Ratings, Rants and Raves: GH Takes a Hit in The Nielsens; B&B is Giving Good Corporate Suds
The week of Oct. 27-31 was a rough one ratings-wise for ABC Daytime's General Hospital, despite the soap opera climaxing storylines all over the place. Meanwhile, NBC's Days of Our Lives was afforded a Halloween a bag of treats, not tricks, from the Nielsens.
GH lost 69,000 total viewers over the previous week and was down 134,000 year-to-date. The sudser fell in households, among women 18-49, W18-34 and among W25-54.
In story, the wacky wedding of mob matriarch Carly Corinthos Jacks (LauraWright) and deranged artist Franco (Roger Howarth) began. Morgan (Bryan Craig) confronted Sonny (Maurice Benard) about his father's murderous intentions for Ava (Maura West), only to learn she killed Connie (Kelly Sullivan).
Liz (Rebecca Herbst) helped Jason (Billy Miller) up a flight of stairs (SWOON!). Madeline (Donna Mills) plotted to assist Nina (Michelle Stafford) in snatching a baby and townies went to Wyndemere for Beggar's Night. That was a whole lotta crazy for one soap week!
I enjoyed it, but then I typically love Cartini's brand of cray-cray. I guess Halloween week in Port Charles just wasn't everyone's cup of Corinthos coffee. Maybe a little less cray all at once is called for. Or, maybe it's just the normal ebbing and flowing of the Nielsens.
DAYS slid among total viewers. The Sony/Corday drama dropped 52,000 over the previous week and was down 84,000 year-to-date. DAYS fell in households and among W18-34, but went up among W25-54 and W18-49.
Samantha Gene Brady Reed Walker Roberts DiMera Hernandez DiMera (Did I get those in the right order?) left Salem U.S.A. for Hollywood the week in question, putting an end to the long goodbye that began when Alison Sweeney first announced she was leaving the sudser like three years ago or something. Sami took all of her kids, including adult, recently-married Will (Guy Wilson), who will be penning The Sami Brady Story for Universal Pictures. I need his agent.
While Sami was saying goodbye, her stepbrother was learning what a fool he'd been to trust his dad and coke-snorting fuck buddy. Kristen (Eileen Davidson) played Brady (Eric Martsolf) a recording of Theresa (Jen Lilley) admitting she hit John (Drake Hogestyn) with the fireplace poker.
Brady shredded Kristen for her "lies", before heading over to see John, who was having it out with his manipulative, little attacker. Kristen licked her wounds (and a few other things) with Daniel (Shawn Christian), who was reeling from his 17th tween novel-inspired breakup with fellow 40-something Jennifer Horton (Melissa Reeves). The two horny toads forgot to lock the door, and Brady walked in to catch them dry-humping. Good stuff.
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The Young and the Restless had a decent week in the Nielsens. The CBS Daytime sudser went up 36,000 total viewers, but was down 166,000 from the same week last year. Y&R was up in households, but down in all other major demos.
Drunk Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) hid when Stitch (Sean Carrigan) showed up to tell his, Dixie Cooney's and Alex P. Keaton's mama that he wanted to come clean about what really happened to his murdered daddy. Dylan (Steve Burton) learned the building which houses Crimson Lights is being sold out from under him.
Phyllis (Gina Tognoni) fussed with Sharon (Sharon Case) and was caught up on more Genoa City gossip by Avery (Jessica Collins). Oh, and Kevin (Greg Rikaart) thought Michael (Christian LeBlanc) was cheating, but he really has cancer.
I'm loving Tognoni's gritty, reserved take on Phyllis. I hope they test her with a young, hunky buck. Stitch, anyone?
I wish Nikki would decide the 12-steps are for the birds and opt to be a pill-popping lush out in public, loud and proud. Y&R is 10 times more enjoyable than the last time I wrote this column. Let's hope adding Chuck Pratt to the mix doesn't make things go all Helter Skelter.
While The Bold and the Beautiful fell in total viewers over the previous week, the 30-minute serial was the only daytime soap up year-to-date (+25,000). B&B was up in households and held steady among W25-54. The English-language fashion novela fell in the other two key female demos.
SoCal was off the chain Halloween week. No, I am not talking about those silly Big Brother cameos. I am speaking of the life-giving scenes in the Forrester Creations boardroom. After Eric (John McCook) chose Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) as CEO over the more-deserving Rick (Jacob Young), all haute couture hell broke loose.
Maya (Karla Mosley) touched her red, starlight earrings and transformed herself into the black Erica Kane, child! She told ALL of those white folks' business.
Rick eviscerated his wife, Caroline (Linsey Godfrey), for putting designer hickeys on his brother's manly neck and told Daddy Zeus Forrester he could go all the way Hades. Next up, the Forrester scion trashed his mama's guest house — and Maya's willing va-jay-jay. Hot. Hot. Hot.
If it's one thing I love more in soaps than over-the-top, James E. Reilly-style cray-cray, it's a red-hot corporate storyline. Thank you, Brad Bell and Co. for balancing both effectively! See you next Ratings.
