Ratings From the 90's

[Paul Raven]

I wonder what days Marlena was on? Was it a full 5 day thing?

Maybe people tuned in and that story wasn't being played?

Or more likely, people tuned in to see Marlena and there wasn't enough follow through or other interesting stories to hold their attention. 

Was there any explicit reason for the jump with GL?

Regarding AMC (or any soap) if they decide to go a little out there to grab viewers they also need something more grounded to counterbalance and satisfy long term viewers .

[kalbir]

Seems as though writing was an issue at Days from Leah Laiman departure in 1989 until James Reilly arrival in 1992.

[Khan]

You're right.  Writing was a BIG issue for DAYS between 1989 and 1992 or three.  (I would say the issue has never been fully resolved, but I digress).

Ken Corday pinned his hopes on Deidre Hall's return bringing back viewers, but what he and everyone else obviously failed to realize was that bringing her and Wayne Northrop back was not going to solve everything.  Sure enough, when she returned and reunited with "Roman," the ratings immediately fell again, because DAYS was still a mess, with stories that ranged from mediocre to godawful.  Viewers might have been thrilled to see "Doc" again, but not enough to watch everything else that was going on around her.

[kalbir]

I take it you weren't a fan of the Reilly years?

I still can't believe that James Reilly was a part of that early 1990s Guiding Light writing team with Nancy Curlee.

[Khan]

To say I wasn't a fan of JER's work on DAYS would be almost an understatement, lol.

[kalbir]

Reilly Days shook up daytime on a level not seen since ABC huge rise some 15 years earlier.

[Khan]

Yes, but at what cost?  His work, for the most part, was simplistic and gimmicky.  What's more, it reveals someone who, at their core, had serious psychological issues, particularly in regards to women and to sexuality.  (Sorry, @Toups).

JER might have saved DAYS from cancellation at that point, but is DAYS truly the better for him having worked there?  Are soaps in general truly better off because of him?

[Gray Bunny]

Always up for a good JER discussion, the good (1993-1997), the bad (2003-2006), and the hermaphrodite raping their own father and getting pregnant (Passions was ugly in general). 

Though I was a huge fan of his DAYS 1.0 era, at the same time, it couldn't be sustained forever. Even by 1997, the main plot lines (John/Marlena/Kristen, Sami/Austin/Carrie, Bo/Hope/Bille) were mainly in a holding pattern, waiting for their bombastic summertime reveals (meanwhile, Jack & Jenn became a total non-factor with Jack stuck in prison).  

Under the category of "What if?" I wonder what if Reilly had stayed beyond the Fall of 1997... I doubt we'd have gotten Swamp Girl and Princess Gina and Vivian Alamain with a remote control mood changer via wiring by tooth, but I also don't think we'd have gotten another round of epic sagas like Aremid, Maison Blance, etc. either. Once his initial stuff gets played out, he's played out. 

But I suppose all this discussion is best saved for a different thread. 

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by Gray Bunny

[JAS0N47]

FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 9/16/91-9/20/91 & 9/23/91-9/27/91:

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FROM THE VAULT: WEEKLY DAYTIME NIELSEN RATINGS: WEEKS OF 9/30/91-10/4/91 & 10/7/91-10/11/91:

[AbcNbc247]

I take it that the Brian/Tanner/Molly crew was unpopular from the very beginning as well

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Been asking that question for years. Not even just for Days, but for every soap 

[Soapsuds]

OLTL in the 4's all month.

[Khan]

There's a reason why I was not looking forward to Michael Easton joining the cast of PC.

Let's just say Linda Gottlieb and Michael Malone had their work cut out for them, lol.

[JoeCool]

All My Children now a solid Number 2. GH is slipping and will continue to drop. OLTL is tanking and will continue to drop. Loving's clearances begin to drop.

[Khan]

As long as LOVING's clearances remained solid, ABC appeared willing to stick it out with them.  But, once those affiliates began to give up on the show, so, too, did the network.

Edited December 6, 2023 by Khan

[Gray Bunny]

Nice to see GL hit the No. 4 spot, and with a healthy number earned, not just landing into 4th because others failed worse. 

After such a dramatic slump across the board, it's nice to see AMC rebound and improve, ATWT rebound and stay strong, Y&R way ahead as top dog, and even Another World got itself back into the 4's, though I'm guessing that's a brief victory.