BTG: History, Behind the Scenes Articles & Photos

[Soapsuds]

They could always put a 30 min TPIR in its place. Look how well it does when it airs twice at night and day on some occasions.

[Vee]

I said it earlier in this thread and I've alluded to it in others, but this fits with what I'd begun to suspect since the WGA/SAG strikes and the streaming crash began. First, the strikes and income/pay inequity in that situation indicated that one of the last bastions of dependable income in the industry was, ironically enough, the world of the dying soap opera. They never close year-round. They will not have episodes burned without airing for a tax writeoff. They will not be renewed and then cancelled on a whim before the next season begins shooting. That's why so many institutional families (Labine, Bell, Culliton, etc.) pass the creative jobs along as generational security. It is hard to break in because of those closed ranks but once you do it's even harder to get drummed out. (Alarr, Morina, etc)

This may warrant its own thread, but: Is it possible that the networks and parent companies have begun taking a harder, sober look at the fallout from the streaming wars - where almost none of them are sustainable long-term individually and will begin to consolidate under a handful of umbrellas for survival - and are now looking at dependable, long-lasting shows with huge libraries (like the supposedly shopworn old sitcoms, procedural dramas, etc. that also do huge numbers on Netflix) as a renewed income stream? Because my thought last year led me to this conclusion: If the only place writers can still make dependable money in this business is soaps, and if enough streamers keep falling apart and also need new safe harbors, that may lead the networks back to the soaps too. After all, soaps always did pay for everything else.

And that in turn makes me take another look at the creative shift at GH. And what will happen to Y&R.

Edited March 6, 2024 by Vee

[DramatistDreamer]

I know that Spoutible is a relatively new SM platform but someone (not me) has already posted about it there too, fwiw.

[BetterForgotten]

This is the biggest news to hit our genre since the rapid cancellation era of 2008-2011. But who would have thought the news would be a positive development for a change?! 
 

 

[Vee]

If CBS also decides to attempt to get Y&R back on its feet vs. it being the Mary Celeste of daytime and ABC truly feels compelled to compete with a Black-centric soap beyond just GH, its existing diverse soap brands are back home now. Just saying.

No, I will never get over PP fumbling the bag on AMC/OLTL with mismanagement and a bit too early. And I wouldn't be shocked if this show goes after Debbi Morgan. Paging @marceline

Edited March 6, 2024 by Vee

[Planet Soap]

Honestly shocked to hear this. I love it because daytime TV lineups are saturated with news. I'm fearful because soap writers seem incapable of making good TV anymore. I hope it succeeds but if B&B and Y&R are any indication of the quality we will get--oh brother. Will this usher in the genre's revival? Let's see.

My advice: keep it to 30 minutes. I wouldn't even do five days a week. I'd do B&B Mon-Wed 1:30 PM, New Soap Thu-Fri 1:30 PM. 

[TEdgeofNight]

Great news! Let’s hope the show gets to series and is picked up. 

[Mona Kane Croft]

Well, if they need to fill an hour slot, I'd rather they premiere two 30-minute soaps than one at 60-minutes.  I truly don't think a soap that premieres in the 60-minute format would survive in this television landscape. Has any soap that premiered at 60-minutes ever been truly successful? I believe the longest lasting was probably Santa Barbara at around 5 years. And I wouldn't call 5 years a raging success for a daytime drama.   

I'm assuming the show will also stream on Paramount+, so that will help with its likelihood of success, right??  And may make up for some of the cost of production.   

[Vee]

I will be surprised if Paramount lasts til this is filmed and airs (if it's even picked up). I think it's going to go under and merge with either Peacock or be subsumed into Netflix. But who knows.

[wingwalker]

Hopefully this isn't the case, but what if it's replacing B&B? Y&R got a 4 year renewal and B&B only got a 1 year extension. 

[BetterForgotten]

Debbi deserves to be the active star matriarch (meaning she can lead story and not just be a talk to) of her own soap in the tradition of Helen Gallagher at Ryan’s Hope or what Erika Slezak was to OLTL. 

[Liberty City]

YES! I'd kill to see her on this!

[Vee]

She had it at AMC 2.0! 

Please register in order to view this content

[Manny]

I am shocked. But I still wont believe it until they really pick this up. 

But wow for them even considering a new soap in this day and age.

[ranger1rg]

-- I love it that The Gates and soap operas are trending on social media. This kind of attention has to help its cause.

-- If we get The Gates, I want it 5x a week.

-- As far as scheduling, if The Gates is a 30-minute show, there's no reason The Talk can't pull back to 30 minutes.