Next soap to fall?

[David V]

With ATWT due to go off the air next month, only 6 Daytime soaps will be left- two on CBS, three on ABC and one on NBC. This itself is quite astonishing for CBS, which had for most of its history been the strongest network in Daytime. And currently there is little to separate the ratings of all soaps except Y&R and B&B.

In years past, there was what I term a "cancellation threshold" which means that when a soaps' ratings sank to dangerously low levels, cancellation was only a matter of time. But even this was no guarantee of a show's future- Capitol always rated at least reasonably well and it got cancelled, and Another World was not near the worst-rated soap either. Affiliates played their part too- in the dying years of Search for Tomorrow, Edge of Night and Ryan's Hope, large numbers of affiliates had dropped them. And the fact that there were always a few soaps each year with dangerously low numbers was enough to keep, say, Santa Barbara or Loving above water for years. This "safety net" is now gone.

[Goldensoaps]

Next soap to fall will be OLTL!!!!! In 2020...we'll only have 4 soaps (Y&R, B&B, AMC < thanks to Susan Lucci and her power on tv> and maybe DAYS)

[MontyB]

I don't know which soap will be next, but I'm not betting it will be OLTL because at this point of the game, you really don't know. Who would have thought CBS would have cancelled ATWT like that?

Anyway, I honestly don't think Susan Lucci will have any affect on whether AMC stays or goes. In my point of view she doesn't have THAT much power and AMC wouldn't stay over GH. Not happening.

.....but I digress, who really knows?

[Cheap21]

Who didnt? It was pretty much inevitable. Next soap will most likel be OLTL, followed by Days

[MontyB]

Honestly, I was very surprised it got it's notice so soon after GL.

Anyway, I know everyone is betting on OLTL, but I don't know. Call me crazy, but I'm not putting my eggs in that basket just yet. In fact, I'm hoping no show will be cancelled anytime in the next couple of years.

[reallyhateskateonlost]

It's a toss up between AMC and OLTL within the next year.

[OLTL_fan]

AMC will not last another 10 years with those .9s Susan Lucci or not.

[marceline]

You've done a public service by starting this. Now maybe the ratings thread can go back to being the ratings thread. Thanks.

[Eric83]

At this point, the only two soaps that are safe are Y&R and GH. I think of many different reasons why AMC, OLTL, DAYS, or B&B could be the next one to go.

[Cheap21]

why B&B? That one seems very safe. I dont expect it gone for at least another several years. I see no immediate danger

[MichaelGL]

OLTL and AMC is my guess.

[Bright Eyes]

This topic is very boring and overused. Even annoying. Zzz ...

[Eric83]

Just depends on what affiliates do with it once ATWT ends, and where they schedule The Talk. I can see some affiliates just dropping the 30 minutes for B&B for their own local programming and putting Y&R in a late-afternoon slot like 3pm/4pm. This is all just a guess on my part though.

It also has pretty bad demos most of the time, and CBS isn't benefitting from the worldwide sales. That said, even if it does get cancelled on CBS, it will continue to on an international scale.

[Cheap21]

I still think it will be safe. Its consistently the 2nd highest rated soap. Even if things were to slip and they needed money, there's lots of room to cut costs down. For one, the cast is bloated and I can think of at least 8 characters that can be removed/dropped to recurring

[Melroser]

Although One Life is my soap, I do fear it will be the next to go.

I hope at least not until 2012. I think the new studio helped give it some time, but it is still the last NYC soap where everyone says it is more expensive to film. This show, too, could cut A LOT of fat from the cast to help it reduce costs even more before it gets dire. (The new insta-Ford family).

I am anxious to see how Kim Zimmer's arrival has any affect on the ratings, if even it does. I just want the show to level off and not lose any more viewers than it has.

After OL, I think it will be Days...then AMC...B&B...and leave GH and Y&R for a while.

It's sad to think at one time there used to be what? 16 soaps on the air at once? And now it's down to 6.