How do they know The The resonates with their audience when these shows haven't aired yet?

Exactly, it makes about as much as sense as that last sentence about making everyone happy....a little too late for that ABC, don't ya think?

"We hope it will encourage them to watch and support GH," the rep says. "We will consider all options, such as making The Chew and The Revolution a half hour each, or making The Revolution and GH a half hour. This all happens a year and half from now. We are going to do our best to keep everybody happy."

I wonder how the producers of The Revolution or The Chew feel about this. Already, the network is saying (unofficially) it's going to cut it in half and neither has made its debut yet.

How do they know The The resonates with their audience when these shows haven't aired yet?

Just what I was thinking. Guess they are just that prescient.

I think soaps will be more like variety shows - once they're gone, they're generally gone.

I would like to believe the soaps will be back in some form - I can watch old stuff on Youtube, and foreign soaps, and I get a certain "soap" satisfaction from Doctor Who, but I still miss that old sense I used to have so long ago for shows like GL or ATWT.

I don't agree. I think one of the things that's hindered soaps is this idea from a lot of soap fans that they need to be a showcased in a certain way, they need to have all the same characters, like they have for years, have to be on 5 days a week. Every form of entertainment on television has been modernized but part of the problem with soaps is the nostagia factor fans hold onto which in some ways has hampered the progression. The Good Wife is the best soap opera on Television.Just because its not on during the day 5 days a week doesn't mean its not a soap. Real Housewives, Mob Wives are soap operas in a way aren't they? I see all the fans of DOOL jumping for joy because JOhn and Marlena are coming back and to me it's like eh so what. Call me when they do something to really evolve or change the show not stunt cast characters that were in their heydey 15 or 20 years agp to try and bring back an audience that continues to age and diminish.

Just because a show won't continue to air on daytime, 5 days a week doesn't mean its gone. Serialized storytelling exists in almost every scripted drama out there. Are websoaps the answer? Probably not but at least they are trying something more contemporary. One day someone will find the right formula. And it might not be 1 hour 5 days a week. Thats not really a bad thing.

I wonder how the producers of The Revolution or The Chew feel about this. Already, the network is saying (unofficially) it's going to cut it in half and neither has made its debut yet.

Because ABC is full of *hit. We all know that. Many reading this will continue to fall for the BS ABC spews. You'd think peeps would know by now after being fed so much BS.

Edited June 6, 201114 yr by JaneAusten

Real Housewives, Mob Wives are soap operas in a way aren't they?

Yes, but what I miss about soaps is when I could feel a range of different emotions - happy, sad, angry, and when I could see people I care about and watch them grow and change over the years.

I do enjoy some of Real Housewives but I often feel like I'm seeing fake people who are playing up to the camera. There's a big disconnect. It's kind of like eating some old junk food.

I don't really feel an emotional connection to most TV today, which I did with soaps. And while soaps will always be around in some format, I'm not sure if that emotional connection and the sense of everyday mixed in with crazy plot twists is something that people in TV today will want to duplicate.

Edited June 6, 201114 yr by CarlD2

Just because a show won't continue to air on daytime, 5 days a week doesn't mean its gone. Serialized storytelling exists in almost every scripted drama out there.

I agree. Unfortunately there isn't alot of soapy, serialized dramas out there catered to those 30 and up. I actually envy teens and young adults these days who get their soap fix from a number of different avenues. Hell, the CW and MTV are nothing but soap operas.

Edited June 6, 201114 yr by trish672

Yes, but what I miss about soaps is when I could feel a range of different emotions - happy, sad, angry, and when I could see people I care about and watch them grow and change over the years.

I do enjoy some of Real Housewives but I often feel like I'm seeing fake people who are playing up to the camera. There's a big disconnect. It's kind of like eating some old junk food.

I don't really feel an emotional connection to most TV today, which I did with soaps. And while soaps will always be around in some format, I'm not sure if that emotional connection and the sense of everyday mixed in with crazy plot twists is something that people in TV today will want to duplicate.

But with the attention span the audience has today, what emotional connection can they really play up.Im sorry but 5 days a week, 1 hour a day is too much for todays audience and lifestyles to invest in. I know traditional soap fans don't agree with or like hearing that. Times and lifestyles and people change.

There are well written soaps. I am totally invested in The Good Wife. Friday Night Lights is a terrific show(too bad its going). Both are serialized and have strong compelling characters that they make you care about.

I guess to me if you like watching man crazy bimbos screeching and fighting over men(which seems to be most of the traditional soaps now) watch Mob Wives to get

your fix of that. If you want character driven drama with characters you can invest in and care about, find a good primetime soap and invest. There may not be 20 to pick from anymore, but there is good primetime drama on TV and on networks like HBO and Showtime.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/06/abc-announces-deal-with-katie-couric/

as expected, ABC today announced its deal with Katie Couric, who will now have had major gigs on all of the Big 3 networks. The pact includes a New York-based daytime talk show, executive produced by Jeff Zucker, which will launch in September 2012, and duties at ABC News where the network says she will contribute to "all programs." Couric's syndicated show will air at 3 PM, the time slot where ABC currently airs its soon-to-be only soap General Hospital and which will be returned to the ABC affiliates in September 2012.

So GH is bumped from 3 pm?

ABC needs to implode. Really. Tear the whole thing down. I don't even know if I want them to build it back up again.

The Bachelorette? Really? REALLY? That's the type of sh!t they're selling. I don't want it. I don't owe that ho nothing.

I wonder how the station managers feel about this? I bet most of the non-O&O stations aren't gonna pick up the Katie show at all. I hope they use that timeslot and replace it with Maury or something as an F-U to the network.

So here is the thing. You thing GH would have better ratings. Where I live (Philadelphia Area), it is the only soap on at 3. You would think that would bring in more viewers? OLTL is the same way at 2. Days, AMC, Y&R, and B&B all compete with each other. I dunno. Someone explain this to me.

But with the attention span the audience has today, what emotional connection can they really play up.Im sorry but 5 days a week, 1 hour a day is too much for todays audience and lifestyles to invest in. I know traditional soap fans don't agree with or like hearing that. Times and lifestyles and people change.

I don't think times and lifestyles have changed so much that people will just want to see very bad faked stuff which mostly revolves around who punched who in the face at what party. I think that people are always smarter than they're given credit for. Now everything is just built as cheaply as possible because no one wants to make the effort.

There was all kinds of talk in the late 70's about how the public could only take things they had no connection to and was silly or stupid - big blockbuster movies, "jiggle" and "T&A" shows, etc. Yet emotionally involving, complex drama was still something that people wanted to see, which helped lead to some good dramatic stuff in the 80's.

What ABC saying is "We want out of the scripted shows"

Everything ABC is putting out there is reality TV.

ABC used to be so powerful now has because so damn weak.

I don't think times and lifestyles have changed so much that people will just want to see very bad faked stuff which mostly revolves around who punched who in the face at what party. I think that people are always smarter than they're given credit for. Now everything is just built as cheaply as possible because no one wants to make the effort.

There was all kinds of talk in the late 70's about how the public could only take things they had no connection to and was silly or stupid - big blockbuster movies, "jiggle" and "T&A" shows, etc. Yet emotionally involving, complex drama was still something that people wanted to see, which helped lead to some good dramatic stuff in the 80's.

I guess to me what your talking about does still exist. It just doesn't exist during the day 5 days a week. I am not sure why that is such a terrible thing. I don;t watch a lot of TV but I still like stuff like Army Wives, Damages, Friday NIght Lights. Why it has to be 5 day a week daytime drama to be considered a soap I guess I just don't get. Dallas, Knots Landing were both popular nightime probably more traditional serials and they ran their course and viewership eroded. And this erosion of daytime drama just didn't start over the past 10 years. It was going on when all those things like character driven storytelling was going on as well.

The only things keeping ABC alive are DWTS & Modern Family. Grey's Anatomy & Desperate Housewives are WAY passed their primes. Sweeney should be more concerned about that.