A Different Way for B&B To Go To An Hour

[bellcurve]

Which idea? B&B as an hour, DAYS moving to ABC or CBS, or both? The B&B as an hour idea is absolutely absurd, I'll agree. Especially since there is no space in Television City for that to happen. And the Bells are too cheap to finance such an expansion. And there's no way they'll sell a stake of B&B to CBS or SONY, especially since that cuts into the their revenue.

The most realistic scenario.

And no one seems to give a damn, either.

[Sylph]

Yes — B&B as an hour-long show. We've discussed it at least 897 times.

Yup.

I know the cable network is also one of those silly, ideas, but I think of all shows B&B has the biggest cable buy-out potential. And the fact that it's a half-hour show is a big factor in that. No one wants an hour.

[JaneAusten]

What's funny is that there is not a whole lot of talk about B&B's viability yet there is always a lot of discussion about the rest of them. Do many just feel B&B goes hand in hand with Y&R?

Personally I have liked some aspects of B&B over the years. I like the OTT campiness but I have NEVER understood the appeal of Brooke and Ridge and I have been disappointed in how they've underutilized some of the new additions like Rick Hearst. But I was happy to see Don Diamont get signed on and I actually have enjoyed watching him more on B&B over the past few months than I had on Y&R in a long time.

I don't see them expanding to an hour. One of the differentiators for them is that they are a half hour program I have to think.

But if CBS dropped them, does anyone think they'd be picked up by a cable station. I know they have a huge international following but wouldn't they need to continue to be broadcast here to continue to be available to broadcast internationally?

[bellcurve]

I think they would have to be domestic in order to be broadcast internationally.

If B&B moved to cable, they'd have to majorly clean house and get rid of some of their dead weight and maybe a few of their heavyweights.

[JaneAusten]

Does that mean Mr. Moss could go? I have never ever understood his appeal. To each his own I guess.

[Sylph]

The camp/trash factor is another one in line of factors contributing to their buy-out potential. However,

Precisely. It would need to trash-up, slick-up, turn into a Gossip Girl-esque, flashy, faster, more diverse, really-about-fashion show. And even if that occurred and it attracted an audience (or, more realistically, retained it), I'd give it 5 years tops. Or something like that.

[bellcurve]

They've tried SO hard to do this already, but have failed. They'd have to get rid of Allocco/Kurtz and especially rid themselves of Birgit to make the show more slick and hip.

Brad can have controversial ideas, and it's something that I admire. But he tends to recycle and reuse the SAME shock value story over and over until he moves on to something different. Incestuous relationships, triangles, and the latest motif, "death" reign supreme.

I think Brad(and especially the actors) have forgotten how to have fun. They all rush through plots and scenes and either take the material too seriously or they rush through it, ready to be done at 5PM. Yeah, there are fun moments(like the not-so-subtle gay jabs at Sue Flannery when Donna or Brooke slip into bed, thinking it's Ridge or Eric, all the stupid Donna-In-Peril moments, the kinky Jackie/Owen moments, etc.), but those seem so forced. I think people often forget camp isn't forced, camp comes naturally. All one has to do is watch Y&R these days. That is a hot, campy mess.

[Sylph]

Sure. Which is why it'll ultimately flop.

And by going all Gossip Girl or The Hills I meant definitely no incestuous relationships, no ghosts appearing from pools, no feet washing, no gory deaths, no heart-wrenching tales. It needs to be fun, campy, cleverly humourous... But it won't.

They just don't know how to write that kind of show.

Slicking up also means MTV-style editing & photography. Sets need a re-modelling baaadly.

[bellcurve]

It's too bad Sunset Beach died an early death. That show would have been ripe for this kind of revamp.

[JaneAusten]

I think you hit the nail on the head. One of the things I used to enjoy about the show(and yeah it's been campy and awful for years but so what) was it always seemed the actors were really into it and having fun with it. Now it just seems many are going through the motions and the fun seems to be gone. That's what I think I miss the most. And the infusion of some new talent, while not completely wasted, has proven disappointing as a whole. It normally helps keep the canvas fresh. It's done none of that IMO.

[JaneAusten]

I have to wonder if this show has a clue at what will happen once Susan Flannery retires.

[Sylph]

That's why I hope DiSanto or Gately order a soap. It won't happen. Or it will flop.

I'd love to see an MTV soap. A truly scripted show. It would be fun. A once-a-week one, of course.

[Soapsuds]

I think B&B will be cancelled before Susan Flannery retires.

[BadZoe]

B&B only survives because it is a half hour soap that airs during the lunch hour for many, allowing people to watch it at work. If they mess with that, it will get cancelled.

[JaneAusten]

I keep hearing they are huge internationally. Perhaps that keeps them afloat although that make no diff to CBS nor does CBS see any of those dollars.