Final 3 Soaps On the Air: What's Next?

[Planet Soap]

It's 10 years after the great soap purge of 2008-2012. The decade long streak of no soaps being taken off tv has finally been broken with the unsurprising yet surprising news that Days of Our Lives is transitioning to streaming. What's next for the remaining three soaps? furthermore how long do you estimate The Bold and the beautiful, the the young & the restless, and General Hospital have left??

Personally I think General Hospital will be the next show to make the transition (either to streaming or outright cancellation) after its 60th. I think Y&R and B&B will go at the same time. If they are individually taken off CBS, conventional wisdom says B&B will go first because it's the lower rated show. I do think there's a strong possibility however that Y&R could go first being that Bold has a larger international audience. 

Edited August 9, 2022 by ironlion

[Faulkner]

The 60th will be a big test for GH, I think. They’ll have to pull out all the stops (big returns like VM) to reverse their bad trajectory, and even then I don’t know if it’ll be enough. The ship has kinda sailed.

[AMCOLTLLover]

No way is B&B leaving anytime soon after ratings got better and a bit higher in years and with the international support/airings etc. They don’t let that soap go in this condition. Even if it’s repetitive and kinda dull for longtime fans it still has its audience. 
 

Y&R seems to fit right into the daytime line up and I don’t think that this show is in trouble for the next 2 years unless the ratings go down

GH has always been on life support since 2011. don’t let us kid ourselves here. ABC wouldn’t give two f‘s about even thinking giving GH a Streaming Home. If Disney-ABC decides to end GH then it will be the ultimate cancellation. It hasn’t even been renewed since 2017/18 officially. No news are good news.

Edited August 9, 2022 by AMCOLTLLover

[Soapsuds]

GH will be moved to Hulu and then cancelled. In 2023 ABC will announce GH is moving to Hulu.

[DramatistDreamer]

With how things look on the East coast in terms of scheduling, Y&R looks to be the immediate beneficiary of Days’ removal from network television, at least in the short term.

Beyond that, I don’t watch daytime soaps anymore so I couldn’t say what will happen to the three remaining daytime soaps. Hopefully Peacock doesn’t follow the Netflix model of hastily dumping shows.

[Planet Soap]

With SoapNet dead I think GH should do a 60 classic episode release on Hulu featuring it's biggest storylines. In terms of big returns, Brenda, Johnathan Jackson as Lucky, Steve Burton

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, and Luke being alive. Perhaps Jeff Webber being recasted.

I'd like Y&R to go big for it's 50th to generate some buzz around the show.

If soaps are moved to streaming I think 1 hour long episode a week, with huge cast trimmings would do them good. (Or two half-hour episodes per week). 

Edited August 9, 2022 by ironlion

[DemetriKane]

I say move all 3 to streaming, and cut back on the episode order and trim the cast. 

[Faulkner]

Moving these shows to streaming and cutting the episode order is likely the only way they’ll evolve into something fulfilling to watch. They’ll continue to wither on the vine on broadcast daytime television. 

[dragonflies]

No, not necessary, YR and BOLD do double the ratings of the GH and Days

GH is next to get the axe IMO

[j swift]

This thread made me wonder WEHT Brian Frons?

Well, a quick check of his LinkedIn revealed that he is adjunct professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management (not even an assistant professor which is kind of disrespectful for a guy with his experience in corporate management). 

He uses his LinkedIn with the expertise of a guy who has no other social media platforms.  Two weeks ago he congratulated a former student on a real estate project as well as one who got a promotion at a video game company.

He also runs Frons Consulting LLC, but a quick search shows no transactions for the past year.  So, if anyone was wondering if Ken Corday sought consultation before the move to Peacock, at least we know he didn't ask Brian.

[Planet Soap]

Despite this, both Bold and Y&R have dwindling budgets and crap shot writing. Both shows could stand to benefit from less episode output should they ever move online. 

The very frequent interruption of programming for "Special Reports" some of which could easily wait until scheduled newscast times, I'm sure has not helped daytime tv, especially soaps. The reports arent five minutes either, sometimes they take up a show's entire time slot with nothing but conjecture.

Edited August 13, 2022 by ironlion

[SteelCity]

Why don't they try creating some new soaps? Do we need 12 hours of Today Show? More 1 season talk shows of the same damn nature?! With the amount they're willing to shell out to create these shows, and pay these hosts her year, it should be nothing to create a few new soaps, OR slide that money to the remaining soaps. Something! I have my own idea for Y&R spin-off, or for that matter an B&B extension about about modelling agency.

[kalbir]

I don't see Y&R and B&B moving to Paramount+ as I think that would affect international sales. Both shows will end on CBS.

[~bl~]

There are some things on US Paramount Plus that aren’t on international versions, so I don’t see that as a factor as much as it could be. I do wonder what it means with Walmart beginning to offer it as a perk with their monthly service for shopping. 

Soaps are much more expensive than the news or talk or game shows, which is why the networks went away from them. That said soaps tend to have more loyal audiences than some other genres.

[Planet Soap]

if more soaps are created, theybwoukd have to come up with a cheaper and less taxing model of production. 

Lets say each soap 1 day a week. Mon Y&R, Tue B&B, Wed ATWT, Thu GL, Fri something new?

(or) Y&R Mon-Wed, B&B Thu-Fri