Let's be honest: what GL did, and what DAYS is doing, amounts to '80's soap opera on a '70's or even '60's soap opera budget. Scale back the mother, and we wouldn't have any problems. Again, though, I'm just saying.

Agree. Thought GL' problems was the perfect time to go totally retro and turn their back on the excesses of the 80s, by focusing on the writing, and the relationships between the characters of all generations. Imagine watching Blake and Ross raise their kids with real issues (always thought Blake's girl should be a fat kid, but DH stole that idea) that anyone understand and show people talking in their kitchens bedrooms, living rooms and offices. No more big weddings, big glam parties. Kind of a 60s soap undated to modern times dealing with modern themes.

Instead we got Wheeler filming in a country town that was populated by billionaires who never went to jail, no matter what (and whose company never had stocks drop no matter what scandal) jewel thieves and their assassin brothers etc.

Thought GL' problems was the perfect time to go totally retro and turn their back on the excesses of the 80s, by focusing on the writing, and the relationships between the characters of all generations. Imagine watching Blake and Ross raise their kids with real issues [...] that anyone understand and show people talking in their kitchens bedrooms, living rooms and offices. No more big weddings, big glam parties.

Exactly. Plus, it might've seemed odd to have half of the show take place in the Bauer kitchen, let's say, and the other half at Company & the Reardon boardinghouse (across the street from Cedars, not too far from Spaulding and Lewis Oil, a perfect place for people from different socioeconomic spheres to run into each other), but at least that would've been more comforting to viewers, both new and old, than having it all either in the Beacon lobby or in front of the self-serve coffee bar (!) on Main Street.

Edited November 18, 201114 yr by Khan

What GL was doing was not classic soap. It was dreck. Under any circumstances, but especially those production conditions, it was unwatchable.

They had good actors, some good dialogue people, but either zero or terrible stories, combined with unbelievably awful production on every level.

DAYS I enjoy a lot. It works. GL did not.

Days just started using less sets, new sets were cheaper, less extras, longer scenes with fewer characters. In a lot of ways if you compare DAYS in post-2008 to Days in the 70's it is similar, even in tone it became a soap opera again and not a odd pardoy of one. The big budget cut focred them to cut major stars and refocus the show. They came up with cohesive story lines that lead to big pay offs. Yes, these stories were soap cliche (baby swap. love triangle. whos the daddy. etc) and it worked. Budget cuts didnt hurt days, and i dont believe they really hurt soaps. Bad stories/characters for years on end do. The tear down the audiences commitment to them making it easy to tune out and care less and less. When days did the above and refocued, telling tight storylines that involved the entire cast and amounted in a huge pay off, ratings went uop despite popular characters being written out. Ratings only fell when it became clear there was no plan to go ahead. Once the baby swap was over, they just tried to keep it going out od desperation.

Exactly. Plus, it might've seemed odd to have half of the show take place in the Bauer kitchen, let's say, and the other half at Company & the Reardon boardinghouse (across the street from Cedars, not too far from Spaulding and Lewis Oil, a perfect place for people from different socioeconomic spheres to run into each other), but at least that would've been more comforting to viewers, both new and old, than having it all either in the Beacon lobby or in front of the self-serve coffee bar (!) on Main Street.

You forgot Harley and Gus's weird, half constructed house, complete with pictures hanging between the exposed wall studs, and a backyard filled with junk....so homey and comforting to viewers.

Would it have been so weird. If they used their imagination and truly were committed...the Bauer set (including the living/dining room,stairs and kitchen) was the biggest "home" set they had, but they hated the Bauers and didnt want to use them (remember when they had the Coopers move into the Bauers and we saw more Coopers in the Bauer kitchen then a Bauer...I thought [!@#$%^&*], there go the Coopers stinking up everything on this show.) However, how hard would it be to have Rick after Phillip's death decide to forgoe the hosptal and be what he always wanted to be, open a family practice and house it in his home. Mel could have decided to also spend more time with her family, and opened a little family law practice. Kind of goofy, but would bring the entire cast through the set at one time or another. Add in a nice extensive set for Company, one for the Towers, a Cedars set and a Spaulding set, have most of the characters work at interact with those business and sets and there you go,

Is the Pope a Catholic? Of course budget cuts have slaughtered every soap in the genre.

The GL production model COULD have been something, it COULD have attempted to be like the UK soaps, but it just was in the wrong hands. The rest of the soaps are on a life support model. It is what it is. And it's pretty shitty all around.

UK soaps are so different from the soaps here. First, the networks that air them actually care about them.The BBC knows where their bread is buttered with Eastenders. Soaps are also respected a hell of a lot more than they are here.

The BBC has actually built exterior sets that look like a real neighborhood in London while here in the US the networks would not do that in a million years. So I think that US networks could learn a lot from British soaps are how produce a show.

UK soaps are so different from the soaps here. First, the networks that air them actually care about them.The BBC knows where their bread is buttered with Eastenders. Soaps are also respected a hell of a lot more than they are here.

The BBC has actually built exterior sets that look like a real neighborhood in London while here in the US the networks would not do that in a million years. So I think that US networks could learn a lot from British soaps are how produce a show.

Eastenders does not air at 1 PM when no one is home. If the US aired a soap at night and kept it on until it could build an audience it would be a hit too.

I liked the outdoor scenes at the end on GL well except for the ones in the back parking lot where I could see the door to get on set!!!

GH uses extras for the most random times. They'll use a ton of extras at a party for someone who is hated but then not for a wedding or a funeral

Robin's church funeral on GH was glaringly empty.

Robin's funeral was sad especially considering her long history with several characters on the show. They made up excuses for several people not to be there but still.

For awhile there DAYS was clearly using the same blue painted room to represent several different locations, they just changed the stuff in the room. Of course the town square is virtually empty half the time and the random stuff that goes on there is ridiculous.

That blue painted room used to get on my nerves. It made people in the scenes look purple and then they had the nerve to have so many blue times in wardrobe!

For awhile there DAYS was clearly using the same blue painted room to represent several different locations, they just changed the stuff in the room. Of course the town square is virtually empty half the time and the random stuff that goes on there is ridiculous.

They have another set now that they use the same way they used the blue painted room. This set is used as Rafe and Carrie's office, Lexie's office, Roman's office and the airport gate.

ATWT, to their credit, used a real church for Holden's last "funeral," but the emptiness was unbelievably glaring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2ljP4NyjeQ

It was canceled.

Ha Ha! Yep, mine too!

Extras? From the few stories I have read from extras they don't cost but $50-75 per person. That can't add that much to a budget used correctly.