How Low Can You Go? Ratings Slide Continues
Somebody at ABC had better wake up - fast.
For the period of June 22-26, 2009, General Hospital hit a new low.
The soap opera hit 5th place, beating only three soaps, All My Children, As the World Turns, and the recently canceled Guiding Light. Since last year, GH has lost 411,000 viewers. Its 1.7 rating for total households is a new low.
GH is now in 3rd place in the 18-49 age demographic with a loss of 234,000 viewers from last year.
As long as it stays up there in the 18-49 demographic, ABC will put up with a lot. If it slips any lower in that category, or doesn't return to #1 or #2, the show, things will become even tougher for GH.
I'm not sure what ABC is doing, but let's hope they're holding focus groups and figuring out where this show needs to go. You can make suggestions by contacting them here or here, or joining in the petition blogged about earlier this week.
Robin has now taken over Sam & Spinelli’s detective job. How very boring and how very typical of these writers.
Kelly Monaco was the last actor to bring in
viewers through her Dancing with the Stars appearances. Granted that was a few years ago but most of these viewers have left because of the total trashing of her character and now her disappearance from the show.
The writers also had another great idea by having Mr. & Mrs. Floyd wear the first American flag pins on the show. Please make sure that Jerry Jacks & Papa Zacarro wear the next two flag pins.
I see no future for GH, the writers are killing this show. To give an 17 year old boy a temp. license when it’s summer and younger audiences are watching is just plain stupid in my opinion. They degrade Alexis, Sonny says respect your mother Michael but it’s ok for Michael to disrespect Alexis. Why do some women get respect while others do not. And the way they write for Claudia I don’t see why Sarah Joy Brown would want to stay on. I’m about ready to quit if they don’t make some changes soon.
And watch them react by firing the actors again. As if the actors are responsible. Hello. The WRITING is the problem. The repetition is the problem. The mob is the problem.
I am enjoying the show but 2 things i am annoyed with is the mayor and his b!tch of a wife and too much mob. where is the love in the afternoon? the only people who get love scenes are nasty couples like nem 2.0, sonny and claudia and maxie and spin. no one wants to see those 3 couples have sex 24 7 there nasty. give us real love not sex and couples no one likes.
Get rid of the mob, rebecca and spinelli! Don’t center show around sonny! Follow y&r hire more blacks! More hospital stories!
With storylines consistantly of Nik & Sequel,Marblemouth, Claudia, Spinelli’s silliness,the show has nowhere to go but down.
I do however think the acting of Michael & Kristina is very good. As well as we are getting more Alexis & Q’s.
Where is Kate?? Ric?? Lucky?? Max & Milo? Alice??
No explanation given.
Why is Sam on twice a month? I thought her relationship was going back to Jason??
There is nothing happening on this show right now. NOTHING.
The show really has just gotten very boring and it is out there in lala land, besides the fact that it is getting slower and slower moving, I did not watch for 3 weeks and was able to turn the show on and know exaclty what was going on with minimal thought! They seem to start some good things and just let them drop off – at this point let everyone find out who shot michael, let sonny and olivia get it on – and get johnny in a real relationship, and sam who?? forgot she was on the show, shut down the detective agency already – is this a daytime drama or a comedy show??? Glad to know I am not the only one frustrated!!!
Love Olivia & Johnny storyline. Alexis & Diane are great together and add some humor to GH. Jason & Sam should be together. Get rid of the mayor/wife storyline – horrible. The rebecca/nick/ethan is terrible. Stick to everyday normal stuff and can’t any of the couples just be happy. Michael, Morgan, Kristina – very good to bring the kids in.
Just stick to more real life stuff and happy couples with real life problems.
In 2007 at the height of the Skate s/l/ ratings 2.7 since the breakup of Skate, downward slide and still sliding. Why? The emergence of Claudia & Olivia have brought down GH with a huge “THUD”, go on the net viewers are crying for Megan & Maurice, Steve & Rebecca, we do not want MOB<MOB<MOB, we long for the "ROMANCE " AND GOOD STORIES", what the writers have given us is "TRASH" THPTB have made a HUGE mistake, women do not want to see "Little Boy Dreams" argo leather clad, tough talking b-movie queens, the fact they let Megan Ward go and signed Lisa LOCicero is a slap in our faces, when will they see if this keep up more will leave and GH will become a new game show, "WAKE UP", GET RID OF FRONS<GUZA PHEPS< before it is to late. Maurice has become unwatchable, and please the guy playing Dante is older then the boy toy they have with Olivia, bring back Kate and have her fight for Sonny then maybe Maurice will remember how to "ACT" with some "HEART"
I’m 56 yearls old and have watched GH since I was in high school. The ONLY reason I watch it now is because in our area, it comes on between OLTL and AMC. If GH came on last, I wouldn’t watch it anymore. Why is it even called GH when the main story lines have to do with the mob? Not all the patients at the hospital can be gunshot victims! The only scenes I enjoy are the ones between Alexis abd Diane!
Some great comments people. Although I would never give up Spanelli and his fair Maxinista. I want grown up characters more. I want the real characters! Bobbi, Mack, etc. Grown ups!
I forgot to mention Ethan is speaking a bit more clearly but has more work to go. Marblemouth is right.
Since when is Sonny trying to jump Olivia’s bones. I’m not liking this story and it makes Sonny look more like a punk.
Sonny should really grow up and stop trying to relive his high school days. He can’t really think some old girlfriend has had the hots for him after more than 20 years. Marblemouth is right. I thought I was the only one who had a problem understanding him.
General Hospital will never get back to the top in ratings until they diversify and bring back African American Actors will real story lines. One of the reasons All My Children went up in ratings is because they brought back Angie and Jesse who can relate with all of the characters on the show. They took Laney off and didn’t give her a story. They took the Ward family away. They killed off Epiphany’s son and took that story line aways. They bring in Billy Dee Williams and don’t give him a story, what is the point. Wake up GH look at the Young and The Restless they number one show forever and see that diversity is the key (they always win the NAACP award for best soap opera and that is because we are watching the show). One Life to Live is another soap that uses it diversity and gives African American’s story lines. And how about playing up who is Sam’s Father, that would be great story as well.
The ratings will go up if they bring back Liason, Jason and Elizabeth. We want more love in the afternoon not strip shows.I am sure that fans want to see Jason with his family and stop babysitting everyone else’s kids. I think he is old enough not to hang out with teen-agers. Also, I think Jason doesn’t need the help of a phony and helpless PI that is looking for the next stripper pole in between jobs that she will just screw up. Instead of bringing in and putting all of these new people on contracts here is an idea use the great talent that you have and write better believable storylines and keep longtime great characters on contract. Stop killing off core families and rewriting history. Just a thought!
You are not going to increase ratings by having one couple get together, especially a couple as boring as Jason and Elizabeth. Ratings are increased by improving all stories and by bringing in diversity. Now if they want something new how about it coming out that Lucky is really Jakes father. Sam and Jason work because she is not afraid of who he is and she always has his back. Elizabeth and Janson cannot fixed the rating slump and improve all of the story lines and add more diversity.
The ratings will not be fixed by the boring couples they are showing now ( including sam and jason ). The writing must improve and stop being repetitive. Less mob and more real love ( comitted couples and not affairs). Add diversity and be respectful to older characters who have a big fan base that help to drive the show.