B&B's Brad Bell Sounds off on ATWT Cancellation and the Future of Bell Soaps
By Jillian Bowe on December 14, 2009
The Bold and the Beautiful's showrunner and head writer Brad Bell spoke with TV Guide Magazine in the wake of As The World Turns' cancellation. Bell gave his opinions on the recent comments CBS head honcho Les Moonves made in regards to his networks daytime dramas.
So there’s no cause for concern? I hate to be paranoid here but a lot of us were creeped out by Moonves’ cold, cavalier attitude toward soaps in that CNBC interview he gave on the day of the cancellation. He’s just not showing the love.
I think we’re now down to the six soaps that will survive. For me there was no surprise that ATWT was cancelled. Their business model wasn’t working. I had [prior to the cancellation] spoken to people at P&G and they were very free with the information that they were losing money and they wanted to either find a way to make ATWT profitable or get out of the game. So they had to pull the plug and CBS had to pull the plug.
Bell also let his stance be known on where his family's business will be when the dusts settles.
So there’s still a silver lining in all this rotten news?
If we’re to look at the positive, there are now hundreds of channels and soaps are still the top-rated shows in their timeslots. I look at the ratings for Mad Men—a show that has everybody talking—and they’re only pulling in a million viewers. You’ve got to be kidding me! Talk shows and game shows are so inexpensive to produce but we’re determined to challenge them and stay competitive with them. It’s not over yet for the Bell family. We plan to be in this business for many years to come.
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Comments
15 June 2009
34 min 39 sec
I hope to God that he is right about that
9 September 2009
46 min 23 sec
The networks have really got to start counting DVR, TIVO & web viewing the other soaps will be gone soon. They do keep track but don't really count them. Networks need to get their head out of their ass and get into the 21st. century, they say advertisers young person world, do they realize who give them money to buy the advertisers shit, mommie and daddie that's who.
9 June 2009
3 min 5 sec
Quite an interesting interview. why does it seems like he knows more about ATWT's cancellation than Chris Goutman? LOL
He seems confident in his show on CBS, which is refreshing, but I'd think though CBS is looking at that bleeding in viewers it's been having. I would think for it to be on CBS for a long time, those ratings are going to have to stabilze at an acceptable level.
Brad seems to ignore the problems with his show. Sometimes it looks so cheap, many actors are not that good, and the neither is the writing half the time. It's mostly recyled stories he's been telling forever. I like Brad Bell and he's told many stories I really enjoyed, but his show has plently of issues he needs to address or his show could be in trouble too.
So he thinks the remaining six soaps will make it? Better tell the OLTLfolks that.
18 February 2009
3 hours 50 min
The sad reality, though, is that people generally don't watch the commercials on shows that they DVR, TiVo or view online, so advertisers aren't interested in those numbers. It's not the networks that need convincing, it's the all-important advertisers. I'm sure the networks would LOVE to include all viewing platforms in their numbers, but that's not the way this BUSINESS works.
8 May 2008
5 min 43 sec
But B&B is terrible, sorry, brad, but you need to get it together or get someone else in charge to the your show.
17 November 2008
7 min 27 sec
simonstuart2003,
I disagree. The Bold and the Beautiful has gotten better. Remember when Rick and Ridge dominated the show? Boy was that painful.
30 April 2009
1 day 18 hours
Brad is one of many of long list of people it seem like who confirm that P&G wanted out of the soap biz.
28 October 2009
6 weeks 4 hours
Not a fan of Brad Bell or his soap opera, and for the record he's wrong! No amount of smugness (aka confidence) changes the reality that all soaps are in danger of cancellation.
30 March 2009
15 min 5 sec
B&B has been very enjoyable for the last couple of months. It had a rough patch just like every soap does but it's leaps and bounds better than where it was a year ago. There are still somethings that need work but it's pretty enjoyable.
17 November 2008
7 min 27 sec
Smitty,
As usual, I agree with you in regards to your comments on B&B.
19 June 2009
1 day 2 hours
It's only mildly better than usual. They are so determined to make Steffy the new Brooke, it's sickening. They've thrown her at every available male to pair off against, and she doesn't have the acting chops to pull off what they're attempting. I wish they had played out Ann's story a bit longer, or at least show that there is fallout or story potential from that and not merely fodder for an Emmy reel. I also hope the story with Sarah Brown goes somewhere interesting.
Anyway, I hope his assessment of soaps's survival is correct.
17 November 2008
7 min 27 sec
That is the great thing about this site..everybody has a right to their own opinion.
19 August 2009
2 hours 1 min
LOL, Reggyreg. I agree with you. I haven't watch B&B in a long time, but no matter how people on a message board bash it, it's #2 in the ratings and has been that way for a long time, so Bradley Bell may actually have some insight to things. I seriously don't want to believe that he would make a statement like that if he DIDN'T have some type of clue.
25 February 2009
19 hours 33 min
I had to LOL when Nick went to Sandy's (Agnes) trailer park and barged his way into her trailer.
He noticed her mail sitting on the table and it listed her address as "Hard Scrabble Road, Pacoima, CA"...
OMG!
Hard Scrabble Road !!! LOL
They sure know how to beat the viewer over the head with information ..
SHE'S POOR, I GET IT !!!!!!!!!
Laundry basket left on the table, junk food lying about.........LOL
Good luck Mr. Bell with your theory on CBS and the state of soaps.
22 January 2008
2 hours 21 min
Head meet sand.
15 December 2008
2 hours 43 min
You know something I'm getting tired of reading? All these daytime personalities (from producers to actors) who basically imply that "it was time" to cancel ATWT. Their saying it comes across so casually, as if to say, "yeah--the show had been on the air a long time and was at the bottom of the ratings, so..." People like Brad Bell should try STFU and instead talk about how revered ATWT was and how hard his own father worked on it back in the '60s and how proud he was to work on it, how it led to his father being able to work on DAYS and then to create Y&R and eventually B&B, etc. He should be telling the press how sad he is to see another show canceled and could still mention how unfortunate it is that the business model P&G was using just wasn't working, etc. Brad Bell's show may be #2--but that sh!t ain't Shakespeare and it certainly isn't as good as it was when overseen by his father, Bill. It also benefits from a good lead-in from the #1 show, Y&R. All these producers and actors who don't have the class to show respect for ATWT's history and unfortuante demise should hope that when the time comes for THEIR show's cancelation (and now it will most certainly come sooner than later!) that any remaining show producers and actors aren't quite as cavalier as they have been about ATWT. These people (especially fellow CBSers) should be angry, slightly worried, and publicly respectful of ATWT's *HISTORY* instead of comparing how much "better" and "special" their own show is. Yeah, we'll see what happens. Tick-tock, Brad.
6 December 2009
9 min 45 sec
Brad Bell is on crack! I never been a great fan of B&B, lost interested years ago when it just kept recycled storyline after storyline, and then lost interest in the new characters! I loved Masamo (bad spelling lol) was on there, Brad doesn't not have the depth or talent like his father. Another example why so many people has ditched CBS's soaps, with cancellation of 2 soaps is going to effect CBS because no respect. Les does not like soaps!! Easy to rid of ATWT and GL, but it Brad thinks because his last name is Bell and no worries, think again. I the next five years let us see which soaps are standing on network TV. I will continue to support OLTL and DOOL for now. FYI Paul R is so ruined Y&R, before I stopped watching CBS, on 09/21/09 I see the same ego and distruction as when he was EP of GL.
4 May 2009
10 min 15 sec
"It's not over yet for the Bell Family".
Hell yeah Brad!
6 December 2009
9 min 45 sec
Only reason B&B is 2nd in ratings which is a fact, hands down is because it always follow Y&R. Y&R's ratings slowly slipping so has B&B, I check the rating every week for years. Granted all soap's ratings are dismal but put B&B by itself in owe slot the ratings would plummet. Regardless, Y&R is a strong lead in for what follows, example, when ATWT followed Y&R in the '80s the ratings was superb. I love soaps, but where is the social stories and romance. It all about super villians and to see how you can take a character to extremes, then get a slap on hand.
30 April 2009
1 day 18 hours
Like some others on the board here, I'm just sick of hearing daytime personalities like Brad, Brian F, and Ken C saying that the P&G soaps have had there day and that their respective daytime dramas are an exception to the soap bleed out that is currently happening. The fact is....everyones in danger of being cancelled! Some more in danger than most...but all the soaps should be on look out. The Bell soaps get the ratings and can have the better wrting at times but Les Moonves made it loud and clear during that CNBC interview that soaps are passe in CBS' eyes and that comment about the "client own soaps" wasn't just to P&G as Brad probably wishes it was. The Bell soaps will go on for another 2 years......but it will not go on for another 10 in my eyes and its just sad.