Soap operas are almost dead

[billycw]

▲ Wow.

...Wow.

And I thought I could be cynical sometimes.

Cynicism isn't based in reality. Facts are. People want to see Food shows, Dr shows etc.....soaps are dying. IMHO, not a good thing. Because those aforementioned shows are PSEUDO STAGED REALITY that feigns truth. At least the soaps( which I rarely watch) are fun and obvious.

As far as game shows, how many new shows last 10 years actually make people use their cerebrum? If Baggage and Love TRiangle are the wave of the future, we are all in trouble.

[matchgame74fan]

From what I've seen so far, people are pissed about this... and they surely aren't interested in a show called "The Chew." No one so far seems to be thrilled about these replacements, not even non-soap fans.

And Frons sure as hell isn't going to win over anyone with the way this whole situation was handled. You don't lie to your casts and crews (Susan Lucci was actually on Wendy Williams as recently as a week ago saying the cancellation stories as far as she knew didn't come from ABC), and furthermore, have the AMC people uproot and move cross-country from NYC to LA in 2009 for nothing, lie to your fans for over a year, calming their concerns about cancellation only to yank the rug out from under them like this. Several articles and stories came out denying the rumors (the most recent article came as late as March 22) which really swelled around the time ATWT ended. I'm having a really hard time believing that ABC would suddenly change their minds between 3/22 and yesterday to end AMC and OLTL. Particularly since they know exactly what hosts and shows they are going to replace them with.

Honestly, I thought the way Procter & Gamble/CBS handled things was worse with the cancellations of ATWT and GL initially. Announcing the GL cancellation on April Fools' Day; waiting until near Christmastime to give word for ATWT. But the dishonesty and snarky jackholery from Frons makes this all the worse. Oh, and if he had to do it, he should have also had the balls to announce it to the casts and crew affected in person, not via satellite. I had a hard time believing the statements from PGP about ATWT and GL's demises, especially since fans wanted change with both shows for years. But even if I thought they were just lines being fed (the typical "we're sorry to see these shows end, we'll try to save them", then later comes September 2010, "we tried to save them" blazé blazé blah), they were at least a little classy.

Even cancelling the shows themselves is one thing, but the lying and fake reassurance for as long as they did it is despicable.

I can only imagine how the regular AMC and OLTL fans feel. This post is only from someone who watched AMC occasionally.

[TheKid965]

Cynicism isn't based in reality. Facts are.

Negativity and pessimism, then. Me, I like to hang on to some hope, misguided though it may be.

As far as game shows, how many new shows last 10 years actually make people use their cerebrum?

Million Dollar Password, Lingo, Identity (required observation and deductive reasoning), Paranoia, The Mole (again, observation and deduction), Russian Roulette, the original 1 vs. 100 (with its "creatively" worded multiple choices)... quite a few, actually.

[billycw]

Million Dollar Password, Lingo, Identity (required observation and deductive reasoning), Paranoia, The Mole (again, observation and deduction), Russian Roulette, the original 1 vs. 100 (with its "creatively" worded multiple choices)... quite a few, actually.

The Mole? C'mon...MDP was a sham of any Password....RUSSIAN ROULETTE !!! Like watching Catch 21....

Love Lingo, but there truly hasn't been many game shows this century that use(d) the mind. Most are DOND gimmicky.Sorry, but there are very few. Wish you were right, honest.

[matchgame74fan]

and I totally agree about SOAPnet going down in quality.

That used to be the home for classic/canceled soaps, and a place for people who wanted to catch up on their favorite current soaps, well, at least the ABC soaps, DOOL, and Y&R. Now, right before it's all over, the only classic soap airing is Ryan's Hope, which airs at 5 am, and stuff like, say, a weekly AMC marathon of all the shows from one week which was meant for convenience is useless now since it airs late night Sunday/early Monday at 12-4 am. And too many primetime dramas. I love One Tree Hill, but I can get that on DVD. Also, I don't know if they're on now still, but long after Frons started running things they started showing watered down movies and reality shows. The movies would often preempt the actual soap programming. All of the reality shows failed. Every single one. From the lame Greg Behrendt couple show to some ridiculous attempt at a Louisville "Real" Housewives ripoff.

Million Dollar Password, Lingo, Identity (required observation and deductive reasoning), Paranoia, The Mole (again, observation and deduction), Russian Roulette, the original 1 vs. 100 (with its "creatively" worded multiple choices)... quite a few, actually.

I agree with 1 vs. 100, especially in the really early stages of the show. Same with RR.

I'd say Identity had potential... but the ridiculous stalling and extra unneeded tension got on my nerves.

[matchgame74fan]

A couple developments:

Hoover will be pulling their ads from ABC in response to the cancellations
SOAPnet will go on past January 2012... until at least Spring

[ebfdenver]

The characters on soaps have been married, divorced, remarried, brought back from the dead, and their kids begin as babies and a year later begin school. If soaps make a comeback maybe they should be in the form of the Spanish Telenovelas. Their shows are on for six months and the characters aren't recurring. Just like every form of TV entertainment today it's driven by demographics.

[billycw]

A couple developments:
SOAPnet will go on past January 2012... until at least Spring

Yeah, but it still will need a bucket of Irish Spring to smell good.

[Kinokima]

I used to watch DOOL (but stopped as soon as my favorite couple finally got together and that is how I like to remember it). I heard Days is not doing very well so who knows how long it will last now that AMC & OLTL have been canceled.


I don't think soaps are top quality shows or anything. But they are certainly better than another ridiculous talk show. Instead of canceling the soaps on ABC why not hire better writers or go back to the soap episodes of the past and see what made them to so popular?

Soaps have been on for years and were once an institution of television. I am sorry for these shows fans and I am sorry that whoever is in charge has such small regard for these shows long legacy.

[billycw]

I used to watch DOOL (but stopped as soon as my favorite couple finally got together and that is how I like to remember it). I heard Days is not doing very well so who knows how long it will last now that AMC & OLTL have been canceled.


I don't think soaps are top quality shows or anything. But they are certainly better than another ridiculous talk show. Instead of canceling the soaps on ABC why not hire better writers or go back to the soap episodes of the past and see what made them to so popular?

Soaps have been on for years and were once an institution of television. I am sorry for these shows fans and I am sorry that whoever is in charge has such small regard for these shows long legacy.

Rather see a soap on than another stupid talk show with a bunch of woman/men acting sitting on their celluite like they are all-knowing. But this is the way America is in 2011.
In 75, game shows had about 30 different shows on. Like I said, don't be too shocked if GSN....which really does monkey see-monkey do a bit too often...starts putting on Court or food shows. Maybe a Court game show would be novel. Maybe we'll see GSN have "Cooking for Dollars" with Pepto Bismol as its' sponsor.

[matchgame74fan]

Yeah, but it still will need a bucket of Irish Spring to smell good.

What kills me about it is the level of incompetence in this whole matter. SOAPnet will continue, but without 2 actual fresh soaps. Frons and his ilk over there have done a lot of damage to that channel, but this has to be one the biggest blunders ever. Even if the channel does get to stay for a good while past Winter 2012.

DOOL is contracted to air through at least 2013; the show was renewed a few months ago. Executive Producer Ken Corday says things will change soon. I hope. Because two of the major storylines airing right now are getting on my last nerve.

ABC Daytime PR was also caught in another lie this week. They've been denying rumors that actors/employees have been ordered to keep quiet about everything post cancellation. Robin Strasser of One Life To Live squashed that one big time on twitter. Also more sponsors are considering joining Hoover. Including Hershey, Excedrin, and L'Oreal. Money's starting to talk, Frons.

[scootover7]

I think the problem is the writers don't care about there fans. Although when they do remake a classic gameshow it becomes crap. Let's take CS01 for example. I think these networks personally should hire me to create and write gameshows. I at this point would take reruns of AMC and OLTL over another Talk Show. I go on the internet more because daytime tv stinks. I like two shows on daytime and that is TPIR and LMAD. I can live with one or two talk shows per network but talkshows are becoming like reality tv. The problem is so many people watch the talkshow crap. Give me back the gameshow days and put it on network like CBS has two of them. NBC should bring back Concentration since GSN can't get the episodes. I'd like to see Concentration back. CBS could bring back Pyrmaid, Press Your Luck, Card Sharks and Joker's Wild. ABC brings back a new version of Break The Bank and Split Second. NBC brings back Concentration like i said before and maybe Blockbusters or a new version of Password calling it Extreme password. It's bascially an updating version of Super Password with higher stakes. Puzzle one worth $200, two worth $300, three worth $500, four worth $700 and five if needed is worth $1,000. The first team to $1,000 wins the game and goes to play alphabetics for $25,000. In alphabetics played the same but each time it's not won it goes up $5,000.

[felice1]

Wow u knew in Sept., we just found our here in chitown this month and I am still in shock about AMC can go but OLTL needs to get picked up I love it and will miss it.

[matchgame74fan]

This interview with Susan Lucci just confirmed practically everything the fans of these shows have complained about over the past several years; including the big one about how its former headwriter Chuck Pratt did not care one bit about character-driven stories and show history, how Frons and Co. pushed away AMC and OLTL's brainchild Agnes Nixon, and why people ended up losing interest in this kind of show.

And brava to her for mentioning Agnes Nixon the way she did.

[CardSharks8689]

There is rumor going around that General Hospital may be on the way out as well:

http://www.atvtoday.co.uk/index.php?...news&Itemid=27

If General Hospital goes off the air, this will mean the end of an era for daytime soaps on ABC, and will also mean Y&R, The Bold & The Beautiful, and Days Of Our Lives will end up being the only daytime soaps remaining.

Foreign soaps continue to thrive, especially in places like the UK and Latin America, because when things go down in quality, they get fixed.

It's a wonder Coronation Street is still airing in first-run in the UK and on CBC. And I do have to admit, my mother loves that show so much.