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KATIE Shifting To Live Format In Final Six Months Of Its Run! Talker Has To Tighten Budget!

Courtesy/ABC

Courtesy/ABC

Last week, we brought you the news that the axe had finally fallen on Katie Couric’s Disney/ABC syndication afternoon talk show, Katie!   The show will end after only two seasons, but  now in the final six months of production, January to through June, due to budget issues the talker will shift to a mostly live format!

A representative for the series told The Hollywood Reporter, “The content of Katie will mostly be produced live on four out of five days.  In order to keep the production schedule to four days a week, the fifth show will be taped but is expected to be limited to the one-hour time allotted (less commercial time).”    They added that the reason to switch to the mostly live format was in the works prior to the news of the officially cancellation.

THR revealed that originally: “Couric’s tapings ran longer than the allotted time because she wanted to keep going to get as much good content as possible.  In some cases, shows were running twice the scheduled time.  A source close to the show insists Couric’s decision to run longer was made jointly with Rachel Miskowiec, who was brought in last May as executive producer for the show’s second season. The result was that producers and editors often racked up overtime to cut the content to fit the one-hour format, triggering significant budget overruns. Katie was already one of the more expensive daily talk shows ever produced, in part because it had more field producers and news staff than most.”

So, Katie was clearly an over-budget talk show that was made room for in the ABC line-up for affiliates in the original timeslot of General Hospital!  And everyone was complaining how over budget soap productions are!  Well, it looks like it happens in talk shows too!  What do you think of the switch of Katie to a mostly live format, and the troubles the show has had?  Weigh-in!

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You know, an awful lot of unexpected surprises can happen when you air live….like a guest suddenly making a speech to ABC to bring back the soaps…or a large portion of the studio audience breaking out into a We Want the Soaps chant….

Oh, I’d love to see that happen.

SO happy ABC FINALLY CANCELLED HER SHOW!!! I ONLY WATCHED HER SHOW IELLSB WHEN SHE DID THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL & WHEN RICK SPRINGFIELD WAS ON!! I’M A HUGE ELLEN FAN!!!

They can always use reruns of OLTL in place of Katie until they figure out what their going to do. That will save on a lot of money and I bet it gets better ratings.

Honestly, I don’t know what to say about ABC Daytime and their budget problems. But one possible suggestion is that they may want to get out of producing original content, and just become a giant billboard like AOL. Hey, it could be groundbreaking! Just think about it… an all infomercial major network! LOL. ABCommercial! 😉

Good riddance !!!Now please bring back OLTL and AMC !!!!!

That will never happen mike, OLTL and AMC will never come back on abc. Time to move on, I’m over it now. i enjoy watching general hospital and days of our lives.

So true..
I can not understand how some think ABC will air the 2 soaps, again..
It will never ever happen, they are over/done/gone the same as the canceled soaps before them..

Unless! PP by way of a miracle gets them up and running, again, and that is not probable..

The 2 soaps are no longer in ABC’s hands and when or if ABC gets them back they will collect dust on a shelf, forever archived..

I have an idea on how they could save even more money-just stop producing the Katie show right now. Then they could broadcast repeats of the last 6 months of OLTL, bring OLTL back into production and give us new episodes after 6 months.
I guess that would be a longshot! A guy can dream, can’t he?

I am happy about anything that shows just how stupid ABC is. It is so sad that our wonderful soaps are being replaced with these awful talk shows. Bring back AMC! Bring back all the soaps!

Why bother? Get out now!

Funny, talk was cheap(cheaper than soaps) but in this case it wasnt and the show gets cancelled…but 4 those who dislike Katie…well, she still has her fans and we havent heard the last from her…i wish daytime would experiment with a new soap…it could air for 6 months and repeat 6 months to help keep costs down…also in place advertising would be another way to earn extra money to pay for these shows…maybe a character could be shown ordering and drinking a pepsi or another character is shown buying a Ford truck…it would also add a little realism too…just saying! But i doubt they’d try another soap…the last 4 is it i feel so we should support them while we can…even Y&R!

I MO the budgets were just an excuse. Wonder what they will do now. If it isn’t our cancelled soaps I will not watch. I am looking forward to Tainted Dreams ABC can’t touch that

Here an idea – lets bring back soaps in a LIVE format.
See what rating the Sound of Music got.. people love LIVE (ex. Kelly and Michael)

Everything in TV is cyclical… every ‘genre’ always comes back.. but changes slightly.

What better way to create a buzz … bring back LIVE soaps… you can bet ABC would have an audience increase..

Oh did I mention bring back OLTL…

These budget and over run issues make me laugh… I’m quite sure that OLTL was giving ABC more value for less money.

maybe they can barrow Frank Valentini to get them under budget. lol!

WHO CARES, I DON’T , SHE IS AS BORING AS WET DISH RAG THAT FELL ON THE FLOOR, HOPEFULLY WHO EVER GETS HER PLACE DOESN’T DO WELL EITHER, I WOULD SAY PUT THE SOAPS BACK, BUT ABC/ DISNEY DOESN’T CARE AND WON’T ADMIT DEFEAT, BUT AT LEAST IF THEY DID THEY WOULDN’T HAVE TO REPLACE THEIR DUMB TALK AND FOOD SHOWS WITH ANOTHER FAILURE.

Her contract was too expansive for what the ratings were getting which is what led to her downfall. No surprise here, this woman has always been money hungry since her NBC days.

Despite that, her failure will not bring back AMC and OLTL. Katie’s ratings weren’t stellar but they weren’t The Revolution’s numbers either. ABC will just produce another talk show but this time with an host that ask less money than Katie did. And if that talk show with the other host gets ratings similar to what Katie was getting, ABC will keep it. Sad but true. ABC absolutely wants nothing to do with daytime soaps except for GH.

Nothing against Katie or her show (don’t watch it, don’t know), but the fact that the network allowed the show to continually run over budget after what they learned about “inflated” soap star salaries and show production costs, really pisses me off. Soap stars supposedly make less than primetime stars; yet at one time, the soaps were the “cash cows” for the network. Still, the networks have treated their soaps/stars badly with very little support while they paid gross sums of money to their night time stars and promoted the heck out of them. Soaps started being cancelled and network execs said that one of the reasons was because the shows were too expensive to produce. Hmmm? One would think ABC would have kept an eye on such things with the KATIE show, which has never done well in the ratings. When, oh when, will they ever learn???

Katie and the majority of talk shows are repeats….. unlike daytime dramas.

Going live–a move of desperation. Good riddance!

A talk show going over budget!!!!!!! How can that be????????

now that Christmas is over – I dont feel as charitable to this woman anymore.
she – along with the past daytime boss – ruined the soap genre…. let her go to yahoo dot com… that way we dont ever have to see her again.

bring back the soaps…. you still own them ABC!

Breaking News

REPORT: Nicholas Chavez Not Returning to General Hospital

For those who were holding out hope that Daytime Emmy winner and fan favorite, Nicholas Chavez would be returning to General Hospital after filming his leading role in Ryan Murphy’s Monsters anthology, it looks like those hopes have been dashed.

According to a report from TV Line, although unconfirmed from General Hospital or a representative for Chavez, the actor will not reprise his role as Spencer Cassadine on the long-running ABC soap opera and continue the love story of Sprina opposite Tabyana Ali (Trina, GH).

Chavez was cast as Lyle Menendez over the the summer of 2023 for the second season of Murphy’s limited Monsters series on Netflix. In the upcoming season, the series will focus on the the case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, the two well-to-do Beverly Hills brothers accused of murdering their parents in 1989.

Photo: ABC

After word from Chavez casting was revealed, GH fans were concerned over the fate of the Sprina story, a spokesperson for GH shared,  “We support Nicholas’ endeavors and look forward to having him return to General Hospital once this project is wrapped.”

In story, the series “killed off” Spencer when he went overboard with Esme to the steely waters below after being injected with a drug, thanks to Esme and falling into the Seine River in France. However, his body was never recovered, and believed to have drowned or washed away. Thus, leaving an opening for Spencer to return in the form of Chavez or be recast down the line.

Photo: ABC

TV Line shared that ‘multiple sources’ are confirming that Chavez is not returning to the ABC soap opera, which is what many had suspected might be the case once he left for this major starring role in a Ryan Murphy project. Chavez has been relatively quiet on social media for months.

Photo: ABC

The Michael Fairman Channel spoke with Nicholas Chavez for a virtual interview when he first joined the show in 2021, and spoke to him right after when he won the Daytime Emmy in 2022 – you can see those below.

No word yet on when Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story will debut on Netflix, but it is assumed later this year.

So, what do you think about the news of Nicholas Chavez not returning to his role as Spencer Cassadine on General Hospital? Comment below.

 

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General Hospital

Jack Wagner Open to Making an Appearance in ‘Melrose Place’ Reboot and Shares, “You Never Really Die on a Soap”

With the Melrose Place revival the talk of the town, now Jack Wagner (ex-Frisco, GH, ex-Nick, B&B and ex-Peter Burns, MP) has weighed-in on it and if he would show up in the new series if it should find a home.

Currently, CBS Studios is developing a reboot starring Heather Locklear, Daphne Zuniga and Laura Leighton. But what is Dr. Peter Burns were to show up alive?

As those who saw the end of the original MP know, Peter and Amanda (Locklear) faked their deaths and then tied the knot with Peter on a beach, supposedly in a “happily ever after” scenario.

Photo: Fox

Speaking with PEOPLE, Wagner expressed, what we all know who watch the soaps, that no one is never, ever really gone for good. Jack expressed, “You never really die on a soap, right? How they unfold those two characters (Peter and Amanda), it’d be fantastic how they sort of tell that story.”

Wagner added, “That was a great finale to be included in, especially with Heather. If I’m asked to come back, I’d absolutely entertain that.”

Photo: Fox

The original Melrose Place aired for seven seasons from 1992 to 1999. The story featured the residents of an apartment complex, whose lives were intertwined. Eventually Wagner and Heather Locklear dated fro 2007-2011.

As previously reported, the new Melrose Place share that some of original neighbors and friends reunite after a death. The loglines add, “The pressure cooker of a reunion soon uncovers old traumas, rekindles old romances, reignites old resentments, and reveals new secrets… throwing our characters into chaotic drama that’s reminiscent of the past, but with a much more modern perspective.”

So, would you like to see Jack Wagner return as Dr. Peter Burns on Melrose Place, or Frisco Jones on GH, or both? Comment below.

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Brook Lynn and Chase Have Their Bachelor and Bachelorette Parties

On General Hospital, Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) both were treated to Bachelorette and Bachelor parties to shake off any of those pre-wedding jitters. At The Savoy, the ladies have a touching and fun time with Brook Lynn.

The bride-to-be gives a speech to thank everyone for coming, while Lois lets everyone know to try the signature cocktail the “Brooklynn Chaser”, which gets everybody eventually and mostly, drunk.

When Tracy (Jane Elliot) questions Lois (Rena Sofer) as to why there is no music for the party, Lois realizes she forgot, and somehow, who does she call to the rescue? Spinelli (Bradford Anderson)! Saving the day, he winds up playing some tunes and later gets on the dance floor to ‘shake it off’ with the gals.

Photo: ABC

Lois makes a speech as the mother of the bride, and shares how proud she is of the woman Brook Lynn has become. Wedding games begin, including one of “hot potato” with a wedding bouquet.

When it’s time for the “Silly Poses” section of the party, Spinelli has now morphed from DJ to staff photographer taking memorable photos of the ladies to remember the evening by.

Photo: ABC

The best part of the event, was when Brook Lynn tries to get her grandmother Tracy out on the dance floor, which, at first, she refuses. After several of the guests bust a move, a tipsy Tracy joins the dance party after Joss mentions that if her grandmother Bobbie was here, she would dance. Tracy says “she agrees” and begins to cut a rug on the floor, much to the delight of the other women.

Photo: ABC

In the final moments, a tipsy Joss and Kristina (Kate Mansi) have a confrontation about Sonny, and Joss lets Kristina in more on Sonny’s behavior, which looks to have clued in Kristina a bit more as to how something is way off about her dad.

Photo: ABC

Across town at the Hatchett Bar, Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) and the men with the exception of Anna (Finola Hughes) and Jordan (Tanisha Harper), all attend Chase’s Bachelor Party where throwing hatchets into a dart board for supremacy is the order of the day. Drew (Cameron Mathison) and Ned (Wally Kurth) get into some words over ELQ, while Dante makes a toast to his police partner, Chase.

Photo: ABC

Suddenly Dex (Evan Hofer) shows up. Chase thanks Dex for coming, but Dex gets some dirty looks from other cops on the force. Dante gives Chase his present, which is a signed baseball by the Boston Red Sox.

Ned (Wally Kurth) makes a speech that although no one is good enough for his daughter, Brook Lynn, Chase has come closer than anyone has, so welcome to the family. Running in at the end is Blaze (Jacqueline Grace Lopez), who just left Brook Lynn’s party, and she toasts her singing partner, Chase, and to the great man that he is.

Photo: ABC

What did you think of Brook Lynn and Chase’s pre-wedding celebrations? What was your favorite moment? Comment below.

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