GH In The News: The PC Press Club

[Pete Martell]

I saw a comment that said, "People may hate Nina and Franco, but they can't stop talking about them!" And while I don't blame Franco and Nina for the show's ratings, I think it sums up the main failure of this show - the idea that chatter somehow means people will want to watch. People talked plenty about Broadway legend Kelly Sullivan as Connie stunk up the joint for over a year, but do I think that was the reason the ratings increased during her time on GH? No. And people talked plenty about Jason, Sonny, et al. in 2009 and 2010 (most of it not all that good), but the show still would have been canceled if Frons hadn't sold his kidney to keep it on the air.

 

If you see a child, like Ron is a child, that is screaming and jumping up and down and knocking over things, you may try to wait for them to calm down, or you may ask their parent to keep them under control, but eventually, you just walk away. 

 

I used to think ABC would just can it with him still in charge, but I'm starting to wonder if Passanante was hired as an eventual replacement. 

Ron wanted to do a trans story for Roxie on OLTL, but for various reasons it never happened. I'm sure he still itches to use it. We're not out of the woods.

 

I can see them saying Delia is transgender. I can already hear certain people insisting it's brilliant and this is the story Claire Labine would have told herself. 

[Francie]

As to the overall ratings, I've been a bit surprised at the fact that the HH numbers have been up year-to-year.  And then I looked back at the archives. 

 

Remember the Nielsen's glitch last year that resulted in some ABC shows getting inflated in ratings at CBS's expense? If you look at the published number from 2014 for the week of Memorial week, that number was actually higher than this year's ratings for the same week.  If you go by last year's published (and inflated) number, GH's viewership for 2015 dropped by 25,000 viewers.  So the year-to-year comparison numbers we're seeing in this year's report -- the one that shows that GH's HH numbers are up 60,000 over last year -- have been adjusted to reflect the true HH ratings from last year.

 

What does that mean?  That last year's ratings sucked a bit more than we were lead to believe at the time.  And, the funny thing, this was right about the time that  Ron responded to fans who were complaining loudly about the quality and focus of the show by tweeting: "The ratings don't agree with you." 

 

Well,  guess what?  They did.  They really did, Blanche.

Edited June 7, 2015 by Francie

[Francie]

If you see a child, like Ron is a child, that is screaming and jumping up and down and knocking over things, you may try to wait for them to calm down, or you may ask their parent to keep them under control, but eventually, you just walk away. 

 

I like that comparison.  The one I've made before is the boyfriend or girlfriend who, in their heart, knows the relationship is over and it can't be fixed. But until they finally take that action to end it, they bargain, barter, plead, or wish for their partner to change the thing that's driving them away.  And, for some, they have that huge venting moment right at the end, before they walk out of the door, where they list their litany of peeves and annoyances during the relationship. 

 

Just because they take the time to complain, doesn't mean they aren't about to head out the door.

[SlovakPrincess]

I think I'm at the point where I've broken up with TFGH, but I'm not yet mature enough to stop badmouthing it behind its back to all of our mutual friends, LOL.  

Edited June 7, 2015 by SlovakPrincess

[dubbel zout]

I'm going to see this sucker out until the very end. It's become a point of perverse pride for me.

[WendyCR72]

I can see them saying Delia is transgender. I can already hear certain people insisting it's brilliant and this is the story Claire Labine would have told herself.

 

Good thing Delia existed long before Ron. Not that there is anything wrong with being a transgender person, but Delia did give birth (to her son on RH), so Ron could try, but established history precludes this. Because Ron? Would fuck that story all up. It needs dignity. And RC cannot do it. Ever.

[TwistedandBored]

Ron is the one standing by so many of these characters and stories and vehemently attacking any critique of his choices. Frank is a businessman. I don't pity him but I sympathize with his responsibility, and respect him for staying out of the public fray even if I think he has plenty of the share of blame for the creative choices of the show.

 

Ron I have less and less sympathy for. They want the show to survive - so write stuff that gives it that capability, and not just for 4-6 week stretches during sweeps. Don't spend months on Franco/Nina capers, the Jake/Jason merry-go-round, all sorts of good or bad stories spinning wheels for the better part of a year while insulting our intelligence. Don't waste so much time on shit you have no investment in (or more than the audience) just so you can get to November, or September, or May.

 

I would have okay with the merry-go-round of the other months if the May, September, and November sweeps if the storyline during these months was awesome. However, their payoff during these months sucks. They suck at concluding any of their storylines properly. 

[TeeVee329]

Good thing Delia existed long before Ron. Not that there is anything wrong with being a transgender person, but Delia did give birth (to her son on RH), so Ron could try, but established history precludes this. Because Ron? Would fuck that story all up. It needs dignity. And RC cannot do it. Ever.

 

Speaking of, how are "Ryan's Hope" fans feeling about the use of Delia these days?

[bannana]

I don't think "Delia" is Delia, she seems more similar to Roxie to me.

[dubbel zout]

I think IK is trying to give us Delia. Roxie was daffier and always had malaprops, which Delia does not. But Delia is only trotted out when the plot demands it, so the writing is always about that, not the character.

[ulkis]

Re: Ron, It's not that I don't think he's a big old baby, but that's why I feel bad I guess. He (imo) has obviously has insecurity issues up the wazoo. He pretends not to care but stalks the GH timeline, and I don't think even he cares about Franco anymore but he's still writing him because letting Franco go would mean Prospect Park has Wonneth the War or whatever.

[Pete Martell]

Good thing Delia existed long before Ron. Not that there is anything wrong with being a transgender person, but Delia did give birth (to her son on RH), so Ron could try, but established history precludes this. Because Ron? Would fuck that story all up. It needs dignity. And RC cannot do it. Ever.

 

I don't think it matters whether she existed before him or whether she gave birth. He will trash anything and everything for the sake of his ego.

[bannana]

I think IK is trying to give us Delia. Roxie was daffier and always had malaprops, which Delia does not. But Delia is only trotted out when the plot demands it, so the writing is always about that, not the character.

True, she is not completely Roxie.  Maybe a blend.  I remember when she first came on I was surprised how similar she was to Roxie, yet when Roxie first appeared I didn't think she was similar to Delia.

[kristabell]

This is the same tack Ron has always taken. When he was writing for [show's name redacted], he said EXACTLY the same thing: people are talking about it, therefore it's great and will drive up ratings. But, the thing is, you can talk about something that you really hate (and not watch.) The 'getting everyone riled up' schtick only works for a little while. When watching the show becomes more anger-inducing and frustrating than entertaining, people don't get madder and watch more, they get apathetic and tune out. 

 

In regards to the ratings and the household numbers, absolutely viewers haven't dropped/changed much, but the demos are consistently down. Presumably, more women out of the demo age range and more men are watching the show, which is incidentally exactly what happened on that other show when Ron was writing.

[SlovakPrincess]

The ratings are going to probably hover where they are for a while or only decrease slowly. i think the show will putter along for a while, being mediocre and repetitive and mind numbing, chewing up and destroying once-beloved characters as it goes along. As long as it stays within budget, that is!

This is what they've settled for. It once was great, and could have been great again - and the ratings really might have been something again! But now it just sort of exists to exist. I can't imagine the likes of Liz Taylor and Sammy Davis Jr. begging to be on THIS version of the show.

[magnolia11]

I think they will see a bump with Luke's exit, simply because some people will tune in out of curiosity to see how he leaves the canvas and to see the assorted vet returns. Once that's over and it's back to the Franco and Nina show, though, it'll be a swift return to circling the toilet bowl ratings-wise.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I don't know what this means...that the fuckwits convinced Tristan to come back to be a part of Luke's Great Big Last Hurrah????

 

I start work back on Y&R June 24. Now, back on GH???????????.

 

From his Twitter feed that he posted on FB. Or does that last sentence mean, What the FUCK is going on at GH?

[Dandesun]

I wouldn't blame him at all if it was the latter. It was also be hilarious... just this weird "WTF is happening at GH?" tweet.

[Sake614]

Well he's set the twitter verse on fire with that tweet but so far he hasn't responded to anyone's question about whether he's returning for Luke's exit. I'd love to see him back but at the same time, I'm terrified of what MoRon will do with Robert!

[Tiger]

I wouldn't blame him at all if it was the latter. It was also be hilarious... just this weird "WTF is happening at GH?" tweet.

I'm choosing to believe Tristan is just as confused by GH lately as I am.

[dubbel zout]

Anna's not around, so I don't know how I feel about Robert returning.

[SlovakPrincess]

It's going to look terrible if he comes back to hang around with Luke and Laura ... while Anna's off mourning Duke (again!), all alone, and nobody has talked to Robin in forever and she supposedly has PTSD.

Yeah, I just talked myself out of wanting him to come back. Unless it's for the big It Was All Robert's Extended Nightmare Reset I have my heart set on!!

Edited June 10, 2015 by SlovakPrincess

[UYI]

It sounds like, if he IS coming back, it would be with Holly to say goodbye to Luke. But yeah, he needs to be with Anna to take Duke's ashes to Scotland, just as they did in 1990. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

It sounds like, if he IS coming back, it would be with Holly to say goodbye to Luke. But yeah, he needs to be with Anna to take Duke's ashes to Scotland, just as they did in 1990. 

 

IF Robert is coming back, mebbe he'll be in Scotland to meet Anna? And then from there, he'll go see Luke? and THEN from there, go off to find Robin? Yeah, that works for me.

[dubbel zout]

I thought Chloe was kind of a drip, but she came on at a time when someone lighthearted and sweet was necessary. The Mixed Marrieds story was a lot of fun, even if the initial reason for it was asinine.

[WendyCR72]

I thought Chloe was kind of a drip, but she came on at a time when someone lighthearted and sweet was necessary. The Mixed Marrieds story was a lot of fun, even if the initial reason for it was asinine.

 

I thought the Mixed Marrieds started out promisingly enough, but fizzled out. What was the point if nothing came from it? (Translation: I am still pissed I never got Jaxis!)

[jsbt]

I thought the Mixed Marrieds started out promisingly enough, but fizzled out. What was the point if nothing came from it? (Translation: I am still pissed I never got Jaxis!)

 

I'm sure you know this, but in case others don't: That was on Wendy Riche vs. Bob Guza. Guza wanted Jax/Alexis and so did the audience, and Riche was trying to re-consolidate her power with the heavily promoted new couples of the season (Jax/Chloe, Sonny/Hannah) which she had handcrafted. For my money Jax and Chloe were bland but inoffensive, but they weren't nearly as interesting as Jax and Alexis. That growing war over control, of course, ended with Riche dismissed followed by Guza.

 

So much of the cast could go tomorrow and I wouldn't bat an eye: Sloane, Silas, Nina, Franco, Kiki, Rosalie, NuDillon, and on and on and on.

Edited June 10, 2015 by jsbt

[WendyCR72]

I'm sure you know this, but in case others don't: That was on Wendy Riche vs. Bob Guza. Guza wanted Jax/Alexis and so did the audience, and Riche was trying to re-consolidate her power with the heavily promoted new couples of the season (Jax/Chloe, Sonny/Hannah) which she had handcrafted. For my money Jax and Chloe were bland but inoffensive, but they weren't nearly as interesting as Jax and Alexis. That growing war over control, of course, ended with Riche dismissed followed by Guza.

 

Oh, I actually did know this. Which makes me glad Riche got the boot. Backing Jax and Chloe when the momentum from both the writing and the audience was for Jax and Alexis? Well, just goes to show Ms. Riche's ego was just as big as ol' Bob's.

[jsbt]

Oh, I actually did know this. Which makes me glad Riche got the boot. Backing Jax and Chloe when the momentum from both the writing and the audience was for Jax and Alexis? Well, just goes to show Ms. Riche's ego was just as big as ol' Bob's.

 

She backed a few wrong couples, but I don't think there's any talented writer or producer in daytime who hasn't made questionable choices or backed the wrong horses at times. It's just the law of averages if you're in the business long enough. They've all done it. And while Guza was the man at that point - I still loved his show for the most part, despite some issues, until he left in 2000-2001 - I think what time proved out is that Riche was ultimately his balancing force and IMO better for the show overall. It has never been the same with her gone, and that's because it spent basically a decade completely adopting the head writer's worldview and philosophy, with no strong producer. (JFP was locked down after she tried to assert her creative vision, and rightly so.)

Edited June 10, 2015 by jsbt

[WendyCR72]

She backed a few wrong couples, but I don't think there's any talented writer or producer in daytime who hasn't made questionable choices or backed the wrong horses at times. It's just the law of averages if you're in the business long enough. They've all done it. And while Guza was the man at that point - I still loved his show for the most part, despite some issues, until he left in 2000-2001 - I think what time proved out is that Riche was ultimately his balancing force and IMO better for the show overall. It has never been the same with her gone, and that's because it spent basically a decade completely adopting the head writer's worldview and philosophy, with no strong producer. (JFP was locked down after she tried to assert her creative vision, and rightly so.)

 

I get what you're saying and I don't even necessarily disagree with you. But the show, while needing a firm hand, lives and dies by the audience. I think the ego was a bad misstep here since GH really was on to something, but pride and ego trumped those who watched and gave these folks a job to begin with. (And, yes, I know others liked Nexis/Jax/Chloe, but even so, because of that, this could have played out for some time!)

 

Then there's the thing about Jax/Chloe and Sonny/Hannah being on billboards and having pictures, etc. and paired before figuring out if they even worked (i.e. predestined), and it was a waste. The very fact ABC tried that angle again with Jax/Sam before Sam even debuted told me ABC learned nothing there.

 

ETA: Topic? RC's couples also suck and I have less than zero interest in any of them.

[dubbel zout]

Sonny/Hannah

Ugh, one of his worst and most pointless pairings. 

[Harmony233]

WR though despite some screw ups was the last time I felt like the show cared about it its history even history she didnt write.Apperantely She didnt let Tony do whatever he wanted like Jill and FC have.

[WendyCR72]

WR though despite some screw ups was the last time I felt like the show cared about it its history even history she didnt write.Apperantely She didnt let Tony do whatever he wanted like Jill and FC have.

 

Maybe, but considering the bitchy rumors about her treatment of women (i.e. Genie Francis after maternity leave), it seems like six of one, half a dozen of the other.

[cheyz]

I thought Stefan/Chloe was getting interesting and then they killed her off.

[Tiger]

I thought Stefan/Chloe was getting interesting and then they killed her off.

Was it Guza or McTavish or had Chloe seeing out of Helena's eyes? Because it seemed like that was leading somewhere and then bam they killed her out of the blue.

IIRC Stavfroze strangled her to death while pretending to be "Lucian Cane" in the lead-up to . . . END GAME . . . !

[UYI]

Ugh, one of his worst and most pointless pairings. 

 

If nothing else, it led to JJ meeting his wife. (Although I'll admit the story behind how they met--he was still underage when that happened--is a little weird to me.)

Maybe, but considering the bitchy rumors about her treatment of women (i.e. Genie Francis after maternity leave), it seems like six of one, half a dozen of the other.

 

I've always been shocked about that story with GF, to be honest, especially given that she was the one who gave finally gave her the same vacation time as Tony, and promised Anna Lee that she would be with GH until the day she died. That rumor sounds like something straight out of JFP's playbook.

 

Then again, JFP had women she actually liked, too, like Robin Christopher. (And unlike a few other women at OLTL and GH, Robin actually got to KEEP her job after she got pregnant under JFP's reign! What a concept! And her daughter Gianna even got to play Lila Rae as a baby for a little while!)

Edited June 11, 2015 by UYI

[jsbt]

Was it Guza or McTavish or had Chloe seeing out of Helena's eyes? Because it seemed like that was leading somewhere and then bam they killed her out of the blue.

 

That was Guza and possibly also the interim post-Guza team of Michele ValJean and, I think, Elizabeth Korte(?). The plot was a little goofy, but I really liked Stefan and Chloe, unexpectedly so. And it was still far more intricately-told than most of the similar mystery stories of later years - even though, AFAIK, it was never resolved.

[Francie]

Anna's not around, so I don't know how I feel about Robert returning.

I know how I'd feel about it!!!

 

Harumph.

[Pete Martell]

I get what you're saying and I don't even necessarily disagree with you. But the show, while needing a firm hand, lives and dies by the audience. I think the ego was a bad misstep here since GH really was on to something, but pride and ego trumped those who watched and gave these folks a job to begin with. (And, yes, I know others liked Nexis/Jax/Chloe, but even so, because of that, this could have played out for some time!)

 

Then there's the thing about Jax/Chloe and Sonny/Hannah being on billboards and having pictures, etc. and paired before figuring out if they even worked (i.e. predestined), and it was a waste. The very fact ABC tried that angle again with Jax/Sam before Sam even debuted told me ABC learned nothing there.

 

The show was in a huge malaise at this time. I remember Marlena de la Croix writing about the show in 1999 and saying nothing ever happened, and while that wasn't technically true, it felt like it was. At the time my main interest was counting how many times Liz would leave a Kelly's shift early. Bringing in Hannah and Chloe (and soon, A Martinez) felt like some desperate attempt to shake up a staid canvas. One that did not work for me.

 

In terms of Jax/Alexis not happening, it didn't help that I ardently despised Ned/Alexis as a couple and I recoiled almost any time they were onscreen together for one more self-righteous lecture from Ned, or one more "gatekeeper" conversation.

 

Now of course nothing still happens, and the couples still suck, but as a bonus, everything is 10 times more offensive and stupid. 

Edited June 11, 2015 by Pete Martell

[FireFoxy]

Heck, I'm still mad Jax/V never happened! I know, I know, I'm in the minority. I just didn't want Jax to get one of Sonny's leftovers, again.

[WendyCR72]

Heck, I'm still mad Jax/V never happened! I know, I know, I'm in the minority. I just didn't want Jax to get one of Sonny's leftovers, again.

 

I understand, but at the time Mixed Marrieds did happen, Alexis wasn't a Sonny leftover. That came after. Another reason to be bitter (for me) that Jaxis was nixed. Maybe it would have prevented the grossness that was Sexis.

[ulkis]

Ratings Report for the Week of June 1-5, 2015
Numbers are based on Live+Same Day ratings

(Compared to Last Week/Compared to Last Year)

 

Total Viewers
3. GH 2,700,000 (-156,000/-300,000)

 

Households
3. GH 2.07/7 (-.07/-.11)

 

Women 18-49 Viewers

4. GH 497,000 (-3,000/-172,000)

 

Women 18-49 Rating

4. GH 0.78/6 (same/-.27) <—— ties low (7th straight week) *

 

* Rounded up to 0.8

 

http://www.soapoperanetwork.com/2015/06/ratings-days-and-bb-up-in-women-18-49-demo-2

[HeatLifer]

Heee.

[tvgoddess]

This show won't even be on the air before the Jason reveal.

[ulkis]

That'll be the last episode. "And Port Charles rejoiced" will be written on the screen as it goes dark.

Edited June 13, 2015 by ulkis

[Box305]

My reaction: 

 

TPTB = the Cubs' pitching coach

Me = Derek Jeter

Edited June 12, 2015 by Box305

[HeatLifer]

Hahaha. That gif is A+.

[Sake614]

Just read tonight that Genie is sticking around after Tony leaves. She said she'll be around through the Fall.

[Badsamaritan]

I'm wondering exactly how low ratings have to get before circumstances change. Either through new leadership or cancellation, something has to give. The pets aren't bringing the ratings boon, the storylines are unimaginative and laborious, and the head writer is a petulant child.

Does anyone know what the ratings were for AMC & OLTL when they were cancelled? I'm too lazy to go look. :)

[Sake614]

I can't speak to AMC but I think OL was at about 1.7 or 1.8 when Frons dropped the news. It saw an uptick as it got closer to the end date but ratings were pretty bad for quite some time. I think they hit 1.2 a few times.