OLTL: Couple Out

[Vee]

From TV Guide:

I'm of two minds about this, oddly enough. Am I upset that Kish are going? Yes, very much so, and it's typical that ABC would scapegoat them for ratings. But it's different than other stories for me, because this one was told, and told well, and broke major ground and it seems the boys will not be ruined as so many other gay stories on daytime have. Maybe they should go out on top.

This is a massive character and story exodus going down at OLTL right now, though. I assume many of these changes are not Ron Carlivati's idea - Kish was everything to him.

[Lucid]

holy crap ! didn't see that coming

[wingwalker]

I am really devastated right now. They are my couple. This makes me so sad and angry.

[Eric83]

Wow

[All My Shadows]

The ratings were down, yet they DON'T blame the stories that were on EVERY-FREAKING-DAY.

RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Eric83]

There must be some serious budget cuts going on.

I wouldn't be suprised if Tika Sumpter is the next one to go......

I'm not even going to go there.

[Vee]

I do think they probably hurt the ratings a little, but you know what, you take that hit sometimes when it's important. OLTL lost affiliates in the South in '68 over the Carla story, but Agnes Nixon kept on going. I think OLTL would have if it was still only up to them, but it's not; Frons and ABC are involved, and we know their track record on gay stories, Reese. And a little dip from Kish is nothing compared to the shitty stories that have been told in other areas on the show.

I'm oddly at peace with this. It does not seem to have been in the show's hands and the story was done right. I am heartbroken they're not staying, but I know from worse.

[wingwalker]

This is like a needle through my heart. With ATWT ending in Sept and now Kish gone, there is going to be no gay couples in daytime soon. I freaking love and can't believe they are blaming the ratings on them. Yeah, I'm sure maybe a little bit, but they were hardly ever on. It's not like they took over the show.

[Chris B]

Yeah maybe the show lost some viewers due to Kish, but they were hardly on more than two days a week. I wonder if the reason we hardly see Layla and RJ is because they're black and they don't feel (the largely minority) audience wants to see black characters? It's really just more excuses not to use minorities. We've heard it all before a million different ways.

Kish was a couple that fit in well. They didn't need to dump them this soon. It's not like they get that much screentime. They could easily scale them back to one/two days a week until another story is available for them.

[Eric83]

I am ready to see the headline Terel Tilford OUT at OLTL!

Like seriously, why is he still here?

[Vee]

Because he was a Frons idea.

Greg = Frons

Gigi and Rex = Frons

Rachel = old

Sky = needed elsewhere/not Rex

Kevin = old

Kish = gay

[dragonflies]

I agree! They're scapegoats, ugh! Of course they're not going to blame the Todd overload on piss poor ratings, nor RC

[bellcurve]

Somewhere, Miss Nellie has a gun to his head after reading this news.

[dragonflies]

LMAO, this is one good part of this, Nelson's reaction

[EastMA2]

Wow - but they think that we viewers want to see Jessica back in high school? Just WOW.