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GOOD NEWS: GH Has Solid Gains Over Last Year In Viewers For Week! All Soaps Up In Women 18-49 Demo! BAD NEWS: All Soaps Down In Total Viewers For Ratings Week!

May 18, 2014

Courtesy/ABC

Depending on how you interpret the latest ratings for your favorite network daytime dramas for the week of May 5-May 9th, there was some good news, and some bad!

First, let’s start with the positive!  When looking at General Hospital’s numbers for total viewers from last year for the ratings week compared to this year, the lone ABC soap opera is up by close to +200,000 viewers, with + 191,000.  GH scored it’s highest number of total viewers for the week on Thursday, May 8th when the 2014 Nurses Ball kicked off its four-day event.

Elsewhere, all network soaps operas showed gains in the key demo of 18-49 women!  It was Days of our Lives that added the most viewers in this category with +61,000 as Nick Fallon was shot at the end of the week!  And it was also Days of our Lives that added the most viewers in the 25-54 women’s demo.   In addition, all soaps were up in the 18-34 women’s demo.

Now as for the bad news:  all soaps lost total viewers for the ratings week with The Bold and the Beautiful losing the most with -132,000.  And over at The Young and the Restless, the soap continues to be stalled with tying their all-time low in the ratings share for the key 18-49 women’s demo for the fifth week in a row!  Check out the entire ratings picture via SON here!

So, now its time for you to be our Soap Opera Armchair Quarterback Programming Executive!  After watching the latest plots on your favorite soaps, what is working for you?  What would you change on-screen to make your favorite soaps more watchable?  Let us know!

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Days of our lives is doing great, nbc renewed days until september 2016. All. of the storylines I love, i cannot wait until eve donovan played by kassie Depsiva comes to Days. Also kristen played by Eileen Davidson is coming back too. Give the emmy to Eileen Davidson she deserves to win it. Gh sorry to say this, abc will cancel it sooner than later. Gh had lost its edge. they need to make changes to the writing team now, or gh is a goner. that’s my opinion.

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Days is my favorite but as long as GH ratings are better than days i doubt it’ll be cancelled unless the ratings take a nosedive!!!

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I meant kassie Depaiva. lol. I spelled her last name wrong.

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Y&R very boring… Taking way too long to tell a story. Miss the acting of Michael Muhney ….
He was phenomenal. Neil looks like he is sleeping with his daughter!!! A lot of bad acting…
I don’t even taoe it anymore. If I miss an episode , I don’t care!

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Don’t be a YawneR when you can stay awake for DAYS!

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LOL.. thats a good one… love DAYS .. except Daniel and Jennifer.. sorry.. Dannifer fans

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GH went high with all enjoying the Nurses Ball, always a fan favorite, and a not miss event..

Y&R is past terrible to horrible, I’m surprised it is still hanging in there..

When it comes to ratings;
they are nothing but a bitch fest, when posted lol
usually a feeding for the habitual complainers to blame something LOL ..

Many states are enjoying warm outdoor weather that they have not had in 7 months..
Soooo.. outdoors and lawns and gardens make busy people, the ratings are good..

Ratings are a roller-coaster up and down up and down.. No big deal..
I do not really care about the numbers..
As long as I am enjoying/loving my soap, and I am, I could care less about numbers 🙂

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Not so sure everyone enjoyed the Nurses Ball. The first day hit 2,893,000 viewers. The second day it dropped 286,000 viewers to 2,607,000. So apparently a lot of people didn’t enjoy it and decided it wasn’t a non miss event.

There certainly are different ways to look at the ratings for GH, but the objective way is negatively. Yes the ratings are up from this time last year, May 2013, but they are down from the fall of 2012 and they are down from Fall 2013 and Winter 2014. And the show will have to do a total nose dive the next few months to not be higher June –August than June –August 2013. Why?

May ushered in the Chew episode and the subsequent reintroduction of the OLTL3, Franco, Silas and Kiki. The ratings took a dive from that point through the summer. They rebounded and averaged in the 3 million range when Robin came back and then took a dive again in March when she left.

GH had reached 2.7-2.8 million viewers back in the Fall of 2012 coming out of the Jerry Jax return, Sam getting her baby back, AJ returning and Faison being unmasked, and held well through the 50th. It then took a downward turn and only rebounded with Robin, averaging in the 3 million range, and then quickly turned down again the week after she left, losing over 400,000 viewers and not doing much better than that for the nine weeks since.

It is incorrect to compare now to the same time last year and say it is a positive ratings trend. At that time GH had lost momentum and gains from a few months earlier. And GH made much larger gains for several months since then and lost them all. It is not positive to be up 191,000 viewers from a year ago, when you are down 300,000 viewers from 2 months ago. The ratings are down, trending down and have been for over two months.

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I dont trust the rating system at all…my niece missed the first day of the nb and watched the second day…i only tune in to Y&R only a few times a month…there are some who only watch certain episodes of each soap…it depends on what is going on in the show that might temporarily interest some like Robins return for example, and some will only watch when they have the time or if they like something on better thats oppisite…like maybe certain guest appearances on a talk show theyll watch that instead…yes, GH has problems and could be better…i do agree with you there…some episodes are real good and entertaining then there is the bad boring moments like Carly/Franco in the airplane that felt like just a filler moment and as if it wasnt any part of the show!!!

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GH might have lost 300,000 viewers from 2 months ago but how did the other soaps do in the same 2 month period?So GH may have lost 300,000 viewers in the last 2 months but the other soaps may have lost more.So it could be interesting to find out over the last 2 months how many viewers the other soaps lost too.Plus GH is in 1st or 2nd place in all the key demos.Plus earlier this year there was that cold front that hit the U.S.that kept most people inside and had them watching soaps.Plus all 4 went down last week.I know there were weeks when GH was the only soap that went down and some weeks when they were the only soap that went up.

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The ratings for the week of February 24-28 2014:Y&R:4839,000 B&B :3,585,000 GH:2,877,000 DOOL:2,686,000 For the week of March 3-7:Y&R:5,027,000 B&B:3,679,000 GH:2,972,000 DOOL:2,717,000 Now for the week of May 5-9:Y&R:4,475,000 B&B:3,403,000 GH:2,759,000 DOOL:2,434,000.So between the weeks of Febuaryb 24-28 and May 5-9 Y&R lost 364,000 viewers,B&B lost 182,000,GH lost 118,000 and DOOL lost 252,000.Then between the weeks of March 3-7 and May 5-9 Y&R lost 552,000 viewers,B&B lost 276,000,GH lost 213,000and DOOL lost 283,000.So yeah GH lost viewers over the last 2 months or so but they lost the least amount.

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Here’s the problem Andrew, There’s no point to comparing GH to CBS soaps and their being up or down? They are doing bigger numbers than GH and they aren’t on a network that may cancel them. They have nothing to prove.

Here’s the bottom line, 2.7 million total viewers is not a good number for GH. It is worse when they were at 3 million. And the 3 million was still a lot lower than the CBS soaps.The CBS soaps are still over 750,000 to 1.7 million higher in viewers.

It doesn’t matter what is going on over at CBS or NBC for that matter. GH needs to be profitable to stay on the air and if it continues along the same trajectory it won’t be. I wouldn’t worry about the other soaps and look for comparisons because ABC doesn’t care about them. They care about the ability to sell enough advertising at higher enough rates to make a profit on GH.

Numbers are quantitative and qualitative. There is a story in the GH ratings if one cares to apply some analysis. The ratings spiked when Robin came back and stayed up. The very week after she left, with an exit story that many didn’t like, the show lost 400,000 thousand viewers and has been down since. In the past two months many have complained about the writing getting worse, the pacing getting worse, the killing of AJ, the infiltration of the Westbourne’s, etc. If people don’t want to connect the dots and keep looking for silver linings while ignoring the facts, they can feel free to do so, but I don’t know who that helps.

The Nurses ball debuted to almost 2.9 million viewers and lost almost 300,000 the second day. If people think that big a drop has nothing to do with a bunch of people not liking what they saw the first day, then again, feel free, but it seems pretty obvious. To try and compare those days to other soaps makes no sense. The Nurses ball should be a huge event and if people don’t tune in, or tune out, that tells you something.

Bottom line, GH numbers are not good, for whatever reason, the trend is down, and they can’t afford it. If the CBS soaps are down, so what? They aren’t in jeopardy and if the quality of those shows are declining as well, again so what? What does that have to do with GH?

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I wasn’t comparing GH to the other soaps but since you pointed out that GH lost viewers over the last 2 months that the other 3 lost viewers too.As for the week of May 5th GH stayed over the 2.0 range everyday.As for Robin and how she left i think even if GH had given her the best exit story ever some fans still would have complained because i think it’s easier for them to blame the show for Kimberly McCullough wanting to leave again than her.Also you are right that since ABC owns General Hospital outright they can cancel it anytime they want but as far as i know GH isn’t in jeopardy of been cancelled unless you know something.Also CBS renewed Y&R and B&B through 2017 and NBC renewed DOOL through 2016 but if they really wanted to i’m sure they could find a way to cancel them sooner.Plus even though Y&R and DOOL got multi year extensions maybe CBS and NBC have the option of voiding the deals after each year.As for ABC they may look at the ratings at GH but they may have other ways of judging GH too.AZlso ABC may have learned something from cancelling AMC and OLTL in regards to sponsors.Plus as long as GH can stay under budget ABC might be happy.

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GH50 has nothing better do but complain. If anyone has anything positive to say GH50 automatically comes with the same weekly complaints. TV shows numbers change at different times of the year. The numbers are still much higher than they were 1 year ago. And 2 years ago the numbers were not higher, as that was when GH was hitting horrible numbers. But hey keep watching and complaining about a show you dislike. If that is what keeps you happy keep it up just don’t get upset at people for being positive about the show. Why is it anytime someone is positive they are accused of being a cheerleader? Yet if you get called a hater you get mad

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GH50 has factually laid out a damning but objective analysis as to what is going on with viewership. If you do not understand the difference between that and a ‘complaint” then perhaps you should reference a dictionary. I agree with you that TV ratings may not be comparable between different seasons. But GH50 is also correct that changes in viewership are not numerically comparable between a show with 2.7 million viewers versus one with 4.7 million viewers.

You act like GH50 is the only one making the critiques of this show under this regime. I invite you to read the many other boards out there with very similar if not identical comments. Even the TV Guide website gets hundreds of comments with negative feedback every time Michael Logan interviews RC, FV or one of the GH cast. And they all reflect disappointment around the camp, the lack of heart, the plot point driven stories, the bad pacing, the dumbed down characters, the propping of all the newbies, the bait and switching of the vets, the focus on the OLTL cast, the disrespectful arrogance of RC, the holes in any and every story, and the loss of the once iconic show known as General Hospital. Sorry, some of us think it is better to speak up in hopes that someone with some power or influence will get a clue and take some action before its too late.

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I state my opinion about the show because that’s what the comment section is for. Michael Fairman is a respected soap journalist and he opens his column to debate and ideas. There are plenty of places for readers to go if they only want to hear people talking about how great the show is no matter what. I’ve watched GH for 34 years and I am absolutely appalled that a show that has such a deep and rich history and has been such a big part of my life for so long has been reduced to one big mess.

Mr. Fairman provides a forum for me and others to post our feelings, comments and analysis and I take advantage of that. Once people start calling people out for their opinions and whether or not they are spending their time wisely stating them often tells me that they have no substantive argument to make.

If people want to be positive about the show, go ahead and be positive about the writing, producing, storytelling, acting, anything you want. But in terms of wasting time, maybe people shouldn’t spend their time spinning ratings numbers positively when they are not. The show has lost momentum. It has lost viewers in the past months and it is at a level of viewers that is not at all impressive.

The trajectory is not up, so being up from last year means nothing if it is stagnant and possibly on the way down. If GH was growing incrementally over the last year, and consistently on the rise, that would at least tell a different story. When you hit decent numbers over 3 million and then lose hundreds of thousands of people, there’s a problem.

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GH50 you have every right to your opinion and i respect your view whether i agree with or disagree with it.As for GH i want it to do better but ratings may not tell a whole story about how a soap is doing.Ratings reflect live and same day viewing.Some people might record GH but watch all 5 episodes of the week all at the same time.Plus all 4 soaps has lost viewers over the last few months.Also the fires in California and other weather around the nation might have affected the ratings somewhat too .So i would be more worried when GH is the only soap that goes down and not just for one week but a few weeks in a row.However the fact that all 4 went down this week and it’s not the first week that has happened in recent weeks just means fans are not watching soaps for whatever reason.As for GH reaching 3 million viewers i hope no one was expecting the numbers to stay up that high.Plus in overall viewers GH might be down but in the key demos they are up.We the fans look at the ratings and if they are up we think the show is doing good and if they are down we think the show is doing bad.However the network and TPTB at GH may have other ways of telling if the show is doing good or bad.

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Andrew, i really don’t want to be combative, but your points really have no merit on an empirical basis. The Nielsen system is what is used to set advertising rates. It doesn’t matter if it tells the whole story or if people DVR and watch all week at once. That is true of other soaps as well. The ratings are the ratings and the raw numbers that those rating represent are what is important. Advertising is sold on a cost per point/cost per thousand basis. It is that simple. The less viewers you have the less you can charge, the less revenue you take in, the less profitable the show is. It’s that simple.

And no one should be worried if GH is the only soap that goes down. It’s not about up and down, it’s about numbers. raw numbers. eyeballs. audience size. The larger the audience the more you can charge for advertising. That’s it. The CBS soaps can afford to lose viewers now because their raw numbers are so much higher. They are extremely more profitable than GH because of the sheer numbers.

The “key” demos don’t count if you don’t have the mass. You can’t charge enough for ad time for 200,000 women 18-34 or 650,000 18-49 and sustain the show. They are additive. They help and are could to have. They expand your advertisng base. Without the mass of older viewers, you can’t sell enough ad time at high enough rates to be profitable. I have been in advertisng for 25 years. I have managed hundreds of millions of dollars in ad budgets. I know the facts. I know how networks and TV stations price their inventory.

As for all the excuses of fires and weather, I can tell you that the ratings in the New York market, where there have been no fires or adverse weather, the ratings are significantly down. The first and second week of the Nurses Ball and this current week.

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GH50 i don’t want to be combative with you either and i think for now i think we should agree to disagree about the ratings for GH and what they mean.That been said ABC could cancel GH tomorrow or keep it on for a long time to come.However ABC may consider a lot of things before cancelling GH and not just the ratings or advertising.Plus ABC might be happy if GH keeps staying under budget.Like i said i think we should agree to disagree because whatever happens will happen and nothing we can do about it.All we can do is keep supporting and watching GH

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If those Nielson boxes were to have cameras, the numbers for Y&R would be way down because advertisers would not want to pay big money for sleepers. If they’re sleeping, how can they change the channel? YawneR viewers Yawn & Rest!

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@4

in my lifetime… I want to see Y&R ratings… #2 .. or #3… or #4

that’s it

#1 DAYS
#2 GH
#3 B&B
#4 Y&R

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David, people like GH50 above are perfectly entitled to come on here and give honest opinions about GH as well as insight about ratings trends without being ridiculed.

So let me get this straight: Just because someone (god forbid) has the audacity to not shower GH with endless praise and gush about how wonderful it is, and actually give insight and pieces of ratings data that are not 100% positive, that person in your world is automatically “complaining” or “hating”? Please grow up already, man. If you can’t take dissenting responses like that, then I suggest that you stay away from threads like this.

For crying out loud, there’s nothing wrong with expressing constructive criticism about a TV show, especially one that’s been on as long as GH. In fact, believe it or not, it’s a healthy thing to do. I’m sure GH50 and many others have been watching for years out of habit and want the show to continue on well into the future. They don’t seem to like everything they see on the show, so they vent about what can and needs to be done better. So what? Do you really expect those fans to stay silent? Get real.

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David, I repeat–long time viewers GET to voice their opinions about a soap they’ve watched most of their adult lives without the likes of you or that SUOOO person coming in here and questioning their (our) motives, our state of happiness, our overall temperament, and finally, who we are outside of soap opera forums. I assure you, I am a very happy and kind person in real life and I bet GH50 is too. It’s just that I do become rather cantankerous when I see a soap I have watched since I was twelve (that means GH really celebrated their 88th anniversary) disintegrate into pure camp devoid of any heart. That doesn’t make me a bad person any more than it makes you a bad person for loving GH as it is now. So you and the others who engage in such immature mud slinging in the name of positive thinking just knock it off–will ya?

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Dear SU000:

We all understand that you’re a GH cheerleader. I am honestly happy that this day time serial makes you happy. However, why must you persist in calling people complainers, bitter or worse yet, unhappy with their own lives when they don’t enjoy GH as much as you do? Yet, you continually call other soaps, such as Y&R horrible, boring and dreadful. Why is it okay for you to complain but it is not for others?

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Y&R, BB are still getting such corny S/L Y&R is pathetic I now record it so that I can FF 60 %of the hour, I am bitterly disappointed with it every day !

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It would be nice to see if you would feel the need to FF that much of DAYS.

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If there is one more scene between Nicole and Daniel with those too long drawn out glances and just ONE MORE flashback scene of Nicole shredding those stupid papers “that might have cleared Eric and thus he might have gone back to being a Priest” – geez, they need to get on with it already – it’s waaaay too drawn out – so I just MAY start to FF through some of those scenes, they are getting awfully repetitious – I love the show, but some of the storylines need to get a move on – another storyline that is moving at a Turtle’s pace is Jordan’s ‘mysterious’ background –

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I’m one of the new viewers DAYS added…an ABC soap fan watching because One Life to Live’s Kassie DePaiva is joining the show soon. The stories this month are soapy great–and they are keeping me coming back for more. I only wish Nick Fallon was still alive! Even without Kassie, I would still watch.

I watch GH out of habit, but I hate the mob stories, the lack of romance, and the way characters disappear for months. DAYS has that small-town soap feel that GH had when I first started watching, but is gone now.

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Kassie DePaiva first appears June 18th on Days of our Lives!

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thats still a long ways away…

I’ll make it… gala premiere

along… with… our beloved… Eileen Davidson

I so HOPE that DAYS rehires Peter Reckell, BO

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I like Days but characters do disapear here too: Bo’s gone and the show rarely deals with it, John came back for a few episodes then vanished and Justin and Adrienne should be around for Sonny during Nicks murder storyline, and Roman, Caroline and Kayla plus Abe are rarely shown especially during a big storyline such as Nicks murder and you’d think the show would bring back Jessica, Nicks momma, for this!!!

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Nick could return as a twin brother named Rick…maybe!!!

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I don’t pay much attention to the ratings,they constantly change,I think depend in on storyline, I’m just happy all four soaps got renewed..

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Days is consistent in all aspects and that is just not the case with the other three shows although they all have good points. I look forward to watching days every day it’s like a treat, the other shows it’s sometimes a chore.

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I do not… watch B&B

I am not living a millionaire’s life…

for all intent and purpose… Y&R and GH .. are not any where… near… the caliber
DAYS is unrequited pull

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Am loving Days , the murder of Nick was so soapy & the actor was so amazing in his scenes through it all , love watching this soap opera.

Not too in tune with GH’s NB , thursday was the start of their NB , seems like what ever happened on Thursday didn’t make it interesting enough to want to tune in on Friday to see more of the NB.

Ok well ..Gooo Days

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For GH, given how much they invested in the Nurseball, I can’t say it is a very satisfying ratings for them. Even the shirtless Magic Milo can’t bring up the ratings on Friday.
I basically watch GH as Ryan Carnes is back as Lucas. I like him a lot. I absolutely enjoy Lucas scenes with Brad (by Parry Shen). I think they two have very natural and special chemistry on screen. I also like Britt a lot. I think Kelly is just amazing. Other than that, I also enjoy several storylines but overall the show is blah.

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Since MM got fired, Y&R has been pretty boring to me that is. With David Tom returning instead of Billy Miller…hes not vickys husband material. Then with Cady Mcclain as the new Kelly, i just dont like her…liked the first one, Cynthia Watros. She was good and i though that she fited very well with Jack. The storylines arent going anywhere. Love Camryn Grimes, but not as Mariah…loved her way better as Cassie. MY point is that i dont like any of the present storylines..its just not going anywhere

Then, love GH but i thought that this year, the nurses ball sucked compared to other years.

Days, i used to watched it..but not anymore. I think that T&R are headed their way. bad ! the only storyline i liked on days was when nick got shot. good one. Y&r is going down, now that Choloe is leaving the show on May 27..stupid storyline there to make her look like a nut to have her out of the show…what is with the writers ???

Last and for all……..BB……..absolutely hate that animal rescue storyline. y?? and dont forget that Hope, dating 2 guys at onces, gives a bad influence on teenage girls, meaning that its ok to date 2 guys at onces..? what is up with that. ???
This has been going on for yrs..she cannot make her mind off of whyatt or Liam who she wants to be with??? ridiculous ! im so not watching that ridiculous show anymore..

thats a wrap !

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I don’t really care about the week to week ratings that much because they can go up or down all the time.The fact that all 4 soaps went down just means people weren’t watching soaps that week for whatever reason.Plus i think this is the 3rd time in 4 weeks that all 4 soaps went down.I think the most important thing is that for 3 of the 4 soaps they had gains from the previous year.

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GIVE MARY BETH EVANS HER DAMN CONTRACT BACK DAYS

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I agree…good actresses like her are hard to find these days(pun intended…lol)

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And Wally Kurth & Judi Evans!!

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Yes from me too. With Sami and EJ out, it is a good time for Kayla to come front and center. Not a slew of new people related to Jordan or anyone else. Kayla and maybe Patch. And Patch couldn’t come home all this time for a good reason and he knows where the heck Bo is. 🙂

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The Nurses Ball was AWFUL, and what is with the is Men dancing together and stripping and Nurses Ball written on their asses. Nobody want to see this!

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Oh KIki grow up, Then why are you watching gh? Turn it off, if it offends you. Lol. It seems you have no sence of humour. Life is too short, why be miserable. The nurses ball was great.

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That Magic Milo scene reminded me of the volleyball scene from Top Gun.

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Writing on Y&R is terrible. I only like 1 s/l. Most of the couples are boring! They need to bring back a classic character to shake it up. Not actors’ fault. The executives are to blame.

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Some of is the fault of the actors. For instance, the actor who plays Tyler sounds like the high school football player being asked to read aloud in his English class. He’s awful. Then the Winter’s family seem to suck the oxygen out of the room. DeYawn was voted the most boring billionaire for good reason and Lily always talks like some bratty and sassy Valley Girl no matter what scene she is in. They have been attaching bells and whistles to the character of Neil ever since Drucilla allegedly died but all the kings’ horses and all the kings’ men cannot make Neil interesting again. No, not even that hot little number who is younger than Lily of the Valley Girls.
Actors who rise above the bad writing? That would be Peter Bergman and Tristan Rogers.

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LOL
….. The Young & Yawn ..

The Young and Restless has only a couple ”young” and nothing is restless..

ALL the once ”young” are now grandparents on the Y&R..
It needs a name change..

The Old and Restive …. lol

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It doesn’t help that the Winters family, Cane, Jill, Colin, and Hillary are continually isolated and rarely interact with anyone other than themselves. Back in the day, the Winters family were key players — now you could edit their scenes out and it wouldn’t matter because nothing they do affects anyone but their small group.

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GH is the only soap worth watching. It continues to do very well in the desirable demos, and that is all that matters to advertisers.

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The Young & The Restless is one long boring hour. Who is interesting? Nobody. A bunch of newbies playing characters no one cares about. Dullan and Betty Crocker at a bake off? Are you kidding me? Who is writing this trash? David Tom is a huge FAIL as Billy Abbott. He can’t tie Billy Miller’s shoes. Michelle Stafford saw the hand writing on the wall and bolted. She knew how bad it was going to get and she was right! Of course, Michael Muhney’s absence has created such a huge hole in the show, it’s like there is no more soul to the show. They’ll never replace him. Oh they can recast the role of Adam Newman, but they can’t replace Muhney and JFP knows it. They’ve lost over 20% of their audience since January. That’s no coincidence either. The old ladies might like Eric Braeden, but his act is stale and old.

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All soaps are down in total viewers? I wonder why? No I don’t.

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1) Y&R is #1 and probably always will be, as long as these soaps are on TV.

2)Demo groups are dumb, period. Sorry if it comes off rude, but I couldn’t give a flip what women 18-49 watch. I’m male and in my 40’s, and I matter just as much.

3) MM and BM are gone. One got fired. The other quit. Not everyone is a fan, and I’m quite sure a quiet majority of us viewers believe a show is bigger than a couple actors with a vocal minority of fans. I’m thrilled David Tom is back, and I think that they can find a very talented actor to play Adam and make us forget about the prior two portrayers. Also, I’m a fan of Michelle Stafford, too, and I believe she was the star of Y&R, but she also CHOSE to leave for the sinking mafia ship that is GH. I wish her the best, and I will miss her as Phyllis, but there was a Y&R before Michelle Stafford and there will be a Y&R long after her departure.

4) Y&R is boring, but it has always been a slow moving character-driven show punctuated by dramatic events. I do believe JFP and her writing team are woefully wrong for this show, but they are an improvement over LML’s and MAB’s disastrous destructive regimes.

5) GH and DAYS aren’t intriguing enough for me to record, now that Soap Net is off the air.

6) B&B, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, is the best show on right now. It’s trashy over-the-top melodramatic fun, and that’s what soap should be.

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Days Of Our Lives

INTERVIEW: Jackie Cox Talks On Latest Return to DAYS, An Offer for Dimitri, and Life as a Performer In and Out of Drag

December 4, 2023

On the Monday, December 4th episode of Peacock’s Days of our Lives, Jackie Cox is back and hell hath no fury like a drag queen scorned! With revenge the order of the day on Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart), Darius Rose (Cox out of drag) arrives in Salem with a plan.

As Dimitri (Peter Porte) is about to turn himself into the authorities to save Leo’s skin, Darius gives Von Leuschner a talking to; letting him know that Leo deserves to rot away in prison, and so, to help Dimitri out of town, Darius has a tempting, and yet outlandish way to do just that!

Cox first appeared on Days of our Lives during the limited-series Beyond Salem in 2021 and then on to the mothership in 2022. The drag artist and Rupaul Drag Race alum took time out from his busy touring schedule of his holiday show, Jackie and Jan’s Jingle Jam (coming to a town near you), to speak with Michael Fairman TV all about his recent return to the long-running soap opera, playing ‘soapy’ versions of Jackie/Darius, and if there’s more story to come.

In addition, Jackie talks on the often misperceptions of the art of drag and drag performers, working with his DAYS co-stars since first appearing on the series including: Rikaart, Porte, Billy Flynn (Chad AKA Belinda Chinashop), and much more. Check out our chat with the incomparable Jackie below.

Photo: JPI

You get asked back to DAYS, once again. Were you shocked that you got the call to return?

JACKIE: You know, what’s so funny is ever since my appearance on Beyond Salem a couple years ago, the fans kind of picked up on this little connection with me and Leo. Which then, Ron Carlivati (head writer, Days of our Lives) kind of expanded into my storyline last year where I came and broke up Leo’s wedding with Dr. Craig Wesley (Kevin Spirtas). What’s amazing is the DAYS fans now think they have seen me in places in the story that I’m not. Like, I was one of the prime suspects for the murder of Abigail DiMera, or I’m somehow helping Leo with other things. (Laughs) The fans have amazing imaginations of their own. I think Ron and the team picked up on that a little bit and have kind of found different ways to work me back into the storyline, which is so cool. I’m there, even when I’m not. That’s so fun for me.

Photo: JPI

As viewers saw on Monday’s episode, you are not in scenes with Greg Rikaart but Peter Porte. Was that a surprise for you coming back to tape a new episode?

JACKIE:  When they called me to come back, I thought I’d be working with Greg again as I have been very much a part of his storyline. However, it was really fun working with Peter, because we didn’t get to work together much on Beyond Salem, even though we were both there. It was fun to kind of like build a connection to Dimitri, because I think that’s such an interesting character.

Were you ever a fan of Days of our Lives before you were even on it?

JACKIE: I would pop in and out when I was a kid when I was homesick. My mom would let me watch a little bit. So, I remember the Stefano of it all, and Hope, and all of those storylines are still in my ether somewhere from when I was young.  Coming into it now, and to see where the storylines have expanded into even more is great. The world is bigger now than maybe it was in the nineties. So, the fact that you have a drag queen dealing with an immigration problem, and getting back at her ex, I think is so wild to me. I couldn’t imagine that kind of a storyline happening back then, but it’s so cool to see now.

DAYS, at times, had shown a lot of forward-thinking to its audience that I don’t think you’d necessarily see on the other current soaps. The way they’ve had you, and other gay, or sexually-fluid characters or romances, or introduced drag into the storylines – all these things they had implemented along the way to make the soap, in its current form, a little more progressive leaning. They are also not on network TV anymore, but on a streaming platform, which gives this most likely an assist, as well.

JACKIE:  What I love about it is, sometimes people just don’t think that we exist. You know what I mean? Maybe drag queens are something they just heard about and they don’t know what we are. I think what’s great is this character is me in my real life. I am Jackie Cox. I am a drag performer who goes around the country to different places and performs and stuff. So, for that to also be my character, it’s not like, “Why is she a drag queen?” It’s like, “Well, that’s just who she is.” I just happen to be there and I know that the daytime audience is so diverse. I love that they get to just see a little bit of my real life brought into Salem in this way. You can’t deny the fact I am Darius Rose and Jackie Cox.

Photo: JPI

It looks like Darius had a plan to ‘help’ Dimitri?

JACKIE: I don’t know if I’m as much helping Dimitri as if I have ulterior motives. I’m pretty frustrated with Leo. He is this charmer and he always gets what he wants. But I think at this point, I’ve had it with him and his schemes. He didn’t get that emerald. He didn’t give me the money from the Beyond Salem. He left me for Dr. Craig Wesley and I’m tired of it. I want to get back at him. Now that I find out he has this hot new little boyfriend, I know just how to do it because Dimitri better watch out, because he has not yet dealt with Jackie Cox yet. I have quite the persuasive offer you’ll see during the episode, and in the performances. I do think you see Dimitri really consider me and consider what I have to offer, which is to steal him a way, and help him escape to Canada with me.

We see you as Darius and Jackie in the episode, but there is a reason for that.

JACKIE: Yes! What’s fun for the audience is, I think, is there’s this tease during the episode, which is, “How are we going to get Dimitri out of here?” So, we take a page from the old drag book of tricks, which is walk right out the front door and let them look right at you, because drag is an amazing disguise. I think that Dimitri should have, could have chosen to be a fabulous drag queen and leave with me, and we could run across the Canadian border together and done cabarets in Montreal! (Laughs).

Photo: JPI

So, this is what Jackie/Darius wants to pull off in the episode?

JACKIE: Oh yeah, and also me, in my real life, (Laughs) I wouldn’t mind doing a cabaret in Montreal. That sounds like a good life to me. I think coming to Dimitri with this offer, which is: “Come with me across the border. Let’s get away from Leo. You haven’t been hurt by him the way I have, but I know you will be.” I think for the Darius side of me, you get to see a little bit of the softer side, in a sense. I really am hurt by Leo and the things that he’s done to me, and had been keeping me from – getting a green card in this fantasy version of my life. I really want to get back at him. What I love about Peter as an actor is, as we were working through this scene, we were able to find all these other levels. I kind of build this little connection through our episode of maybe I’m offering him something that he hasn’t even thought of before, a different kind of life where he’s not this Almanian crook, but maybe he can be a free gay man, maybe drag queen in Canada with me. That’s what’s on the table and the audience sees that. Unfortunately, he doesn’t choose me at the end, but that’s not going to stop me from putting on a fabulous look and walking outta there, anyway.

So then as he leaves, is Darius hurt by all of this?

JACKIE: I’m a little hurt. I don’t think my revenge cup is full at the end of this episode. There’s still a burning little desire for me to get back at Leo by the end of this and maybe a desire for me to just get back into Salem and see if I can find Dimitri again. Let me tell you honey, looking at Peter Porte is not very hard and maybe there’s more men in Salem for me … yet. (Laughs)

Photo: JPI

Ya never know! What was your takeaway from previously working with Greg Rikaart? Had you known Greg before taping Beyond Salem?

JACKIE: No. Greg and I met right then, and it was so much fun. Right away in those first couple of moments, we decided we needed to up this whole backstory, like just the two of us, and then it ended up on the show: that we were from New York, and we were in cahoots together, and then apparently we got married. and all this kind of subtext we worked in. For Greg and my character on DAYS, it was not about us being hot and heavy with each other. It was more about seeing each other as partners in crime very much from the beginning. So, that’s where the hurt for me comes in. I thought Leo was my main ride or die, but clearly he is not.

Photo: JPI

Ron Carlivati has a penchant for writing these types of campy stories. Did you speak with him at any point, and talk about the fact that you would like to do more appearances on DAYS?

JACKIE. Ron did just come to my Christmas show in New York a couple weeks ago. We had a little chat. I can’t say much, but I didn’t die at the end of this. So, there’s always room to come back!  There’s always room for more Jackie.

Photo: JingleJam

Do you find there’s lot of misconceptions about drag queens and people that perform in drag?  Do you think there’s an underlying misunderstanding of it within our culture?

JACKIE: There are a lot of misconceptions. A great example of it for me was last year when I came to Craig and Leo’s wedding. Once I got out of drag, Craig, wasn’t sure how to address me. I just was very clear with the pronouns I prefer out of drag. That was just something that was a matter-of-fact conversation that could happen between any two people. I think sometimes, everyone is scared of what they don’t know or they don’t understand, or are afraid of having a conversation that they think is going to be really horrible. I think the average person, no matter who you are, no matter what side of the political spectrum you are, no matter what gender or sexual orientation you are, everyone just wants to get along in general and have a decent experience walking around the world. I think if you see people like me and my character who’s a drag queen, who’s younger than for example, Dr. Craig Wesley’s character, having just a quick little conversation and then we move on … it’s not a big ‘falling on the sword’ moment. There’s nothing horrible happening. Drag can be a performance. It doesn’t actually matter who you are. Drag is just an expression, and if you love it, great. And if you don’t, you don’t have to come to my show. It’s okay.

Photo: JPI

What did you think about Belinda Chinashop (Billy Flynn), Sonny Delight (Zach Tinker) and Amanda Bottom (Chandler Massey) in the drag show scenes in Beyond Salem? Did you give the guys any pointers, or were you just stunned at how good they were?

JACKIE: We had just shot my drag stuff with them before, and they were like, “We’re doing this later this week.” I was like, “You guys will be fine. Don’t you worry.” They had amazing makeup artists come in and help them, which was great. I think that’s the biggest part. Billy Flynn told me, it was so fun for him to get to do it. I love that. Next time I come to Salem, I think there needs to be a reason for me to get Belinda Chinashop back out of the trunk.

Photo: JPI

You went to college at UCLA in their theatre department, didn’t you?

JACKIE: Sure did. I went to UCLA with Blake Berris (Everett). Blake and I were in the same theater program together and he booked DAYS I think right after college or while we were in college. It was amazing. He started so young. Now, we’re on this show together! How funny! We were like, “Oh my, God. This is amazing.” Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see Blake when I was there this time this time. Hopefully, the timing works out next time. I don’t think Ron Carlivati even knows that we went to school together.

Were you determined once you left UCLA to become a successful performer? What trajectory were you on at that point?

JACKIE: I went to UCLA and I really focused in on theater because I love theater so much. I didn’t actually really do much film or TV, even though it’s the school of theater, film and television. I loved the theatre. Then, after school I moved to New York because that’s where theater is. I got to New York and I realized that the theater industry was not for me, at least at that time. This was 15 years ago or so. It wasn’t quite as progressive, even in the theater industry, as it is today. I mean, to be on Broadway, you kind of had to be this big strapping hunk back then. I didn’t really find a place for me there. I did find it in New York with drag, and that really unlocked something in me. I kind of started building this career as Jackie Cox. I’ve been doing drag now for 13 years. So, for me to come back around to what I maybe kind of started doing in the first place is very interesting. We will see what happens.

Photo: JPI

Now, would you want to take on more roles as yourself, as Darius?

JACKIE: That’s the thing. These days, writers are actually writing material that really connects to who I am. I really want to play more characters, bringing myself to the role is something that’s important to me. So, whether it’s drag, whether it’s a character, whether it’s incorporating some of my Middle Eastern heritage in there, those are all things that I want to bring to life, whether it’s in or out of drag. It’s all on the table. It’s definitely something where I still want it to have that authenticity, to have that reason where it’s me, the actor, not just someone who hasn’t lived it.

So, if you end up with an expanded role of Days of our Lives, would you take it?

JACKIE: Are you kidding? In a heartbeat! My only question to myself and to the writers out there is, am I still going to be me … or is it revealed that I’m not actually Jackie Cox, and that I’m just some delusional fan who thinks I am? (Laughs)

Photo: JPI

In closing, how is Jackie when she walks out the door after this episode?

JACKIE: Jackie walks out the door with a renewed sense of purpose, a burning desire to eventually get back at Leo, and maybe a new friend in Salem. Those are the things that I walk out that door with, for sure.

So, did you enjoy seeing Jackie Cox back on Days of our Lives? Should the soap opera continue to weave Jackie/Darius back into the storylines with Dimitri and Leo and company? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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Days Of Our Lives

Days of our Lives Peter Porte Stars in ‘Yuletide the Knot’ Holiday Movie on UPtv

December 3, 2023

Sunday, December 3rd, Peter Porte (Dimitri, Days of our Lives) stars in a holiday rom-com on UPtv, entitled Yuletide the Knot. Not only is Porte the romantic male lead, but he is also one of the producers of the movie.

Yuletide the Knot premieres tonight at 7 pm ET. Porte stars opposite Mary Antonini who take on the role of Rachel. Also appearing are Kelly Jakle, Kelsey Scott and Melissa Peterman.

In story, Rachel, a small-town wedding planner (Antonini), is tasked with planning a Christmas ceremony for an influencer couple. But her big plans hit a major snag when she is partnered with the bride’s manager, Logan (Porte), who is actually her first love and high school sweetheart. Will Logan and Rachel soon be kissing again under the mistletoe?

Photo: UPtv

Taking to his Instagram to share some background on the movie, Porte revealed: “I got the script in 2019 and was excited to come on board as an actor as well as producer. After months of planning, we were headed to Colorado with truckloads of Christmas decor and a start date of March 13… 2020.  Three years, countless pivots, pulled favors, and a pandemic later, my tenacious and wildly talented cast and crew made and sold a movie and I couldn’t be more proud. Let’s all get in the holiday spirit together!”

To locate UPtv stations in your area click here, or you can stream the holiday movie on UP Faith & Family here.

Watch the preview for Yuletide the Knot below.

Now let us know, will you be checking out this holiday rom-com featuring Peter Porte? Let us know via the comment section.

 

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Dallas

Lifetime’s ‘Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas’ Brings Epic Food Fight and “Slapfest Coup de Grâce”

December 1, 2023

Get ready for the feuding soap opera divas, when five actresses known for their signature primetime and daytime roles are brought together in Lifetime’s new holiday film, Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas.

Saturday night, December 2nd on Lifetime (8pm ET/7PM CT) marks the highly-anticipated holiday movie premiere featuring: Donna Mills (ex-Knots Landing), Nicolette Sheridan (ex-Knots Landing), Morgan Fairchild (ex-Falcon Crest et al), Linda Gray (ex-Dallas) and Loni Anderson (ex-WKRP in Cincinnati).

Here’s what we do know! In story, five alums from the long-running soap, The Great Lakes reunite for a live Christmas finale. Uh-oh!  Now take a look at the backstory of the colorful cast of characters (pay special attention to the clever twists on the actresses names!)

Photo: Lifetime

LAUREN EWING (Linda Gray) “Everyone thinks I’m so damn good all the time,” confesses the junk food-loving Lauren of her second act as a lifestyle guru. “I don’t know how Gwenyth Paltrow does it!”

DANA CUNNINGHAM (Donna Mills) Now a sitcom mom, she’s yet to make amends to ex-bestie Juliette after abruptly leaving the soap back in the day. Not that she hasn’t tried: “When I thought the world was going to end in Y2K,” Dana says, “I reached out to her, and she never called me back.”

LILY MARLOWE (Loni Anderson) After replacing Dana on ‘Great Lakes’, Lily never again found a role to win her acclaim. “What do I have to show for (my career)? An arc on  For the People – Shonda Rhimes’ only flop!”

JULIETTE MATHESON (Nicollette Sheridan) “She left me for L.A.,” the party girl turned fashion mogul recalls of Dana’s betrayal. Will their feud derail the entire event?

MARGEAUX ROBERTS (Morgan Fairchild) “Fasten your face-lifts, ladies, it’s gonna be a bumpy weekend!” The sassy grande dame of ‘Great Lakes’ sees the Juliette-Dana beef as the perfect escape from her own domestic drama.

Photo: Lifetime

Now, making this all the more hysterical is the director of The Great Lakes reunion special, which makes the five women live under the same roof, is its former child star Alex, who has gotten his ex-girlfriend, Nell to direct the finale. Meanwhile, in the subplot. the ‘Ladies of the ’80s’ come up with a plan to get Alex and Nell back together.

As with any good soap opera, there is a major food fight. Linda Gray shared with USA Today ,”The food fight was one take. And it was fabulous.” And of course, their is a bitch-fest slap-fest. Morgan Fairchild revealed, “Oh honey, we all got ours in. Mine was a simple, ‘How dare you?’ with a slap. But I was hoping for a punch.”

Photo: Lauren Dukoff/Lifetime

The movie’s EP, Larry Thompson, who is a Hollywood manager and has Donna Mills as a client, said that the entire scene peaks with the”slapfest coup de grâce.” What is that exactly? That is when Donna Mills pushes Nicollette Sheridan into a pool in a nod to Dynasty’s Lily bond battle between Dynasty’s Alexis (Joan Collins) and Krystle (Linda Evans).

In case you missed it previously, check out the trailer for Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas below, also starring Patrika Darbo, Alec Mapa, Mills real-life daughter, Chloe Mills, and Christopher Atkins with theme song by Tiffany.

Now let us know, will you be tuning in to the movie for a premise that should delight many a longtime soap fan? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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Peter Reckell returns for a second visit with Michael Fairman following the wrap-up of his recent run as Bo Brady on Days of our Lives.Leave A Comment

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