Is a revamp of Daytime Soaps Neeed???

[John]

Fans of #AMC, #BB, #DAYS, #GH, #OLTL & #YR,

Have been thinking this a long time. The 60 min daily soap that produces 250 shows a year needs a revamp. Im not saying doing 40 a season like AMC & OLTL, however it needs a change. I feel the network soap format is beyond old and too expensive and that is why each year they lose more of their budget. I also think 60 min soaps 5 days a week, has too much filler and not enough engaging story.
Thoughts???

[cassadine1991]

That's not the REAL Jon Stewart

[John]

Thanks

Lets get back to the topic

[marceline]

Your belief that Jon Stewart favorited you is the topic as evidenced by the fact that you put it in your post. If you don't want people discussing that tweet then delete it. Don't post about "Jon Stewart" then get precious when somebody tells you that you've been fooled by an impostor.

Jon doesn't tweet. The Daily show does. By his own admission, Stewart barely knows how his computer works and seeing as how this is his first week broadcasting since he returned from the Middle East, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say he doesn't give a [!@#$%^&*] about the soaps.

ETA: Stewart has never mentioned the soaps. Colbert, however, has numerous times over the years. He even had Lucci on his show.

[ChitHappens]

+1

[allmc2008]

To answer your question, and no I am not going to bash you like some because I know how to be civil and let the past remain in the past, I do think there needs to be a change. I would like there to be 3 30-minute shows per week. That said, that will need to be in phases because a lot of people can't make that kind of adjustment plus some people may think there show's will be cancelled. Basically, they will need to be strategic because we don't want the conspirators to think something is going on plus we don't want to break the habit of the long time fans. That said, opening the vaults and have classic episodes from the 80s and before for all soaps air on the off times will be great because it may help draw in viewers who need to be educated on the stories.

[KMan101]

Yes. Hands down a million times yes.

Frankly, AMC and OLTL, IMO, have shown that change is good. Regardless of what the crazy mass out there wants to say because they didn't understand Hula or that Ryan and Greenlee weren't sucking up the airtime.

The fact that people STILL clamor for John, Starr, Ryan, Greenlee, Tad, etc. is proof they were run down and shoved down viewers throats. I know they have their fans and honestly I think under PP I could like them. I finally got around to actually LIKING Zach Slater, so anything is possible. But in that same breath, this isn't about just them.

I'd be fine with soaps 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week. M/T/Th/Fri. 120 minutes. 2 hour movie. Who can't sit through that?

The writers are also the problem. There's no fresh blood. Anytime 'fresh' blood does come in (Sheffer, Carlivati) they are OK initially but quicklly fall into awful.

IMO, I blame the networks a lot more than the soaps themselves. The networks need to change before the soaps can. And it's the American way, change is rarely seen as 'good' even though it's called evolving. Soaps were more relevant in the 70s and 80s than today and that's pretty sad. I miss the days of actual storylines and well written characters. Granted, I didn't really grow up with any of that but yes, the soaps need massive overhauls but not in the way that ruins them. Look at AMC. It has the feel of AMC that I haven't seen or felt ... for quite a while. Frankly all of the 2000s, that was a rough decade for the soaps and their lack of evolvement in that time frame has helped do them in.

And a note to the networks: writers who go from soap to soap doesn't necessarily mean they are good. STOP RECYCLING THE SAME PEOPLE. End rant.

[edgeofnik]

To be fair - three shows are on for 30 minutes now. B&B has perfected the formula. The problem is that with a 30-minute show, you gamble a lot on the A story being the hot one. B&B has seen that blow up in its face a few times, but its production schedule now, allows for adjustments.

DAYS production schedule is horrific. Four months in advance? C'mon. This prevents them from capturing lightning in a bottle and running with a story - some are cut too short, others way too long. In reality, adjustments have to happen with DAYS about five or six months down the line. By the time, enough ratings and viewer feedback hit and then crafting new scripts that can be incorporated into what has already been produced.

Also, the five-day-a-week format is tough to scrap, but it could be done. It would likely have to be Friday, since that is lowest rated. Monday is highest, so that's out. Wednesday could give impression that show is no longer on. GL tried that inside the light and I gathered it only got mixed reviews.

[ajsp35801]

Soaps like Y&R that are have 5 hours a week going down to 1.5 to 2 hours will need to cut most of it's cast. Knowing them they would keep the Newmans and a few Abbots. And I am tired of the Newmans and Abbots. No way could I stomach them in a show formatted like B&B. There would be too much of one or two characters just like on B&B. Just no. Not that Y&R wasn't like that under MAB because it was...There were only about 4 characters she featured. And it wasn't rotational either. Victor, Phyllis, Adam, and Billy were on none stop. Everyone else was there to serve their stories. No way.

[DramatistDreamer]

The answer is HELL YES!

One thing that amused me is how some people were livid when it was first announced that the PP soaps would be 30 minutes. Most of us were not around when the radio soap made its debut but many of those soaps were a mere 15 minutes at the beginning. It is not given that soaps should take up an hour-long format (with ads, of course).

(Going down to 2 days per week, was a different matter and deserved consternation, but that's a very separate issue. Don't know why I felt the need to mention it, lest people think I'm shilling PP or something).

Change needs to happen not just in format (which could benefit from a little more flexibility) but content. These soaps rarely appear to reflect American society in all it's complexity.

I blame only part of this deficit on the limitations of network TV, the other half I place squarely on the shoulders of a lack of creative imagination by writers, producers, etc.

At times even the dialogue is stilted, with a few astute actors willing and able to ad-lib, fill in the blanks to help writers humanize and flesh out a character. This is rare.

We've had discussions about most of these aspects on this board.

I don't think I can make a blanket statement concerning the state of the Daytime drama (I don't watch every soap so I'm not prepared to do this) but I definitely think the way soaps are produced and presented deserves a re-think. Unfortunately many of the professionals currently involved in the genre are much more adept at changing things for the Worse.

One more thing too-

I don't know why exactly this is but the idea of the Supercouple just doesn't work any more. I don't think today's writers have the patience or insight on how to build two individual characters and make them interesting enough to develop an attraction that is even organic enough to be believable much less make viewers want it.

Yet, soaps still drive the idea of this SuperCouple when it's really just:

"He's hot, she's hot...let's create angst and shove them together...people will like it, once they get used to it, they'll like them...they will..."

[Winchester91]

Do it like Hollyoaks, half an hour, Mon.-Fri....and speed the individual stories up. Arcs that take a year in US soaps take about a week in England.

[John]

Yeah same with Neighbours and they take breaks in airing a few times a year

[cassadine1991]

Don't Hollyoaks still do those Primetime series

[~bl~]

If a story takes a year in the US and would be a week in another country that's insane. Can you give an example? I just don't know how that could be done in a way that makes sense as GL tried that kind of stuff and would just make a mess of it.

[Winchester91]

Every year, yeah, with higher production values and "high-stakes" stories.