Steve Burton Says Soaps "Must Band Together"
By Jillian Bowe on December 11, 2009
General Hospital star Steve Burton chatted with On Air On Soaps' Michael Fairman on the recent cancellation of As The World Turns. The actor gave his thoughts on the status of soaps and how the genre can stay afloat.
MICHAEL:
As the World Turns was cancelled this week. I know GH has also stumbled through the ratings recently. What are your thoughts on this sad week in the industry and what this means moving forward for all of us involved and who watch daytime soaps?STEVE:
It’s quite the cycle soaps are going through now. You obviously have been in the soap arena for a long time, Michael, so you know what’s going on. The writing was on the wall, so to speak, ten years ago. How much longer do soaps have? And now soaps are dropping off. I am not concerned yet about General Hospital because it has such a history. The numbers are good and I think people start panicking that we only have five seconds left or we are off the air. The thing of this is, it’s a sad day…. someone is losing a job, let’s be real. And in this economy that sucks! And as a genre as a whole, it’s not a good sign for soaps to be cancelled. So this helps us as writers, producers, actors and directors in this arena, to band together and try to make the best product we can make. That’s all that we can do.
- Login or register to post comments
-
- Email this page
Comments
1 January 2009
1 hour 17 sec
I thought Steve's comment was very well said.
1 June 2008
4 hours 20 min
I think Steve gave a good answer ...
And people should read the rest of the interview it is very interesting ..
25 December 2008
6 hours 28 min
Steve is such a nice guy. I enjoyed the whole article, I can't wait to see where the whole Franco storyline winds up. SB gave some spoilers.
6 January 2008
1 hour 13 min
Yes soap do have to start sticking together.
So maybe the writers, actors, directors, etc can get together and band to get out the real people who are causing soaps to go down, the higher ups like Frons.
It was around 10 years ago when Frons came on that ABC soaps started going down in the ratings and the quality. GH in the 90 were marvelous. Get rid of the people like him and the ones at CBS who seems like they wants soaps off the air.
9 September 2009
5 days 22 hours
Just can't beleave how netowrks are so cold. Here is some information to save ATWT.
http://www.cbs.com/forum/posts/list/95899.page
3 August 2008
1 week 2 days
Good interview.
30 April 2009
1 day 10 hours
history? didn't the other soaps cancelled recently have more "history" than GH.
gh ratings have dropped because the writing is crap and they continue to focus on the mob. it is not called General Mobsters..
if all the soaps would focus on the stories...we (the fans) would return in droves. i stopped watching GH finally last year...i couldnt handle the continued focus on sonny and jason as the HEROs of the show - give me a break a weak willed mobster and his hit man are not heros - atleast not in my world.
plus the writer's continued attempt at demeaning the women of the show. gets old watching sonny throw glass ware and shout who4e, 6itch and you betrayed me! ugh.
14 July 2008
13 hours 31 min
kiyote72, I could not agree more. I know he was joking but i thought it was STUPID for him to say Jason is like Batman.First of all the actor who plays Batman is good at acting secondly the character works WITH the police not AGAINST them and last the character of Batman has NEVER killed anyone,Jason SHOULD be dead or in prison.
He obviously does not pay close attention to the ratings because if he did he would know that people are turning off the show BECAUSE they HATE HIS character and the writing.
1 June 2008
4 hours 20 min
Ok Rebecca and kiyote72..
Now Jason is important to the show and he is fan favorite
look at the poll they did on this site and see that Steve is on the top of the most favorite man on Soaps !!!!!
And his couples are always hight
I don't believe the ratings cos I know more people watch the show ....
It is focus on Jason and Sonny cos they are favorite characters .......
Jason is complex guy who have amazing heart and tries to do the best he can
most fans of GH love him he always ranks at the top ...
And he is a good actor just see all his scenes with Jf and the famous scenes with Michael The best scenes I saw in a while ..
More also Steve is a really nice person he always meets with his all the time he talks with them on tweeter
And this was about the state of Soaps and he gave a really good answer.. Gh is not the best on the ratings but is also not bad the main focus is on demo and right now GH is his high and that is what is important
1 June 2008
4 hours 20 min
Now I think they are back to make GH more balance yes it still has a long way to go but for now they are doing good job
31 July 2008
2 days 52 min
I actually think what he meant by hsitory is that GH is very well known, even to non soap viewers. When people are doing listis about the best of something on tv, GH is usualy the only soap to ever make the list. Wether it's about Luke/Laura or some other thing they did. It became pop colture in a mega way. When VH1 was doing there I love the 80's, GH had there own segment. It's also had more coverage in press outside of the soap press. I'm not saying the other soaps that came before and are still around don't have great history and are awesome. It's just in the end of the day, GH has made a name of itself that no other soap has. Thank Gloria Monty for that. I agree with the guys on DC that say GH will mostly like be the last soap on the air.
30 April 2009
1 day 10 hours
ladyofthelake....But that history you speak of is based on Monty's writing NOT what is out now. Guza has ruined GH.
SB wins polls cause he is cute...only reason. It isn't enough for me. He isn't a strong actor...occasionally he might throw something out but not everyday. Though - playing jason all he has to do is: stare blankly, stare angrily and 2 times a year take his shirt off to stun the fans with his love scenes! That's it. Take note - i liked him for years...but just finally gave up...i kept waiting for him to become more than a hit man.
I mean - look at mikey - they aged him to look like jason not his OWN father. crap of note - for those that dont know mikey is jason's brothers son not sonnys.
31 July 2008
2 days 52 min
He obviously does not pay close attention to the ratings because if he did he would know that people are turning off the show BECAUSE they HATE HIS character and the writing.
As a Batman whore, I mean lover, I am also offended. I loath Jason, kidding or not, don't compare Jason to my beloved Batman. I mean I'm hard core Batman, use to read the comics until they killed Batman, bastards! Grew up watching the Adam West as Batman, the b&w serials, the cartons, all 7 movies. Don't forget Adam West had a Batman movie to. Explained to my best friend about how threre are two Robins and Batmans two great loves, Cat Woman and Thalia, while she starred at me like I belonged in the nut house. But Batman has killed before, but he ain't no Jaspon, lol. I just went mega nerd, forgive but I wass appalled, ha.
1 January 2009
1 hour 17 sec
I read the entire interview. It's quite good and definitely worth reading.
31 July 2008
2 days 52 min
No, Gloria Monty was the excutive producer who saved GH from cancelation. I disagree, Guza was writing for GH in the 90's and it got criticly acclaim and was awesome, in fact he wrote the show for most of the 90's. In his hey day, he as head writer and Wendy Riche as excutive producer were awesome, they are the reason why GH is the soap with the most emmys for outstanfding show. History is history, even after the 80's and Gloria Monty left and other head writers came and went, GH was and still is pop colture. It's still more well known than any other soap, reguardless of how it is now or how people feel about it. Blame JFP and Frons not just Guza. It makes me made that everybody blames him when Frons is dictacting story ideas and JFP does nothing as EP except fire the older actors. He's not alone in the blame. Oh it's Guza's fault for killing off Quartermaines. Really? He has that much power, don't think so. Start putting the blame on a whole bunch of other people, Like Frons and JFP. I don't care, I will defend Guza till my dieing day. I might not always like what he puts out, but I am a fan of his work.
23 March 2009
9 weeks 7 hours
Guza is both headwriter and EP so how is he not blame? He writes the BS fan is shown on the screen. He shoves his true loves Sonny and Jason down our throat every day at the expense of all the other characters and their stories. GH is a hot mess because Guza who has all the power has made it one.
1 June 2008
4 hours 20 min
Ok STEVE IS AMAZING AMAZING ACTOR
He plays well the hit man with a soul !!
And people love not just because he is cute but because he is great actor that takes Jason to new levels !!!!!!!
I think fans have more brain!! Don't
There is a reason why he is fan favorite !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think that now we are seeing Jason more having feelings than before he is not anymore the stare guy ......
Again I think GH has back to balance we see Liz more and her stupid love with Nick LOL and not to metion we see more Q's and GH ..
I think GH is more balanced and it is heading this way ......
I am for one love JM and I know many GH fans also
31 July 2008
2 days 52 min
No. Guza is not EP, please. Jill Farren Phelps is EP. You know the woman who fucked up OLTL, Another World, GL, Santa Barbara and now GH. Due some research.
21 March 2009
4 weeks 3 days
The duo of Steve Burton and Maurice Bernard have helped to ruin General Hospital. The emphasis on these two along with the character of Carly is why the show ratings are tanking even with the introduction of a movie star. People are sick of the all mob all the time and ratings are reflecting it. Unless the show begins to have more balance the ceiling for this show ratings will remain low.
1 June 2008
4 hours 20 min
Oh Common
can we please stop taking the blame on the actors themselves ..
Steve and Maurice are the best actors there is the bring a lot to GH .....
And Sason are big part of GH they have lots fans my self in them ,who loves them and adore them .........
GH was bad not because of them it was because of the stories who were stupid and boring even Steve said it himself ...
SaSon is high favorite of fans over the years and they still are ...
Again I do think they need to balance the show And I think they are starting to do it now we have Liz/Nick/Lucky thing going on all the time .........
Stop blaming the actors they are doing the best they can as Steve said and getting rid of them will not help ...........
So Stop it
23 July 2008
5 weeks 1 day
Yeah, I must disagree with Steve on that. ATWT & GL have more history and more time at the top back in the day of soaps. I think his statement should say something more like "I'm not worried about GH because Brian Frons has a slightly abnormal obsession with us and seemingly tries his best to keep us floating, wheras P&G threw them soaps to the wolves."
Also, I love Steve. He is really a great person & actor!
21 March 2009
4 weeks 3 days
I'm sorry but when actors have storyline approval they get some of the blame when the show is absolutely terrible.
6 January 2008
1 hour 13 min
I do like the fact he stated that he has a job and he will do his job. So if he gets paired with someone he doesn't really want to get paired with he will still make it work because it's his job.
1 June 2008
4 hours 20 min
Steve does what they tell him to do he is amazing actor and and he knows were is place is .....
I think that SaSon are important to the show and no I don't believe the ratings
21 March 2009
4 weeks 3 days
I think that SaSon are important to the show and no I don't believe the ratings
Nowdays due to the poor performance of the series Steve probably doesn't have the input he used to wield. But back in the day he it let be known what stories he did not want to play like a Jason and Carly romance.
The man is simply full of BS.
25 December 2008
6 hours 28 min
I don't follow your logic. So they chose an actor to play Michael that somewhat resembles SB. Considering that Michael and Jason are related and lets not forget AJ as played by Sean Kanan bears a striking resemblance to SB.
I personally think they chose DG because he is a good actor and if he resembles SB what the harm? He looks more like Laura Wright than anyone.
1 June 2008
4 hours 20 min
THAT MAN NEVER SAID WHAT HE WANTS TO DO NEVER !!!!!!!
ALL THAT RUMORS WERE STUPUD STUPID
THAT MAN IS ON THE SHOW SINCE 91 HE KNOWS HIS PLACE AND HE SAID IT HIMSELF HE DOES WHAT THEY TELL HIM TO DO ..........
STEVE IS ONE OF THE NICEST PEOPLE THERE HE MEETS HIS FANS MORE THAN ANY OTEHR SOAP STAR AND HIS VEY DOWN TO EARTH IF YOU WOULD READ THE ALL INTERVIEW YOU WILL SEE THAT HE IS DOWN TO EARTH GUY
BUT YOU DIDN'T I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HATE HIM BUT MAYBE YOU SHOULD READ THE ALL THING INSTEAD OF SAYING THINGS THAT ARE NOT REAL ...
ABOUT DG MICHAEL IS JASON'S BROTHER SON AND THE OLD AJ WAS LIKE JASON SO WHY NOT .....
21 March 2009
4 weeks 3 days
ALL THAT RUMORS WERE STUPUD STUPID
THAT MAN IS ON THE SHOW SINCE 91 HE KNOWS HIS PLACE AND HE SAID IT HIMSELF HE DOES WHAT THEY TELL HIM TO DO ..........
STEVE IS ONE OF THE NICEST PEOPLE THERE HE MEETS HIS FANS MORE THAN ANY OTEHR SOAP STAR AND HIS VEY DOWN TO EARTH IF YOU WOULD READ THE ALL INTERVIEW YOU WILL SEE THAT HE IS DOWN TO EARTH GUY
BUT YOU DIDN'T I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HATE HIM BUT MAYBE YOU SHOULD READ THE ALL THING INSTEAD OF SAYING THINGS THAT ARE NOT REAL ...
ABOUT DG MICHAEL IS JASON'S BROTHER SON AND THE OLD AJ WAS LIKE JASON SO WHY NOT .....
Are we talking about the same Steve Burton who pedals Monavie juice to his fans at events? If you want to have private time with Steve you have to hear about the "benefits" of Monavie juice. A product that screams ponzi scheme. I don't think honesty is one of Steve strong suits.
1 June 2008
4 hours 20 min
Ok Maline I am not going to fight you the actors debate because I appreciate them as humans being that do this job to raise their family ....
Steve is amazing guy he talks a lot on tweeter more than any other guy on soaps !!
Si if you want to behave like child like do it .....
I am done
Steve is nice guy and he has many fans that love him I am between them ..
I also hate many characters on the show some of you know who But I am never going to get low and talk about the actors themselves I respect them too much!!!!!
You not
21 March 2009
4 weeks 3 days
Because his shilling of Monavie juice is not easy to defend. It just shows he will take advantage of his loyal fans.
Being on twitter doesn't make Steve Burton some wonderful guy. It means his smart enough to use new technology to maintain and grow his fanbase.
It just saddens me that General Hospital emphasis on the holy trinity of Sonny, Jason, and Carly has ruined the show. And the changes to create a more balance show are too late in coming.