Like Sand Through an Hourglass: Behind the Scenes of DOOL

[howmanywords]

I cant speak for all areas but I have newsstands and grocery stores all over that sell SOD and I can scan through the whole mag in 5 minutes. If its really interesting or has pics I like I buy it. Buying SOD or any magazine isnt putting money in NBC or Day's producers pockets.

[swtrgrl]

I cant speak for all areas but I have newsstands and grocery stores all over that sell SOD and I can scan through the whole mag in 5 minutes. If its really interesting or has pics I like I buy it. Buying SOD or any magazine isnt putting money in NBC or Day's producers pockets.

Technically it is because of ad revenue. SOD gets sales and then more ad revenue. Advertisers think it's b/c Days is great (or why would SOD be selling so many issues) so they advertise on Days...thus putting money into the pockets of Days/Producers/etc...

Edited November 24, 2015 by swtrgrl

[swtrgrl]

1. Well, I love the post about Will's treatment, and I am not gay. 

2. I too wonder if the showrunners caved to bigots while ignoring viewers like me.

3. To me, Will was a character I knew from before birth....To me, his story was never a gay story, it was as are all the stories about the teen set, a story about a young man navigating his way into adulthood and his place in the world. It just so happened that Will's journey included a discovery about his sexual orientation. I loved seeing Marlena's unwavering support, Lucas's hesitation to support but ultimately realizing that Willwas the same son he had always loved so wholeheartedly. Will and Sonny coming together was not a gay love story, it was a story about two people who loved each other. These people just happened to both be male. I am disgusted that Will was killed and his relationship and family with Sonny have been discarded. I liked Sonny as a stand alone character and a coupled character.

4. Now I have zero interest in Paul. However, my disinterest in no more gay oriented than my interest in Will and Sonny. I just don't care for the character and his retconned existence. I didn't like him from the moment I returned, saw a blandly boring guy, and found out who he was. I found out he was gay later and found this to be irrelevant.

 

1. I'd venture to say that a lot of the WilSon supporters aren't LGBT. From reading reactions on multiple sites, a lot of the WilSon/Will/Sonny/Paul/Derek supporters are straight females (like me). I think that the importance of the Will coming out story is a lot (a) showing LGBT community that it gets better and there is hope and love is love but also (b) shows non LGBT viewers a love story that happens to be LGBT and helps them to accept it b/c they know and love the characters involved.

 

2. Corday caved. He admitted it. I can't cite the source b/c it's a betrayal of a confidence to do so...but he caved to middle america homophobes.

 

3. Everything you said. Perfectly stated. Marlena, Sami, Lucas, Roman, Kate, Caroline...everyone's individual reactions and support, etc... It was beautifully done.

 

4. I'm okay with Paul. I liked CS' chemistry with GW...and their scenes were hot. Without Will, Sonny or Derek, he's a useless character, though. He's just a prop for John and that's a waste of CS' talents. They've walked him back into the closet and I'm beyond disgusted.

 

Mods: Sorry for double post. I messed up on the edit.

Edited November 24, 2015 by swtrgrl

[Rick Kitchen]

Yeow, hot photo of Vivian Jovanni and Kyler Pettis:

 

https://scontent.fsjc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/12310473_10207834494564109_3672176370665954189_n.jpg?oh=f5c0da633bf8aabb5ec26531293fa799&oe=56B2441E

[BlackMamba]

That's impressive. Days has been so fast paced I didn't knkq KA was on every day.

Gosh.. I did this SOD cover predict the future

[Petunia13]

She's talented and a big part of the shows history.

[LeftPhalange]

At least she can actually act, paid her dues, and isn't shoved down our throats. 

[Rick Kitchen]

Nadia Bjorlin just announced that she is pregnant with her first child.

[JBC344]

Nadia Bjorlin just announced that she is pregnant with her first child.

My first reaction was to say Congrats to her and Brandon Beemer, but then I just read that they broke up last year.  Congrats to Nadia and her new husband. 

[DisneyBoy]

Awesome for her!

[BlackMamba]

My first reaction was to say Congrats to her and Brandon Beemer, but then I just read that they broke up last year. Congrats to Nadia and her new husband.

ME TOO! I didn't know she and Beemer were over anyhow. But congrats Nadia. Im sure the baby is going to be gorgeous.

----

Kristian Alfonso of Days of Our Lives Reminisces on Bo and Hope, '80s Hair, and Costar

http://www.glamour.com/entertainment/blogs/obsessed/2015/11/days-of-our-lives-kristian-alf

Kristian basically admitted to those rumors, she and Peter had some issues when they first started working together om Days.

Glamour: What was your first impression of Peter Reckell?

Kristian: My first impression of Pete [was that he was] very serious, a little intense, and intimidating, but I think I felt that way about a lot of people because I was so nervous inside. I was the new kid on the block trying to find my way, and everyone was such a wonderful actor. I was a fan of the show as well, and now, "Oh, my god, here I am." I always tell the story of arriving in Grand Central [in New York City] and seeing the huge billboard of Susan and Bill on the cover of Time, and, "Oh, my god!" But anyway, Pete and I have had so much fun over the years, but like any relationship, we’ve had our ups, we’ve had our downs. We’ve spent so much time together, but what they wrote for us was such a gift. We had a lot of fun and shared a lot of laughter together.

Edited November 28, 2015 by BlackMamba

[Petunia13]

She's putting it diplomatically. I read that they fought a lot. It's always funny when super couples hate each other in RL.

Nancy Lee Gahah (sp?) and her partner on SB despised each other.

[Happytobehere]

She's putting it diplomatically. I read that they fought a lot. It's always funny when super couples hate each other in RL.

Nancy Lee Gahah (sp?) and her partner on SB despised each other.

Yes. It has long been said that Nancy Lee Grahn and Lane Davies couldn't stand each other in a good day.

Anthony Geary and Genie Francis are reported to be anything but friendly.

Many other couples could be added to that list. Strange as it seems, MBE/SN and DH/WN/DH/DH appear to be anomalies.

[Apprentice79]

Yes. It has long been said that Nancy Lee Grahn and Lane Davies couldn't stand each other in a good day.

Anthony Geary and Genie Francis are reported to be anything but friendly.

Many other couples could be added to that list. Strange as it seems, MBE/SN and DH/WN/DH/DH appear to be anomalies.

I also heard that when they went on location to England to film the Bo and Hope wedding, that they would not speak to one another and that people in the cast felt caught in the middle....

[SCS]

I also heard that when they went on location to England to film the Bo and Hope wedding, that they would not speak to one another and that people in the cast felt caught in the middle....

Didn't KA also have problems working with FauxBo Robert KK? I don't recall reports surfacing that PR had tension working with any of the women who've played Billy or with Crystal Chappell (tho I don't follow that backstage stuff that closely so maybe they all loathed each other). If KA is the common denominator for conflicts, perhaps she was a bit of an exposed nerve in her younger days.

[JBC344]

RKK, was a completely different story.  Kristen and Lisa Rinna both had issues working with him apparently.  Then there was the issue of him and Mariam Parrish, who played Jaime on the show.  They are currently married, but apparently got together on the show when she was underage which prompted Allison Sweeney's parents to remove her from the show until RKK was on his way out. 

 

Crystal Chappel does talk openly about her issues with KA in her memoir from a few years ago.  I don't remember how the drama started but there is/was a feud.

[Happytobehere]

Didn't KA also have problems working with FauxBo Robert KK? I don't recall reports surfacing that PR had tension working with any of the women who've played Billy or with Crystal Chappell (tho I don't follow that backstage stuff that closely so maybe they all loathed each other). If KA is the common denominator for conflicts, perhaps she was a bit of an exposed nerve in her younger days.

I guess this is sort of in defense of KA, but RKK was a major problem on both my still lamented Another World and reportedly on GH as well. Based on the fact that all of his issues and rumored inappropriate behaviors involved female members of the casts he was a part of, the pattern clearly points to him as the source of the problems. I remember AS parents pulling her, I remember rumors that two cast members on AW threatened to quit if something wasn't done about him and the fact that he soon left spoke to the magnitude of the problem because he was arguably the biggest male star on the show at the time and part of one, if not the most popular pairings on the show. So for a show that was struggling in the ratings to be put in that position says a lot. Also, for a reasonably talented actor, who was rather attractive to not garner offers, especially when GL and OLTL were still on, also speaks to his character (see up thread about Roger Howarth -- as difficult as he was rumored to be (I disagree with this), he never stopped getting offers to be on shows, as his current state of employment demonstrates. Heck, OLTL spent years trying to woo him back, especially when it became increasingly clear that Podd had gone off the rails). So whatever is going on with RKK goes beyond someone being "difficult" to work with.

I think if we knew all the backstage ish that went on, our collective heads would spin Exorcist style.

I remember years ago when the role of Jack was cast, recast and then recast all within a like a six-seven month period, that rumors surfaced about one of the first two Jacks doing or saying something inappropriate to MBE that prompted SN and Drake to "address the issue with him." I always assumed it was Jack #1 because he was actually a decent actor who looked like Steve, Jo and Adrienne, whereas Jack #2 was Charity Rhamer levels of bad including flubbed lines, so getting rid of him made sense, and the casting of such a bad actor would strike me as a "we just need a warm body in here to read these lines" move. Either way, it eventually got us MA as Jack (how about bringing him back rather than characters nobody wanted during their initial run yes, I mean you, Tanielette and Ava)

Edited November 30, 2015 by Happytobehere

[swtrgrl]

RKK, was a completely different story.   They are currently married, but apparently got together on the show when she was underage which prompted Allison Sweeney's parents to remove her from the show until RKK was on his way out. 

Wow. That's intense.

[SCS]

I guess this is sort of in defense of KA, but RKK was a major problem on both my still lamented Another World and reportedly on GH as well. Based on the fact that all of his issues and rumored inappropriate behaviors involved female members of the casts he was a part of, the pattern clearly points to him as the source of the problems. I remember AS parents pulling her, I remember rumors that two cast members on AW threatened to quit if something wasn't done about him and the fact that he soon left spoke to the magnitude of the problem because he was arguably the biggest male star on the show at the time and part of one, if not the most popular pairings on the show. So for a show that was struggling in the ratings to be put in that position says a lot. Also, for a reasonably talented actor, who was rather attractive to not garner offers, especially when GL and OLTL were still on, also speaks to his character (see up thread about Roger Howarth -- as difficult as he was rumored to be (I disagree with this), he never stopped getting offers to be on shows, as his current state of employment demonstrates. Heck, OLTL spent years trying to woo him back, especially when it became increasingly clear that Podd had gone off the rails). So whatever is going on with RKK goes beyond someone being "difficult" to work with.

 

Interesting about AW and GH (I knew he had some personality probs on DAYS so it does appear RKK's got some get-along issues).

 

I think if we knew all the backstage ish that went on, our collective heads would spin Exorcist style.

 

 

Susan Seaforth Hayes touched on some stuff lightly in her book. Two that remained nameless: a young blonde ingenue who was unwilling to heed the advice of those older and wiser and who eventually departed for prime time (maybe Charlotte Ross?) and another young female who would sit in the makeup trailer discussing the bar fights she'd been in the night before (no idea who). She also references not getting along with TP initially, tho they made their peace eventually. And her relationship with the late Brenda Benet was quite dicey. 

[Artsda]

Major casting news:

 

Matt Ashford is returning for 5 episodes.

 

Greg Vaughan Leaving 'Days of our Lives'

[LeftPhalange]

I wonder if AZ is next. These writers don't seem to have much interest in writing for Dan, Eric, or Nicole and now Eric and supposedly Dan are on the way out. I hope those rumors about Eric's exit story aren't true. 

[Lastwaltz]

Aaargh! My work system won't allow me to access that tantalizing Matt Ashford teaser, Artsda! Anyone feel like elaborating for me? Is it a dream thing?

[NumberCruncher]

I remember years ago when the role of Jack was cast, recast and then recast all within a like a six-seven month period, that rumors surfaced about one of the first two Jacks doing or saying something inappropriate to MBE that prompted SN and Drake to "address the issue with him." I always assumed it was Jack #1 because he was actually a decent actor who looked like Steve, Jo and Adrienne, whereas Jack #2 was Charity Rhamer levels of bad including flubbed lines, so getting rid of him made sense, and the casting of such a bad actor would strike me as a "we just need a warm body in here to read these lines" move. Either way, it eventually got us MA as Jack (how about bringing him back rather than characters nobody wanted during their initial run yes, I mean you, Tanielette and Ava)

It was actually Jack #2 who harassed MBE and she was even pregnant at the time. Thank goodness Stephen and Drake jumped all over the jerk when they found out what happened. I guess it was good luck that he was such a bad actor because he was fired not long after.

Edited November 30, 2015 by NumberCruncher

[swtrgrl]

Greg Vaughn I knew. 

Yes,

Ari Z is also leaving and it's tied to the Daniel/Eric departures.

[Artsda]

Aaargh! My work system won't allow me to access that tantalizing Matt Ashford teaser, Artsda! Anyone feel like elaborating for me? Is it a dream thing?

 

It doesn't say really what it is, but speculates ghost. Here's the article.

 

So what if he was killed in an elevator crash? NBC’s Days of Our Lives is bringing back Jack Deveraux—the lovable rapscallion played by Matthew Ashford—who was last seen in 2012 when he sacrificed his life to save daughter Abigail (Kate Mansi). Sorry, romance fans, a big Jack and Jen (Melissa Reeves) reunion appears unlikely, since Ashford has only signed for a five-episode arc.

Still, the news is surprising: Last summer, exec producer Ken Corday swore to the press there’d be no more Days characters coming back from the dead. Is the boss going back on his word already? Or will Jack be seen in spirit form?

It’s all top secret for now, so we’ll just have to wait...and wait. Ashford is due to report for work the week of November 30 but—because Days shoots nearly half a year in advance—he won’t hit the air until late spring.

[Lastwaltz]

Thanks, Artsda -- I like knowing there's something like this to look forward to. Maybe Jennifer's sanity will be challenged and she'll have some visions. One can hope! 

[rcc]

Greg Vaughn I knew. 

Yes,

Ari Z is also leaving and it's tied to the Daniel/Eric departures.

Oh no! I'm alright with SC leaving, heard about the GV rumors, but am really bummed with AZ leaving. She has been my favorite actor. Hopefully they won't kill her off and she can return.

 

Edited November 30, 2015 by rcc

[Lastwaltz]

That's quite the overhaul of cast members. Hope the new/young ones can pick up their slack. 

[DisneyBoy]

It would have been awesome if Jennifer hallucinated him while Eve gaslighted her...hey, well maybe now it'll be Abby who gets haunted by her father! Hope he sets her straight...down an elevator shaft!

I am baffled - baffled I say - as to why the show never capitalized on GV's physique and had Eric get hot and heavy all around town in the wake of recovering from priesthood. He may not be much of an actor, at least on this show, but he could have done a bunch of love scenes, no? Isn't that something Days used to do - hire models with impossible bodies and make them the eye candy?

It really weirds me out that for the last few years Eric only really got some from him rapist. And Serena, I guess, but I missed most of that, if any rolling around was even shown...

No one else in town was bring a horndog...so why couldn't Eric have filled that role? Think GV had some "no strip scenes" clause?

Now that I think about it, we haven't seen much T&A either... Hmmmm....what happened to all the steamy Daytime scenes?

Edited November 30, 2015 by DisneyBoy

[LeftPhalange]

Are there rumors of anymore characters being axed? 

[swtrgrl]

Are there rumors of anymore characters being axed? 

Go to the Spoilers and Shockers thread.

[Petunia13]

may not be much of an actor, at least on this show, but he could have done a bunch of love scenes, no? Isn't that something Days used to do - hire models with impossible bodies and make them the eye candy?

[snip]

Now that I think about it, we haven't seen much T&A either... Hmmmm....what happened to all the steamy Daytime scenes?

The romance and sexiness of Abby's love scenes haven't been cutting it for you?

[Happytobehere]

It was actually Jack #2 who harassed MBE and she was even pregnant at the time. Thank goodness Stephen and Drake jumped all over the jerk when they found out what happened. I guess it was good luck that he was such a bad actor because he was fired not long after.

Interesting how your perceptions come into play. I couldn't imagine anyone hiring Jack #2 out of anything other than desperation until something better came along. Also, Jack #1 always came off as stalkerish to me. I mean he was always touching Kayla when she clearly didn't want him to and pulled away from him and he talked about and treated her as if they were in a relationship. Then again, perhaps I'm conflating these things with what we got with MA's Jack. Maybe I'll force my Steve and Kayla loving heart to rewatch some of those things and see the, differently. Maybe I just hated Jack #1's role as romantic interloper and imagined the whole thing.

[NumberCruncher]

Interesting how your perceptions come into play. I couldn't imagine anyone hiring Jack #2 out of anything other than desperation until something better came along. Also, Jack #1 always came off as stalkerish to me. I mean he was always touching Kayla when she clearly didn't want him to and pulled away from him and he talked about and treated her as if they were in a relationship. Then again, perhaps I'm conflating these things with what we got with MA's Jack. Maybe I'll force my Steve and Kayla loving heart to rewatch some of those things and see the, differently. Maybe I just hated Jack #1's role as romantic interloper and imagined the whole thing.

I totally see where you're coming from--I think our perceptions of actors/characters can color how we view them on the show. For me, Jack #1 always came off as arrogant and obnoxious. Jack #2, however, creeped the hell out of me from the very beginning and so when it came out what the actor did to MBE, the squick factor multiplied exponentially as far as the character was concerned. I remember when they brought MA how different he was from his predecessors. Jack went from being obnoxious to creepy to downright evil. I absolutely loathed Jack because MA did such a tremendous job making him ruthless. It's truly a testament to MA's abilities that he turned a character I despised so intensely into a sympathetic anti-hero only a few years later.

[Rick Kitchen]

So apparently James Scott was at a recent fan event in Toronto?  Billy Flynn's official Facebook page has a photo of the attendees, including James Scott, Billy, Jen Lilley, Galen Gering, Brian Dattilo and Eric Martsolf.

[Rick Kitchen]

Eileen Davidson and Lisa Rinna talk about co-stars they hated to work with.  Rinna specifically mentions Robert Kelker Kelly by name.

 

http://michaelfairmansoaps.com/news/rhobhs-lisa-rinna-and-eileen-davidson-talk-soap-opera-secrets-rinna-shares-she-hated-days-co-star-robert-kelker-kelly-with-a-passion/2015/12/02/

[howmanywords]

Wow I met RKK at an NBC fan event back when he played Bobby on Another World and he was a massive douchebag but I had no idea there was so much drama with him.

[Happytobehere]

Eileen Davidson and Lisa Rinna talk about co-stars they hated to work with.  Rinna specifically mentions Robert Kelker Kelly by name.

 

http://michaelfairmansoaps.com/news/rhobhs-lisa-rinna-and-eileen-davidson-talk-soap-opera-secrets-rinna-shares-she-hated-days-co-star-robert-kelker-kelly-with-a-passion/2015/12/02/

Funny how the pairing that brought of Bo and Bille (RKK & LR) were as fond of one another as the pairing that brought us Bo and Hope (PR & KA)

[Rick Kitchen]

Somebody made a Twitter account for "Thomas DiMera" (so already assuming that the baby is going to turn out to be Chad's, and that the name will be changed), and Billy Flynn and Kate Mansi are following it and interacting with it.

 

https://twitter.com/TomDimera

[DisneyBoy]

Wow I met RKK at an NBC fan event back when he played Bobby on Another World and he was a massive douchebag but I had no idea there was so much drama with him.

A) I so wish I could have attended one of those AW fan events

B) I'm kind of pleased he was douchey because I loathed his bizarro character, the stunt driver/construction worker/doctor/researcher/murder suspect with Ryan's implanted corneas (spit-take). Bobby Reno/Shane Roberts was such a train wreck in tight jeans, no wonder he was unpleasant. How could anyone be a fan of his "who is this guy today??" character.

Out of curiosity, though, what exactly though was your interaction like with him and what was the fan event like overall? What was there to do?

Good on the DAYS ladies for standing together and demanding the situation be addressed. Isn't 16 illegal??

Can anyone please sum up what Eileen says in that video, as I can't watch it...

Edited December 4, 2015 by DisneyBoy

[Rick Kitchen]

 

Can anyone please sum up what Eileen says in that video, as I can't watch it...

 

She just basically said that she has had co-stars that she didn't get along with, but wouldn't name names.  She said she auditioned for GH several times (I wonder for what roles?) before she got Y&R.  They asked her who Ashley Abbott was like, and she named a lot of her Real Housewives co-stars, but she couldn't think of anybody that is like Kristen DiMera.

[Artsda]

That person didn't waste time at all creating the twitter for the baby.

[howmanywords]

A) I so wish I could have attended one of those AW fan events

B) I'm kind of pleased he was douchey because I loathed his bizarro character, the stunt driver/construction worker/doctor/researcher/murder suspect with Ryan's implanted corneas (spit-take). Bobby Reno/Shane Roberts was such a train wreck in tight jeans, no wonder he was unpleasant. How could anyone be a fan of his "who is this guy today??" character.

Out of curiosity, though, what exactly though was your interaction like with him and what was the fan event like overall? What was there to do?

Oh the AW events were the best! I attended the fan club luncheons every year until the show went off the air.  I met some of the nicest people there that I'm still friends with till this day and most of the time the actors were very nice and accommodating. But the event where I met RKK at was this car show in Philadelphia that had some weird tie-in with NBC Daytime. Tom Eplin was also there as well as the guy that played Tomas on AW (Diego who's last name is slipping at the moment). Me and my friend went to meet Tom Eplin who we were obsessed with at the time but we also went with things for the others who were there to sign as well. I brought an old Soap Opera Digest that had him and Lisa Rinna on the cover (Bo and Billie's wedding to be exact). Now the first thing that was very obvious was that waiting on his line I noticed anyone who just back from meeting him did not look happy. As I got closer to him and I could SEE his interaction with fans, well he didn't smile at all and was very cold. A women who was right in front of me asked him to autograph the Playgirl he was on the cover of.  All he did was look at the cover and go "how old are you"? And you have that"? She said "um I'm 23 I just look young and she laughed.  He completely snubbed her and said yeah ok, next". So basically he wouldnt sign this Playgirl because he thought this woman was underage..? He who was sleeping with a freaking teenager at the time?  Now it was my turn. I said hello and asked if he would sign my SOD. He glances at it and goes "not signing that either. Do you have something Another World related"? I said no. He saw I was holding a camera and he said "I'll take a picture with you though, but it better be quick". I told him I changed my mind. Such an ass. I'm kind of pleased to see he actually was the douchebag he came off as and didnt just hate fans heh.

[Apprentice79]

Wow I met RKK at an NBC fan event back when he played Bobby on Another World and he was a massive douchebag but I had no idea there was so much drama with him.

I also heard that he had problems on General Hospital as well. Is it true that Genie Francis who plays Laura on there had problems with him...

[NumberCruncher]

From the current plots thread:

I love everything that has to do with Steve and Kayla...I love their kids and there is something so magical about their interactions onscreen....Their love story cemented my love for the show....Stephen Nichols was only supposed to be in five episodes as a short-term villain and the producers noticed the chemistry between him and Mary Beth and the rest is history..

 

Steve/Kayla, Kim/Shane and Jack/Jennifer, were three couples that kept me captivated and I loved them for their uniqueness and complexity....I never got the payoff that we were promised by previous writing regimes, who knew how to write them very well....Unfortunately, hack writers under the tutelage of Ken Corday, made mince meat out of them...They neither had the talent nor the imagination to do them justice....

SN was actually on the show for almost a year before they brought on MBE. It is true that he was a short-term guest, but I believe it was PR who liked working with him so much that he encouraged the producers to bring him on as a regular. MBE was brought on as Kayla specifically for Steve. They even had her read with SN during her audition, which led to Mary Beth's infamous "That was shit!" line Stephen found so hilarious. He liked MBE so well that the rest is history.

It's examples like this (and the other couples you mentioned) that set the 80s/90s apart from what you see on today's soaps. They knew the old supercouple formula worked well and they made sure that the casting was right and then carefully set out to develop long-term arcs to bring them together. Unfortunately I don't think that approach works very well anymore as the audience's attention span isn't what it used to be. There are simply too many entertainment options all vying for the audience's time so I don't think producers/writers/networks are willing to risk a whole year's worth of storytelling before a couple finally gets to be together. As a result, it's all about the fast hook-ups, bed hopping, and who's the daddy plots that you see on most modern soaps nowadays.

[Apprentice79]

From the current plots thread:

SN was actually on the show for almost a year before they brought on MBE. It is true that he was a short-term guest, but I believe it was PR who liked working with him so much that he encouraged the producers to bring him on as a regular. MBE was brought on as Kayla specifically for Steve. They even had her read with SN during her audition, which led to Mary Beth's infamous "That was shit!" line Stephen found so hilarious. He liked MBE so well that the rest is history.

It's examples like this (and the other couples you mentioned) that set the 80s/90s apart from what you see on today's soaps. They knew the old supercouple formula worked well and they made sure that the casting was right and then carefully set out to develop long-term arcs to bring them together. Unfortunately I don't think that approach works very well anymore as the audience's attention span isn't what it used to be. There are simply too many entertainment options all vying for the audience's time so I don't think producers/writers/networks are willing to risk a whole year's worth of storytelling before a couple finally gets to be together. As a result, it's all about the fast hook-ups, bed hopping, and who's the daddy plots that you see on most modern soaps nowadays.

I think if the actors are excellent and the writing is great. I do believe that the audience will follow you...

[kristabell]

I agree, Apprentice79. Bad storytelling is bad storytelling. I think the "kids these days" excuse is overused. I teach high school; and virtually ALL of my students are obsessed with Downton Abbey, not exactly known for its rapid hookups. If you tell a good story with actual good writing, more often than not people will become excited and interested, and watch. Crappy writing that jumps all over the place and doesn't tell a believable story or craft a good narrative is not going to gain an audience.

[NumberCruncher]

Except the short attention span isn't just related to kids--I see it across all ages and TV genres. It's become a cultural thing as a result of endless entertainment options. Yes, Downton Abbey may move slower than most shows but it's more the exception rather than the rule, not to mention it wasn't a super-popular show when it first premiered on PBS. For every Downton there are 20 other shows that follow a more fast-paced storytelling model. Take The Walking Dead as an example. It's the highest rated show on cable (and even smashes most network shows). It's about as crazy a show as you can find on TV, yet whenever the producers try to slow down a storyline or character arc for a couple of episodes to let the audience breathe, I see nothing but a parade of fans complaining about how boring it has become and threatening to drop it. Why? Because they lose interest so quickly.

Yes, good writing is important, but what worked 20 or 30 years isn't necessarily what works now because the audience's viewing habits have changed so much. That was my point in regards to Days--you won't see carefully developed, slower-moving character arcs because that model went out the window a long time ago. That's why when you look at most of the pairings and characters from Days the past several years, you see a lot of crazy-ass storytelling that changed direction in ways that never made much sense. It wasn't about the integrity of the characterization or the storylines, it was about keeping people watching to see what insane thing will happen next.

Funny enough, even under the new writing today which, IMO, is miles better than the old one, I still see a lot of complaints in several different places about how storylines are being dragged out way too long (see: Bo's captivity, Eve grieving her daughter, Abby's captivity, etc.) even though those scenes have brought us some real emotion and tremendous acting moments. Instead of appreciating the better characterization those stories brought, some are complaining that things aren't moving fast enough and they're bored, LOL. I think that's a reason why soaps are a dying genre. They're supposed to be an emotional journey following the lives of characters we love, but watching them go through all their daily triumphs and trials in a realistic say isn't necessarily what holds the general audience interest anymore.

Edited December 4, 2015 by NumberCruncher

[JBC344]

I agree with a lot of what you said, but I also think that there is something to a happy medium.  I for one am appreciating the new writing I find it very refreshing and at times funny and poignant. I also appreciate that things are moving at a faster pace.  With that said I would be remiss If I didn't mention that there are certain emotional beats that are rushed or storylines that seem to be taking place entirely off screen. 

 

For example, this whole Sami storyline is a complete mess and it doesn't seem that it is gaining any traction with viewers because of the fact that it is all "tell, no show".  If this is where they were going to go this should of properly secured Allison Sweeney for as long as they needed to play this out.  Also the whole Bo return storyline was completely rushed.  I for one have really appreciated the "amazing acting" that has come from the storyline, without actually praising what the mechanics of the plot are. 

 

For me, I am glad of the eventual changes and my hope is that the show "evens" out in terms of pacing.

[DisneyBoy]

She just basically said that she has had co-stars that she didn't get along with, but wouldn't name names. She said she auditioned for GH several times (I wonder for what roles?) before she got Y&R. They asked her who Ashley Abbott was like, and she named a lot of her Real Housewives co-stars, but she couldn't think of anybody that is like Kristen DiMera.

Thanks! Kristin is pretty singular, so I'm not surprised she drew a blank on that one.