ALL KNOW that is stunt-driven highs, and it won't actually build the show. Indeed, Coll's death actually does more to tear the show down.

But the SUITS don't care. All they want is those bursts of 4.1.

Translation, much, much, much, much more plot-stunts to come. Watch most of them to have big peaks on holidays.

None of us wins from this ratings spike. None of us, no matter where we stand on this regime.

(Spoken as a former believer in the other side. When LML's ratings spiked during John Abbott's death, I thought it validated her good decision. In the time that followed, I realized the show was permanently damaged by its loss of moral center, and that the ratings spike was artificial...it didn't actually build the show in any way. The same is true for Sudden Impact, and for Kay's funeral).

[Sylph]

So we're headed right towards

CANCELLATION?

Right, Mark?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

But again, it didn't happen during a sweeps month, when the suits actually care.

If they wanted to benefit from a stunt, they should have planned it better to happen during sweeps.

But agreed, it probably means more hallow stunts and shock and awe-type stories from this incompetent writing regime. Lame.

[MarkH]

I think so, but not in the normal way.

I just intuit that with ATWT about to clear the books in 2010, B&B having serious demographic issues (oldest audience), and the Y&R contract expiring in 2011...I just think (pretty much regardless of the ratings...because they're not going to go up...they might hold steady, I suppose, but I doubt it) that CBS will be done in 2011. Or 2012 (if they decide for a last "farewell year"). By 2012, the numbers may be trending in the low 2s anyway.

The fascinating question is whether CBS will blink out the soap lights one by one, or more in synchrony. I actually think the recent network discussions with cable (about getting retransmission fees) could change the landscape a bit. We'll see.

[DRW50]

Unless things really drop within the next few years I don't believe CBS is going to cancel all their soaps by 2012. LMAD, in it's earliest, most hyped weeks, is barely above GL, and is actually doing worse in the key female demographics. If that's the best they can get for a show they pinned so much on than they are going to hesitate about cancelling some of their higher rated soaps like Y&R.

If Y&R's ratings stay relative to where they are now AND Y&R continues to dump expensive vets, then I can see it staying around. At least if they have competent people in charge. At the moment they don't. These people don't seem to know anything about how to properly use actors to get their money's worth.

CBS is not the same as the other networks. They are more hesitant to change, they always have been.

If anyone ends this show it will probably be Sony. They deserve the blame.

[alphanguy74]

But Carl, I just don't think anybody else is gonna do any better. Mt preference is Kay Alden, always has been... always will be. People are bitching about Maria having chracters not act like themselves, and they want Jack Smith back. You want to see Jack Smith having a character not act right... look at this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vskgh2qwhis&feature=related

[lmfan]

Jumping in just because I have to. As a Lauren and Michael fan, I would be happy if either Smith or Alden returned. Under Maria Bell, I feel like I am in a death watch with my two favorite characters as she continues to neglect them until people just don't care about them. When she needs her latest shock and awe story, she will ramp up their story and it will be the death of Lauren or all the Baldwins only to be replaced with the likes of Ryder to join the Fisher family minus Michael and Lauren.

And nobody will even flinch because they will say that they weren't on much anyway and even though it's a shame they have to make budget cuts. It's all manupilative bull [!@#$%^&*]. She manipulates the audience and positions characters in a way that the fans either grow to hate them or just forget about them. Then she comes out smelling like a rose because someone higher up at SONY made the decision to cut the actor and precious Maria was just trying to honor Bill's memory and is disappointed these vets are gone. It is just so damn manipulative and then she outright lies to good and loyal actors like CLB and TEB claiming she likes them and so do the fans and then proceeds to spend a year diminishing them so that she can get rid of them no muss and no fuss and add in more of her beloved Chancellors and Hogan's favored Fishers. It just sucks.

[DRW50]

The Isabella story didn't do anything for me but I can't compare Mary being drunk to Patty Williams killing pets and almost killing children. There seems to be no plan of any kind at Y&R now, it's just shock value and trash.

[Juliajms]

IA. No writer is going to be perfect, but I do want Jack Smith or Kay Alden back. I'm not saying either should be a solo head writer, but it could only help to have one of them back as a co-head writer.

[alphanguy74]

I'll tell you what I REALLY want, for Smith and Alden to replace Hamner and Sheffer, and leave Maria where she is.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Maria can keep her Co-EP title for all I care and let Alden and Smith write the show, especially if these are end times for daytime and they can't find a proper storyteller for the show.

Or just lock Maria out, and let Alden and Smith do it on themselves. Hell, they did it for years, and Maria wasn't even interested in daytime.

Also bring David Shughnessy or Ed Scott back to deal with the production side of things. The show has been looking cheap and too brightly lit lately.

Alden and Smith should have never been fired for trash like Latham, Maria Arena Bell, Hogan Sheffer, and Scott Hamner. What were they fired for? For winning an Emmy for Writing and keeping the show at #1? Y&R might have needed some tweaking in 2005, but it didn't need an overhaul in 2005.

[alphanguy74]

I don't like Ed scott... he's a great big butthole that plays fast and loose with the rules. I want Shaugnessy. I think Latham was Barbara Bloom's doing. Barbara Bloom needs to lose her damn job. What do they need her for, anyway?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I also don't think Kay Alden would want to work with Ed Scott, hence why Shaughnessy was my first choice.

The Bell's signed off on Latham, Latham always said her changes were approved by both Bill Bell , Jr (Maria's husband) and Barbara Bloom.

I'd also take some of the old writing team members like James Houghton, Trent Jones, and others back as well. Hell, if we can't get Alden and Smith back, someone from the old writing team should be writing this show (not Natalie Minardi Slater or Janice Ferri Esser though).