Y&R’s rating plummet....

[TJames03]

We Weigh In: Y&R’s Ratings Are Plummeting But Can Writers Turn It Around? - Fame10

The Young And The Restless (Y&R) has become “The Adam Show” and viewers aren’t pleased. Since returning with new episodes in August, ratings have been plummeting on the sudser. So how can writers turn it around? Adam’s never-ending drama always seems to take center stage. It was only mere months...

m.fame10.com

And deservedly so. It’s been the same story line since the early 1980’s. People are tired of Braeden and Thomas Scott’s ugly visages continuing to do the same things since 1979....

 

[Ray&Donna]

Stop killing babies and et the show establish a story not involving the lattes Adam recast or bring in Simon Rex to speice up Abby's lovelies, since she can't find a bred of her own

 

[Rove]

There is obviously an underlying and broader issue regarding the plummeting ratings for Soaps. With people working from home or self isolating I would expect ratings to rise. When the Covid-19 pandemic began and some governments placed the general public into lock down, streaming services like Netflix saw their subscriptions skyrocket. Perhaps new eyeballs to services like Netflix finally had an opportunity to binge watch something they've been putting on hold.

Here in Australia I've noted our 3 commercial networks were allowing politicians to use the networks for another "Breaking NEWS" moment surrounding the pandemic. Maybe viewers were tired of the constant negativity and flipped over to Netflix. Perhaps viewers tastes have changed and are tired of the dreary old format of daytime soaps where we watch people struggle with their fictional lives without mentioning Covid-19.

People are tired of Braeden and Thomas Scott’s ugly visages continuing to do the same things since 1979....

The characters of Victor and Nikki Newman should now be considered legacy characters. The last time I checked in to Y&R Victor was sitting in his office chair berating some character. Victor is meant to be some type of villain, all powerful, yet my long departed grandmother had more arsenal in her stare and she didn't have Victor's bank balance. Nikki - the former stripper - carries on like she is Queen of Genoa City. These two characters after all their years residing in Genoa City should be 3 dimensional but they come off as caricatures if anything.

My advice to Soaps is it's time to hit the reset button...and fast.

 

[Daniel Avery]

From what I've noticed, every time they try to hit that re-set button, they don't know what to do next. If you have someone who doesn't know how to run the show, doing a creative overhaul does little good because they cannot implement the "new" show any better than they did the "old" show. In Y&R's case the "outsiders" they've brought in have not been good choices overall (not just Mal Young, but all the way back to Lynn Marie Latham). What inevitably happens in their wake is that they find someone who used to work on the show, re-hire them and hope they can do the sort of stuff the show used to do to "right the ship". But times have changed, and even Y&R has been affected by budget trimming and the need to do more, faster. CBS is trying to coast on their viewers' force of habit, assuming they will watch the show simply because they've been doing it for X years, regardless of whether it's good or not. I think that the network says they want to be fresh and exciting, but Y&R has always banked on that older demographic who wants the show to be more old-school in its storytelling and pace.

And the number of people in the soap world who really could make lemonade out of lemons dwindles by the year, since fewer people are working their way up through the ranks at the soaps. When there are only four soaps left (in the US) and the shows are being made with speed and economy as the top two considerations (with quality being #3 if you are lucky), you are essentially telling the young creatives that soaps are no longer a place where they can exercise their creativity with any sort of freedom. They would be more welcome if they display skills in turning out quantity over quality (i.e. bean-counters). Stories of production assistants working their way into being an Executive Producer or Head Writer are long gone. The punishing pace makes soaps a place where the budding director, creative producer or writer no longer wants to stay in for a career--they get some credits on their resume, then move into other areas where they can bring their talents. What you are left to choose from when hiring in the top jobs are those who are left over from better times, the ones who either refused to retire and get recycled by other soaps...or those who work cheap. Even that pool continues to dwindle as Head Writers age out of the business and are not fostering younger talent.

Y&R is only experiencing the same "brain drain" that all the other soaps have experienced. It's just taken them a bit longer to hit the same problems because they've been #1 for so long and so many fans maintain loyalty due to the 'better years' they remember so fondly. It's also easier to remember those better times when so many of the current cast were also involved in those earlier stories. Seeing those actors still going at it despite all the questionable stories of recent years gives the long-time fan someone to cling to. They, more than any of the four, seem to have kept more veteran actors (20+ years) on screen, which might serve to mask the decline of the show overall.

 

[TJames03]

But all the show is is the same story line over and over. Braeden’s facial expressions and voice NEVER change. It’s been, literally, the same thing since 1979. MTS is only on the show because she banging a producer. Horrific actors. When Jeanne Cooper died, the heart of the show did, too. Somewhere Victoria Rowell is laughing in triumph!!!!!!!

 

[Rove]

They, more than any of the four, seem to have kept more veteran actors (20+ years) on screen

This can work both in favour and against you. I personally believe in those legacy characters because they are the bedrock of any series. The absence of a character like Katherine Chancellor for example can leave a massive void. Her death could explain - in part - why viewers are no longer sticking around. My late mother was a fan of Y&R in its heyday. The relationship between Jill (Brenda Dickson) and Katherine (Jeanne Cooper) is why she watched the series religiously. But when Brenda was let go my mother questioned why she was watching the series and gradually moved on. She always argued there was a spark between Brenda and Jeanne which was never matched again by the other actresses.

Another recent example is the departure of Susan Flannery as Stephanie Forrester from B&B. Another legacy character which has left a huge void. Stephanie and Brooke's toe to toe confrontations were the stuff of daytime soap legend as with Stephanie's relationship with Sally Spectre. I just don't see that spark anymore on B&B. As many know on this website I'm strongly against recasts. The current Ridge doesn't work for me at all. I can see why the writers are desperately trying to keep Brooke and Ridge apart because I don't see the chemistry like the previous Ridge had.

There is a lot to be said in pairing characters which resonate electricity from the small screen. It's a combination in writing but perfect casting and I don't see a lot of this nowadays. I don't see a lot of heart and soul anymore. Far too many characters are jumping in and out of bed with each other which doesn't allow the viewer to witness a rock solid relationship.

Anyway just some random thoughts.

 

[TJames03]

Correct. BD and JC rocked! Has anyone read BD’s book? She does NOT portray JC in a good light at all.

 

[TJames03]

The acting is pretty stinky, but sh-t like this was AWESOME!!!!!

 

[TJames03]

What is scary is that I have actually said some of these same things to people in real-life!

 

[Daniel Avery]

MTS is only on the show because she banging a producer.

I'm sure you know this already, but Ed Scott, the producer in question, married Melody Thomas (Scott) all the way back in 1985, and hasn't even worked at Y&R since 2007. So I don't think nepotism can explain her continued success at Y&R.

This can work both in favour and against you. I personally believe in those legacy characters because they are the bedrock of any series.

Oh, yes. The drawback, obviously, is that the longer an actor stays with the show, the more expensive they get and the more powerful they feel. There's an old joke in HR that says "Managers are like diapers. Both should be changed often....and for the same reasons." Unfortunately this can apply to actors, as well. When they see a revolving door of producers and writers while they remain, it can foster a sense that seniority=superior knowledge. Eric Braeden is well-known for his outspoken nature, though Peter Bergman often oversteps the boundaries as well. They both believe that when push comes to shove, they will likely "outlive" whatever producer or writer they are criticizing in the press. And so far they have outlived them all. After all, the power has shifted away from the producers (as we see them hired and fired so easily) and toward the actors who seem unable to be fired once they have any sort of fan following. Even if they're written out (see: Eileen Davidson), they only have to sit back and wait for the producer who fired them to be fired, then wait for the new producer to call them back to work.

I do not think it's good for the show to have the actors tearing down their bosses that way, but no one has been made an example of in this regard, so until one of them gets their hat handed to them by a show-runner, they will keep pushing the envelope. There are examples of actors getting fired for shooting off their mouths, of course, but typically they were expendable; they played a less prominent character or didn't have the fan following that an actor like Braeden or Bergman has. I think the last time they really had the nerve to say "enough is enough" and stand by the decision to fire an actor was the Michael Muhney situation, and of course further back when Victoria Rowell left (some say she quit, some say she was fired...I'll just say she left.)

 

[Rove]

I do not think it's good for the show to have the actors tearing down their bosses that way, but no one has been made an example of in this regard, so until one of them gets their hat handed to them by a show-runner, they will keep pushing the envelope

I thought the recent time jump Days of Our Lives did was a brilliant concept. It allows the producers to terminate the contracts for the entire cast and offers an opportunity for that reset button to be hit. I don't watch any of the soaps but I do recall the possibility Days was being cancelled made NEWS here in Oz, until everything was explained. I've always liked Eileen Davidson. She has screen presence and depth to her delivery. I don't understand why she would have been let go.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Eileen Davidson.

What made that case even worse was her 'deal' with Sony that allowed her to appear on both Days and Y&R (shows Sony either owns outright or owns a chunk of). When Y&R decided to fire her, they twisted the knife further by also refusing to let Days snatch her up to play Kristen/Susan full time. Basically, "We don't want you, but we don't want anyone else to have you either." Days ended up having to recast, and Y&R's Ashley was sent out of town. Once the Y&R show-runner got fired, the new/old guy* asked her back in a recurring capacity, since Ashley is one of the more popular characters on the show and needs to be there.

*new/old guy because he's someone (else) who worked there in the past then got fired and rehired. Kinda like marrying your ex-wife, it never goes well.

 

[tommie]

I thought the recent time jump Days of Our Lives did was a brilliant concept. It allows the producers to terminate the contracts for the entire cast and offers an opportunity for that reset button to be hit.

I actually thought it could've been a genuis move if they used it to clean up the canvas and hit the reset button as you said. Sadly, that's not what they ended up doing. But still, in theory it could've been a brilliant move.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I was actually kind of concerned that the time jump would be such a game-changer for soap writers that we would end up in a situation where everyone would be trying it. Since all shows go through slumps, I feared the writers across all soaps would adopt this plot device as a crutch and cause widespread chaos. I guess time will tell if the others think such drastic action is worth the (possible) results.

 

[cijimccashin]

I personally feel Y&R dropped the ball with the storyline that could’ve been their reset button. The Devon becoming a chancellor, that storyline should have been Neil’s imo. Made him rich and power and Victor’s new rival.

unpopular opinions: I for do not believe in that saying that you can’t get rid of the legacy characters. Y&R proved this 30 years ago when they whipped clean of their first two core families. I wouldn’t mind seeing any of the current soaps try this again. I’m in the minority that enjoyed some of Mal Young’s work the JT storyline and Jacks paternity were both ballsy moves and interesting imo.

 

[Daniel Avery]

So many people clamor for "new blood" in the industry, saying the "same old names" shuffling from one soap to another is the reason the shows can't innovate or reinvent themselves for the new era. And then when the networks do try to bring new people in, fans accuse these new people of destroying what they hold dear, of not "knowing what the fans want" since they haven't worked in soaps. Fans complain about the sorry state of soaps but they're so protective over the genre that they don't want 'outsiders' coming in and resent them taking chances with "their show".

 

[TJames03]

It’s literally the same stories for decades. I’d fire Braeden in a heartbeat.

 

[Rove]

saying the "same old names" shuffling from one soap to another is the reason the shows can't innovate or reinvent themselves for the new era.

Or worse. Actors shuffling from one soap to another when a recast is in order.

 

[DallasFanForever]

This was once my favorite daytime show. Sadly I can’t watch it anymore. I find it unbearable.

 

[TJames03]

Very good scenes. Sad that the show can’t break the iron grip that Braden and Thomas Scott have over the show. F-ck them. Horrible characters that have been doing the same things since 1979.