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Post by Tom Horton on Apr 5, 2011 10:18:46 GMT -5
The ratings for the week of March 21-25, 2011 are in and for the second week in a row, Days is last place among the soaps in Total Viewers and Households. Full ratings info for that week is available at: www.soapoperanetwork.com/ratings/item/4276-ratings-great-week-for-ghRatings information for previous weeks is also available at that site: www.soapoperanetwork.com/ratingsI certainly have my own opinions, but I'd like to hear what others think about the reasons for the low ratings and what TPTB could do to improve them. |
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Post by sportsgirl on Apr 5, 2011 10:24:40 GMT -5
One thing that is glaring to me is the non-support from NBC... so fews ads promoting the show... ie: Allison Sweeney last year was on the 4th of July fireworks and was introduced as only being on The Biggest Loser. This was on NBC also.
The loss of the veterans I also believe has hurt. If you look at other soaps, it seems they are there and help to keep their fans. You lose a big fan base when you release veterans.
eh, I could be wrong....
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Post by DancingDays on Apr 5, 2011 10:29:16 GMT -5
There's precious little happiness on the show, and viewers clearly want more of it. We don't need body doubles to create drama. Whatever happened to the "Who killed who?" storylines? Ari's hit and run could have been ratings bronze. I'd say ratings gold if she was a central character or at least a character we cared about. Everyone doesn't need to be happy, but 99% of the cast shouldn't be miserable. There's clearly too much sadness and misery.
I would like to see all that mess end ASAP!!! More happy stories like Maggie and Victor. Give Philip and Chloe a chance to raise their child and reflect on the long road to where they are now (of course, that means Philip would have to stay). Where's all the afternoon delight? THAT'S what I want to see. I really enjoy the tortured love stories. And by that, I mean the "I want her/him, but I can't have her/him." type of story.
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Post by Kpatch on Apr 5, 2011 11:28:32 GMT -5
I agree with sportsgirl about the veterans, and the flip side is true too. The show has brought in too many new actors/characters at once (and more are coming) and they have thrust them into center stage before we have a chance to warm up to them.
I think Days has lost its focus as a show about love and family and relationships with a strong ensemble cast. Too much focus on too few characters, and too few relationships we can count on.
Sadly, we have learned that as soon as we become invested in relationships, the rug will be pulled out from under us. Melanie and Philip. Chloe and Daniel. Philip and Chloe. There were people who liked Stephanie and Philip, Stephanie and Nathan, and Bo and Carly. So why become invested at all?
Triangles are boring. Love and romance is interesting. Leave children in peril for movies. Leave evil villains for nighttime TV.
There are more couples apart than together. The most romance we have seen in a week is Jennifer falling off a ladder into Daniel's arms. We are starved for daytime romance. What have we got right now:
Jennifer & Jack - One of Days great supercouples ripped apart
Daniel & Jennifer - just starting
Victor & Maggie - best romance on Days right now
Sami & Rafe2 - Simply disgusting
EJ & Nicole - He's just using her
EJ & Taylor - Beyond boring
Brady & (should be Nicole)
Chloe & (should be Philip)
Melanie & Dario - Shaping up to be unwatchable
Bo & Hope - Finally.
Stefano & Kate - Eh
Carly & (should leave town)
Will & Gabi - Could be cute but going nowhere
Chad & Abby - Not seeing the chemistry, but willing to be open minded
Well, I didn't mean to go on like I did, but you asked a great, thought-provoking question Kazz. Thank you.
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Post by mikey on Apr 5, 2011 12:03:58 GMT -5
I really enjoy the tortured love stories. And by that, I mean the "I want her/him, but I can't have her/him." type of story. Unfortunately, I think that's what they've been trying to sell us with EJ & Taylor, and... well, you see how that turned out! |
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Post by ghoulgirl on Apr 5, 2011 12:06:38 GMT -5
I am with DD on that one. I love the tortured love stories too. I have my fingers crossed that when Tamara Braun starts airing on the 26th of April that I will be able to enjoy this story much, much more.
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Post by DancingDays on Apr 5, 2011 12:18:31 GMT -5
I am with DD on that one. I love the tortured love stories too. I have my fingers crossed that when Tamara Braun starts airing on the 26th of April that I will be able to enjoy this story much, much more. I'm hoping that Tamara will bring new life to the role and make Taylor at least a little enjoyable. I disagree that triangles are boring. The whole Hope/Bo/Carly thing could have been handled much better with Bo actually wrestling with his feelings for two women. EJ marries Nicole only to fall for her sister? Silly, perhaps, but I love it (To be clear, I hate Natalia, but I like the idea of the story). Broken hearts go with soaps. Not injured kids. Leave the kids out of it, and just mess with who the adults are LEGALLY sleeping with. |
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Post by MrsM on Apr 5, 2011 12:38:00 GMT -5
I agree with what everyone is saying. Days has really lost its focus. It is no longer about the 2 central families and the trials and tribulations. It is now the EJ and Sami show with everyone else providing filler. I looked at the cast charts the other day of Jason's site and EJ was there a total of 20 times whereas Maggie was on 7. www.jason47.com/days/castchart.html Look at this chart and see how imbalanced it is. Bo and Hope who are a main staple on the show (in my mind) were there 4 and 5 days. The people in EJ and Sami's orbits are the ones on the most. The show just seems so imbalanced to me and I think that is part of the problem. I would love to see the Rafe2 thing go away and the focus to shift away from the Dimera's and back onto the other families. But then the problem lies in the fact that there aren't many people left from the other families. Bo and Hope are the only Brady's that are on with any regularity. Roman and Caroline are just on here and there. They had an opportunity to explore Caroline's state of mind and health after the baby switch reveal and they completely let is fade into the background. She can also be an interesting part of the Maggie/Victor storyline, but instead she is used as the invisible babysitter. For the Horton's we just have Jennifer and Abby now that Nathan has left. I understand the show has to get some new blood so there isn't any major inbreeding, but the show needs to focus on what drew people to in the first place. A strong sense of family and some romance. I still watch because I can't imagine not watching it, but it is far from the show that I used to watch. |
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Post by DancingDays on Apr 5, 2011 12:49:03 GMT -5
Well said, MrsM!! As much as I may bitch and moan about what's going on, I can't NOT watch now. And even though I missed an entire decade, I still can figure out who's who and what's going on between them (thank goodness for youtube!!). I'm still invested in Bo/Hope and Jack/Jenn. I want to see how their lives shape up and where they go. They're like my old high school friends. We may not always talk, but I do sometimes wonder what became of them.
Since the show has only been renewed through 2012 (right?), I'm afraid we are looking at the end of Days. NBC will allow the ratings to drop to the point that it's foolish to have it on air. If you think I have little faith in TPTB at Days, I have even less faith in TPTB at NBC. I think the days of the soap opera have gone away. I'm not sure what happened to the audience (I'm still the same, aren't you?), but apparently we want different programming. I think all of us here would just like to see better stories than any other kind of show (talk show, game show, etc).
Salem is a real place. It's kind of an alternate universe, but it exists. Bo and Hope, EJ and Stefano, Roman, Sami, even Taylor are real people. If I don't look everyday, life still goes on and when I look again, they will have moved forward (hopefully). If it's ever cancelled, I'm sure it will live on in fanfic, but it just won't be the same. Vive la Days!!!
(PS. I'm not insane, but I think you get what I mean.)
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Post by rockfordfosgate on Apr 5, 2011 13:03:07 GMT -5
I agree with MrsM. Even with the dreaded Santo/Colleen storyline being a lot about EJ/Sami, it still brought in Caroline, Shawn Sr, John and Marlena, etc. To me that story always felt like it was all about the EJ/Sami "relationship", but it included enough backstory/rewriting of backstory and other characters that it could be looked at in a grand-scheme kinda way (a storyline for the 2 families, not just the two characters). With the Rafe2 storyline, it's just Sami whining to random family members and none of them are getting involved....isolating her to this storyline and isolating them away from her. It just boils down to not enough interaction between a wide range of characters. The last thing Days did well in that regard was the Parker paternity reveal at the Christening. Those scenes were amazing to bring everyone together...but then they just dropped the ball afterwards.
And sportsgirl does bring up a good point. Look at ABC and how they promote their soap stars by crossing over to Dancing with the Stars, Castle (for the soap opera episode), and other ABC-affiliated shows. NBC does not do that with Ali Sweeney. Any advertising she is in for anything, Days is not mentioned. The last thing I remember seeing any Days actor being in any NBC-related promos that were not for Days was the whole "green" thing they did a couple of years ago.
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Post by ghoulgirl on Apr 5, 2011 13:10:04 GMT -5
Days was renewed through to 2013 wasn't it?
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Post by DancingDays on Apr 5, 2011 13:18:07 GMT -5
GG - you may be right. I couldn't rememeber.
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Post by ghoulgirl on Apr 5, 2011 13:19:29 GMT -5
Well at least I know I am getting two more years of my guilty pleasure.. I just looked it up. Yes it is 2013. LOL I do agree however, I think that will be when it is all said and done. No more DOOL. That is a scary thought!  |
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Post by sportsgirl on Apr 5, 2011 14:42:56 GMT -5
I get that feeling also that 2013 will be the end if this continues...Of course there's always the chance it can be picked up by another station if it gets cancelled... Maybe they would care about it!
Search for Tomorrow was bought out by NBC back in the day.
It premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986,
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Post by gapeach on Apr 5, 2011 14:51:04 GMT -5
I can't remember NOT watching (or at least reading about Days) since almost DAY 1. They need to look at some old scripts (or just look at some old video) and see what made DOOL a wonderful show. It was all about family, romance, and adventures. They need to bring back the core family to Days. Bo/Hope are a wonderful start; Victor/Maggie could also be a core family (it would involve both Horton / Kiriakis). People need someone to go to who would give them sane and sensible advise (ala Grandma Alice) and yet still support them in their decision (right or wrong).
Days used to be more of an ensemble show, yes it had it's main character, but it also had other characters that interacted with the main characters on a daily basis (at the hospital, Salem Place, Brady's (either Fish Market or Pub), and so forth. Now we have the hospital (with it's 1 room that everyone is in), Brady's Pub and Java Cafe. But the characters don't really mingle. The teens stay together, Stephanie is in everybody's business, Sami is just hanging out at the loft or complaining to anyone and everyone about Rafe2. I remember when she actually worked!! Now the only enterprise we hear about is Titan and that is only because Brady took it away from Victor.
We need more of what Days used to be....
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