May 1-5, 2006

[Gray Bunny]

Amen and well said! Couples can be torn apart or estranged from each other as long as the writing is solid, compelling, and realistic (in terms of how the couple is torn apart, whether or not the characters are behaving like themselves or dumbed down pod people). Unhappy couples don't equal unhappy viewers. It's the repetitive, lazy, plot-driven, contrived, predictable, rehashed garbage that turns viewers off and makes them no longer care what happens to their characters.

Of course, this can be applied to any show when this is happening, it just so happens that right now it is happening most noticably on DAYS.

The network refuses to admit that lightning didn't strike twice. Reilly's lost his creative juice. He's all dried up and needs to be put to pasture with the other cows with bloated egos.

Because the show has aired behind Y&R since its 1987 debut. B&B benefits from its Y&R lead-in while other soaps that are aired at 10/9am in the morning in key markets (Guiding Light!) earn pooey ratings.

[jpoliver78]

There are several "Days" points that everyone can agree on...

*hitting or tying record low ratings for "Days" and "Passions" does not encourage TPTB at NBC to keep their soap line-up in business. Remember, that historically, NBC has never excelled in daytime - even when the beloved "Santa Barbara" was racking up Emmy nominations and wins. With Ken Corday and Sony entering negotiations with NBC on picking up the final two years of their four year renewal, ratings such as these put Corday and Sony at a disadvantage.

*just because TV Guide's Michael Logan mentioned the possible demise of NBC Daytime last fall and nothing came of it doesn't necessarily carry any weight. For instance, if NBC were to cancel "Days" next week, it would still be contractually obligated to air the series until 2007 - at least six months worth of episodes. Daytime moves at a glaciar pace compared to primetime, so just because a rumor doesn't become reality doesn't mean it truly is a rumor. Perhaps NBC decided last fall to wait until the end of the current TV season (later this month) to make a decision on its daytime future.

*all the ABC soaps garner higher ratings than "Days" does at the moment. I agree that it would make financial sense to let NBC drop "Days" and "Passions" without getting involved. However, ABC doesn't air a full complement of soaps like CBS does, so naturally ABC would be targeted as a potential home for the NBC castoff. Another (longshot) possibility is Fox, which currently allows its affiliates to program the daytime line-up. An "Days"/Fox pairing has been rumored as well, but Fox hasn't expressed any interest in starting a daytime line-up whether it be soap opera or not.

Lastly, sadly, if NBC does dump daytime, it appears likely that both NBC soaps will enter the TV history books instead of finding another life at another network.

[DaysnPassionsFan]

at Passions' ratings. Hope they stay there until something is done to attempt to fix the complete mess it has become

[R!ck]

Daytime's season runs from September to September.

[SteveFrame]

Well with all the talk about DAys and Passions cancellations the fans of GL don't need to sit too comfortably either. If Days and Passions are cancelled GL will find itself at the bottom all alone. DAys is the only show lately that it even gets close too. Occassionally it gets a little closer to ATWT than the others. And this weeks ratings stunk really bad. They didn't even have a recovery day during the week like Days did. And I think they have set record lows recently and tied them as well.

Days and Passions cancellations only puts GL in more danger of being cancelled. And I honestly don't think that the networks will replace them with soaps either - so it is a very good possibility that we will be looking at 6 soaps sometime in the next 2 or 3 years.

I don't think P&G will stay in the business of soaps much longer. It has been said that ever since AW's cancellation they wanted out. I don't think they will keep ATWT too long after they get rid of GL. Most likely the will either try to sell ATWT to the network or a network or cancel it not long afterward.

Everyone can sit back and talk about Days and Passions and I know as well as anyone that cancellation is a possibility for both. But GL is not safe and the cancellations of both shows will only hurt it. And hurt the whole genre that we all are supposed to love.

[jpoliver78]

I may be mistaken, but I believe NBC announced the cancellation of "Another World" in Spring 1999 and ended its run in June of that year.

Also, many NBC soaps have aired their final episodes in December/January, among them...

Santa Barbara (1993)

Sunset Beach (1999)

Generations (1991)

Texas (1982)

Somerset (1976)

The Doctors (1982) [which ended the same day as "Texas"]

So, the time frame for the daytime season is really irrelevant when it comes to cancelling a series.

[R!ck]

Of course the time frame of the daytime season is irrelevant. I was just pointing out that the daytime season runs for a whole year, since you thought the network would wait until the end May to decide the fate of their lineup. I see no reason TPTB would wait until the end of primetime season to decide the fate of daytime.

[Wendy]

Maybe it depends on the announcement of the cancellations. I have no idea why I remember - maybe because I was a HUGE Santa Barbara fan and was devastated when reading the news - but I remember reading that NBC cancelled SB as early as September '92 in...the soap section of Star Magazine! LOL! I even recall it said the last airing would be in January.

So if a soap season is September to September, it makes sense.

[PJA]

I disagree with your post. GL has been getting a 2.1 to 2.4 for the past couple of years and it hasn't been canceled yet. If they cancel Passions and GL is still getting the same ratings, it isn't going to effect them just because they are in last place. Shows get paid by their actual points not their rank. Now if their ratings drop any further then there's the risk.

[Gray Bunny]

Good point. If the previous point were true, Passions would've been cancelled shortly after Port Charles ended, because that put Passions in last place even though their numbers remained the same (at the time).

[PhoenixRising05]

Not really. Passions has always done well in demos so that saved them. If it weren't for the demos, I think Passions would have been gone shortly after PC to be honest.

[irish secra]

I agree about fans willing to see their favorite couples broken up for awhile as long as the story is well-written. However, that is not what Days is about today which is why fans have given up throwing the sandwiches at the TV and are just changing the channel.

One of the best stories Days ever wrote for J&J had to do with Jennifer's rape and the aftermath. From the time they returned from Alamania (Nov) until early January they were still together but with a great deal of conflict. They split up with the famous rape slap and Jack even married Eve. Fans went along for the ride and it was a great story.

Yes, they ultimately reunited but they were apart for months and fans enjoyed the story. It was heart-felt, character driven and you never doubted for a moment who the rooting couples were.

This is the difference today. Couples are split up but for idiotic reasons - Marlena gets amnesia after being "dead" for almost a year and splits with John. Since John/Marlena fans never truly got a payoff, it was hard to get behind the Marlena/Alex story - and the "mind control" aspect was just annoying. Why JER didn't decide instead to focus on the John/Marlena/Roman baby angle instead is beyond me. It would have made a lot more character sense and generated more angst than the Alex story.

Jack after dying twice in the Stalker story returns to Salem - only to learn he is about to die yet again. Talk about story fatigue - I have begun to wonder if all poor Jack can do is die or prepare to die. So, he "dies" a third time and Jennifer takes up with Frankie. Does any J&J fan really want to see Jennifer doing the deed with Frankie in a back yard lawnchair when we have had precious little J&J romance over the past three years. I refuse to believe that the only choice for J&J is to either be written off or have Jack constantly dying. With a little effort, there could have been a good story. Jennifer's constant trauma could have caused her to have a mental breakdown, how about an ex-love of Jack's past shows up (now that would be original for Jack - apparently no one but Jenn is allowed to care/love him).

I won't even go into LUMI. To think that the fans waited 10 years for Lumi and now we are back at the beginning with Lucas/Carrie and Sami/Austin. It is mind-numbing.

I won't even go into how wrong Hope/the shirtless wonder sex was. I have no words. And Bollie has already been explored upteenth times. The fans are sick of it being explored.

[PJA]

You basically proved the point. The ranking doesn't matter. If it did, Passions would have been gone regardless of it's ratings (demos or otherwise.) Someone has to be last and if the last place soap was always canceled, we would have soaps canceled every few months.

[SteveFrame]

I know in the past that the lowest show has not always been immediately cancelled, but with no shows doing that good right now the cancellation of 2 shows or even one show makes it a whole lot easier for TPTB to cancel another one.

The example of Passions can not be used to exempt GL either. Passions has been saved I think for 2 reasons - the first being it's demos and it getting the ratings in the demos NBC wanted it too. It has also been saved by the mere fact that NBC is down to 2 shows. I think honestly that if NBC cancels one it will cancel the other and vice versa if one is saved the other will be saved. I don't think NBC wants a new show and they don't want one show. Those 2 things are the reasons NBC has stuck with Passions.

GL is not doing that well in most demos. It has not had any big ratings increases. P&G is not investing money in anymore new soaps which indicates the rumor they want out is true.

I think the biggest thing GL has going for it is the big upcoming anniversary. I don't think CBS or P&G will do anything until after that. I think the show could go even if Passions stays, but if Passions does go the decision will be even easier.

And we will get more talk shows in their place because TPTB say they are cheaper to produce.

GL and Passions are also the biggest at risk because they are the only shows that have not been consistently in that 5 way fight for 3rd place that has been going on for a year or longer now. Those shows are DAys, GH, AMC, ATWT, and OLTL. GL and Passions are consistently 8 and 9. If GL could get up in that fight it might be saved.

[Angela]

HERE WE HAVE LARGEST GAIN/FALL FOR THAT DAY OF SOAP EPISODES ALONG WITH THE MOST VIEWED DAY OF THE WEEK MARKED FOR EACH SOAP.

MONDAY, MAY 1

1. Y&R: Monday, 5/1: 4.1/5,269,000 (+229,000)

2. B&B: Monday, 5/1: 3.2/4,171,000 (+60,000)

3. GH: Monday, 5/1: 2.9/3,750,000 (+610,000) [LARGEST GAIN] [MOST VIEWED EPISODE]

4. AMC: Monday, 5/1: 2.8/3,488,000 (+302,000) [MOST VIEWED EPISODE]

5. OLTL: Monday, 5/1: 2.7/3,372,000 (+432,000) [MOST VIEWED EPISODE]

6. ATWT: Monday, 5/1: 2.4/3,205,000 (+116,000) [MOST VIEWED EPISODE]

7. DAYS: Monday, 5/1: 2.2/2,822,000 (-112,000)

8. GL: Monday, 5/1: 2.1/2,765,000 (+108,000)

9. PSNS: Monday, 5/1: 1.3/1,680,000 (-188,000) [LARGEST FALL]

TUESDAY, MAY 2

1.(1) Y&R: Tuesday, 5/2: 4.3/5,428,000 (+159,000) [LARGEST GAIN]

2.(2) B&B: Tuesday, 5/2: 3.2/4,126,000 (-45,000)

3.(3) GH: Tuesday, 5/2: 2.8/3,454,000 (-296,000)

4.(4) AMC: Tuesday, 5/2: 2.7/3,246,000 (-242,000)

5.(5) ATWT: Tuesday, 5/2: 2.5/3,172,000 (-33,000)

6.(6) OLTL: Tuesday, 5/2: 2.4/3,059,000 (-313,000) [LARGEST FALL]

7.(8) GL: Tuesday, 5/2: 2.2/2,795,000 (+30,000)

8.(7) DAYS: Tuesday, 5/2: 2.3/2,780,000 (-42,000)

9.(9) PSNS: Tuesday, 5/2: 1.4/1,809,000 (+129,000)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 3

1.(1) Y&R: Wednesday, 5/3: 4.1/5,238,000 (-190,000)

2.(2) B&B: Wednesday, 5/3: 3.1/3,918,000 (-208,000) [LARGEST FALL]

3.(3) GH: Wednesday, 5/3: 2.8/3,395,000 (-59,000)

4.(4) AMC: Wednesday, 5/3: 2.5/3,084,000 (-162,000)

4.(5) ATWT: Wednesday, 5/3: 2.5/3,084,000 (-88,000)

6.(6) OLTL: Wednesday, 5/3: 2.5/2,957,000 (-102,000)

7.(8) DAYS: Wednesday, 5/3: 2.2/2,881,000 (+101,000) [LARGEST GAIN]

8.(7) GL: Wednesday, 5/3: 2.2/2,832,000 (+37,000) [MOST VIEWED EPISODE]

9.(9) PSNS: Wednesday, 5/3: 1.3/1,803,000 (-6,000)

THURSDAY, MAY 4

1.(1) Y&R: Thursday, 5/4: 4.2/5,017,000 (-221,000) [LARGEST FALL]

2.(2) B&B: Thursday, 5/4: 3.2/3,844,000 (-74,000)

3.(3) GH: Thursday, 5/4: 2.9/3,579,000 (+184,000)

4.(4) AMC: Thursday, 5/4: 2.6/3,271,000 (+187,000) [LARGEST GAIN]

5.(4) ATWT: Thursday, 5/4: 2.6/3,154,000 (+70,000)

6.(6) OLTL: Thursday, 5/4: 2.5/3,092,000 (+135,000)

7.(7) DAYS: Thursday, 5/4: 2.2/2,860,000 (-21,000)

8.(8) GL: Thursday, 5/4: 2.2/2,732,000 (-100,000)

9.(9) PSNS: Thursday, 5/4: 1.3/1,642,000 (-161,000)

FRIDAY, MAY 5

1.(1) Y&R: Friday, 5/5: 4.3/5,661,000 (+644,000) [LARGEST GAIN] [MOST VIEWED EPISODE]

2.(2) B&B: Friday, 5/5: 3.1/4,257,000 (+413,000) [MOST VIEWED EPISODE]

3.(3) GH: Friday, 5/5: 2.6/3,502,000 (-77,000) [LARGEST FALL]

4.(7) DAYS: Friday, 5/5: 2.6/3,248,000 (+388,000) [MOST VIEWED EPISODE]

5.(6) OLTL: Friday, 5/5: 2.6/3,223,000 (+131,000)

6.(4) AMC: Friday, 5/5: 2.6/3,196,000 (-75,000)

7.(5) ATWT: Friday, 5/5: 2.4/3,111,000 (-43,000)

8.(8) GL: Friday, 5/5: 2.1/2,711,000 (-21,000)

9.(9) PSNS: Friday, 5/5: 1.5/1,843,000 (+201,000) [MOST VIEWED EPISODE]