Ways to save OLTL

[You're Soaking in it]

Even if people are tuning in not necessarily to see Viki as their first thought, the presence of the character and actor are no less important to the canvas. There are certain things that can be done - that shouldn't be done - that can destabilize the morale of crew and viewers alike. And as I said in my previous post, Slezak's unique importance to OLTL is either something you're going to get... or that you're just not going to get. But trust me, most viewers DO get it. It would be a catastrophic error in creative judgment. The show would go out on an offensive note... and would arrive at its end even faster.

[DRW50]

I think getting rid of Erika would send a message to the remaining longtime viewers that they are no longer needed.

It would be one thing if Erika were some diva who went to the press and raged over story or salary, like Eric Braeden, but she generally accepts what she's given, and she always takes the pay cuts she's asked to take. She's been very gracious.

[SFK]

No Erika and Robin, and my heart, my gut investment is gone, and I am not alone on that by any means. I left for Robin before, the character hasn't been the same for me since she returned, nevertheless, those ladies drew me into the show... they're my anchors. I can't say that I'd stop watching altogether, but without the promise of Erika and Dorian, I have a feeling I'd watch every day the way I now watch on slow days, which is with one ear and from the next room while working. Frankly, they cannot afford to alienate ANY viewer, young, old, or in between. There are other ways they can fix the show and slash the budget. No more Jareds, bring back Viki's sons, we got a Kim, no new Stacy. Hell, the recurring and dayplayer characters are some of my favorite. Less contracts. Frankly, OLTL is imo the most interesting soap on the air right now, it shouldn't even have to be fighting for its life.

[Eric83]

Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm one of the viewers that doesn't get it. I've only been watching since summer 2008, and all I've seen Viki do is comfort Natalie and Jessica. She must mean alot to the show, so if they did have to slash costs, getting rid of characters that are obviously not working (Stacy), is a step in the right direction.

[EricMontreal22]

There was nothing to be done back when Nelson said it either--to think there was is insanity.

[Khan]

Exactly.

It has been said (and from a viewer's standpoint, I can agree) that SEARCH FOR TOMORROW's fate was sealed the minute Mary Stuart (Jo) was no longer front-and-center on the show. Even if Ms. Stuart had passed away during the show's run, or had elected to retire, IMO, viewers would've accepted that a lot better than MS being pushed out b/c TPTB wanted more emphasis on glamour and youth. Don't think the same wouldn't happen w/ OLTL if Brian Frons decided ES was no longer necessary to the show's continued survival. Again, I'm just saying.

[Khan]

Look at it this way: OLTL's ties to its past are tenuous, at best. In fact, depending on who you talk to, or whoever's in charge at the moment, OLTL didn't even exist before 1979. Viki, however, has been the one through-line since its' very first episode, back in 1968. You sever that thread, and you might as well not call the show ONE LIFE TO LIVE anymore, because it won't be.

[EricMontreal22]

Totally agreed with your last post (though I do find it amazing that you remember seeing how awful Search got when Mary was de emphaiszed seeing as you were five when it ended )

[DRW50]

The de-emphasizing of Jo started, what, in the 60s? She went from being the main focus of the show to just having stories, then to having nothing at all. Sometimes I think they were lucky to have lasted as long as they did after they started moving away from her and after they could not find a single acceptable recast for Patti in decades. I guess some of the people they brought in to take more story must have been popular, at least initially. I also think soap fans were more patient back then, because that was before they started being treated with such hostility by the networks and the producers.

CBS had such a dominant lineup in the 70s and through too much meddling (LIAMST), or questionable timeslot decisions (like what happened to EON), or wanting to be seen as more hip (like when they got rid of SFT for Capitol), in the long run they damaged a lot of it.

[Chris B]

Primetime shows have been saved and soaps have huge fanbases. I do think if fans could draw attention to the show and it's stories maybe the ratings would go up and they'd have a shot.Something is better than nothing. Imagine the outrage when the shows cancellation is announced. Unlike GL and ATWT, OLTL has some notice. The cast should be out pimping the show as well since the show is making it difficult to get interviews with the cast. Look at DAYS. It IS possible to get the ratings up with no promotion.

When the PGP AOL soap channel aired SFT you could definitely see what an afterthought Jo had become. I only saw her in one story, a cute little murder mystery with Stu, but the writers changed so that was that. It annoyed me that they brought on her granddaughter and killed her off before they had the good sense to bring her daughter back! It just felt so pointless.

[MoTheGreat]

I hoping RH doesn't come back as the role of Todd. I'm sick of Todd & Blair reuniting for the million time. After Blair spread those legs for Todd next enemy. This couple is part of what cause the fall of OLTL. What they had in the eighties. Viewers aren't looking for in 2010.

[EricMontreal22]

Chris I get that I just thought your implication that we shoulda all started paying attention when Nelson started his witchhunt was kinda off. But yeah--I agree that people have to stop acting like there's nothing to be done at all. Still a soap that's run for decades being canceled is a very different decision than danceling Jericho after hlf a year or whatever--I don't think just one fan campaign will have the same impact.

[marceline]

I think people are overestimating the damage losing Viki would do. Didn't people think firing Dee and Drake would destroy DAYS? But instead it led the way to a renaissance. Besides, Viki disappears for months at a time whenever ES takes her vacations anyway. The message board hardcores would be pissed if she were fired but the average offline viewer wouldn't know the difference. They might ask six months later where Viki is assuming it was on the air for another six months.

[DRW50]

I think it might be the opposite. The message board hardcores may be more likely to be talking about Tea/Todd, or John/Natalie, or Kyle/Fish, or whatever with Gigi and Rex. The viewers who aren't that involved online and just watch because it's something they've done for a long time, they might not have a good reaction to her leaving. She's been a central part of OLTL from the start and her family is still a major part of the show, whereas Marlena and John just had Sami by the time they left town.

Even if it doesn't do any damage, I'm not sure what they'd gain from losing her. I guess they'd get some salary boost, but then they will get that if they cut some of the dead weight they have clogging up the show, people who have been shoved at viewers endlessly for most of the year and helped cause a ratings drop.

[IMissAremid]

Just want to say, to anyone who thinks the secret to Days' success has been firing Deidre Hall and shoving aside the vets and focusing on the youth so the way to get OLTL's ratings up is firing Erika Slezak to hire... I don't know what exactly... to replace her I ask: what about the fact that in the absence of Hall there has been a big focus on Suzanne Rogers' Maggie, another beloved vet character and actress whose time on the show predated Hall and Marlena and is a super popular heroine in her own right to longtime soap fans? What about the fact that in spite of pushing John/Marlena and Steve/Kayla aside they have a big story involving a 25-year-old couple in Bo and Hope (even if it is their marriage coming apart)? What about the fact that Days HEAVILY features several 60+ actors and actresses in John Aniston, Joe Mascolo and Louise Sorel along with another longtime vet in Lauren Koslow?

You can't shove vets aside completely and Days hasn't. Even in their 20s-30s set you have people like Alison Sweeney who have been on this show 15+ years now and while Nadia Bjorlin, Ari Zucker and JKJ have not been around the entire time the last decade, still they would be instantly familiar to anyone who watched this show 10 years ago.

I think OLTL is a great soap, but they already have too few vets/long-term characters as it is.