September 21-25, 2009

[DRW50]

I've felt sad about soaps for almost 15 years and it's gotten worse and worse over the past decade. I actually checked out of soaps, for the most part, for a big chunk of this decade, but I decided to start up again because they mean a lot to me and I have a lot of memories of what they were and hopes of what they can be. I want to stay with them to the end.

I do see what you're saying, and I don't think you should feel guilty. We all have our breaking points. I've given up a lot of shows -- I do tend to give up primetime shows easier than daytime. I just love the daytime format and the potential for what it could be.

[Chris B]

I'm sorry, but even Latham could pull in 6 million viewers for her stunts. MAB did a lot of ratings damage and hasn't been able to repair that. Right now the ratings are up, but it'll only last a few weeks (if that) then go back to the gutter because nothing makes sense. It's just the initial shock getting people to tune in. I thank Beth Maitland for these ratings. She needs a contract.

[jfung79]

Glad to see ATWT back from the brink a little. I think it may have picked up a few viewers left soapless from GL's cancellation. The numbers still need to go up a lot more though, not looking good for the last P&G survivor.

[Ann_SS]

ITA. Y&R now needs to not lose most of its gains.

GH did not do anything ratings wise so what was NLG taking about? TPTB must be happy they have not lost substantially. GH has seemed to hold on to most of the viewers that it gained since the car accident stunt and its 18-49 women demo has stayed decent.

[marla0518]

I laugh my butt off at the posters on MB's spewing the "I am turning off my TV so the ratings will go down!!! that will get their attention!!" some people just don't understand that unless you are a Neilson Family member, all turning off your TV does is save electricity!!!

[aMLCproduction]

Looks like we r stuck with Mabby

[Ann_SS]

B&B's 18 to 49 women demo is atrocious. I hope that it can rebound.

When people were complaining about LML, I pointed out that changing headwriters does not usually go well. They insisted that anyone was better than LML and that Bells needed to take over. They got both wishes so there really should joy and happiness with few complaints.

[MarkH]

And this is why the die-hard soap fans (like SONners) are out of touch. Although these stunts ultimately kill the genre, letting a little more air out of the tire each time, they sadly WORK.

All our gnashing of teeth won't stop the fact that -- for all the soaps -- it's "all stunts all the time" from this day forward. I'm guessing Johnny Depp will soon start a two month gig on B&B.

Totally right. This will not last. But they no longer care. This is the GH-phenomenon. The show becomes a rat-a-tat-tat of stunts, and these are ratings "ups", punctuated by "downs". It doesn't build a show, but nobody cares about that any more. It's like a battery near dying. You just want to milk out that last drop of power...you don't care to save the battery.

Uh huh.

Time to think constructively how her regime can be improved...because she is here to stay (for many reasons). "Off with their heads" is not going to happen. Not in the near future.

[Angela]

1.(1) Y&R: Monday: 3.9/5,386,000 (+286,000)

2.(2) B&B: Monday: 2,5/3,395,000 (+98,000)

3.(5) DAYS: Monday: 2.3/3,147,000 (+474,000)

4.(4) AMC: Monday: 2.1/2,651,000 (-35,000)

5.(6) GH: Monday: 2.0/2,645,000 (+61,000)

6.(7) ATWT: Monday: 1.9/2,519,000 (-4,000)

7.(8) OLTL: Monday: 2.0/2,500,000 (+71,000)

1.(1) Y&R: Tuesday: 3.9/5,332,000 (-54,000)

2.(2) B&B: Tuesday: 2.5/3,352,000 (-43,000)

3.(3) DAYS: Tuesday: 2.2/2,864,000 (-283,000)

4.(5) GH: Tuesday: 2.1/2,735,000 (+90,000)

5.(4) AMC: Tuesday: 2.1/2,669,000 (+18,000)

6.(6) ATWT: Tuesday: 2.0/2,629,000 (+110,000)

7.(7) OLTL: Tuesday: 2.0/2,473,000 (-27,000)

1.(1) Y&R: Wednesday: 3.9/5,526,000 (+194,000)

2.(2) B&B: Wednesday: 2.6/3,699,000 (+347,000)

3.(3) DAYS: Wednesday: 2.2/3,216,000 (+352,000)

4.(6) ATWT: Wednesday: 2.0/2,711,000 (+82,000)

5.(5) AMC: Wednesday: 2.0/2,473,000 (-196,000)

6.(4) GH: Wednesday: 1.9/2,404,000 (-331,000)

7.(7) OLTL: Wednesday: 1.9/2,350,000 (-123,000)

1.(1) Y&R: Thursday: 3.7/5,172,000 (-354,000)

2.(2) B&B: Thursday: 2.3/3,279,000 (-420,000)

3.(6) GH: Thursday: 2.1/2,705,000 (+301,000)

4.(4) ATWT: Thursday: 1.8/2,598,000 (-113,000)

5.(3) DAYS: Thursday: 1,9/2,597,000 (-619,000)

6.(5) AMC: Thursday: 2.0/2,464,000 (-9,000)

7.(7) OLTL: Thursday: 1.9/2,389,000 (+39,000)

1.(1) Y&R: Friday: 3.7/4,975,000 (-197,000)

2.(2) B&B: Friday: 2.3/3,204,000 (-75,000)

3.(3) GH: Friday: 2.1/2,859,000 (+154,000)

4.(7) OLTL: Friday: 2.0/2,599,000 (+210,000)

5.(5) DAYS: Friday: 1.9/2,497,000 (-100,000)

6.(6) AMC: Friday: 1.8/2,353,000 (-111,000)

7.(4) ATWT: Friday: 1.7/2,313,000 (-285,000)

[EttaKit]

Exactly. And then they were all excited about Cane being a fraud and the restoration of the real Chancellors. Of course that's worked out really well.

It is very fitting if they end up being stuck with MAB and her henchmen. Even if MAB won't admit it she should know she went overboard with Adam and MJ and the whole summer of doom and gloom. Hopefully she'll get rid of HS and learn to balance out the show in every regard.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

How can who refuses to acknowledge any mistakes and thinks she's writing the best thing since slice bread honestly "improve" her writing?

And these gains didn't happen during a Sweeps months, when they actually count for something. And many claim the 18-49 demo is the most important thing to the networks and advertisers, and Y&R actually went down in that demo year to year.

The show is still down year to year for the season too. A stunt that bumps the ratings up for a few weeks means nothing, especially if it isn't a sweeps month.

Y&R deserves better than this writing regime, and a lot aren't going to wait for them to get better. Have people like McTavish, Guza, Pratt, and others gotten better creatively with time? No.

[Cyberologist]

NOPE

[Soapsuds]

Glad to see ATWT at #5 in Total Viewers. The whole Holden/Maeve/Damian/Jack/Lucinda story was featured heavily on Tues and Wed. GH2 day on Friday was the lowest numbers of the week.

[EastMA2]

Does anyone know how the Price Is Right reruns did in GL's timeslot?

[Jonathan]

Why has Friday become such a bad day, ratings wise, for soaps. That use to be cliffhanger day. I only watch one soap, AMC, and they don't do the big cliffhangers that they used to do way back when or even when Pratt first came on board (he did them pretty effectively). How about the other soaps?