'General Hospital' Ratings Sag; Guza Delays His Special Effect
For the period of October 20-24, General Hospital lost 64,000 viewers from the previous week and sunk to 7th place in total viewers. All My Children is now ABC's most popular soap opera. With the exception of GH and Days of Our Lives, every soap saw a bump in viewership. Some of the gains were huge - Young and the Restless had an increase of 328,000 viewers, and All My Children added 237,000 viewers from the previous week.
Just a wild guess here, but I'm imagining the producers of GH aren't too happy. Though head writer Bob Guza has promised an exciting and innovative sweeps period, he also has announced that one of his innovations, some new special effect, is being delayed until January. Here's hoping the "special effect" isn't the show disintegrating in front of us.
Comments
The show HAS deteriated in the past month. Finally I thought (hoped) it was going to pick up. AMC had a death of a main character the week GH was so slow. (I am guessing that is the reason??)
The writing is extremely poor.
There isn’t any romance.
The last two romances of any note were Sam &
Jason and Sonny and the FBI agent.
There was more romance in that one look between Luke & Laura than in the last six months of GH.
The three main female characters are totally
unappealing.
Why would anyone want to marry Robin?
She refuses to marry Patrick without any discernable reason and her sanctamonious attitude turns people off.
Carly is totally ridiculous. She must be the center of three mens’ universe at all times and they can’t have anyone in their lives except her. Please put a lock on Jason’s door.
Lulu knows everything and only her opinion counts.
The people of interest in spite of the script are: Anthony, Claudia and Johnny Z., Sam, Maxie, Jason, Spinelli, Olivia, Dianne, Sonny and Trevor.
Let me give the writer a little piece of information, THIRTY PERCENT OF THEIR AUDIENCE IS RELATED TO OR KNOWS SOMEONE WHO HAS SERVED IN THE ARM FORCES. THEY MIGHT HAVE HAD A LOVED ONE KILLED OR MAIMED IN IRAQ. THE WRITERS MAKE EVERY VETERAN ON THE SHOW A DISPICABLE CHARACTER AT BEST.
In short, the writers should be fired!
There is no HEART in this show anymore–just gangsters and violence. I don’t care about Claudia, Kate, Anthony Z, Ric, Olivia, Nadine (a ditz who I guess is supposed to be appealing, but is just irritating). As for Robin–she is so self-righteous she makes me sick. Carly is nuts and annoying. Sonny has recently turned into a total idiot. I always fast foward through Sam and Lucky. (Lucky is so self-righteous maybe he should get together with Robin!) Mac hasn’t caught a criminal in so long no one can remember the last time. Lulu has been transformed from a spunky, strong girl to a quivering bowl of jelly. Killing off Alan and Emily was just plain stupid and shooting Michael into a coma so that they can bring him back as some young hunk is disgraceful. That kid was the best actor on the show! The whole thing has turned into a cartoon. I never thought Maxie and Spinelli would be the best thing on the show, but right now they are. Maybe Luke and Laura can save this mess, but only if they get some help from some new writers!
I hear the Guza guy is not pro Luke & Laura!! If i remember correctly, Genie Francis won the award when she returned the 1st time, everyone loves the Luke & Laura story line, it is history of soaps!! Now she’s back and we can’t get enough of her. So much could be done with the two of them together again. Maybe that will help the ratings. Not escaping with Scottie who everyone hates. But going on an adventure with Luke, to be able to come back when the kids need them. Not rocket science!!! Genie said on The View she’d return to GH anytime, waiting for the call, now she’s back, let’s keep her as long as she wants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
General Hospital is awful. Nothing but violence. That is not the reason I watch soaps. They can’t even have a wedding without the bride getting shot. I sure do miss the old days on GH when Gloria Monty was in charge. Guza has ruined GH in my opinion.
I totally agree, I fast forward Claudia, Carly, Sam, Lucky, Sonny & Kate. Why is Guza so anti Jason and Elizabeth and Luke and Laura. They should be the center of the show. Everything else is repeated on a daily basis. I hope Robin and Patrick leave and go to night shift. I have been watching since it was a half hour show. Guza is ruining all of the couples that could at least bring a little romance to the show. If Laura stay gone and Elizabeth and Jason don’t get together I’m saying goodbye to General Hospital after many, many years of watching.
Night Shift did it better – no mob stories and better use of history. I agree that Carly and Lulu are both unlikeable (but I love Laura Wright). The addition of Lisa Lo Cicero has my hopes up. She is great as Olivia. And stop killing off core family members? We need Qs – where is Jimmy Lee?
Ill tell you why GH is slipping in the ratings!! stupid storylines, Sonny mumbling his lines, Lulu whining like an idiot, Carly, the attention whore,Robin’s ignorant attitude about everything, Jerry & his no lips face..& I coull go on. They should never have killed Alan off! Tracy, who’s a great actress, is always 2nd fiddle to Laura, in or out of her coma, & nobody is attractive enough emotionally to keep a reader interested, except for Maxie & Spinelli (sometimes)..
so there ya go..jmo
I think that Guza needs to bring back some of the Cassadine families. I think it would be more interesting with them back and to see what trouble they cause.
Guza and Frons need to stop bringing on extra characters and work with the crew they have.They need to bring back the quartermaines and quartermaine business and put some mob stuff on the back burner. Also need to put Jason and Elizabeth together. It has been danger,danger for 3 years.The fans of this couple have been waiting 10 years for them to be together.. most of us have stopped watching because they are lacking in telling their story. They have coupled other characters who have not been on the show as long as the actors who play Jason and Elizabeth. Its not fair to their fans. A lot of us have literrally stopped watching and taping until we get our couple.
This is the deal. Guza is anti-anything gloria monty created. He treated Tristan Rogers’ return in 2006 so badly Tristan decided better to be off the show then to ruin the character of Robert Scorpio. It took took SRI and Night Shift 2 to show the true depth of this character, the actor and the strength of the Scorpio family. That being said as I watch Guza NOW destroy the history of Luke and Laura as he has Luke choosing tracy over Laura is so ridiculous it is scary and to have Laura leave with scott is even more ridiculous. Its like he has created the anti-GH in a parallel universe. The real Luke Spencer would never choose tracy freakin quartermaine over the love of his life, his angel Laura. He had an opportunity here to either have Luke and Laura finally ride off into the sunset together or sign Genie Francis to a contract and have them rekindle their love thru good ole fasion romance/adventure. But he chooses to do the exact opposite of what the fans want which is why his ratings are almost zero. Guza wants to and has destroyed and disrespected on screen anything Gloria Monty created. Listen u can win all the emmys u want, but if u have no ratings ur show will be cancelled. Time to bring Robert Scorpio back the way we remember him and build upon the scorpio family dynamic, same with quartermaines and Spencers with Luke and Laura either on screen together or off not him choosing tracy and her leaving with scott, are u freakin kidding me. Scott and Tracy belong together for gods sake. Mix in the cassadines and go from there. Sonny either needs to be killed OR it can be Robert that takes down the organization by finally being the one to flip Sonny. Either way Guza needs to go because he is not interested in the REAL history of the show he’s only interested in Sonny being the daddy of everyones kid, and mob wars. Enough already. Fire Guza and bring GH back to its former glory. Hell it can be done look how richly GH characters were written for on Night Shift 2…
I can tell you why ratings are sagging–they promised Luke and LAura and she was hardly on the show at all. My whole office was tuning in for the Luke and LAura reunion and they got a bunch of little seconds. General Hospital used to be romantic and exciting. Now it is just Sonny playing at being a mobster for the last 10 years. Who cares–we wanted Luke and LAura–something we could believe in. “Love”
Genie Francis onscreen with Tony Geary–that’s what sends the ratings soaring and warms the heart of every diehard fan of GH.
Here’s hoping that Genie Francis is signed for a long-term contract so that Laura can “awaken” the real Luke–the tender, quirky,complex character whose no-holes-barred pursuit of the love of his life will
bring GH back to life again. Their comic/tragic story is a story that all of us need in these troubled times and the triumph of their love in all of its shades is a story that lifts GH up and leaves all other soaps in the dust. Bring it on, writers!
Guza one stated he would teach the fans what they should love–obviously it’s not working. He deconstructs characters people have known for decades to the point that we don’t know they any more. This pod-Luke isn’t the Luke we’ve seen for 30 years. I love Jane Elliot’s Tracy but this Tracy isn’t the woman we know. Tony and Jane are good paired together but no one buys their so-called love. Women do not want to see children shot in the head or Sonny pumping a chamber of bullets into a rival–closeup of course. The characters are disjointed and not true to their histories; no interaction. Genie Francis can say more with her face and actions that all the bad storyline and dialog Guza tried to force us to believe. We don’t because it rings untrue. He needs to go. Also ruined was the great character of Holly and why oh why did he have Georgie Jones murdered just before Christmas last year? Does he think this is a story we can’t wait to watch. We saw Georgie born and she had great acting skills but Guza killed her off for a quick storyline shock. Then there’s Ned–loved Ned and Lois but he, too is gone. But the most unforgiveable sin by Guza was decimating the Quartermaine family–especially Alan. Guza cannot be fired fast enough for me and please take Jill Farren Phelps with him. We need a total regime change and please get Sonny and Carly off my screen day in day out mumbling the same tired lines. REGIME CHANGE NOW AND SAVE GH.
So many reasons, let me count the ways:
(1) Guza thinks we enjoy the sadistic way he treats women
(2) Guaza thinks we enjoy his penchant for violence and the mob
(3) Guza thinks we buy his assassination of our favorite characters
(4) Guza has turned Luke into an aimless drunk, void of any carefor
his children, who lives off a woman we all know he does not love
(5) Guza has turned Tracy into a clingy lapdog who puts up with
Luke (who is drunk somewhere) all the while not knowing where
is for 6 months at a time. I want the real Luke and Tracy back.
(6) He killed off AJ, Alan, Emily, and Georgie.
(7) Characters just disappear without an exit: Ned, Lois, Bobbie
(8) He has a total lovefest with just two characters: Sonny & Jason
at the expense of other great actors or characters with hopeful
possibilities like Dillon, Skye, Alcazar
(9) He has turned Alexis into an idiot
(10)There is no balance on the show and storylines have no
sense of believabilty
(11)Guza is writing for women but writes sex, not romance and he
can’t write romance because he basically hates women.
(13)Trying to pass Jerry Jacks off as a psycho which wasted the
talent of a very good actor, Sebastian Roche
The list goes on and on….
It’s simple why this show is being tuned out by so many long time fans: we aren’t interested in the love affair Guza has with Jason and Sonny with Carly thrown in. We aren’t interested in violence and the mob characters. We aren’t interested when characters we have known become shells of who they once were. We aren’t interested and don’t invest in new “couples” because we know within a year Guza will tear them apart. And we certainly aren’t interested in his perception that we appreciate his special effects; we want good story telling, romance, couples, families and their histories. Name one happy couple. There aren’t any.
GH has become an ugly, violent, miserable place to visit. Couples are destroyed, and characters are torn apart. Guza disregards even the history that HE has written. If soaps don’t create believable characters who are somewhat relevant to the audience, they might as well close up shop. No one wants to see women being beaten, mobsters’ turf wars, loveless stories about despicable people. I am wondering just who Bob Guza is writing for? This show has become so violent that no adult would want a young person to watch it. Isn’t that who they want to attract? A woman shot in her wedding gown, a man stabbing and attempting to drown another, a cold blooded murder on the docks…is that what they offer up to a largely female audience in the afternoon for sweeps?
I was looking forward to the reunion of Luke and Laura…to luminous Genie Francis and the wonderful connection she shares with Tony Geary. I got precious little of that. Most of her scenes were with Kin Shriner. When Luke and Laura were together, it was to tear apart 30 years of brilliant history. It left the character of Luke ruined, in my opinion. Laura left to get healthy and make a new life, and Luke let her go. Say what?!!!!! What a pathetic ending to a grand love story. Bob Guza needs to be removed immediately, and Jill Phelps should go with him. The show needs an overhaul before it is too late.
Georgie and Emily should have never been killed off. There is no reason why the only couple that was in love is now ruined Nicholas Needs emily like luke NEEDS laura. Luke would never pick ANYONE over his Angel”laura”.It makes GH look like it doesn’t believe in true love. And whatever little girl Nicholas is dating needs to go and bring back emily. Jason and Liz need to finally been together because they belong together jason and liz are love. Jason and sam are sex. Bring me my laura and emily and give jason his girl liz and not for a moment in time but for a real relationship. Don’t kill off sonny but stop this Russian war, before you kill off jason and sonny and everyone else who is good. Can we please start getting happy ending before you kill off Everyone who is good on the show. And please bring back the real emily not a different actress who is a stand in.
I have been a GH fan since I was very young. I finally had to stop watching the show because so many well crafted characters were being changed in ways that made no sense, or being removed from the canvas altogether. I really do not understand how Guza has a job – is it not crystal clear that there are so many people who would come back to see a well writtern soap? Why on earth do we need expensive and sad special effects thrown at us while legacy characters who have huge potential are being killed off?
Well written soaps revolve around adventure, romance, danger, and humor. GH has gotten the danger part but ignores anything else.
Of course, this is the show that tried to convince viewers that a “ghost” who was really a brain tumor hallucination was the be all and end all of romance!
I would come back as a permanent viewer if the show would be willing to wipe the last few years off the map. I for one would be happy to sign on to a “Bobby from Dallas” style rewrite. Seriously – have someone wake up from a coma and have several of the truly mindless deaths be undone. Georgie, Emily, Alan, etc.
I would come back as a devoted viewer if the writers would promise a few things:
1) To never again have Jax raped by someone only to have it be a joke AND a reason for him to be harrased about being unfaithful.
2) To make the TOTAL Mob related storytelling to be HALF the total show time (or less).
3) To refrain for three years from shooting a child or pregnant woman in the head.
4) To have regular characters call each other on their bull – not just a new “off the moment” character, who is then killed or made to be absurd.
5) To have several attractive, exciting, and sexy female characters NOT get involved with Sonny.
Really, is it too much to ask?
GH’s rating are down because of three entities…Bob Guza, Jill Phelps and Brian Frons.
Guza has destroyed and ignored the show’s history and either killed off or destroyed the show’s core characters and stories in favor of Sonny and the mob.
Jill Phelps is unwilling to use what little budget ABC gives her to pay our favorites like Genie Francis to stay on the show. Instead they kill off core veterans or place them on the backburner in favor of day players like Nadine, or Leyla because I’m sure they can pay them less.
Finally Guza doesnt think in terms of long arc stories anymore, just sweeps gimmicks tied to violence and explosions and kidnappings.
To save GH Guza and Phelps need to be fired. And Brian Frons ( Pres of ABC daytime) needs to get over his ageism and put the GH vets front and center again. Start with rehiring Stuart Damon ( Alan )among many other.
I am so sick of the writing of general hospital. Phelps and Guza have literally runined the show. Long ago, Sonny would only kill in self defense. When characters got in his way otherwise, he would send them off to Puerto Rico, or even work with the police. One time the opposing mobstes were stripped and tied to poles while the police came to get them.
Now, all the do is talk about kill, kill, kill.
The Quartermaines was such an interesting and engaging family. For those of you unfamiliar, go to youytube and see clips of them from the 1980s and 1990s. GH just keep killing the Quartermaines off one by one. They don’t honor their history, they got rid of the Nurses Ball a long time ago. Why are so many stars who come back turned into deadbeat parents? When Robert came back, he could have been shown in chains and the storyline been that he had been held hostage all those years. But no, they turned him into a dad who stayed away from him child, even though she was diagnosed with HIV? Come on. Luke always brags about how he never wanted any kids. He and Lucky were very close and he loved having a family. And Felicia? How many parents are they going to turn into deadbeat parents? I’m so sick of that.
The writing disgusts me. I’m so sick of the non-stop violence. Sonny used to be a great character and you neve saw anything except self defense, so you never quite knew if Jason really was an enforcer…until Phelps took over. She has literally ruined this soap.
I was so glad when she left One Life to Live…now look at One Life to Live…it is fabulous. It has flourished without her.
Jill Phelps is an idiot and Bob Guza is lazy. His writing is so ridculous and lazy…anything to fill the hour time slot as long as it has violence. The two are a match mad in Hell.