October 26-30, 2009

[JaneAusten]

They could have stayed the same also.

The View is pretty consistantly ahead of all the ABC soaps in ratings. It's the only show on ABCD that continues to gain viewers.

[JaneAusten]

Yep and when I look at the promotion GH gave JJ's return, the Carly/Vivian returns on Days is much bigger. And Days may have been the one soap to benefit from GL's demise because of Crystal.

And where was all the hype about Claudia and JJ's return. Online for the most part.

[JaneAusten]

Days has been over 3 million viewers the past few weeks while GH has been at 2.5. I'd be shocked if GH gained 500K viewers in one week.

[DRW50]

I just wonder if GH is even the highest rated ABC soap for the week.

I don't want to put too much on Carly's return, because if the ratings go back down then she will also likely get the blame. I think that DAYS is just a consistently solid, non-offensive soap. The show has a lot of good to OK things going on. Some stories don't work but nothing makes you disgusted, whereas a lot of stories on GH are disgusting.

I think the Carly/Vivian returns also bring back people who watched long ago or who have never watched but are curious. The show is now nonoffensive enough that they will keep trying.

GH is a very offensive show, and a lot of those who watched during the JJ era gave up for reasons beyond his leaving. They may not have cared enough to have just returned for his return. They may have been wary of the changes, especially to Lucky. For instance, you didn't have a 10 year period where the writers recast Carly and Vivian and treated them like crap.

And I also wonder how many Greg Vaughan fans may have quit, and if this may have blunted some of the impact. I think that Vaughan was a lot more popular than GH ever admitted. I think that's one of the reasons they hated him so much.

[JaneAusten]

I didn't mean to put the burden on Carly but I do think it's added interest and drama and hopefully turns out to be a decent storyline for all.

And JJ I'm sorry. I know many are excited about his return but he's been gone 10 years. I remember all the accollades when Sarah Brown was returning and she was gone for 10 years and nothing. Granted she returned as someone new but there was actually a ratings drop when she returned and it never did spike back.

And I do think Greg Vaughan, despite many calling him unLucky and not Lucky, was hugely popular. Many who didnt watch when JJ was on only know Greg as Lucky. I like JJ but I personally am sick and tired of all the hype, like he is Jesus Christ coming to "back to the old GH" to save it.

And do many people really find GH offensive?

[DRW50]

Oh no I didn't think you were putting a burden on her. I do think that her return has helped the ratings in the past few weeks. I know some have felt her return was underwhelming but I think that some of it has been very old school soap, and a lot of people miss that. And it ties directly into giving new story to viable actors who need new material, like Peter Reckell. I'm sure that those who were lapsed viewers, when they watch the show again, they see Maggie, or they see Bo, and there's still something familiar. When a lapsed viewer tunes back into GH, what do they see? A lot of bad writing and nasty characters.

I also think having him return in the middle of this Niz story may have been a mistake, because lapsed viewers are going to see Liz fantasizing about getting rogered on a roulette table with the bloated guy once known as Nikolas. Not exactly a great tonic for their positive memories of L&L2, is it?

And I think there's enough to also get to new viewers who may have tuned in just to see Crystal. I know some fans of an actor will only want to watch their scenes, but I think DAYS right now has some other stuff which is at least watchable.

What really impresses me is that she didn't get a lot of promo. I mean she got interviews and some web stuff but I don't even remember that much TV stuff. It didn't seem to be the big event of JJ's return.

I think they do, yes. They got very negative publicity for shooting Michael in the head. Outside of the press, I think a lot of longtime viewers have been demoralized by the constant misogyny, the destruction of everyone on the show who is not a mobster or a mob apologist, and the overall crappy, unsatisfying storytelling.

[Ann_SS]

I'm not convinced that most of GH's viewers find it offensive. I talk to a couple of people who watch GH regularly and never come online. They love Sonny, Jason, and Carly and think they are swell. They don't find the mob or its violence offensive because it is just tv. I think they are more like the 2 million of people who tune every day than the people who complain about the show online including me.

[DRW50]

I think a lot of those who watch now are OK with it, but I think lapsed viewers may not be; that's who GH was aiming for with the return of JJ.

Beyond the mob worship, the show has also gleefully taken a hatchet to the Spencer family and to the legacy of Luke and Laura. I wonder how many who loved Lucky were hesitant to return for that reason.

[JaneAusten]

I actually never considered JJ's return in that sense. This Niz storyline is comtemptible to begin with and IA dropping JJ's Lucky into the middle of it and still having Liz fantasizing about Prince Bloat has to turn off a lot of lapsed LL2 fans who loved old school Lucky and Liz. I'm actually wondering why bring JJ back. With the lack of respect GV's Lucky got they could have easily done Nik and Liz but I do recall the backlash of Liz and Jason because of what happend to GVs Lucky so maybe they felt they could do it better with JJ who knows. I actually expected things to shift a bit with JJ back but it apparently hasn't and isn't happening. That's GH. Use the bait of Old school LL2 and then dump on that fanbase.

And for Days, I love Carly and Vivian's return. I haven't found it lackluster but I didn't expect a big splash like GH did for JJ and SBr when they returned. You're right. Days is just back to decent storytelling and I am actually interested because it adds an additional level of angst to Bo and Hope's current story also. I loved Carly, Vivian and I love seeing Maggie and Victor and Stefano of course all used a lot on the current canvas. I think it's one of the best things Days did was to bring these vets back to the forefront.

[JaneAusten]

Oh I think you are correct but I also think those viewers who are gone aren't returning just because JJ is back. Lucky and the Spencers have gotten gutted for years on this show now. And JJ returning isn't changing that. PLus I am skeptical because JJ won't disclose how long his contract is which makes me think it's not long term and Lucky may eventually die at the end of his run.

I always thought that GH didn't want those old viewers back. JJ was on over 10 years ago. GH wants all the "old folks" back?

[Ann_SS]

I don't think that any actor's return can bring in sustained ratings.

ABC's new policy is that actor not talk about their contracts so JJ is probably abiding by that. LW did spill on Twitter that she just re-upped for 4 years.

[DRW50]

I think they make an exception with JJ because Guza loved writing for him, or did at one time. Through him they may have hoped to bring some lapsed viewers back. I'm sure the ratings loss this year must have concerned them.

[JaneAusten]

I don't see them writing Lucky different than GV's Lucky just more scenes and dialogue. Of course this could change when Lucky supposedly ... Well I won't spill it but there is another death coming and Lucky's involved.

[pisces33]

These aren't the ratings from last week, are they? I am confused.

[JaneAusten]

No but the Days Press Release that was posted was for last week.