If PP wants to target a youth audience (as it looks like), then they have made a mistake by relaunching AMC and OLTL and making them into youth shows. It doesn't take Einstein to figure out that the target audience for an AMC or OLTL revival would be the most loyal fans who watched either soap on ABC. But unfortunately for PP, the audience most loyal to the Nixon soaps was considerably older than what they think is desirable.

PP should have launched new soaps, but it is clear that they lacked the creativity to write and promote brand new ventures. They took the easy way out by using the AMC and OLTL names and turning them into new, youthful soap operas. (In fairness to them, ABC did the same thing under Frons.) PP must really be clueless if they are in panic mode already.

They're not just "youth soaps" - and the AMC and OLTL brands have real value.

They're not just "youth soaps" - and the AMC and OLTL brands have real value.

Oh, I agree. I just wish PP wasn't giving the youth so much air time, and instead was trying to capitalize on that value by being more adult-centric. Especially with AMC, there are so many new characters, cynics like myself can't help but wonder if PP (like Frons did) is trying to make new soaps that are just AMC and OLTL in name. (Since going that route is easier than starting a different soap with a new name.)

In light of the move to reduce the episodes even further, one has to wonder how interested PP is in pursuing long-time AMC/OLTL fans (who watched five days a week).

Edited May 22, 201312 yr by Max

I don't get a youth soap vibe off the shows either. OLTL has more of some attempt at edgy storytelling, but this encompasses most of the generations. AMC's stories are a little less integrated, so that might be why some say that there's too much youth, but overall I think the older characters still have a large voice.

They're not just "youth soaps" - and the AMC and OLTL brands have real value.

+1. They're not youth soaps at all. That was Swan's Crossing and Dawson's Creek/90210 at night- where adults had no story beyond reacting to kids. Here, the shows are featuring younger characters in the hopes of drawing in some new viewers while also playing beloved vets- just like every other soap has done for a million years. I will admit OLTL has done a better job of having meaty story for the older characters but they also returned the vast majority of their cast from the end of the ABC run. But while Pelia & AJ/Miranda are getting lots of play, so are Angie/Jesse, David/Cara & even Dixie although her role is currently more supporting. Brooke's story seems like it will pick up with Dimitri. I actually expected way more of the younger set dominating with pop-ins from Erika Slezak, Debbir Moragn etc given what we were hearing about the shows "going younger." I think they've struck a pretty good balance. Not perfect & everyone will always have a character they think should be driving more story but I much prefer this OLTL to the one heavily featuring Rex/Gigi, the Fords and Starr.

Edited May 22, 201312 yr by greens_dupres

If PP wants to target a youth audience (as it looks like), then they have made a mistake by relaunching AMC and OLTL and making them into youth shows. It doesn't take Einstein to figure out that the target audience for an AMC or OLTL revival would be the most loyal fans who watched either soap on ABC. But unfortunately for PP, the audience most loyal to the Nixon soaps was considerably older than what they think is desirable.

PP should have launched new soaps, but it is clear that they lacked the creativity to write and promote brand new ventures. They took the easy way out by using the AMC and OLTL names and turning them into new, youthful soap operas. (In fairness to them, ABC did the same thing under Frons.) PP must really be clueless if they are in panic mode already.

Who the heck says they are in panic mode??? When I read the Press release all I got is that they are trying to improve the way they are formatted. The part about "Older audience members not liking the change but I hope you understand" could be there way of giving empathy to settle things down before the new format started.

Also, at least we don't have the person who said, "Viewers must be trained", at the helm of these shows!!!

My problem is when they claim the beats are so terrible on AMC and OLTL compared to other soaps. That's not so - both are faster-paced shows, but with the exception of a few key bits on OLTL at the beginning with Todd and Victor (which are now being revealed to be more complex than we previously thought) I think they take at least as much time for character as the hour shows, if not more. I also find the storytelling on both shows a lot more contemporary and sophisticated than, say, GH.

There are things to complain about on each show, for sure, but they haven't hit the right ones. They also barely discussed the actual stories on each show. Still, listening to those people is an exercise in aggravation these days and I don't do it much more anymore. They get some things very right, and I was glad they discussed the T.J. business on GH. But they have a very cursory knowledge of OLTL pre-2004, they don't call GH on long-running problems with this team going back years (specifically, Ron and Frank's casual disregard for most characters of color as anything beyond tokens - this isn't a problem that just now cropped up with T.J.) and a lot of their sensibility is basically grounded in primetime soaps from 25 years ago. They focus very much on the moment, and that's a problem sometimes - especially these days. It's what got so many soaps cancelled.

I think it's right to be concerned about these shows' futures with all the drama and schedule changes. I don't think it's right to basically already start ignoring them. DC only just started acknowledging that these shows existed and might be half-decent.

EXACTLY. DC also used to say they knew so much about how terrible AMC became because it was their (well Jamie's I think) favorite show of all time--and yet, when asked, he knew next to nothing about any history pre late 90s, which makes me wonder when exactly it was his favorite show. I didn't even get the sense he watched AMC pre the 2000s, but read somewhere or was told that it was the best soap of the 80s and believed that (regardless of whether it was or not--sure, it would be my choice but I at least have based that on spending as many hours as I can find on watching anything from that era I can find.)

Edited May 22, 201312 yr by EricMontreal22

Vee said:. "What's the point in getting incredibly excited at watching this same system play itself out the same way every year with the same weaknesses, the same laziness or corporate thinking? 'Oh, boy, Michael Easton has a third character on GH. What could happen?!' If those are our stakes, we have a far larger problem."

What always strikes me as sorta odd--though I don't know why it should--is how similar the soap situation is to the mainstream (ie superhero) American comic book marketplace. The online press is yet another similarity--they complain about the endless variants and re-treads, stuff that a non-longtime fan would find baffling--but at the same time, that stuff seems to keep them alive and make their hearts pitter-patter, and when it's missing suddenly they condemn new material as being anti the genre or having a sinister reasoning.

Now that it's set in, this episode change has totally killed my buzz. I was watching ASAP, but now I'll be saving the episodes and binge viewing once I have a few, because I Know it'll feel slower just watching two episodes a day, even if these soaps do move faster than a typical soap. However you look at it, these have been written as four week shows, so it's bound to feel slow after a while.

Same here...I have fallen behind episodes....since I only have two eppys per soap to watch....I'll catch up later

Oh, I agree. I just wish PP wasn't giving the youth so much air time, and instead was trying to capitalize on that value by being more adult-centric. Especially with AMC, there are so many new characters, cynics like myself can't help but wonder if PP (like Frons did) is trying to make new soaps that are just AMC and OLTL in name. (Since going that route is easier than starting a different soap with a new name.)

In light of the move to reduce the episodes even further, one has to wonder how interested PP is in pursuing long-time AMC/OLTL fans (who watched five days a week).

Max, I say this with all sincerity, because I think you're always respectful of other's opinions and genuinely seem interested in what people have to say about the genre (even if I still think your comment about how "horrific" AMC's ratings near the end were seems more an opinion based on what some blogs have said, than on fact.) But... You never watched AMC really, did you? I mean--the number one story on the show--whether it's good or bad--is based around Angie, Jesse and Zack. One of the main other stories is based around JR, David, Dixie and Bianca. How is this a show based around brand new characters?

Jared Kaplan ‏@JaredKaplan12h

Within a few days from when posted “@MsSimone1978: Hey Jared, should we watch the shows the day it airs? just a friendly reminder...

Guess the thought that ad rates are higher for views in the first 3 days must be correct....Should be fine watching 2 eps on Wednesdays and 2 on Thursdays though.

Edited May 22, 201312 yr by greens_dupres

I think they would be happy to see OLTL and AMC fail because that would just affirm their idea that Ron and Frank were the ideal, and that they were completely and totally right in spending so much time and effort gushing over just about everything these two hacks have done for the last six years.

That's one BIG reason why I want AMC and especially OLTL to succeed, despite my problems with them. I don't want anyone to walk away with the impression that Frank and Ron are the ideal of anything.

I doubt DC wants them to fail because less soaps equals less traffic to their site, which means less money in their pockets.

Some viewers don't automatically like a character just because they have the same name as a character that was on ABC. Not everyone automatically accepts or loves recasts. Sometimes it can take months, years or it happens never.

Exactly.

I doubt DC wants them to fail because less soaps equals less traffic to their site, which means less money in their pockets.

Yes and even if they do love FRon, they have seemed really excited for the relaunch of these shows. FRon fans or not, I think they are pulling for them both for their site and as fans of the genre.