Soap Barometer: Where Are We At?

[Sylph]

With all these bizarre and frustrating news about the latest additions to shows' canvas such as Sean Young joining Y&R, about OLTL reaching new lows in total viewers, DOOL not keeping the momentum the way it should've done and people, sarcastically, calling for Corday to announce in magazines the latest plan to save Days, I was wondering where are you at?

How do you view your viewing habits in the near future? Looking forward to what stories or cast additions in particular?

Are there shows you see yourself dropping from your taping/recording list for good?

Are there shows which unless they do something in particular you see yourself abandoning?

Which shows you think — and expect from spoilers — to improve and which to just keep going down the sewer?

[Eric83]

I'm excited for what is to come on DAYS, with what they have going with all the returns and such. The show has alot of interesting and exciting stuff coming up (Save the EJ/Sami/Rafe crap.)

OLTL is a damn shame honestly, they fired most of the likeable characters, and are ruining ones like Langston. The show revolving around Todd, John, and Rex is revolting because aside from TSJ sometimes, they all suck. I really don't see much in the future to get excited about except for a potential Brody/Layla pairing (I still have hope ), Bo/Nora, Blair/Eli and Viki/Charlie/Dorian.

GH is good as of late, and I'm enjoying it and see myself continuing to watch.

AMC is good right now, but I will hold off judgement until Kreizman and Swajeski's stuff start airing.

I have dropped Y&R/B&B. They suck ass right now.

Watching ATWT right now, but it's almost over, so it really doesn't matter. I'm going to become a more consistent viewer again this summer.

[Vee]

Oh, look, the Amazing Kreskin returns.

[Bright Eyes]

I just watching OLTL in early March and now believe the all the US soaps to be utter crap. I am INFINITELY better than them all and will not waste my time with them. NONE of them will ever get better. I wish they ALL were canceled, because the embarrassment of such idiotic fluff is disgusting.

The only time I see myself watching US daytime soaps is for tribute to long standing veterans. I.E Frances Reid (Which will definitely be ho hum and amateur.)

Instead I have moved to the wonderful Emmerdale, which keeps me glued to the screen throughout the week.

[applcin]

I've still been taping OLTL but I haven't watched the tapes since....well, let me put it this way, I haven't seen Jared die yet. I had the same pattern with GL when the writing was on the wall for DAM/Edmund. I would tape it and not watch for weeks or months because I hated what was happening to the few characters left I still cared about--I ultimately dumped GL long before it went off the air.

Viewing soon to be non-existent. At some point I will watch those scenes I mentioned and probably a little bit of the aftermath and just erase the rest of it without even looking at it. But between the death, the presence of Mitch Laurence (a character who drove me away from the show the last time he was on) and the stuff I'm hearing about the state the show is in, I'm not interested in any of it. It's too bad because OLTL was the one show left that I had a long history with (i.e., since the days of Edwina, Marco, Karen, etc.) that I still had any kind of attachment to. But Clint Ritchie and Phil Carey are gone, I loathe Mitch, Nora and Todd, am bored by Marty, the teens, McBain, tired of "how many ways can we make Jessica crazy" storylines. It's just so damn redundant and grating.

[All My Shadows]

My own personal State of the Soap Union:

ATWT - Riding it out until the end. I don't watch daily, but I try to see it at least three times a week. I think it's, on the whole, watchable right now. I'll bid it farewell come September and miss it.

AMC - I'm in and out of it at the moment. When I watch it, I'm glad I do and I like it, but sometimes I don't care enough to tune back in. I think I'll have more time to watch it when the summer rolls around, so we'll see.

OLTL - Dead to me until September, and even then, it might come back to life and eat a plate of pancakes.

GH - Next.

Y&R - Eh. I don't see myself getting back into it any time soon.

DAYS - I always say I'll start watching again, and really, when ATWT goes, if I'm not watching its replacement (and if Chenbot's a firm go, then I'm not watching it), it'll be a fight between DAYS and OLTL. DAYS always seems solid, so who knows.

B&B - I'm gonna continue doing what I always do with Beebs. I'm gonna watch it for a week or two once every year, LOVE IT, then forget it's even there.

I'm gonna stick with these shows until the bitter end, unless they all go the way of OLTL in the last few months.

[Cheap21]

Honestly, Im just waiting for all the soaps to be cancelled. Its really a blessing in disguise for me. I really dont even care anymore. I dropped OLTL...show's dead to me. Im watching AMC, and GH with B&B on the side. If it wasnt for the internet streaming, I wouldnt even bother with B&B. I can drop GH at anytime as its growing stale again. AMC is good for now but I wonder how long they can keep it up. Soaps are on their last legs. I think people need to just accept that instead of getting all devasted and shocked when they hear their show is cancelled

[MichaelGL]

Y&R won't see a TPTB change until MAB is dying of old age IMO. So they might continue to fall in terms of quality, but I don't think ratings will reflect that in a drastic manner. Our only hope is that HS and Bell have a falling out backstage and she replaces him with a capable writer.

AMC: Dead or alive. Depends if D&D can show success in the ratings.

OLTL: Dead. Unless a dramatic TPTB change happens, I don't see this really changing. RC might pull out a stunt here or there, fans might tune in every now and then for these stunts, but between stunts I think show might get into further trouble by hitting these record lows. It won't be a pretty picture for OLTL when ATWT stops appearing in the ratings this fall.

B&B: Alive and kicking.

DAYS: Alive and kicking. I think the real test comes during and after

. Will fans tune in to see their favorites? When that story concludes, will fans tune back in to see stories such as the one involving EJ's secret and Sami hit their climax?

GH: Alive and kicking. I think more "stunts" surrounding Sonny and his family will bring in viewers no matter how brain numbingly ridiculous they are.

ATWT: It might be coming to an end later this year, but I think it might go out with some healthy, but not impressive, ratings.

[Bright Eyes]

Days hasn't written a climax since, at least, 2002.

[MichaelGL]

I take it that you didn't enjoy the baby switch reveal this year?

[Bright Eyes]

Anything with Sami pre-2005 is an INSTANT fail.

[Soapsuds]

I am done with soaps come September. I can't believe I won't be recording a soap anymore. I've done it since back in the early 80's.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

AMC: Loving it. On the top for me right now

GH: This is second. For a while. I was hating the crap out of GH. But, it seems like it has really picked up the past these past 2 or so months

Days:Don't watch much. But, what I've seen is good

ATWT: Shame this is getting canned. Because, it is getting better

B&B: Suckville...I haven't liked this show in years.

OLTL:OH MY GOD. Where has my show gone? It's freaking terrible right now.

Y&R: This is just a total unwatchable trainwreck. I remember when Y&R was one of the crown jewels of soaps. I don't know how it's staying at number one. It's useless at the moment. Freaking useless.

[JackPeyton]

Here is where i stand...

AMC is solid right now, but i expect it to suck within a few months. I am hoping that im wrong, but i doubt it.

ATWT is dead and gone.

B&B is in shambles and needs a complete revamp that will never happen.

Days is solid, but boring. I am ok with that as its just sucked for so many years. This is the best its been since the 90s.

GH is GH. I dont know what else to say. I hate it, but it isnt really awful.

OLTL is a disaster and has slim to no chance of improving.

Y&R... same as OLTL.

I have watched and been invested in all these soaps at one point or another. I just dont care about most of them. I love days, but if it got the axe i would just watch til the finale and have fond memories. Other than days i really couldnt care less. I watch when i can if its good and thats about it.

[Gray Bunny]

I'm down to watching Y&R and DAYS when I can. If I miss them, no biggie. I'm actually more interested in catching up on Y&R than DAYS because DAYS is full of non-moving storylines. It's been "my" show since 1995, and while I anticipate the upcoming returns in June, I feel this will probably be its last hoorah until its finale. I agree with the person who said soaps are on their last legs and we should just accept it instead of getting in a hussy fit trying to save them. They can't be salvaged at this point. At least that's how I feel.

I do think Y&R still has some years in it if they don't eff it all up. They're still earning ratings that most other soaps were still earning nearly 10 years ago. But their most recent choices makes me think they're trying to speed up the process and die quicker. Even so, Y&R still has movement in their stories, unlike DAYS which wallows in the same stuff (though I'm curious about Hope's latest descent into the dark side...)

It's too bad DAYS didn't have their recent resurgence and now have big returns back 7 years ago when there was still a fighting chance to lure back an audience.