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RATINGS: All Soaps Gain in Total Viewers; GH Scores Largest Increase, while B&B Has Largest Audience in 9 Months

By Michael Fairman

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Photos: ABC and CBS

Finally, a week during the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the nation and the world, where your favorite daytime soaps all aired new episodes, and all showed an increase in total viewers.

For the ratings week of January 25th through the 29th, it was ABC’s General Hospital which saw the most viewers additions for the week coming in with + 161,000.  Meanwhile, as previously noted, The Bold and the Beautiful scored its highest viewing audience in over nine months, nearing close to 3 million viewers while showing a net gain of + 68,000.

The Young and the Restless is now back above 3 million as it has been in the last few weeks (after dropping considerable viewers) and adding +54,000, while NBC’s Days of our Lives added + 9,000 total viewers.

 

In the key 18-49 demo, GH scored the most gains, and landed in the 3rd spot, while DAYS was the only show to lose viewers in the age group.  However, both shows still scored all-time lows in the 18-34 ratings demo for the second week in a row.

You can check out the full ratings picture at SON here.

Total Viewers
1. Y&R 3,341,000 (+54,000)
2. B&B 2,946,000 (+68,000)
3. GH 2,176,000 (+161,000)
4. DAYS 1,804,000 (+9,000)

Women 18-49 Viewers
1. Y&R 307,000 (+11,000)
2. B&B 273,000 (+15,000)
3. GH 252,000 (+24,000)
4. DAYS 230,000 (-13,000)

So, which of the four network soaps do you think is delivering to you the best storylines at this moment? What fixes would you make to improve your favorite show? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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I really think it’s time for both GH & Days to seek other writing avenues.

I totally agree about GH, Nicole. Sam and Dante? Hasn’t anyone figured out they’re the same person? Dullsville Central!

I wonder if TPTB at CBS and Sony will get that Y&R is a hot mess after B&B overtakes the show in the ratings? Or will they simply change gears and tout B&B as the number one soap? Most likely the latter since they’ll refuse to be seen having egg on their face.

The Y&R writing team continues to implode, the undoing of Danny Boza- Chance Chancellor,after having just married Abby Newman, is total betrayal to the audience and the legions of us all who lov them. Bringing Michael and Kevin’s mother,Gloria and all her bags of chaos, does not make up for the shambles that the writers have created. Don’t even start on the chaos of Sharon, Ray, Adam and Chelsea, disaster…. WTF are they thinking???This is the worst storyline ever…all built around keeping Connor happy?????Give me a break….not dr behind this disaster is Devon, Nate,Amanda, her newly discovered mother and sister, they appeared briefly and disappeared, this disaster in waiting.SOMEONE PLEASE FIRE ALL THE WRITERS AND GET Melody Thomas Scott’s husband Ed Scott to come in and rescue this sinking ship….. they need an experienced leader to take over this sinking vessel.

Add the latest kyle ‘secret’ yet again…to your list Charles
Is another nonstarter
Its the latest in past redux stories of things happening off camera of things we know or care anything about
Poor Michael Mealor and Sasha Colle. They were in such a sweet young innocent romance with Summer as the antognist. This triangle could ve gone on forever as each couple had a rooting fanbase. Instead Josh Griffith dumped it mid story and instead we keep getting Theo and his amateur hinjinx.
Ughhhh. So frustrating

So right, Damien. I actually groaned aloud when creepy Theo revealed the latest “Kyle Caper”. Who cares? If I were Kyle, my first call would have been to Jack. Maybe he would have fired Theo and clued Lauren in about the Red Menace.

Josh Griffin was supposed to be the savior of Y&R writing woes, yet they managed to get the Emmy for best show… Go figure…. perhaps he just needs to get his mojo back….

It was Mal Young that won that Emmy. Griffith is the one who has undone everything Mal was creating. I can’t stand this writing. There’s no consistency. The only thing I was enjoying was Lilly and Billy. Now they’ve got Victoria acting stupid and Billy like a king of woes doormat

Days then GH,,i no longer watch the other two…

I don’t watch GH anymore the story line are horrible need to put back JaSam and Carson back together

There are only four soaps on the air, so of course they’re ranked 1-4. How idiotic for people to get so upset that their show isn’t #1! GH is #3 and it’s my main soap, with DAYS coming in as my second. I enjoy both soaps and am soooo thankful to have them still! GH is so much better than the ratings might suggest and IMHO deserves much better ratings. But I’ll say that these soaps are a lot better than the majority of programs in primetime. When you look at primetime show’s low ratings and how much they cost to produce, soaps look like a real bargain that the networks ought to do a better job of promoting. JMHO.

It’s upsetting only because the ratings matter to advertisers as we know. If they didn’t, I couldn’t care less where they came in. To see B&B which is the most redundant, boring, lackluster show beat GH & Days? That’s where the advertising dollars will go…to a crap show… while the other two could be at risk of cancellation…

Oh Rebecca1, so right. The endless unmerry-go-round of Brooke and Ridge. I’d rather watch water evaporate!

B&B is absolute garbage. Same old/same old, lazy writing. It’s mind-numbing; gave it up. I find it astounding, looking at the ratings, that they’re higher in the ratings than Days and GH, both of which I think are completely enjoyable; love them both.

Bring Danny Boaz diehard Y&R fan

The Gwen/Chad/Abigail storyline has been amazing. I thought the Eli/Lani storyline would be great, but am not thrilled this is yet another Vivian storyline. I would love to see the show move forward, away from gimmicky tributes to the past. I have grown tired of Clyde, Ivan, Vivian, and other cartoon villains. I miss the days of Victor causing chaos. Also, PLEASE no one ‘back-frim’the-dead” stories. The writers need to find a way to get Kristen out of jail. Her storyline with Brady is boring. I am not feeling the returns of Phillip and Chloe. Their chemistry seems a thing of the past. Lastly, why has Sarah started acting like a teenage girl? Her character seems too silly to be a doctor.

I am looking forward to seeing Jackee and her ties to the Carvers. I would love to trim the cast, and then recast Peter and EJ. Chad is great, but still seems too young. I would also love to see Johnny and Sydney come back with Sami.

Marcy Miller is an acting powerhouse and the writers need to show her as a badass, instead of wimpy and granola. Her scenes with Gwen and Chad should win her an Emmy.

Im tired of Ciara getting kidnapped 100 times…they cant think of anything else?

That’s ReRon for you… Kidnappings, baby switches, and Identity disorders. Repeat endlesssly…. that’s what he does.

To be fair though, Marlena’s been kidnapped far more than Ciara… and that’s just within the last year.

Ray, I wholeheartedly agree with your commentary! One point in particular: “Lastly, why has Sarah started acting like a teenage girl? Her character seems too silly to be a doctor.”

While I like the pairing of Zander and Sarah, it’s clear that, despite much heartbreak and angst, Sarah is now supposed to provide comic relief. But it’s all too forced and bizarre, almost hard to watch.

In general, I like when a soap injects some humor into characters/storylines, but it has to be written and executed well and believably…

I have seen episodes that my mother recorded back when Vivian was a daily part of Days. She is definitely not a cartoon villain. And Ivan was hilarious as Vivian’s major domo.

Ray,
I agree with all your comments starting with Marcy Miller who deserves an award for her acting as the betrayed wife of the stupid Chad who’s character has turned into a real jerk and I hope Abby dumps his ass! The twins birth and joy of their parents was ruined by the kidnapping by the nutty Vivian’s man- servent. I would love to see Kristen get out of jail and leave Salem for good. Iam sick if her obcession with Brady and his crazy notion that she’s changed.
I also totally agree about ” Silly Sarah” she is like a nutty windup doll on speed. I’d hate to be in the O.R when she comes tripping in with her actions, knowing she was going to operate on me. Now we’re losing Cady whom I love as Jennifer with no return of Melissa Reeves. Boy, can this show get any worse?
Hopefully Jackee will spice things up, one can only hope.

IMHO, GH is on fire at the time and so good and it’s my favorite…B&B, I only watch for Heather Tom and to hear the BEAUTIFUL background music, lol…B&B is horrible, like others said, same old stuff over and over that it’s sickening…Also regarding B&B, the way they all stand apart, I know due to Covid and Y&R is the same and a show I no longer watch…Look at GH, it basically looks normal with the way the film the scenes, why isn’t B&B and Y&R not able to do the same? Wakeup CBS/Sony, IMO Y&R is doomed and it’s extremely sad what this show has become…

I agree with the filming of GH and Y&R. It bugs the shit out of me that Y&R actors are 10 feet a part and dont hug someone they love. Deena died and all the Abbotts sat around 20 feet apart! Weird and disturbing! GH is basically normal and I commend them for doing a great job in these odd times.

Timmm
Boy are you right! What got me was the newlyweds saying goodby for God knows how long, Abby walks out leaving Chance, no hug or kiss . Chance wants to be alone and then leaves a note for Abby and for his mother whom he hasn’t seen in years, and Abby’s going to carry on having a baby with family and friends but without the most important person, a husband and father. Only a Newman would do this.

DOOL

Soaps have beyond peaked and with other options out there via streaming; it is very unrealistic to think they will bring in too many new viewers or any. Powers to be should be concerned with how to keep their audience (the average viewer age has increased to around 63 if I’m correct, Soap Opera Network put that out recently). I love GH and will continue to support it & the CBS drama’s. Days is too far removed from reality with poor plot camp writing and focus on the wrong characters. They would be better served to concentrate on core cast/veterans and stop bringing in more characters for short arcs, etc. They should use that money for production, their sets are horrible.

Lincoln, I totally agree re:Days…I tried watching the episodes that Jaime Lyn Bauer are on, oh how Days is no longer the show it use to be…IMO DOOL is horrible and so is the background music, very annoying. IMO Y&R and Days are the two shows that really have majorly deteriorate and it’s extremely sad what these shows are like today.

Ratings and quality of storyline don’t always match up. Y&R is helped by it’s time slot in many parts of the nation — airing earlier with less quality competition than GH, which goes against better talk shows.

On the other hand, in many markets, each soap doesn’t compete time slot-wise with other soaps. A live viewer could channel switch and watch all 4 shows in a row.

Regardless, Y&R benefits from a less competitive time slot than GH.

I am tired of sharron and Adam you all have to stop repeating the story lines . Why can’t sharron keep Ray and they fall in love . also jack needs a wife in his life and someone honest

Steve, you make some great points: Specifically, “Ratings and quality of storyline don’t always match up.” I must add, however, before the 30-year reign of Y&R as the #1 soap, GH was for years the #1 soap, achieving the highest soap ratings ever for the Luke and Laura wedding, never to be seen again — the ratings, not Luke and Laura! And that was during a time when there were quite a few more soaps; also, GH aired at 3 PM Eastern while Y&R had the same time slot it has now.

My larger point is that, in entertainment (TV, music, movies, etc.), ratings success (or sales, or box office) is not always commensurate with quality. I think we’re seeing that on display with this article.

In San Diego, CA: Days, GH and Y&R are all on at 1:00 PT. B&B is at 12:30, where its only competition is local news. If one doesn’t have means for recording devices, what a terrible choice to have to make!!

GH is the best soap ever!

Gh has messed up so many couples that’s it ridiculous story lines u can’t keep up don’t watch any more until they put those power couples back JaSam Carson
Trying to rewrite JaSam love story with Jason and Britt no chemistry all fake

I personally love General Hospital the best out of all the shows. I have watched it since High school. It is on fire now I tried the other soap Young n Restless but I found it boring.

IMO the only reason B&B saw an uptick in viewer’s was because of the Y&R Sally Septra storyline crossover! I’m over the constant Steffy/Liam/Hope storyline regurgitation! The writer’s storylines are so predictable it’s like rote memory. Rather sad, I’ve been watching Soap Opera’s since the early 60’s . The network’s cancelled all the well written one’s. Leaving we soap addicts with predictable merry-go-round storylines from boring writer’s.

General Hospital is Showing the Best Stories From the Mob war , to Sonny’s Memory loss , the Sasha/Michael , Willow/Chase turmoil , Franco’s illness

Marianne Lynch
I feel the same. I enjoy Sonny and his Mob while others just hate this part of the show. Luckily, there are enough Sl’s for everyone’s taste I think.

I don’t know why more people don’t watch Days. For me, it’s the best soap and have been for a while.

Y&R and B&B have some good moments, but also some blah stories. I don’t watch GH.

I tried but between some of the bad acting, poor sets, and dialogue with over the top characters, all it did was teach me to appreciate GH even more.

Days is a bit more fantasy than the other three soaps. So if that’s not your bag baby, you won’t like it. I don’t think acting is bad. Sets are fine to me.

These ratings are fake news! Y&R is horrible! I watch the show in 15 minutes! Jack is basically the new John Abbott, they cut Chance, Nina, Jill, Michael, Gloria, Kevin and Chloe are just decorations! Rey and Sharon have to be the worst couple ever! NuAdam sucks. I’m loving the new silent Chelsea! This show cannot be outscoring GH in the ratings. GH is normal looking, has so many talented actors and their stories are for the most part, interesting. GH#1!

Lol
Its not ‘fake’ news
Yes I agree y n r is the absolute pits but the only reason y n r is still #1 is not out of quality
Its the viewers loyalty for the cast and holding on to the memories of how groundbreaking the show once was soooo long ago
Cbs takes the viewwrship for granted and hasnt taken proper steps especially in the last maybe 15 years since the shows become progressively worse. However y n r has hit an all time new low. Whats worse than ‘bad writing’? Take a look at y n r , its ‘ no writing’! Absolutely nothing is going on here . Shows are filled with two characters repearing lame boring dialogue.

Pretty bad when they have to drag B&B stars over to light a flame. Bill and Sally are 10 times more interesting than any Y&R character!

Timmm
Right! Chelsea’s inner thoughts are priceless. Wait until she can move more than her arm, I hope Sharon can run fast. I hate her and Rey, they are like brother and sister. Never thought she’d agree to treat Chelsea as a patient especially with the method they are using, though it seems to be working.

With all the Impeachment stuff this week and no shows, the one I missed most was GH, but I did catch up with them later on UTUBE. Just watched the parts that I was interested in.

Don’t know where you get your numbers but I fought Y &R picked up what you said or what you lost.

Dante and Sam is just DUMB
You want somebody with Sam is should be Curtis or recast somebody to play Drew
But I’ll will always love Jasam!!

I have never ever been a fan, of The Young and the Retarded. Sorry, just never understood why it is still on. It will never have the magic of General Hospital!

Days

Days has the best storylines

I think the ratings are actually much higher, but the system hasn’t caught up, and that’s a bit of a problem, making it look like less interest than there is,
I mean that’s a good addition of viewers, but many people don’t even watch on network tv anymore, millions of people watch GH for example, all around the world now, but they may be watching from hulu, youtube premium, amazon prime, and other such sites,
They may not respond to surveys and they aren’t able to be tracked, (I guess if companies like hulu cooperated they could tally hits on episodes posted on their site) but the point is I know way more than 3 million people approximately are watching, there’s about 300 million americans and it seems almost everyone in my area watchs gh at least once a week, often more. Plus I’ve talked to people who watch from Canada, Ireland, England and even Mexico, so just using common sense id imagine world wide fan base is at least 100 million.

General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom

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This week on all-new episodes of General Hospital, the race is on! Can Lulu (Alexa Havins) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) get to Rocco (Finn Carr) and Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) in time to ensure their safety from Cullum (Andrew Hawkes)? Can Carly (Laura Wright) with the help of her brother, Lucas (Van Hansis) rescue Josslyn (Eden McCoy) from captivity at Wyndemere? These questions may be answered, plus the return of the one and only Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) are on tap!

In the just released General Hospital spoilers video for the week of June 22-26, Lulu tells her mother, Laura (Genie Francis), “Dante and I have to get to Rocco before Cullum!” Meanwhile, Rocco (Finn Carr) looks angered and emotional as Britt walks through their cabin hideout. Does Rocco know his parents are on the way to find them, or has Cullum already tracked them down to the British Virgin Islands?

Back in Port Charles, Carly is informing Lucas that his niece, “is a WSB agent.” She knows Josslyn (Eden McCoy) is being held against her will at Wyndemere, and she has to find a way to get her out. Lucas agrees with Carly’s plan of, “We go in and we don’t leave without Josslyn!” Elsewhere, Josslyn is looking worried for her future as she is stuck in captivity thanks to Cassius, Cullum and Sidwell!

Courtesy/ABC

FINOLA HUGHES RETURNS

The final moments of the teaser promo reveal Anna in a psychiatric clinic in France. We have not seen her for months after Cullum, Sidwell and Pascal fed her hallucinogenics to make her believe her arch nemesis, Cesar Faison was alive!

Now, the doctors walk towards her hospital bed, where we see the super spy calmly knitting. Is Anna back to normal and playing everyone to get out of her predicament, or does she still remain deeply traumatized … or both?

Take a look at the rest of the official GH spoilers for the week below.

MONDAY, JUNE 22
Willow gets an unwelcome surprise. Trina sticks to her guns. “Nathan” wants reassurance. Ethan advises Ava. Brook Lynn receives an update.

TUESDAY, JUNE 23
Dante cautions Liz. Laura learns a secret. Brook Lynn confides in Michael. Sonny challenges Ava. Chase makes a decision.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24
Anna meets with her doctor. Carly makes a stunning confession. Britt extracts a promise. Cullum pulls a fast one. Gio and Emma hit the pool.

THURSDAY, JUNE 25
Josslyn clashes with Cassius. Lulu and Dante make a discovery. Chase receives a warning. Jordan seeks help. Alexis is summoned to the PCPD.

FRIDAY, JUNE 26
Anna takes a huge risk. Britt is in grave danger. Willow is in disbelief. Danny must act fast. Curtis jumps to the wrong conclusion.

Check out the latest General Hospital promo entitled, “Rescue Mission” below.

Now weigh-in: Do you think Anna is still mentally off-balance, or OK, and just pretending to be troubled to get out of France and get back to Port Charles? Will Josslyn finally be rescued, or will Carly and Lucas find themselves locked up with her? And, who will get to Britt and Rocco first? Cullum, or Dante and Lulu? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric

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With the highly-anticipated returns of Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) on this week’s June 24 episode of General Hospital, Steve Burton’s (Jason Morgan) upcoming return on July 13, which also serves as the ABC daytime drama’s 16,000 episode, things are about to fire on all cylinders in the story, as noted today by series star, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos).

On Father’s Day, the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning actor and mental health activist took to his Instagram and expressed in a video that he has some unbelievable upcoming senes with the aforementioned Burton and Hughes. Add to that Nazneen Contractor (Justine Turner) and Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing), where Benard gave credit where credit is due to the GH writing team, which is led by co-head writers, Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten..

In this video, Benard said, “I just want to get on here and say that I did some work with Steve Burton, Finola Hughes, Rick Hearst, Nazneen Contractor, and they’re all just fantastic. Truly fantastic. But, I want to say the writing was just exceptional. It truly was. It was exceptional. So, thankful for that kind of writing. I know writers don’t get the credit a lot, but I just want to say to the General Hospital writing team, keep rolling!”

GENERAL HOSPITAL PREVIEW

So now the question becomes, with a major tease like that, what is about to go down between Sonny, Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric? Will we finally get to the end of the line for Sidwell (Carlo Rota), as previously teased by the GH co-head writers? Will we learn what happened to Jason and Anna, fully? Will Justine and Sonny becomes closer or stop their liaisons? And what of Ric? Will he be true blue to his brother or double-cross him? There is a lot at stake as we move further into the summer and one that looks like it could be one of the more exciting ones in years!

FINOLA HUGHES CONFIRMED AMAZING SCENES WITH MAURICE BENARD

As a punctuation point to his video, Benard also shared this written message in the post: “I just did some wonderful scenes with Steve Burton, Rick Hearst, Finola Hughes and Nazneen Contractor and  and unbelievable writing, freaking amazing scenes that you will see in the near future on General Hospital.” In fact, Finola Hughes jumped in the post comment thread and responded, “I loved our scenes so much xxx”

Fans will most likely see all the scenes Benard referred to later in July, since GH tapes approximately six weeks ahead of air.

So, are you excited to see what Maurice is talking about? Are you hyped for what’s to come on GH? Any clue on what you think will go down between the main characters on the soap with the returns of Anna Devane and Jason Morgan to the mix? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

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A post shared by Maurice Benard (@mauricebenard)

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Announces Upcoming Release of His First Single, ‘If You Need Me’

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In a surprise move, Daytime Emmy winner, Chad Duell (ex-Michael Corinthos, GH) is getting ready to unveil a new chapter of his career in music.

The former GH star, where he played the son of Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) for 15 years, has announced his new single, “If You Need Me” will drop on Friday, June 26. The single is now available for pre-order on Spotify and major music streaming platforms and is distributed by DistroKid.

Taking to his Instagram story over the weekend, to announce the pre-save of his new single, Chad expressed, “I’ll make a full post about what I’ve been up to and my music once it goes live next week, but you can pre-save my first single so it goes straight to your Spotify once it drops next week.”

Photo: CDuellIG

SINCE LEAVING GENERAL HOSPITAL

Previously, since his departure from the ABC soap opera. Chad starred alongside Zach Mendez in the world premiere of of Yum Yum at Annapolis, a new play written by Bruce Reisman. Duell last appeared on General Hospital on the January 21, 2025 episode.

The part was recast with Rory Gibson who debuted as the new Michael in May of 2025 during the Nurses’ Ball episodes and who has remained in the role since that time.

In an interview earlier this year on The Able Show, Duell said on his decision to exit the soap opera, “I was blessed to be part of that (show) for as long as I have, but what happens sometimes is if you’re doing the same thing, especially in a creative field for such a long time, you can get a little burnt out in a way. It can make you a little depressed, so that’s kind of what happened. On top of that, I had other things going on in my life at the time. My father passed away recently and I just needed a reset. So, I stepped away. A lot of times you have to go through some stuff to really step into that next level. I needed to kind of feel uncomfortable.”

So, what type of musical genre will Chad’s new song be? Country? Pop? Rock? Dance/Club? Something else? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below, and if you are eager to hear the new single next week via the comment section below.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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Finn Carr & Dominic Zamprogna as Rocco & Dante

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