Last night, ABC’s Nightline dug into the issues facing one of TV’s most venerable and (personally) beloved segments — soap operas — with a story called "Soap on the Ropes." (See the whole clip here). With the recent news that CBS will pull the plug on the 72-year-old (some of that time being on the radio) Guiding Light this September and the faltering economy slowing advertisement sales and generally declining ratings for the daytime dramas, one would assume that soaps aren’t long for this world.
But, good news, soap fans: That’s not true! At least, right this moment, according to Nightline. Sure, the network behind Nightline — that’d be ABC — has a vested interested in the genre, as they still have three hours of daytime drama (All My Children, General Hospital, and One Life to Live) on the air, but the segment did a decent job of trying to show how soap producers are dealing with all the hardships: They’re getting creative about slashing costs.
Sure, some of that "creativity" is costly and apparent on screen: Losing daytime staples like Days of Our Lives‘ divine Deidre Hall, who played Marlena for what seemed like ever (or cutting the salary of All My Children‘s Susan Lucci, pictured), and hit-you-over-the-head product integration, like Campbell’s Soup on all three ABC soaps. The All My Children producer praised such advertiser-integration tactics, saying they "validate and authenticate our fictitious Pine Valley." Honestly, though, I — and I think most other fans — don’t go to soaps for authentic things, you know? I go for the escape.
But soaps are already so low-budget, I don’t think anyone minds these tweaks too much. (Sure, I miss Deidre, but she had a good run.) Hell, I welcome the changes, as long as they keep most of "my stories" in tact. One producer had this to say about the state of soaps: "At the end of the day, we could probably be doing this in front of a black drape and they’d be watching for their characters and their stories." And she’s right — it’s the old idea of watching "my stories" every day is about those characters and stories, not big budget sets or tons of glitz and glamour.
To all you soap opera fans out there: Do you agree? Are you glad that soaps are probably gonna survive (for a while longer) with some changes? What changes would drive you to stop watching all together?
More soap opera coverage from EW:
12 Soap Operas We’ve Loved, Lost
‘Guiding Light’ signing off? Will you miss it?
‘Guiding Light’ to air last episode in September, ending 72-year run
Hello! If you want to be part of wonderful world of the wonderful stories of ordinary people, this blog is yours! Just enter and enjoy it! You will like it! Thank you!
Is http://aquellashistorias.wordpress.com
Or in Google: aquellas historias
PS: You can also send your particular stories. Thanks!
I would hate for the soap genre to disappear. Soaps in general need better writing. In my opinion, there seems to be too much interference from network executives who don’t have a creative bone in their body. This is a big reason for ratings erosion. Find some talented writers and let them do their thing. PLEASE!
Regarding people “not minding these tweaks”: I do. Deidre Hall was the reason I watched Days of Our Lives, and I know many others feel the same. The show has lost its heart and soul without Marlena, and the current cast is flooded with “newbies”, to whom the viewers have no loyalty at all. Why should I care about a cast of characters who were largely introduced in the past six months? As the Nightline piece explained, soaps are built on viewer loyalty. Alienating viewers when the bugetary situation is so tenuous is a significant mistake. Were Ms. Lucci to leave All My Children, I’m sure the fans interviewed on Nightline would be singing a different tune.
Help Keep the Light Shining! Visit http://saveoursoap.blogspot.com to find out how fans are rallying behind PGP/Telenext in order to help keep Guiding Light on the air!
Correction to the link below:
http://saveourlight.blogspot.com
I would love for soaps to be as vital as they once were – but despite what the soaps themselves may push for the reasons behind soap decline, the real reason is the writing and the focus on the younger demographic. I don’t know if any of TPTB have noticed, but as long as they have been focusing on those younger demos, the ratings have been steadily dropping. And when heads of the daytime department turn a blind eye to VERY bad writing (see GH, AMC) that goes on for years, obsessively focusing on the same characters as more and more viewers leave (GH) and get to the point of endlessly repeating their own stories – not every few years but every few months (GH), then really, what hope is there of saving the genre. A hard refocus on character over plot, on family ties rather than flashes-in-the-pan, on stories that have a beginning, middle and end – things that used to drive the genre but have confusingly fallen out of favor – those are the things that will bring back viewers.
Bring Back Passions. It was insane and horrible but I could not look away from that train wreck.
Mike said it best above. If they had better writing and stop the main focus on being the younger demographic, I think soaps would see better ratings. Everyone prefers the utilization of the whole cast and does not like it when favorite veteran characters are put on the backburner for new characters, often young, who know one knows who they are, especially if they aren’t related/attached in a way that makes sense to any well-known character. We’ll take new characters, but not at the expense of air time for already well-liked characters, especially the elder veterans of the show, who still can act and whose characters can still tell a good story.
Also, Days, you’d have this long time viewer back, if you’d just put Sami and Lucas back together. It’s really that simple.
And CBS, I really think you made a mistake cancelling “Guiding Light,” especially right after Phillip’s return. The show has gotten that much better with his return, and it’s sad you decided to cancel.
I would hate for soaps to disappear. Especially GH which has been so good for the last couple of years.
Soaps not only still have a pulse, in some cases they’re better than ever. Ironically, in the months leading up to its cancellation and the weeks since, Guiding Light is better than it’s ever been. The writing and acting have been excellent, and they have adapted well to the new production model, and even made it an advantage in many cases. The Olivia/Natalia storyline is just what a soap opera should be, and has brought many new and returning viewers (myself included). I hope that soaps in general (and GL in particular) are able to transition to cable or perhaps even the Web, because I believe that there is a lot of life remaining in the genre.
To survive, daytime dramas have to change with the times. CBS is being short-sighted with the cancellation of Guiding Light, but they will find that out when GL gets picked up by Lifetime or some other cable outlet. The future of the genre is on cable with a solid web-presence tie-in. The much-maligned production model GL was forced into by budget constraints now is one of the best things about the show (along with the brilliant writing and acting). It lends an intimacy and reality that isn’t there with the old three-camera setup.
This is a watershed moment for the genre and I, for one, can’t wait to see it move into this next new phase. Long live daytime drama!
I love my Young and the Restless. It’s such a great way to come home from work and unwind from the day. For me, Y&R has had a steadiness in their core group of actors–they can bring back old characters for one or two eps–it’s just very comforting. I too don’t care for the “younger” stories, and I didn’t when I started watching when I was 17 (a few–ahem–years ago). I don’t think the networks and/or soap creators really realized how powerful their shows could be, regardless of characters’ ages. Good stories appeal to all demos.
I’m pretty new to this soap opera thing and I gotta tell you, I totally fell in love with Guiding Light. The naturalistic look of it, the intimacy created by the camera work and the great acting just got me hooked, can’t deny it. And then there’s this love story between Olivia and Natalia… wow, the chemistry.
Every time I accidentally stumble over other soaps that still stick to the cheesy vaseline production style I’m turned off immediately, it’s just way too plasticky for me. For me, the future of soaps is Guiding Light’s approach of authenticity and naturalism.
I hope Guiding Light will be allowed to resume their pioneering on cable, Lifetime seems to be a perfect fit.
I watched various soaps over the years and grew up watching Days but I quit for good when Days fired Deidre Hall. The show hadn’t been good in years so dumping Marlena to save a few bucks while keeping an inept writing staff and a stable of newbies made my decision an easy one. I haven’t looked back and don’t miss it at all.
I know General Hospital wasn’t on the Nightline segment much, but it is the ABC soap I’ve watched for over 10 years. But no more. And it wasn’t because of budget cuts, it’s the fact that for the last year or so it’s been dead boring. Stories are dropped without resolution after years of build up and promise (the mob war, the text message killer, the impact of Jason having a secret child with Elizabeth, the fall out of Emily’s murder on her family, the Jerry Jax mess, etc). Retreading the same tired ground isn’t helping this show, nor is the lack of romance, adventure and stories being taken to their height and resolved. I mean, come on, Jason is a core character of the Quartermaine family and he had a child with Elizabeth of Hardy/Webber fame. Their story should have impact across the whole canvas and to date? Nobody in town cares and it hasn’t been used at all. The show’s lack of follow-through will kill it as more and more die-hard viewers just give up.