Why Are Soap Operas STILL On The Air? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 06-01-2017, 04:26 AM

Quote:

You've probably seen them while channel surfing. Daytime soap operas - a genre of a bygone era, yet a few series (like George Romero zombies) still stagger on. Ask any soap fan, and they'll tell you: the medium is dying. Will the daytime soap manage to survive into the next decade?

tlc38tlc38 · 06-01-2017, 11:20 AM

Soaps are awesome. I watch "Days" everyday as I have since 1995. I still miss "AMC".

Dianne3 · 06-01-2017, 03:42 PM

because there are no talk shows, cooking shows etc. to replace them with.

Yes, soaps are dying/dead. But the other shows on in the afternoons aren't doing that much better ratings wise.

That is why DOOL recently got another 1 year renewal. NBC doesn't have a replacement.

Edward216 · 06-01-2017, 06:01 PM

I'm not a fan but obviously there are people who like to watch daytime dramas. I don't think it's that hard to figure out.

Ed.

Mario500 · 06-02-2017, 05:13 AM

I did not like the negative tone and sarcasm of the narration for the video. I also did not like its sense of humor.

Dianne3 · 06-02-2017, 03:54 PM

Yes, there are fans who like to watch but the long-time ones feel and are afraid that the end is near within a few years.

RetroTVNitekatt · 06-02-2017, 11:09 PM

Because the networks don't want to give the day-parts back to the affiliates and have yet to come up with suitable replacements that could sustain a whole day. Besides, they are still cheap to produce.

CBS is still #1 with it's line up of Game Shows,Soaps and The Talk. They found the balance that ABC and NBC haven't.

WilliamHBonney · 06-03-2017, 02:12 PM

I don't watch soaps but if they went away that would be steady jobs for writers and actor's that will never come back,since it's likely replacement is just chat shows and reruns. If they are on their deathknell well then I hope they get a stay of execution that lasts for many years to come.

Dr. Thong · 06-04-2017, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edward216

I'm not a fan but obviously there are people who like to watch daytime dramas. I don't think it's that hard to figure out.

Ed.

And if they deliver ratings, the networks will continue to air them.

Schmoopie · 06-05-2017, 02:27 AM

I don't mind soaps, having watched Days, OLTL, AMC and GH for years. Not necessarily all at once, but off and on. I still watch GH occasionally because my lunch is about the same time that it comes on so I just go with it. I don't htink soaps are bad at all. I got frustrated with OLTL because they took so long to get to stories that I liked or else they would start stories and never continue with them. But if written well, they can be good. It's kind of sad that so many of them are gone now. It's a lot easier to watch them now b/c of DVRs and the soap mags and internet having so many spoilers. Used to be forever ago that it was torture watching on Friday b/c you had to wait till Monday to find out what would happen.

tlc38tlc38 · 06-05-2017, 08:47 AM

^Friday cliffhangers were always exciting!

MA · 06-05-2017, 02:48 PM

Because there is nothing really else that's on.

Dianne3 · 06-05-2017, 04:43 PM

The Young and the Restless was given a 3 year renewal on January 2014. The contract was to run until September 2017.

You gotta wonder why viewers aren't hearing about any type of renewal.

80sTrivia · 06-06-2017, 07:45 AM

I tried to watch this video a week or so ago and turned it off after a minute or so. The creator's assertion that there has never been high-caliber acting or compelling writing in the long history of the daytime drama is just plain ill-informed and wrong.

Case in point, Judith Light's mesmerizing performance on the witness stand during Vickie Lord's trial on One Life to Live in 1979, which was as compellingly acted and written as any big screen courtroom drama!

Of course, soaps today are a sad shell of what they once were, due to dire budget cuts, and they will never have the glory they once did, sadly...

tlc38tlc38 · 06-06-2017, 03:28 PM

^Totally agree with 80sTrivia, soaps in the 80s-90s were so awesome. I still watch "Days"....and like it...but it was so much better in the 90s-early 2000s.

06-01-2017, 11:20 AM	#2
tlc38tlc38 Every day’s a Dolly day! Forum Star Join Date: May 02, 2008 Location: I’m just travelin’ thru Posts: 19,255	Soaps are awesome. I watch "Days" everyday as I have since 1995. I still miss "AMC".
	__________________ Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. Deuteronomy 15:10 In loving memory of my best friend, my Mama.

06-02-2017, 11:09 PM	#7
RetroTVNitekatt Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 09, 2003 Posts: 1,258	Because the networks don't want to give the day-parts back to the affiliates and have yet to come up with suitable replacements that could sustain a whole day. Besides, they are still cheap to produce. CBS is still #1 with it's line up of Game Shows,Soaps and The Talk. They found the balance that ABC and NBC haven't.
	__________________ Old Cats don't die-they just fall off the TV set!

06-06-2017, 07:45 AM	#14
80sTrivia Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 23, 2002 Posts: 21,715	I tried to watch this video a week or so ago and turned it off after a minute or so. The creator's assertion that there has never been high-caliber acting or compelling writing in the long history of the daytime drama is just plain ill-informed and wrong. Case in point, Judith Light's mesmerizing performance on the witness stand during Vickie Lord's trial on One Life to Live in 1979, which was as compellingly acted and written as any big screen courtroom drama! Of course, soaps today are a sad shell of what they once were, due to dire budget cuts, and they will never have the glory they once did, sadly...
	__________________ Perfect Gift Books for Pop Culture Fanatics: Thank You for Being a Friend: A Golden Girls Trivia Book The Bouquet Residence: A Keeping Up Appearances Trivia Book Cooking With the Golden Girls: Fun & Delicious Recipes from a Hilarious Miami Kitchen Love in the Afternoon: The Ultimate Soap Opera Trivia Book The Last Great Decade: The Ultimate 90s Trivia Book Betty White: A Celebration

06-01-2017, 03:42 PM	#3
Dianne3 Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 07, 2002 Posts: 1,056	because there are no talk shows, cooking shows etc. to replace them with. Yes, soaps are dying/dead. But the other shows on in the afternoons aren't doing that much better ratings wise. That is why DOOL recently got another 1 year renewal. NBC doesn't have a replacement.

06-01-2017, 06:01 PM	#4
Edward216 Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 18, 2014 Location: Central Time Zone Posts: 4,625	I'm not a fan but obviously there are people who like to watch daytime dramas. I don't think it's that hard to figure out. Ed.

06-02-2017, 05:13 AM	#5
Mario500 Member Senior Member Join Date: Jun 14, 2011 Posts: 1,062	I did not like the negative tone and sarcasm of the narration for the video. I also did not like its sense of humor.

06-02-2017, 03:54 PM	#6
Dianne3 Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 07, 2002 Posts: 1,056	Yes, there are fans who like to watch but the long-time ones feel and are afraid that the end is near within a few years.

06-03-2017, 02:12 PM	#8
WilliamHBonney Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 07, 2017 Location: Inland Empire Posts: 129	I don't watch soaps but if they went away that would be steady jobs for writers and actor's that will never come back,since it's likely replacement is just chat shows and reruns. If they are on their deathknell well then I hope they get a stay of execution that lasts for many years to come.

06-05-2017, 02:27 AM	#10
Schmoopie Keep Calm and Love Snoopy Forum Star Join Date: Jul 13, 2008 Location: Lynnwood, Washington Posts: 15,697	I don't mind soaps, having watched Days, OLTL, AMC and GH for years. Not necessarily all at once, but off and on. I still watch GH occasionally because my lunch is about the same time that it comes on so I just go with it. I don't htink soaps are bad at all. I got frustrated with OLTL because they took so long to get to stories that I liked or else they would start stories and never continue with them. But if written well, they can be good. It's kind of sad that so many of them are gone now. It's a lot easier to watch them now b/c of DVRs and the soap mags and internet having so many spoilers. Used to be forever ago that it was torture watching on Friday b/c you had to wait till Monday to find out what would happen.

06-05-2017, 08:47 AM	#11
tlc38tlc38 Every day’s a Dolly day! Forum Star Join Date: May 02, 2008 Location: I’m just travelin’ thru Posts: 19,255	^Friday cliffhangers were always exciting!

06-05-2017, 02:48 PM	#12
MA Member Moderator Forum Idol Join Date: May 20, 2017 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 127,127	Because there is nothing really else that's on.

06-05-2017, 04:43 PM	#13
Dianne3 Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 07, 2002 Posts: 1,056	The Young and the Restless was given a 3 year renewal on January 2014. The contract was to run until September 2017. You gotta wonder why viewers aren't hearing about any type of renewal.

06-06-2017, 03:28 PM	#15
tlc38tlc38 Every day’s a Dolly day! Forum Star Join Date: May 02, 2008 Location: I’m just travelin’ thru Posts: 19,255	^Totally agree with 80sTrivia, soaps in the 80s-90s were so awesome. I still watch "Days"....and like it...but it was so much better in the 90s-early 2000s.