Just now, Maxim said:

Which is... the future basically. 

Yup. Besides DAYS, we also have Love Island which is basically a reality soap that airs daily over a period of time. I could see streamers starting to experiment with a more seasonal format with maybe 65-90 episodes airing in the spring / fall with breaks.

What people are not thinking of is an hour sans commercials IS 36 minutes. 

A half hour sans commercials is 18 minutes. 

and, the profit motive is strong & alive

and I keep saying "A rising tide lifts all boats." which is the way I feel about the effect of BTG. 

Edited July 30Jul 30 by Contessa Donatella

On 7/30/2025 at 9:41 AM, te. said:

Half hour could happen if we're talking about a soap developed for streaming exclusively. 

And this is the direction I hope they go. I think going the mini-series route on streaming could do them all some good, too.

I am late to the conversation here. I do not think there is a future for any soaps on ABC.

Corporate owner Disney has been barely breaking even with ABC and its linear TV broadcast assets. I expect GH to be gone soon. Maybe not under Robert Iger's watch but the next CEO definitely will sell if ABC bleeds.

 

DAYS made a smooth transition to streaming. Comcast the corporate owner has been shaking things up lately. Spinning off msNBC and other assets. As long as Peacock makes money overall, I expect DAYS to continue. If Peacock starts to bleed, DAYS will go.

 

As far as Restless, Gates and Bold on CBS go, given the stabilization of all the corporate upheavals and drama, I think a transition to streaming has a better than 50% chance given the Paramount + app and platform needs content. It all depends on how the streaming turns out. 

Peacock and Disney+/Hulu combo are very stable. Paramount + is the weakest.

GH will be gone first for sure. Disney will not invest money in the soap formats neither will Comcast. The best chance is Skydance/Paramount/CBS. I expect GH and DAYS will be gone within 1 to 3 years. If Days continues to add eyeballs to Peacock it stays - if Peacock bleeds Days is gone within 3 years.

 

Restless, Gates and Bold have the best chance to survive. If Restless goes to streaming, back to 30 minute format.

Edited August 18Aug 18 by JoeCool

I would not let go of GH. Cut back on the episodes; I am sure a tighter schedule would only help the show with a clearly thought-through story.  

Working from home today I had GH on...if that is an example of what a soap looks like now there is no future. The sets look like crap..are they shooting with GL's old Peapack cameras? There are two people talking in each scene with no lap over...there is a good looking guy with an okay (for TV..good for real life) body shirtless, and though he has a beard his chest is completely shaved...(is that still a thing???) Some young actresses that are horrible...and poor CW with her very bad plastic surgery.  West looked good (though work has been done...) and Francis and Hurst both look great for their age..but those were the "vets". I guess I have to resign myself that the "old people" on soaps are a bit older, or my age, or just a bit younger than me. No more voices of wisdom? The dialogue was terrible.."You made me smile...now what can I do for you," (are they getting porn writers now?) Please tell me that the other soaps are better!

Sorry, I have to go tell kids to get off my lawn!

43 minutes ago, Mitch64 said:

Please tell me that the other soaps are better!

Bold is 100 times worse.  

4 minutes ago, Maxim said:

Bold is 100 times worse.  

Agreed! BTG and GH are the best outta the bunch at the moment. @Mitch64 Sorry...

Just now, DemetriKane said:

Agreed! BTG and GH are the best outta the bunch at the moment. @Mitch64 Sorry...

I can't even imagine the reaction @Mitch64 will have if they watch an episode of Bold. 😂 I almost want to see it.

Quite frankly... it's worse than studio-shot porn in terms of dialogue. Way worse. 

Just now, Maxim said:

I can't even imagine the reaction @Mitch64 will have if they watch an episode of Bold. 😂 I almost want to see it.

Quite frankly... it's worse than studio-shot porn in terms of dialogue. Way worse. 

He will quit before the first commercial break.😂

3 minutes ago, DemetriKane said:

He will quit before the first commercial break.😂

😂😂😂

17 hours ago, DemetriKane said:

He will quit before the first commercial break.😂

@Maxim and @DemetriKane...I will have to check it out..when I am in a particularly masochistic mood! 

Maybe it could be a new punishment? Force people who behave badly to sit through a weeks worth of B&B episodes.   🤔   Then again, I think that would classify more as torture than punishment..... 

31 minutes ago, I Am A Swede said:

Maybe it could be a new punishment? Force people who behave badly to sit through a weeks worth of B&B episodes.   🤔   Then again, I think that would classify more as torture than punishment..... 

That is how I imagine hell. You wake up to find yourself alone in a room with only one TV that has non-stop Bold 24/7 (episodes starting from around 2021 - that's when sh-t REALLY hit the fan in my opinion) and there is no way to turn it off. In the pauses between episodes... you hear snippets from Brad Bell interviews in which he says that these are his best seasons. You cry and you scream and beg someone to stop this misery and open the door, but the only thing you hear is Brooke repeating "destiny" and Sheila laughing in the distance. 

You find yourself in Kafkaesque nightmare you can't escape.

 

49 minutes ago, Mitch64 said:

@Maxim and @DemetriKane...I will have to check it out..when I am in a particularly masochistic mood! 

And then please tell us your reaction. 😁