3 minutes ago, Vee said:

GH still has a loyal Black audience, which is what makes that POV so dumb.

It does, but beyond his not wanting to ever move away from conservative white viewers (I'm assuming), I think it's also because a lot of Sprina fans were younger and more typical of modern stans, who are more difficult for producers to follow. British soaps have tried and generally failed at courting these types of fans and are slowly starting to give up as most of them are headcases even by soap fan standards (Sprina fans were never that bad in comparison).

Edited 13 hours ago13 hr by DRW50

Can someone catch me up on what is happening with Ethan? I have missed a few episodes since his return, and I am doing some heavy skipping with my FF button, so I miss some of his stuff. Is he that baby’s father?

11 hours ago, DRW50 said:

It does, but beyond his not wanting to ever move away from conservative white viewers (I'm assuming), I think it's also because a lot of Sprina fans were younger and more typical of modern stans, who are more difficult for producers to follow. British soaps have tried and generally failed at courting these types of fans and are slowly starting to give up as most of them are headcases even by soap fan standards (Sprina fans were never that bad in comparison).

The age old problem of trying to produce for a market by going at it from the wrong direction. Sprina had a slow burn romance and survived a recast because the actors were invested in making it work. It was almost classic supercouple formula stuff, right down to Esme the other woman. The actors did a lot of their own publicity as far as engaging fans.

I honestly believe Valentini just doesn’t want to do romances like that anymore. I think a lot of it is the fervor those fans bring to everything. It’s part of why they have major roles like Carly and Michael saddled with recurring characters.

I think it’s 70% playing it safe with conservatives, and 30% they just don’t want to tell epic romance anymore. I think both are about reactions to the worst possible parts of the audience.

18 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

they just don’t want to tell epic romance anymore

Well that's just sad. (I get why you said that in the context of your full post. But still, so sad.)

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by janea4old

12 minutes ago, janea4old said:

Well that's just sad. (I get why you said that in the context of your full post. But still, so sad.)

I think it is too. Mostly because the market is there and wants it. Soap opera type Romance has exploded in popularity in books and on tv. But the genre that used to do it so well it became formulaic has just given up. And films no longer cater strongly to this demo either, so romantic comedies and maligned chick flicks are no longer made like they used to be. That audience didn’t disappear. They moved to other media. And young people reading manga and YA books are literally hardwired for romance content at a young age.

I do believe that there is a path for ratings growth and it would literally involve the same stuff that got GH out of the dumps in 1978. A major affair storyline like Monica/Rick/Leslie/Alan where they played the same kind of beats, and Luke/Laura/Scotty (minus SA).

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by titan1978

What GH needs is what most soaps need: to get back to the basics. No more sci-fi crap like bringing people back from the dead. No more stories about espionage or organized crime. No more baby switches or WTD? plots. No more psychos being allowed to run amok without paying for their crimes. NO MORE KIDNAPPINGS. (Yes, Y&R, that last one is directly squarely at you, lol).

Just get back to what made soaps an American institution in the first place: characters with whom the audiences can identify, trapped in circumstances we know only too well.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Khan

dp

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Khan

6 minutes ago, Khan said:

What GH needs is what most soaps need: to get back to the basics. No more sci-fi crap like bringing people back from the dead. No more stories about espionage or organized crime. No more baby switches or WTD? plots. No more psychos being allowed to run amok without paying for their crimes. NO MORE KIDNAPPINGS. (Yes, Y&R, that last one is directly squarely at you, lol).

Just get back to what made soaps an American institution in the first place: characters with whom the audiences can identify, trapped in circumstances we know only too well.

I would argue that especially on GH, some of those larger than life elements should exist. But they used to be the engine for stories about relationships. Romances of course, but also the camaraderie and friendships from the Monty era. Labine used the mob for danger, but it was also used to show Sonny’s early thirst for respect and power, which defined him well beyond her writing. It was part of character development. The Cassadines were reintroduced with a bone marrow transplant story. Even earlier in Valentini’s run, Robin’s return was about getting back to her family more than it was about the supervillain plot.

I just rewatched a doc about the chaos in creating Star Trek:The Next Generation. It was a hit right out of the gate, but not a hit any of them were all that proud of in the writer’s room. Beginning with season three, they began a process that every script was about or for at least one of the characters. So instead of just visiting x planet, it became a Data story about x planet. Or made Crusher a focal point in an allegory about the troubles between Northern Ireland and England. With some rare exceptions, GH stories happen to the characters, instead of being about them or for them to develop. Liz, Franco, and her boys were involved in plots, but everything boiled down to those relationships which were developed along the way. The relationship focus and all the in between connective character tissue is just not a priority currently.