Days Of Our Lives
RATINGS: Y&R and DAYS Hit New Lows! All Soaps Lose More Viewers!
Very disheartening news today for the ratings period of April 2-6th. All of the four remaining network daytime soaps lost viewers, but in particular The Young and the Restless and Days of our Lives hit new all-time lows in total viewers and in the key women18-34 rating demo.
The Young and the Restless remained in the top spot but for the first time has under 4 million viewers losing -164,000 viewers for the ratings period. It would appear that what many fans have been saying for quite awhile that they are disgruntled with some of the Genoa City storylines is causing people to tune-out!
As soapers know, Days of our Lives this past week made a serious of headline making changes. First, they fired head writers, Marlene McPherson and Darrell Ray Thomas, and then they cut four cast members, Sarah Brown, Matt Ashford, Patrick Muldoon and Christie Clark. And as detailed by DAYS co-executive producer in his interview with TV Guide, there are more cast cuts to come as the show tries to figure out how to get a ratings influx. DAYS for this ratings period hit a new all-time low of 2, 162,000 viewers, losing another -137,000 and striking out with the key female demos as well.
General Hospital stayed slightly ahead of DAYS in the third spot losing only -11,000 viewers, while getting some good news this week, that Port Charles will stay on the ABC map for at least for another year with a renewal. The Bold and the Beautiful while still solid in second place also lost -174,000 viewers. You can view all the ratings via Soap Opera Network here.
So, in the immortal words of Bette Midler in the motion picture, The Rose “Where is everybody going?” Are you, the audience, just not interested in what the shows are presenting to you? What do you need to see changed, so you will come back and watch every day? Tuning -in is key if this genre is to continue at all with the four remaining daytime soaps.
I think the problem is that many daytime soap fans work during the day, and have to resort to watching the shows online or on their DVR/Tivo/VCR. I know I find high-quality full-episodes on youtube of General Hospital on the same day each episode airs! The commercials are already taken out and everything. I realize this doesn’t help the ratings, but when ABC doesn’t come in on my TV, and the video player on abc.com takes forever to load, what other choice do I have?
Love your screen name! I wish I did too. Would you rather live at Llanfair or LaBoulie? (sp?)
Thanks!
Llanfair, hands down. Viki is the best! Plus, I feel like that house (mansion) has soooo much history.
I love Llanfair too but they need a new security system, ha. I got to thinking about all the people who have been kidnapped from their or had murders attempted on them in Viki’s den! Plus Dorian’s has the great pool! Oh, we can dream, right?
*sigh* Well, of course I’d like to see my favorite couple (EJ and Samantha) finally get together for real… but I think the real issue is just plain story. Pick a story to tell and tell it. Let the writers do their thing.
And if NBC thinks I’m going to watch something else in place of my story… not gonna happen. I’ll just turn off my TV and listen to the wind chimes.
I want EJAMI together as well and if I see EJOLE reunite Im gonna tear my hear to shreds. Oh well it doesnt matter as I have stoped watching DAYS for a long time. The spoilers are fun to read though LOL.
What do I need to see to get me watching again? I need to see OLTL!
I am with you. I just can’t get so involved with another show right now. I am still in mourning for OLTL! I am sure I will start watch another and they will pull it off the air, too. So sad. Just really miss OLTL.
I miss One Life, too. But since it’s been canned, I’ve been faithfully watching General Hospital, and I gotta say, it’s a great soap. Although, I’ll admit, the ONLY reason I started watching was because they brought OLTL characters over. Operative word: CHARACTERS. Not just the actors. I’m SO HAPPY the OLTL actors are still portraying their OLTL characters. Btw, John McBain has never had so many lines before! It’s great! I feel like I’ve seen his character blossom more on GH than I ever did in all the years I watched OLTL. Nice surprise!
This is not good news, and baffling to me, that they have “all” slipped in the ratings. Where have all of the dedicated daytime soap fans gone? I am sure many more are now working, but there are DVRS and tivo (which is what I do), so that should not be the issue. Whatever your favorites soap(s) may be, you have to remain loyal or this genre will be gone before we know it. As for GH, I am hoping that they will gain more viewers, now that we know it will be on for at least another year (hooray!). It is possible that many people did not want to get invested in yet another soap that might be going off the air shortly, but now that there is renewed life, I hope soap fans give it a shot, it will be worth your while. Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivarti are doing a great job in sparking and spicing up GH!!!! Tune in and see for yourself!!!!
Agreed that GH is a great show. I didn’t think I could even watch another soap after the decade or so of watching OLTL. I hope that it can last for much longer than another year.
As for the ratings, thousands of fans are watching it on youtube fan pages. The General Hospital youtube channel I watch from (https://www.youtube.com/user/SimplyGH) gets about 20,000 views per episode! Why? It’s high quality with no commercials. Now, normally, I’d record it from TV and watch it later in the day, but the problem with me is that I don’t get ABC. It’s one of the few channels that gets TERRIBLE reception, if any. And the video player on ABC.com has boatloads of commercials that take forever to load. It’s just easier this way, and I’m surprised no one from ABC has ever taken those channels down. OLTL had one, too, which is how I watched that.
Thanks for the info!!! This further proves that the Nielson Ratings are so outdated as I commented below. This deeply flawed system MUST be updated or replaced.
I know that I’ve had a lot of trouble maintaining any interest in Y&R for a while now. It’s the same stories, over and over again. Sharon and Adam, Sharon and Nick, Sharon and Adam, etc. Phyllis is crazy mad, Phyllis is mad crazy. Phyllis is yelling.
The business storylines which used to compelling are also rinse and repeat. Jabot, Beauty of Nature, blah blah blah. And everyone acting as if matters more than life who owns the lip gloss factory.
And Round 4 – or is it 5? – of Daisy Carter. And Lauren being scared. And Daniel needing a bath.
And the utterly horrific pukefest that was Kevin and Angelina and Angelo. Y&R has always had a heavy hand with comedy. This felt like it was made by a cement mixer.
Maria Arena Bell may be part of the family, but she’s a lousy writer. Time for Y&R to cut the nepotism and find a real writer. If Y&R fails, it will have no-one to blame but themselves. They are squandering their audience as if they can get them back any tiem they want to.
I think GH has become so much better under Frank V. and Ron C., but I also think the cancellation of OLTL left a lot of viewers gunshy about signing on to GH, or sticking with it. ABC has shown it has no loyalty to the fans at all. And for some, I beiieve they won’t invest in something that they feel can be yanked away from them at any time.
ABC is to blame, I believe, for using and abusing their fanbases, and for showing in what utter contempt they hold the viewing audience. Can that trust be rebuilt?
I agree! I can’t stomach Y & R anymore. The storylines are meaningless. I also miss OLTL.
Y&R: Daisy, Daisy, Daisy. Sorry, that’s all it is. Dreadful, awful storyline that’s driving viewers away.
DAYS: Unwatchable. My eyes have barely touched it in weeks. Everything I do see, though, is awful.
Days of Our Lives better stay in and get ahead in the ratings! Writers, this is a hint: do not cut more actors, bring back the fired four, and do not change the Will storyline!
I think that is something we can agree on. Dont fire anymore and please KEEP Matt Ashford. Firing him is really unfair and Im afraid that Melissa Reeves may be next just to keep the Jenn/Jack fans happy.
Indeed. I would hate to see Jennifer go, and what was the point of bringing in the new character of Madison, or the Jack, Carrie and Austin, only to have them be in Salem for a brief period of time? It was foolish for the writers to do such.
GH didn’t have the best numbers but out of the other 3 soaps, the numbers lost for the week were the best by far! At least they’re remaining stable at the moment! Now, since they were renewed, they have a hell of a lot of work ahead to change the storyline, drop the mob, bring back the past, and increase ratings. If ratings don’t show improvement, they’ll be lucky to get a whole year without being cancelled. They were “graciously” provided another year to prove ther worth since they invested the energy to change the Producer and Head writer!
Its pretty obvious why DAYS is losing viewers. getting rid of vets such as Matt Ashford and Christie Clarke is a big mistake and I just dont get it- hiring someone you got rid of really makes me wonder what Ken Corday is thinking at times. Im happy for GH but Y and R need to put Shadam back together.
Don’t believe the hype! Nielsen’s are notorious for ebbing and flowing. Y&R is always Number One and ALWAYS will be! Best cast, best production values, best writers and directors; they have it ALL! Bow before your Genoa City denizens!
For the first time in over a year, I started watching GH again and didn’t want to miss an episode. Primarily when I read on Twitter that Robin would die and the Manning family would be arriving from Llanview (especially Roger Howarth.)
Some changes since I last watched but still some good stuff …however …I agree with those who think that Tristan Rogers was poorly used. For someone like Robin who had such a long history on the show, there’s no excuse for such an empty room at the funeral. Todd and Blair were there and now they’re gone.
Frankly, I was tired of the Kate/Connie storyline as soon as I saw it coming;
it was already getting old as a device on OLTL with Viki and Jessica. Let’s wrap up who shot the tires, CSI or L&O would have the answer by now.
I’ve enjoyed the ABC soaps since 1978 (11 yrs old) because of the dynamics and relationships between the characters. Storyline should only serve to develop connections and history…while giving the bird’s eye view to the audience.
And, finally, I started hesitating to hit play on the next episode (I don’t own a TV, I watch online @Hulu) when I saw the storyline direction of Susan Moore having two babies, one being Jason and the other being Franco. I was watching when Susan was pregnant. I’m not sure if Heather helped Susan but I do remember that Susan only had one baby. I find it offensive as someone who has watched for so many years…when history gets rewritten for a plot twist. It just turns me off.
Don’t know about Y&R because I don’t watch it. Only watch Days of Our Lives.
If what I heard about NBC interfering with Days writers is true, NBC needs to back off. Firing writers was premature. Letting actors go is unnecessary. Just let writers (Marlene McPherson and Darrell Thomas) fix the story lines, that’s all. And NBC needs to be a little patient.
You can’t keep switching this and cutting that and expect to have a spectacular ratings jump! You can’t turn the four remaining soaps into the ones that have been cancelled. Each show has its own following. More viewers will catch on with time. AMC and OLTL fans are still hurting and may not be ready to switch to another soap. You cannot just “automatically pick up” AMC and OLTL viewers. To attempt to do so may (an probably already has) frustrate the loyal fans of the respective four shows left.
There is too much panic going on. Everybody needs to chill. One week of down ratingsd does not mean the end of the world. If fans have been complaining about storylines then low ratings verify the fans’ discontent. CHANGE THE DOG_GONE STORYLINES, that’s all! This should not be rocket science! Where is common sense?
You also cannot expect to get an answer in a survey type question posted on a website. The answers to what viewers want are in the day to day tweets, and messages fans post on a regular basis. Fans are already letting shows know what they like and do not like. Are the shows willing to listen? Or do the shows want to do what they want and expect the fans to keep watching? The low ratings are saying “NO” to that last question.
As far as Day of Our Lives storylines are concerned, “my sister’s husband” stories do not work! It is just as simple as that. Why would anyone think a target audience of women ages 18-49 would enjoy watching a story about a woman going after her sister’s husband?
I do remember in the early days of Days of Our Lives (1960s-1970s) there was a “my brother’s wife” story (Mickey Horton – Laura Spencer Horton – Bill Horton). That was not a “my sister’s husband” story. Just because the brother’s wife story made it that doesn’t mean a sister’s husband story will. Recently, Days has had two “my sister’s husband” stories. Fans are saying enough is enough!
Days has been breaking up couples. The Sami-EJ hook-up was the beginning of a seriously wrong turn. The Rafe-Carrie kiss was the second seriously wrong turn. So right now, Days is experiencing the fallout from those two mistakes. Days can recover, but it will take a little time. That is why people need to be patient.
Other Days stories are picking up. The episode today was VERY good. How long will it be before this current good will be reflected in the ratings? That is why patience is needed.
I watch GH everyday. But I Tivo it and of course I do not have a Nielson Box either so I gues s I wouldn’t count if I watched it live right? I have also been watching GH online on my Ipad I have heard that ABC has been counting that. Hopefully that is true but I do not believe that still counts with the nielson ratings.
I watched GH twice this week for the first time in years. I remember when Heather Webber killed Susan, I think it was years ago. I was a little confused about her and Edward or Sky, because I didn’t watch then. ( I mostly just watched ATWT for years.) I knew some of Y & R, because my mom is a fan. I started watching that and now have grown tired of the stupid stories…so I am thinking of setting my TIVO for GH only now. I hope I don’t get involved just to see it cancelled in a year. Oh well, I hope I will still have Revenge if that happens.
Heather did Not kill Susan, it was Lila’s Ex, Tolliver.
I didn’t watch then. I stopped watching in the mid 80’s. I watched from about 77-85 or so. I remembered the name Diana Taylor, so I googled and found out that it was Heather’s mom who killed her, but Heather wrote the name Anne in blood on the floor. So crazy runs in the family.
I was one of the viewers that left Young and Restless during that period. I haven’t been interested in awhile. Finally — I just decided to end our relationship. I did it quickly — like ripping off a band-aid. I won’t ever go back. Sad Face.
I am supporting the genre by watching all four. Three I am not excited about but GH I am! I do think it is important to trya nd support them all to not lose more. Though Days is looking like it could be next to go.
I agree about DAYS. If it keeps up ratings like that Im sure it will be next to go.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. I watch every single minute of every single soap every single day. Period. But NOBODY asks me. NOBODY knows.
We know, and WE appreciate it! 🙂
THANKS!
The week of April 2-6, 2012 is also the week that the gay Will Horton story climaxed by Will admitting to his grandmother Marlena that he is gay. There was a lot of activity on twitter promoting this story as well as a special event that Days actors participated in prior to that week I think.
With all that lead in, the show still tanked in the ratings for that week. What further proof is needed that the gay Will Horton was not a good fit for Day of Our Lives? You have to know your audience. The Days audience has not been very accepting of this storyline. Do not confuse curiosity for acceptance.
Chandler Massey and Deidre Hall are excellent actors. Marlene McPherson and Darrell Ray Thomas Jr. are good writers. The problem was not the writing or the acting. The problem was the subject matter.
Having a gay Will Horton was a waste of two good characters: Will and Gabi. However this could be fixed (along with other stories) by doing what the CBS nighttime drama, Dallas, did concerning the death of Bobby Ewing. Say it was a dream!
Sami could wake up in bed, turn over and tell Rafe she had a nightmare! “Oh, Rafe! I had the worst dream! I had sex with EJ after I thought Johnny was dead. You kissed my sister Carrie! Will broke up with Gabi, tore up Maggie’s kitchen and thought he was gay! Will was working for EJ and Nicole was having your baby!” Rafe says, “That is what you get for working too hard for Kate DiMera…and by the way, Nicole is pregnant…with EJ’s baby!”
Story fixed. Ratings go back up. All is well!
The Will storyline happening right now is the only reason I watch Days. It’s by far the best thing on the show.
Not everyone shares your views.
The Best story on OLTL was KISH, and the other stories sucked. They got rid of KISH and the show was so bad it went from Must see to Unwatchable for 4-6 months. That proved the risk of KISH created balance.
I do understand that not everyone shares my views. That is okay. I also appreciate that you like the gay Will Horton storyline. I am sure Days Of Our Lives appreciates ALL their viewers too. However, the target market for soaps, which includes Days of Our Lives, is women ages 18-49. Are you a woman between the ages of 18 and 49?
The point is the gay Will Horton did not generate enough interest/viewing among women ages 18-49 to boost the ratings. That tells me that the gay Will Horton storyline is not a good fit for the Days of Our Lives target audience.
The solution to that is to change the storyline. My suggestion on how to do that is to let Sami say she had a nightmare. Works for me!
Hey I know tuning in is important to save them maybe they ought to look at this and have a meeting about what they are doing Days&GH admit they need work to stay on, but not the Bells they are too arrogant to realize they are the problem. Just because MAB is married to a Bell does not make her qualified to produce or write for a soap and Brad needs to rethink making a soap centered on a young actress Hope, every character on B&B is discussing her love life BORING. I guess if Bill Bell had been a brain surgeon he just would have handed the scalpel and said go for it. It makes me sick to think how this doesn’t need to happen!!!!
With General Hospital, I’m truly not interested in what’s presented to me. The mob I could truly care less about. I never really liked Starr to begin with while she was on OLTL so her arrival to GH really meant nothing to me. I can no longer tune in to watch Quartermaine scenes because Anthony or some other mobster is usually present. And they’ve already butchered Heather’s return by getting her involved with Luke again.
The Bold and the Beautiful I never really watched to begin with. I usually just read about it through magazines and fans’ comments. But all the emphasis on teens I’ve been reading about immediately compels me not to watch since I prefer watching storylines about adults.
The Young and the Restless I’ve tried to watch but can’t. The way they write Sharon has made her completely unwatchable. Her and Adam together make me reach for my remote faster. I don’t like Phyllis. Victor gets away with far too much. Cane and Lily are just boring and make me cringe. The current storylines do nothing for me since they’re basically the same ones as before, only with different characters. And although I love MTS, she’s not worth tuning into what would otherwise be a very painful sixty minutes. Neither is Joshua Morrow’s chest nor Daniel Goddard’s.
I have never gotten into Days. The only thing I really know about that show is that Eric Martsolf has one hell of a chest.
“Where is everyone going?”
Well, I think mostly, the nelson do not reflect true viewer numbers anymore given all the different ways to view and timeshifting (pvr, online viewing and downloading) People are no longer viewing when the networks tell them to. People watch at their convenience, and I feel that most people just don’t watch tv during the day, unless they are at home.
So, as I suggested before on this site, I wish a forward thinking network would but an email address at the start of a show (like GH) so people could email in to show that the program is being watched.
If the networks don’t wise up soon, evey program stands to be cancelled due to a flawed rating system.
Good idea Brian. I also agree that the rating system is extremely flawed, and not keeping up with the times. Updating this system will be the first boost to the ratingsof all the soaps for sure, and then, we, as soap fans, have to continue to do our part.
So true. As I said earlier in this thread, I watch on a fan youtube site that gets 20,000 views per episode or more! But these views don’t count. The folks at ABC should consider teaming up with sites like youtube so that these fans loyalties are accounted for. People are obviously watching– but only a select few means are being counted as “ratings.” Move into the current millennium, ABC! More people are watching than you think!
yes! and anyone watching with a digital tv tuner and antenna – they are not counted either! That’s what I’ve used since the digital switchover… and before that just regular analog TV. My viewing hasn’t counted since July 2008 when I had cable!
This is interesting, Christy. I didn’t know that the digital converter boxes don’t count toward ratings. That’s what I’ve got at home.
I feel like there’s still a pretty decent portion of the television-watching community that uses a converter box/antenna. And might I argue that soap fans would probably fall into this category? I mean, some of these shows have been around for decades, and I’d bed that the majority of soap viewers are people who don’t have these fancy new TV’s. I don’t have one, and I’m in my 20’s. It just doesn’t seem fair that what used to be the standard way of watching TV is completely disregarded now. The ratings people should at least wait until almost no one has antenna TV/converter boxes anymore. It would be in their benefit after all, reflecting more accurate numbers.
If they want people tuning in, it’s all about the writing…and it sucks. I watch B&B and DAYS and I’ve never been so bored.
On B&B, it’s the same crap da after day : Liam, Steffy, Hope….and now, they will wash rinse repeat the same thing with Rick, Caroline and Thomas. Brad Bell has got to be the worst in all daytime. I’ve never seen the show being so unbalanced, so stupid and worthless.
DAYS has some good points, but nothing is ever happening. People talking is not what is entertaining.
I miss the good old days of Santa Barbara and Sunset Beach where there was actually suspense, mystery and love. People invested in the couples back then because fans knew they were the endgame. Now, they are just ripping fanbases apart by not being able to stick with one supercouple being the endgame. If you take Ej Sami and Lucas. EJAMI fans will never be happy when LUMI will get together and will most likely tune out. Vice versa if EJAMI gets back together and LUMI doesn’t.
Back on Santa Barbara, you knew Mason and Julia, Eden and Cruz, Gina and Keith, Sophia and CC, etc. would end up together, but they would fight to be together. Same with Sunset Beach with Ben and Meg, Cole and Caitlin, Olivia and Gregory, Michael and Vanessa.
There wasn’t a gray area…the vast majority wanted the same thing. Now, fanbases are fragmented.
Just read the boards for DAYS and B&B…there is always in-fighing…Steffy fans against Hope fans, EJAMI fans against LUMI fans.
They are destroying their shows and that’s why people aren’t investing into it, just knowing they will probably never get what they want.
And firing actors will not help them. Carrie is my fave…I stopped watching the last time she left and I will again. When are they going to understand that the writing is the problem, not the actors?
I LOVED Santa Barbara! It had everything-don’t forget the humor! Who can forget Gina & Keith’s antics & Lionel & Augusta? Plus they had the super couples & it was just a gorgeous to watch show. Damn.
Y&R needs to either write decent story for several characters or let them go. Harmony is one of the most boring (& irritating) characters on the show. Does she work? Does she do anything other than screech? Daisy is just annoying with that vacant look all the time. Daniel has great potential but needs to be given better story than this ridiculous custody issue. Ricky has no vitality and tossing him into the Daisy mix is just another dud.
Victor is one of the unappealing characters ever. He is manipulative, controlling, egotistical….a tyrant. What does anyone see as positive about him? He alienates his family and I find it unconvincing that Niki finds him the love of her life. Unless she enjoys being bullied and cut down. At least Adam, played fabulously by Michael Muhney, has some depth to him. Yes, he has done horrible things, but you see a wounded soul inside him who has some redeeming traits.
Sharon vacillates between being a shrew and a dingbat. The merry-go-round with her and Nick has reached the limit. Move her on to a new relationship already.
Now they are aging Summer, Fenmore & Jack’s kid….ugh. If Summer is a teen…Noah must be hitting 30!
I wasn’t sure at first, but find that Genie Francis is growing on me…especially as the character is so different from her Laura of GH.
Y&R has a huge cast and yet doesn’t seem to be able to play most of them effectively. Maybe they should spin half of them off into a new show and hire better writers to strengthen the characters.
A suggestion to the leading ladies and you know who you are over at Days I just saw some pictures please stop with the PLASTIC SURGERY!!!!! ENOUGH!!! I could not bare to watch this show again when you hardly recognize the character.
If some of the actresses at Days have had plastic surgery, I sure can’t tell. Usually when I see someone who has had surgery, they look either plastic or dead. So far, I have not seen that on Days.
From what I’ve seen GH and DOOL have been by far the two best soaps. The Y&R goes at a glacial pace and it’s always the same couples going back and forth. Don’t get me started on The B&B!! Just seeing Ron Moss try to act sends me running everytime lol They should cancel it and send the Y&R actors back to the Y&R and send Scott Clifton back to GH.
The constant, nonstop media speculation that the soap genre is losing viewers and that all soaps face possible cancellation is causing this downward spiral. It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy. People who enjoy soaps enjoy the consistency of familiar characters and settings. When the media constantly reports that soaps are losing viewers and may no longer be around, then the “average” soap viewer starts to reconsider committing to a show that may no longer be around in a year’s time.
My thoughts exactly–self-fulfilling prophecy.
If you’re told something over and over whether true or no, (soaps are dying) people start to believe it, consider it true, and move on.
It’s true, Michael. I was reluctant to switch over to General Hospital after OLTL’s demise. 1) I was in “mourning” over losing these characters that I’d come to know after over a decade of watching. 2) The rumors of GH being cancelled in the near future weren’t exactly a selling point to invest 5 hours a week to a brand new show with unfamiliar characters. (I’m glad I gave it a shot though. It’s a great show.)
I agree. It only adds to and perpetuates panic. Totally unnecessary.
Anybody else think GH should sign John Stamos back on for a ratings boost? 😉 I don’t think bringing back Rick Springfield did much.
RS wasn’t on much… did he leave yet? I saw John Stamos in the DTWS audience and instantly thought – hey, Blackie should come back to Port Chuck!
They Need Richard Dean Anderson (Jeff) Steve and Liz’s Father, Heather’s EX, Monica’s Ex, Big name, Original character with a legacy. They need a true Patriarch. Luke is too flawed to be one.
oh yeah. I mentioned him a couple months ago (Robin Mattson returning to GH to reprise her role as the evil Heather Webber!) feb 7, 2012 at 10:38pm
[I’d so much rather see Richard Dean Anderson (Jeff Weber) come back! I don’t think they could get him, but I’d love to see him again! Guess I’ll have to do with 10+ years of StarGate DVDs I have instead!]
no matter where I watched him, I always remembered him from GH. Same for Tommy Lee Jones!
hit submit too soon! Whenever I see Tommy Lee Jones, I remember him from One Life to Live!
I used to watch YR but stopped. I tried to tune back in but found it all so lack-luster that I had to use my time more wisely.
I watch DAYS and find the WILL story line the only one that really has me hooked. The rest of the cast is repeating their stories from years ago. It’s like a merry-go-round. And then the constant hype they throw out every six months is getting really old. I won’t be interested when they do another reboot if they keep this pattern up.
The Neilsens never represented me. So few people being asked to represent so many. I’ve never know anyone who’s been a Neilsen family. And in this age of technology, the TV ratings system is so out of date and the execs refuse to change their methods. What are they afriad of; that the shows they don’t like might actually get good ratings???
With all the “crap” going on about all shows, is it any wonder that people are timid about becoming invested in a show anymore? Sad, sad thing.
The ratings are used to sell advertising, which is how the networks make their money. Regardless of how they track the ratings, the advertisers are targeting women ages 18-49. When the target market changes, so will the ratings.
The real question is would advertisers like to change their target market?
DOOL! Days has been good again! i can see them letting go of sarah brown… fantastic actress.. they didn’t write her in to the show right…. i wish she’d have been maggie’s long lost child, instead of “daniel”… she would have made more of an impact with her acting…. same with mattew ashford… what to do with him? i actually liked austin and carrie… they were older, more mature… austin was funny… and carrie clicked with rafe and sammi… so why let these two go? marlena and will have been so good together… can’t wait to see the reactions of sammi and lucas – dealing with will.
I agree that Sarah Brown is a good actress. But when the writers let Madison turn into a whimp under Ian, they made a mistake. Madison became a lukewarm character. She needs to be hot or cold (strong or weak). I say let Madison be hot strong (i.e. hot) because that is how she started out. Weak Madison doesn’t feel right for that character after the way Sarah play her as such a strong woman. Madison is now lukewarm: Uck!!!
Here’s what I feel… The only Soaps I watched ever, was abc soaps. (OLTL AMC, And GH) Used to watch GH for years, until I could no longer take the Sonny and Jason Show, and stopped watching about 15 yrs ago….(I DO WATCH NOW ! LOVE IT ,can’t wait for Roger and All of my oltl people to come back on)!
However, Tried watching DOOL, and Y&R…Imo, the acting is AWFUL,.. charachters are strange looking and sound fake. The accents are awful too. I do find that the Quality od the acting comes from The cast members from all of my ABC soaps previously…,Jason Young, Sarah Brown , Hillary smith, Scott clifton ,.. The rest are wierd… The accents, The hair on most of the men..Terrible…Awful.. They look like they came from The soaps of the 50’s, with the fake old music in the backround…the storylines are OLD and awful…aren’t good imo.. Sarah Brown is Terriffic..Played the best CARLY on GH, ..(I Liked Tamara Braun TOO) ..I felt She was one of the best on these soaps DOOL, ..and they are cutting her?? …I could name and point out some really bad actors on there…who SHOULD go, but I won’t…
This is just my Opinion…I loved OLTL..Best Soap on TV… and it’s gone. THE ACTING and Stories, And Writing were THE BEST EVER…and i can See how Ron Carlivat and Frank Valentini have already worked their Magic On GH !!! I LOVE IT. FUNNY FUNNY STUFF!!
these ratings are all BS Ive never had a neilsen box in my house nor have my friends!
i agree – i haven’t met anyone who has one & i worked with the public for over 35 years…………
For me, a big issue is the recycled story lines. I don’t want to see Victor and Nikki split up only to get back together in six months. I don’t want to see Brooke hop in bed with Ridge and then hop in another bed with someone else and back again. I wasn’t a fan of Billie Reed when she first came on the show and I’m not interested in watching her again. And I’m really sick of Sonny in the courtroom again standing trial for a crime where there is no solid proof he committed the crime, not to mention his impotent mobster persona. I kind of miss the good old days when he owned the strip club. At least then, you could feel some kind of emotion, even if it was disgust. However, I do watch GH everyday and try to support Days and Y&R by watching them almost everyday. But I don’t know how much good it does by watching them on hulu and skipping through the scenes with Billie or Victor and Nikki.
I have watched Y&R since the Foster/Brooks episodes. The writers were creative back then. I have been very disappointed in the characters and the storylines. The “gangster” storyline had to be the worse one ever. The back and forth of Nikki and Victor is so tiring and boring it is predictable. You have made Victor so ruthless it is not even enjoyable to watch his character any longer. And Neal! If you were going to have him play around you should have left him single with the two women vying for his attention, not make him a cheater (which is what I feel you are leading up to) Who isn’t tired of Phyliss? I do not feel sorry for her that Daisy took the baby. That whole storyline of her winning the custody of the baby from Billy and Victoria was ridiculous and then to prolong the situation of the baby by having Daisy come in and take her is horrible. Now there is yet another custody battle. Leave it alone already! Now it looks as though you are bringing Daisy’s brother, Ryder back. Please! Enough of Sheila and her spawns. How much can you put Lauren’s character through? I have watched the Sheila thing play out from Genoa City to LA back to Genoa City and it is really becoming overused. You used the plastic surgery bit twice, once with Phyliss, then with Lauren…really!!! Let me just wrap up by saying you need fresh writers with fresh material. Read the forums, believe people when they say they are fed up and will stop watching. I no longer use my DVR. I do not care if I miss an episode or not anymore.
The Bold and the Beautiful is really dull. First you took a vibrant character like Stephanie (who by the way is never made to atone for anything) and make her such a drudge. What wife in the fashion industry would dress and look like that! Unbelievable!! There is no chemistry between she and Eric at all. Replace the actress! Taylor is ridiculous. As a supposed psychiatrist shouldn’t she recognize that both she and her daughter have a problem? How could you make it believable that Liam would give Hope’s ring to Steffy 5 minutes after he finds it on the mantle. Stop dragging out that marriage and have it over already! STeffy signed the divorce papers, why hasn’t anyone thought of going to Reno to get a quickie divorce and spare us all the “cha cha cha” pain. (so stupid) If you put in a lesbian storyline you are going to lose viewers, it’s that simple. A lot of your viewers are not comfortable watching same sex relationships on the screen. I have watched B&B from the beginning. Twists such as Brooke ending up with 51% of Forrester are priceless! How about a little more of that! What about Thorne being upset and wanting to overthrow Ridge? What happened to that? Please, please please, do not start that crazy Pam and Donna thing again. That is so old and stupid and really not necessary. Donna is no longer married to Eric, so really what would Pam have against her now? How about Katie getting pregnant and health problems etc. arising from that as well as Bill’s fidelity because she will be bedridden. Are you wanting us to believe that Steffy who was so madly in love with Bill switched over to being equally as madly in love with his son in a heartbeat? That was a ridiculous storyline. Why did you kill the marriage between Donna and (I forget his name)? What did that gain? I am glad you stopped Brookes bed hopping. And why not make more of the fact that Ridge is not really a Forrester? You seem to be tiptoeing around that fact. You have Steffy saying things like she is a Forrester Woman so things are automatically in her (that is a joke) Thorne and Rick (Eric Jr.) are the true Forresters and heirs to the empire and are treated like dirt. How about a real family battle and quit getting involved in the sex life of Hope. With all the adultery and sexploits that have gone on I cannot believe you are trying to make a storyline out of Steffy telling Hope she is committing adultery…that is really ridiculous!!! Steffy herself just a few months ago was about to sleep with Bill. PLEASE be consistent with these characters so that you are believable. Make it interesting again. I will write for you myself. Give me a try.
I used to watch Days and enjoyed it. I was kind of hooked on it. But when they brought in the gay storyline I had to stop watching it. I don’t believe gay relationships are right and it is disgusting to me. I’m sure that is the reason why a lot of people stopped watching it, too. There’s the truth.
The June 22 episode of Days of Our Lives reminded us all of why Deidre Hall is iconic in the role of Dr. Marlena Evans. Here we are 50 years later, and Marlena is still the heroine of the long-running soap opera, and Deidre remains one of the most most recognizable names in the history of soaps.
To pay tribute, and to look back at the life and times of Marlena, the story starts with Marlena flipping through a photo album of her with John (the late Drake Hogestyn) over the years. As she misses him dearly, she gets a knock on the door and its none other than John’s son, Paul Narita (Christopher Sean).
With Andrew (Colton Little) in Salem working on a case, he sits down with Marlena, who says she can’t believe its been fifty years since she first arrived in Salem! Cue: Deidre’s first scenes on DAYS when she finds Mickey Horton (the late John Clarke) playing chess against himself inside the mental institution she worked.
Courtesy/Peacock
THE FLASHBACKS OF MARLENA’S LIFE
From there, viewers definitely got the cliff notes version of the history of Marlena and entrenched within them, some of the biggest moments in Deidre’s enduring run.
Paul thinks he is looking at 70s, and early 80s Marlena while going through her scrapbook, but he is actually looking at her twin, Samantha (Andrea Hall). Cue: when Marlena confronted Samantha about impersonating her, and then later getting a call on her radio show from the Salem Strangler (Jack Coleman as Jake Kostichek) who killed Samantha thinking it was Marlena.
In the present, Belle (Martha Madison) has arrived at this time to meet up with Paul, unaware of this trip down memory lane. She wants to go over the findings in the chess board mystery Stefano willed to Marlena and John, in private with him, since Marlena previously said she wanted nothing to do with it.
Back to the history lesson, Marlena speaks highly of Don Craig and even though their marriage didn’t work out, she could find a path forward with the new love her life, Roman Brady. (Wayne Northrop however is never shown, possibly to keep the story focused on John as Roman for confusion sakes?)
Paul sees a photo of a young Carrie (Christie Clark) in the album and Marlena says she was such a godsend after losing her baby. In fact, Marlena says caring for Carrie prepared her for her having and raising her own twins, Eric and Sami. Cue: The twin visiting Marlena in the hospital.
JOHN AND MARLENA’S LOVE CONQUERED ALL
Then, in a way to get through and incorporate the wild storylines only Marlena could have been in, she tells Belle and Paul, she has been through so much in her life, how lucky she was to find John, and some of the most unbelievable experiences no one could imagine. Cue: Marlena possessed by the devil and levitating from the bed. Next, John confronting Marlena being the Salem Stalker, where she admits she killed Alice Horton, pretends she needs help, then pulls a gun on her beloved John!
The comment is made by Paul and Marlena, that she literally has been to hell and back and she could not have survived were it not for her beloved John. Cue the big emotional highpoint clips; The Pier Scene! Marlena steps out of the fog when John sees her from a distance. After believing she was dead for four years, here she was before him in one of the greatest reunions in a soap opera love story in history. What followed were other times of the life of times of Jarlena.
Courtesy/Peacock
MARLENA’S ‘GIFT’ FROM STEFANO HAS A NEW CLUE
When Marlena makes a brief exit to the other room, Belle fills in Paul on the chess set Stefano left her mother and the photo of the Lire. Paul said he will investigate. Marlena comes back into the room and overhears, and says to promise her if things get dangerous he will back off, she does not want anyone hurt by Stefano’s games.
As the episode comes to a conclusion, it’s just Belle and Marlena going through the photo album giggling about 70s hairstyles and all the memories. Belle speaks on the impact Marlena has had in everyone’s lives, and that she is both the heart of their family and the heart of Salem.
An end card comes up acknowledging Deidre Hall’s 50th anniversary as Marlena, and we fade to black.
So, what did you think of Marlena’s walk down memory lane? Were you happy to see the flashback clips utilized throughout? Were you touched by the scenes and the performance of Deidre Hall? Let us know what you thought of Deidre’s 50th anniversary episode via the comment section below.
If you have ever tuned-in to the soap opera genre over the last 50 years, and witnessed some of the greatest romances, drama, classic and outlandish storylines of all-time, you would have seen Deidre Hall smack dab in the middle of it as longtime Salem heroine, Dr. Marlena Evans.
It was 50 years on this date, June 21, 1976 that Hall first appeared on DAYS on NBC which was its home for 57 years before it moved to its current streaming platform on Peacock in September of 2022.
In Hall’s first episode she was introduced as a psychiatrist treating Mickey Horton (John Clarke) at Bayview Sanitarium after he suffered a complete mental breakdown. Mickey learned that his brother Bill Horton (Edward Mallory) was the biological son of Mike Horton (Wesley Eure) with his wife Laura (Susan Flannery) and that he had been lied to for years and years. From that moment on, the rest is television and soap opera history. Days of Our Lives put Hall front and center.
Photo: NBC
There were so many heartbreaking and shocking story twists involving the beloved Marlena. One of the first was the historic crib death of baby DJ (Don Jr.) in 1980, Marlena’s infant son with Don Craig (Jed Allan). The story had never been told on daytime television and Hall’s performances received accolades from TV critics to fans when Deidre received thousands of letters from grieving mothers who had gone through the same thing in their own lives.
DAYS also brought Deidre’s twin sister, Andrea Hall Lovell to the show as her on-screen sister Samantha, who had a grudge and even locked Marlena up in a sanitarium and took her place! Fast-forward and in 1982, DAYS launched the Salem Strangler story where everyone believed Marlena was his next victim, only it turned out to be Samatha. Jake Kositchek (played by Jack Coleman) was revealed to be the actual serial killer.
Later, Deidre would assume the role of Marlena’s look-alike, Hattie Adams in 2004, once played by her sister, Andrea. Over the years, Hattie has come back to Salem and caused trouble giving Hall a chance to play a different type of character, then the always upstanding Marlena.
Photo: JPI
THE LOVES OF MARLENA
Deidre Hall struck gold with all her leading men: from the late Jed Allan, to Wayne Northrop as Roman Brady, and of course, her enduring love story with the late John Black played by the iconic Drake Hogestyn. In fact, Marlena’s 1986 wedding to John (who was believed to be Roman at the time) remains a favorite of fans to this day.
TOP MARLENA STORYLINES OF ALL-TIME
While the list is long, here are several that were some of the memorable during Deidre’s five decades in Salem!
The Possession (1994- 1995)
Considered one of the most ambiguous, outlandish and unforgettable story arcs in soap opera history, then Days of Our Lives head writer, James Reilly went there! Marlena was possessed by the devil! That included; the demonic eyes, hissing at father John (Black) the priest, morphing into creatures, and the classic levitating in her bed! It became a cultural phenomenon and cemented Deidre Hall’s status as a daytime television legend. Just ask Ryan Gosling!
Photo:JPI
The Affair with John Black (1993)
John and Marlena’s forbidden love could not be denied and they had passionate affair, while she was still married to the real Roman. Problem was her daughter, Sami (Alison Sweeney) caught her mother having sex with John on a desk that changed Sami forever.
The Salem Stalker Mystery (2003-2004)
In a shocker, Marlena was revealed to be a serial killer who bumped off several Salem favorites residents who were all alive on the island of Melaswen (spelled “New Salem” backward). Turns out, she was manipulated and gaslighted by Andre DiMera (Thaao Penghlis) to do the “killings” and had no memory of her actions.
The Pier Scene (1991)
This remains Michael Fairman TV’s all-time favorite Deidre Hall moment, which featured some of the best acting in the storied careers of both Hall and Drake Hogestyn.
In the story, a presumed-dead Marlena returns after four years. One foggy night on the pier, John is alone, and Marlena steps out of the fog to reveal herself, and is reunited with the love of her life. You can watch it any year, any decade, and in any moment, and it will have you reaching for the hankies again and again. (best music score fo a soap scene of all-time too!)
Photo: NBC
Kristen’s Secret Room Reveal (1997)
Marlena was caught in Kristen Blake’s (Eileen Davidson) elaborate web of lies, when she was held hostage in a secret wine cellar/room until John managed to track her down, leading to an iconic on-screen reunion. The classic catfight between Hall and Eileen Davidson was one for the ages.
It should be noted that Maison Blanche, Queen of the Night, Possession, Aremid and Lady in a Cage were all a part of classic DAYS storyline and all featured Hall at the epicenter of it from 1993-1996.
THE RECENT YEARS OF MARLENA
In recent years, DAYS brought back the possession 2.0 storyline under then head writer Ron Carlivati in 2021 where the devil leapt back in Marlena after taking advantage of a frail Doug Williams (the late Bill Hayes)
In 2025, viewers watched the end of the love story of John and Marlena, as John succumbed to injuries sustained in an explosion saving a vial of medication needed to bring Bo (Peter Reckell) back to life. Marlena has been a widow on-screen since June of 2025 as Hall as portrayed the good doctor struggling with her grief and to move on with her life since his death.
Photo: JPI
One story that never goes away is Stefano DiMera’s (the late Joe Mascolo) obsession with Marlena, his “Queen of the Night.” Even in death, Stefano is toying with her from the great beyond with the mysterious chess set and the missing “pawn,” that he had gifted John and Marlena in his will. The mystery is currently unfolding on all-new episodes of Days of Our Lives.
Tune-in to Days of our Lives on the Monday, June 22 episode as Marlena looks back at her 50 years in Salem.
Share your congratulations to Deidre Hall for this incredible 50-year milestone as Dr. Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives in the comment section. Then let us know, what is your all-time favorite storyline or moment in the life of Marlena over the past 5 decades? And, just for kicks, and to celebrate this amazing milestone, here is Marlena levitating below circa Christmas Eve 1994.
Days Of Our Lives
Al Calderon Reflects on ‘Major Chapters’ Coming to an End on ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘Brilliant Minds’
It’s been a bittersweet time for Al Calderon. The talented actor/singer/songwriter has watched from his vantage point to roles he loved so much come to their conclusion for different reasons.
In a heartfelt message posted to his Instagram story on Saturday, Calderon took a moment to share how grateful he was for the opportunity to play Javi Hernandez on Days of Our Lives, and nurse Nico Silva this year on NBC’s second season of Brilliant Minds. Currently, Brilliant Minds has two more episodes that will air on June 24 and the series finale on July 1.
Calderon expressed, “As I sit here reflecting on this lovely Saturday afternoon over the last two years of my life, I have two major chapters closing that have been part of my life every day for the last two years. We have Brilliant Minds. Our last episodes are wrapping up, and then my last scenes aired yesterday as me as Javi on Days of Our Lives.
Photo: JPI
“I’m just unbelievably grateful for the chance and the opportunity to be a part of something so much larger than me,” continued Al. “I (will) love Days of Our Lives forever, my family. Thank you for supporting me and supporting my decision to take the leap of faith and believe in myself and, and tell other stories. You know, it’s never goodbye. It’s always ‘see you later’ to me and just leaving with love and leading with love.”
Al concluded with a special mention to some very important people, the fans: “Thank you to the fans and the support from everyone, the lovely messages. So this next chapter, hopefully it’s not a dragon, hopefully it’s a gold coin.”
Photo: NBC
Calderon’s journey on-screen on Days of Our Lives began in October of 2024 and concluded this month. In one of his last appearances Javi was asking a favor from Gabi (Cherie Jimenez) before bumping into his ex, Leo (Greg Rikaart). In story, Javi has a new romance with Gus (Michael Ocampo), while fighting his feelings for Leo. The role of Javi will be played starting on June 30 by Jacob Martinez who takes over the role.
NBC decided to cancel the Brilliant Minds, after it split up the airing of its second season which began in the fall of September of 2025 and the back-half started airing after a long break this past May. Calderon joined the medical drama staring Zachary Quinto for the new season, which sadly was its last.
So, will you miss Al on Days of Our Lives and Brilliant Minds as his time on-screen has come to an end? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
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