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| On Yahoo Front Page - The Death of Soap Operas | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 21 2008, 04:32 PM (897 Views) | |
| ljacks13 | Nov 21 2008, 04:32 PM Post #1 |
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Imagine my surprise when I saw this on the Yahoo Front Page, finally some mainstream attention, just not the type of coverage you want. Are Daytime Soaps Doomed? By Rebecca Detken | Thursday, November 20, 2008, 7:08 PM Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn Jeff Katz/NBCOn Wednesday, "Days of Our Lives" announced that it was firing two of the soap's biggest stars: Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn. I was shocked and saddened by the news. Can you imagine the town of Salem without Marlena (aka "Doc") and John? Thanks to budget cuts "Days" execs reportedly had to let go of the highly-paid actors in order to keep their show on NBC for another 18 months, but with a bloated cast of 31, couldn't they have axed some of the newbies instead of these beloved vets? When I asked my friend -- who works in the soap industry -- for his initial reaction to the news and what it means for the future of daytime, he responded, "You might as well sound the death knell." That's what I was afraid of. I used to write for a soap magazine many years ago, so daytime holds a special place in my heart. I'm also fiercely protective of the genre, which people love to knock. "The acting's horrible" and "the storylines are ridiculous" are two common criticisms. Yes, at times they are, but let me remind everyone that Kevin Bacon, James Earl Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, Demi Moore, Julianne Moore, Hayden Panettiere, Ryan Phillippe, Meg Ryan, and Marisa Tomei are just a few of the Hollywood stars who got their starts in daytime. And since "Guiding Light," which is the longest-running drama in TV history, hit the radio airwaves in 1937, soaps' silly stories have provided fans with a daily form of escapism. Of course, it's been hard to keep these tales fresh over the years, which is why some writers have resorted to penning the absurd, supernatural plots that have turned many a soap fan off. With that said, daytime ratings continue to dip, and it's really no surprise. Although there are plenty of male fans out there, soap operas were originally aimed at housewives. As we all know, there aren't as many stay-at-home moms as there used to be, and if someone does happen to be watching TV during the afternoon, they have hundreds of cable channels and programs to choose from. Plus, with everyone's busy schedules, people simply don't have the time to devote to a daytime serial anymore. I'm not making any great revelations here. Everyone in the soap industry is fully aware of its problems, but they don't seem to know how to solve them. In an attempt to boost ratings, the network suits have decided that what they need to do is attract young, new viewers, which, let's face it, ain't happening. According to my soap insider friend, instead of firing vets like Hall and Hogestyn, who longtime fans adore, the soaps should work on preserving what they have. “I don't really think you're ever going to get new viewers," he continued. "The days of moms and grandmas turning their kids on to their stories are long gone. The next best hope is to attract lapsed viewers -- fans who left for a reason, who were disappointed in how their stories were being written and how their favorites were being fired." As much as I hate to say it, I’m not sure if the soaps can be saved, but in staying true to the genre's form, a dramatic death is inevitable. |
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| King | Nov 22 2008, 08:02 AM Post #2 |
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Definitely not the coverage we want, but a sad reality. |
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| Deleted User | Nov 22 2008, 04:11 PM Post #3 |
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It is so true, the next decade should be very interesting. |
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| Drew | Nov 23 2008, 07:28 PM Post #4 |
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The genre is definitely near death, though I wouldnt use Deidre Hall or Drake Hogestyn's firings as the beginning of the countdown to their extinction. This is something in the works for years. It's the first decade where the shows didnt adapt to suit the changing desires of their audience. Instead we got 8 years of an identity crisis. Days majorly, but alot of shows have fallen into this category. AMC, GH, OLTL, GL, Y&R have all had the same issue. GH has struggled to be a hospital drama, or a mob action serial. OLTL has gone back and forth from centering on 20something college kids at L.U., to being mysterious and gothic, to being police centric. GL's gone from business centered, to family centered, to mob centered, to being an MTV reality show. Y&R had someone try to reinvent the iconic formula for 3 years. And AMC's just kinda been all over the place. The only two that have remained consistant have been ATWT and B&B - B&B sticking to its same stories its used for 20 years (to its detriment), and ATWT sticking with Hogan Sheffer and Chris Coutman's glossy, fast paced & mystery/campy 2000 revamp. One of the great selling features that would help build an audience was that you could come back and somewhat understand whats happening like you've not missed anything. Young people would get hooked in the summer, eventually becoming full time viewers as they got older. Now, they all seem to revamp themselves on a yearly or biyearly basis in an effort to "save" daytime, leaving people behind. Edited by Drew, Nov 23 2008, 07:36 PM.
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| Y&RWorldTurner | Nov 23 2008, 07:51 PM Post #5 |
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Sharongate, bitches!
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I don't think soaps will make it to another full decade... However, the issue is much deeper than popular actors being fired. |
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| Drew | Nov 23 2008, 10:18 PM Post #6 |
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they need to leave daytime to survive. I dont think there's any way around that IMO. 1pm is not when people are home anymore, and people have better things to DVR now on cable. They need to grab attention from 6-8, and with that, probably lose a few shows per network, or re-work them to 30 minutes. Aside from the telenovella producing countries, I dont think anyone has 9 shows on air each day and all at the same time of day to fight over the few viewers the genre has aside from the US. The Aussie's only have two, one per network. The Germans I think only have like 4? The UK only has, like 5? EE, Corrie, Hollyoaks, Emmerdale, The Doctors, i dont know about others? I think Out of the Blue was already cancelled? Of those, the BBC has two, and one airs in the afternoon, the other at night. ITV has two. And Channel 4 has the one. Its obviously working for them. While we here in North America cant even find a home for the emmys recognizing these shows, the UK is able to put out things like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coronation-Street-Out-Africa/dp/B001DOM04Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1227496858&sr=1-1 Edited by Drew, Nov 23 2008, 10:25 PM.
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