November 23-27, 2009

[Mr. Vixen]

True. I wonder what it will take for ABC to let guza go. i mean COME ON, how many failures does the man have to have before they realize that HE IS THE PROBLEM. I love GH...but that's so ridiculous. There are soem great, UNDERUSED, actors on that show...

[DRW50]

I'm not sure if it's that shocking. Everyone knows the other soaps have a million or a million and a half less viewers than Y&R. And they ran what was one of their big hyped episodes from last year.

The problem is Y&R continues to let itself down. Being higher rated than generally out to sea soaps doesn't help it in the long run.

[JaneAusten]

I don't love GH anymore. I did for years and they have sucked all the love out of me. Characters I loved, the Quartermaines(AJ, Alan, Emily) killed off for no good reason, characters disposed of or shoved to the side for Guza's pets(characters like Alexis, Robin), great actors let go for the pets(Stephan Nichols(Stefan), Rick Hearst(Ric). Everything I have loved about GH is history. Hate the mob and find none of the female characters(Except for maybe Robin) and very few male characters on this show at all appealing.

[Ann_SS]

I expected the ABC soaps to do better. If GH cannot pull the ratings with a guest star like James Franco, then it is hopeless. ABC has to know this. Yet we all know that nothing major will change. ABC will let Guza and Phelps keep doing the repeating the mob and infidelity stories every few weeks. ABC has got to be looking for replacement programming for at least one of its soaps. Sure they are cutting budgets big time, but at the rate the ratings are going, these soaps must be less and less profitable every year.

[aMLCproduction]

Though it was a holiday week, B&B sure is way down over last year. Very alarming.

Days only losing 24,000 viewers is a good sign.

I have been really watching this Franco story on GH and I agree if he can't do it, no one can.

ATWT turns sems to be in serious trouble. Again I have to remind myself it was a holiday week. Next weeks ratings will be VERY interesting.

Brad Bell must be feeling heat. He is at home right now thinking of what he can do with B&B and widen that gap between his show and Days. I expect more stunt casting and a super campy storyline.

[JaneAusten]

See I still am of the opinion Franco is not a draw. I asked 10 people I worked with if they knew who he was and 7 of them had never heard of him. All in their mid 30's agewise.Once I mentioned spiderman 3 of them remembered him. I just don;t see HUGE mainstream appeal or the kind that would cause a significant increase. Plus they are not even running him in promos anymore. I just don;t see a TV viewer watching Dancing with the Stars knowing who he is. Now advertise Sandra Bullock, WIll Smith, Tom Cruise, George Clooney it's a different story.

I am really curious what people really expected was supposed to happen on GH once Franco showed up. Did folks really think ratings would go up?

I am honestly shocked that not one soap has looked at Days to see what and how they have managed to do what they have done. It seems everyone wants a quick fix. ANd for some odd reason why is it that B&B or folks never seem to be concerned about B&B? Is it because of their huge international appeal and their low budget/cost structure?

[Ann_SS]

With all that promotion and hype over James Franco, I expect a ratings bump of some kind. GH usually does well when it promos its sweeps stunt. I never believed that Jame Franco was this A list star that GH and its peeps were claiming because not a lot of people know who he is, but several posters insisted that younger viewers knew who he was so I thought some of them would show up. Guess not.

I'm not one to link the ratings to show content on any given day, but it is noticeable that the Thanksgiving episode with lots of warmhearted family moments with the Scorpio-Drakes and Davis family and no mob or infidelity characters did the best last week.

[Mr. Vixen]

I actually think B&B could be in danger. I mean it still does well, but it's down from last year and last week, and it doesn't seem to be going up at all, but more often falling...I don't know. I don't think B&B will be the next soap cancelled, but if other shows do what Days did (and draw huge ratings over a year) and B&B keeps staying the same/lowering...It could be in danger in a couple years.

Also, JaneAusten, I agree to some extent.

I think killing all the Quartermaines was a MISTAKE. I Love that family. Now who is left??? Tracy, Edward and Monica? The only one they USE is Tracy..And she's just not as fun anymore. I was never a HUGE fan of Emily, but I thought killing her was stuuuupid! Same goes for AJ, etc. And Georgie was a tragedy too....I honestly think if ABC cared at all about the ratings, they would say see ya later to Guza.

[DRW50]

Luza can piss away opportunities like few can. What he's managed to do with Franco and with JJ's return have astounded me.

This year I have been somewhat baffled by ABC's commitment to AMC, but I guess their ratings have justified it lately, as they are going up, or holding steady. I have no real idea why. I just wonder if they have fixed their budget issues because if they are still in the red, then they won't have a lot of future.

[Ann_SS]

Guza has a dark vision of GH. I would have never had that stupid shoot out and made Franco into a murderer. I certainly would have not made the story all about Jason. I never thought that JJ's return would usher in major ratings or better writing.

[JaneAusten]

Hey Ann I understand about Franco but I happen to agree with Sara Bibel on this one. Movies he fronted or was a lead in tanked but he's had success with Spiderman and Milk and a lot of others but I just don't think he's mainstream enough to matter. He's more avante garde and I think those so called younger viewers wouldn't touch a soap with a 10 foot pole. They'll watch an indie or something trendier with him in it. I'll bet they watch him in 30 Rock - that's hip and appeals to that demo. SNL maybe although I am not sure about it anymore. GH is a soap. Different audience. Franco may be that big superstar 5 years from now. I also don't think a DeNiro would make a diff either by the way.

In terms of AMC I don't get it. Ratings relatively speaking are not bad. Why fire Pratt unless there is really some very unhappy cast members there. And the show is completely terrible.

GH on Thanksgiving. It warms my heart that that was the day with all the family stuff that got the best draw.

And who really felt JJ would make a diff. Not me. Sure GH's ratings are up a point or 2 over the summer but summer is usually a lower draw anyway I think. These ratings are not any better than anything GH got last spring. Probably lower in fact.

Days I am thrilled about. B&B to me is an anamoly. I don't get it. they don't seem to care much about ratings or am I crazy. I've heard they can be in last place and still do well because of their budget and their international audience.

[DRW50]

I didn't think JJ's return would bring major ratings, but I think it was a potential stepping stone for lapsed viewers to return, albeit in diminished numbers. I think JJ represented a beloved era of GH to some viewers who tuned out as the show went to hell this past decade.

Since his return, the writing has told us that Liz sees her rape as a sexual experience and that she has never been fulfilled by any man until Nikolas.

I can't think of a better way to get viewers to tune right back out.

[JaneAusten]

You have to be kidding. Who knew rape was a sexual experience versus a violent crime. So they use this ish to tell us Dikolas is a better lover. Guza is truly a disgusting man. Liz's rape story was the last decent one that show told. Emily's became about her husband Dikolas cheating onher but Liz's was actually pretty well done. ANd Lucky was her crutch and soul during her recovery. What a putrid propping tool.

[Guest dc cubs]

This weeks SOD had an article on Pratt's firing. They included quotes from anonymous actors and they were all very negative on Pratt.

[aMLCproduction]

Wonder why no one else has picked this story up

EDIT: I thought you meant Guza. I am seeing things. Didn't know I was this tired