What Storyline Would You Use to Lure a New Viewer to a Soap?

[jfung79]

I would use Luke coming out on ATWT (not Luke's later story), or Will/Sonny on DAYS, because of the relatability, their not being stereotypical soap "back from the dead"/twin/affair-type stories, and their good character-based writing.

Both stories also effectively use pacing and emotional cliffhangers to make you "tune in tomorrow." And, both stories involve lots of interaction with other characers on the show from core families, so the viewer would grow to care about these other characters and want to watch the show as a whole, not just that story.

[DRW50]

First available on YT is this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XODg8nZuDaQ

There are a few episodes not on that channel, but on another one. They start here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPC41eJ4mis

[RavenWhitney]

Josh Griffith had a golden opportunity to present a cutting age teen story with Fen, Summer and Jaimie. The basis of the animus between the boys should have been a drunken bisexual one night stand with Jaime bi and Fen gay and Summer caught in the middle. Add the bullying and throw in that Jaimie is Paul's grandson and it would have been a powerhouse story with classic and contemporary elements.

[DRW50]

I don't think that will ever happen on Y&R. You saw their last gay stories.

[jfung79]

I loved the Proteus story too on AMC. It really spanned the show. I think it is the kind of story that could make an existing soap viewer like a new soap, moreso than one that would pull new viewers to soaps.

On GH, I think the stuff with Mary Mae Ward could draw in new viewers. The power of the character and the thought behind the Ward family, as well as the social-activist, environmental-justice content of the toxic waste incinerator story, would appeal to a more politically conscious kind of viewer.

Also on GH, the stuff in 1996 when Nikolas was first introduced as Laura's long-lost son, complete with mysterious Stefan Cassadine, was addictive. I think that is something that could draw an existing soap viewer to a new soap, not draw in new viewers to soaps entirely. I was already familiar with GH before Nikolas, but once that story started, I couldn't stop watching after the summer, unlike in years past when I stopped after school started.

Generally a story needs to have good cliffhangers (emotional, not plot so much, cliffhangers) to draw me in.

[Days22]

I'm gnna have to agree. Honestly that was the only time i was reallyever thoroughly into AMC untill towards the last year or so.

[Cheap21]

Proteus crap? That's the nonsense that made me drop AMC

[NothinButAttitude]

But to a new viewer, it might a gold. I considered myself to veteran at watching this genre at the time this story aired, but I do have to admit that it was a decent story that caught my attention. It wasn't to far gone that left me like befuddled. But I can understand while longtime AMC fans would hate the story. I felt the same way about Reva getting a clone or hopping in damn pictures and time traveling. Yet many people loved those stories and said that they got them to watch GL.