To me though, DAYS' problems are the easiest to solve of any of the four remaining soaps. When I watch Y&R, I can't make it too far into an episode because I just go, "Who's that? Who's that? Who's that?" The show has been recast into a Shefferian oblivion. And GH is a train wreck; I can't with that show either. B&B I used to love as terrific trash TV but I have been there and done that with that show and they have really failed at creating the next generation to carry on the show. If/when Susan Flannery decides to retire they are so so so f***ed.

DAYS has the most recognizable cast in daytime right now. They have young characters, thirtysomethings, and vets that the audience cares about. They have their family structure intact and Salem is still the same place I remember it being. With DAYS the structure for a good soap is still there, they just need better stories. I can't deem the reboot a total failure because it has made Salem an inviting place again, it's just the kind of trip that looks good in a brochure and then there's nothing to do when you get there. So if they fixed that, it'd be a great show. But out of any soap, DAYS' problems are the easiest to fix.

Days had all those things they didn't need John, Marlena, Carrie, Austin for that. The show may not have had the best actors but it did have vets(Stefano, Kate, Maggie, VIctor, Lexie, Abe, Bo, Hope) and they are all still there. As for the thirtysomethings, Austin adds nothing, Carrie is ok, Sarah Brown a decent addition really isn't doing much right now, Shes the best addition to the group. And the younger cast is the same as it was. I can honestly say I missed none of those people. The balance and writing was the issue then and both are improved.

I still think Y&R has the most recognizable cast but they use the same set of characters all the time too so you rarely get to see Michael or Lauren or Neil or Devon or Paul or Nina but they are still there. IF the show would balance more airime with the Winters and Abbotts as it does with the Newmans and Phyllis and her entourage of the month, you'd get to see more recognizable faces more often. Plus they need to dump about 12 newbies.

Since the news of the returns hit, it seemed to me that it was the beginning of a farewell valentine card to its audience. The 18-49 year-olds of 20 years ago have largely aged out of the desired demographic and bringing the old favorites back wasn't going to bring new viewers to the table. It gives the existing audience who've hung on for years -- and those who've only moved on recently to other things so could be tempted to check it out again -- an opportunity to ride the show out with some familiarity. I haven't watched DAYS since around 1988 (except for the horrible Anna/Calliope reunion last year, which managed to ruin in 6 episodes what was actually a rare friendship between women on soaps -- I prefer to pretend that reunion never happened!) but I recognize the names enough that I would have turned back in, had I cared.

The 18-49 year-olds of 20 years ago have largely aged out of the desired demographic and bringing the old favorites back wasn't going to bring new viewers to the table.

This is one of the most realistic, logical things anyone has said. All of this bring this one back or that one back won't matter if they were popular years ago.

Edited November 13, 201114 yr by MontyB

This is one of the most realistic, logical things anyone has said. All of this bring this one back or that one back won't matter if they were popular years ago.

I also get now to some extent why shows do not pay attention to online feedback and why Ken Corday is an idiot for letting people who are still watching the show dictate what he does. If the goal is to attract new viewers, why would you pay attention to feedback from people who as much as they complain, have not tuned out and most likely never will. Its why I never hated the idea of focus groups just how ABC for example tended to use them not for legit feedback but to endorse THEIR own personal agendas.

Edited November 13, 201114 yr by JaneAusten

It's just comical at times how people keep bitching and moaning about the state of their show. I sit here going "You WANTED change and now you got your change, and you're STILL bitching?"

Meanwhile, there are characters who should be more involved in story but are on the back burner because the fans wanted a glimpse of the old, beloved characters. The show does not have balance to it. And it's recycling old, tired story ideas.

Listen to me, I sound like one of those bitchy types. lol...

To paraphrase the late Andy Rooney, "D'ja ever think Days' worst enemy is its own fans? Why is that?"

It's just comical at times how people keep bitching and moaning about the state of their show. I sit here going "You WANTED change and now you got your change, and you're STILL bitching?"

Meanwhile, there are characters who should be more involved in story but are on the back burner because the fans wanted a glimpse of the old, beloved characters. The show does not have balance to it. And it's recycling old, tired story ideas.

Listen to me, I sound like one of those bitchy types. lol...

To paraphrase the late Andy Rooney, "D'ja ever think Days' worst enemy is its own fans? Why is that?"

Thats assuming all the people here bitching wanted the change. You should go back to the original threads when this stuff all started and you will see many voices of worry and complaint about all the supecouples coming back and characters/stories being dropped from the old regime. I had no major problems with the old "new" Days and I know several Days viewers on this board, while didnt feel it was perfect, liked the direction the show had moved in over the last 2 years when the show was restructured, most of which has now been undone in favor of being a throwback to the 90s. I preferred the old "new" Days over going back to the glory Days and wish Higley was still around

Edited November 13, 201114 yr by Cheap21

Cheap, I also didn't mind a lot of the "new" Days. It was only in the final several months where Higley's writing went into the toilet. I liked a lot of the characters that came on in the last few years, but the hatred among a lot of people is viral towards the newbies. (Not here... people here are tame by comparison to other boards. lol)

That was my biggest problem I feared, too. I thought the old characters would swallow up all the airtime. So far it's happened to an extent, but there still has been room for other characters.

You are right about this board, though. Other boards all wanted the new characters drawn, quartered, guillotined and burned at the stake. All I could think was "Geez, guys, these characters DO have a following despite what you might think."

Cheap, I also didn't mind a lot of the "new" Days. It was only in the final several months where Higley's writing went into the toilet. I liked a lot of the characters that came on in the last few years, but the hatred among a lot of people is viral towards the newbies. (Not here... people here are tame by comparison to other boards. lol)

That was my biggest problem I feared, too. I thought the old characters would swallow up all the airtime. So far it's happened to an extent, but there still has been room for other characters.

You are right about this board, though. Other boards all wanted the new characters drawn, quartered, guillotined and burned at the stake. All I could think was "Geez, guys, these characters DO have a following despite what you might think."

Days fanboards I find very odd. There is no other soap out there that has so much animosity to new characters. You'd think Rafe, Daniel, Melanie are the most hated characters ever.

Jane, you're right. Not to mention the animosity the ACTORS get. Look, I don't mind the occasional criticisms of characters on here at all. I for one can't stand EJ but I think James Scott does such a marvelous job of making you hate him. And it's certainly a person's free-speech right to voice his or her criticism. but it's quite another to attack the actor. They're only playing a character.

It's not just Days, though. Crystal Hunt got it a lot when she was Stacy on OLTL, and Michelle Stafford seems to draw a lot of criticism to her.

As far as these ratings, I think Days best remember that at the same time they brought back Drake, Deidre and Matthew, among others, they also fired Crystal, Nadia, Louise... if you had all these characters on canvas at the same time, maybe the numbers would have increased. Who knows?

Speaking of them. There was SOOOOO much potential with Vivian, Carly, and Chloe and its a shame they all got axxed. Chloe could have been utilized in the cosmetics war story as a model for Madison and that would have been perfect timing as she was fueled by her animosity towards Kate. Carly and Quinn worked well and Vivian being his mother would have written itself. Their stories were degrading nad awful but I didnt really find them boring. They were hot messes but oddly intriguing to watch. I felt like their stories were cut abruptly just as we were about to get to the good stuff.

It seems there are two different Days groups right now. One who liked the show under Tomlin/Higley and hate it now. And another who hated it under Tomlin/Higley but like it now. Am I the only one that hated the Tomlin/Higley era and so far not liking the Meng/MarDar run? The only good thing about this "reboot" was Noel Maxam making the production values as good as possible with the low budget, but now he's gone.

And I really don't get those that say this is going back to the 90s. The show is extremely boring now, and they are trying to be so realistic and taking stories you would read on "the headlines" or whatever TPTB said. This is nothing like the 90s.

Speaking of them. There was SOOOOO much potential with Vivian, Carly, and Chloe and its a shame they all got axxed. Chloe could have been utilized in the cosmetics war story as a model for Madison and that would have been perfect timing as she was fueled by her animosity towards Kate. Carly and Quinn worked well and Vivian being his mother would have written itself. Their stories were degrading nad awful but I didnt really find them boring. They were hot messes but oddly intriguing to watch. I felt like their stories were cut abruptly just as we were about to get to the good stuff.

This I agree with. The whole Vivian/Quinn/Carly thing was kinda good. I thought all the exits were written so poorly and rushed since they were all written off in the same episode (except Chloe). But I did like Quinn and Taylor.

It seems there are two different Days groups right now. One who liked the show under Tomlin/Higley and hate it now. And another who hated it under Tomlin/Higley but like it now. Am I the only one that hated the Tomlin/Higley era and so far not liking the Meng/MarDar run? The only good thing about this "reboot" was Noel Maxam making the production values as good as possible with the low budget, but now he's gone.

And I really don't get those that say this is going back to the 90s. The show is extremely boring now, and they are trying to be so realistic and taking stories you would read on "the headlines" or whatever TPTB said. This is nothing like the 90s.

There is nothing to hate. It's just boring

It seems like they're trying to "recreate" the 1990s vibe. All we're essentially getting are the same characters in warmed-over storylines. I will say it seems like the action is finally picking up, but the reboot's shocking stories should have occurred right off the bat. Like say, something shocking in the first few episodes. That's how a new serial used to launch. Something happened in the first show and you'd be hooked.

It seems like they're trying to "recreate" the 1990s vibe. All we're essentially getting are the same characters in warmed-over storylines. I will say it seems like the action is finally picking up, but the reboot's shocking stories should have occurred right off the bat. Like say, something shocking in the first few episodes. That's how a new serial used to launch. Something happened in the first show and you'd be hooked.

I think John being arrested was meant to be a shock. And while we know of one shocking event coming I am bummed about whos behind John's framing.SSDD IMO.