Friday, September 6, 2019

A Radical Reboot Plan


First and foremost, I have to say that this is from my little pea brain. 
This is not something that I read online. It is pure opinion, and nothing more. 
I would love feedback, but remember this is just "hey... what if they did this..."


All My Children

One Life To Life


Back in May, Susan Lucci mentioned that there is always talks for an All My Children reboot. Which, I can believe. We live in the age of the reboot. Some work well, some fail miserably. But could the TV airwaves sustain another soap 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year? Or rather, 2 of them? I doubt it. If AMC and OLTL came back in some fashion, it would have to be something radical. Or innovative. Something unexpected to not only reboot interest in the show but maintain viewership. And we see now, even with DVR and the web it is tough for a soap to achieve and maintain ratings 5 days a week. (Yes, I am talking about you, GH) We also know that ABC/Disney is not the best at marketing and promoting their shows, unless it is the Chew. (more on that in another blog)

There was a time when nighttime soaps ruled the airwaves. I don't need to go into details. We all lived through it. With the advent of DVR and Hulu and Netflix and soon to be Disney+, a lot of shows are finding another chance and second life that they wouldn't have normally had if we were back to the big 3 networks of the 70s.

When AMC and OLTL were first cancelled, and the internet imploded, my first theory was to move all 3 soaps to Friday night and give them each an hour of time. (8pm AMC, 9pm OLTL, 10pm GH) This way each show would devote their budget to one hour instead of five, get more guest stars and then have special nights when the entire 3 hour block would go to one show. With DVRs back then, this could have worked. It could have been an event night, watching all 3 shows on one given night and having friends over, like we did with Dynasty parties. It would have resulted in smaller casts and tighter storylines. This could still work today, but I feel that people are abandoning network television (the big 3) and it isn't a viable source for entertainment like it used to be.

Now, on to Disney+.

A lot of soaps have aired on ABC over there years. AMC, Dark Shadows, Loving (I watched this), OLTL, Port Charles (I watched this), Ryan's Hope and The City (I watched this) to name a few. Disney can have a section on their new playlist that would house all the old soap shows for us to watch and then also have a section where they can have a new hour every week of AMC, OLTL and GH. (Yes, I would cut GH down to 1 new hour of content every week). I know this is a paid service. But there are loopholes. I have a soap section on one of my apps on my firestick and I can watch old soap programs along with the soaps from other countries. (I'm sadly realizing that Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was not very good). Disney can do what HBO does with Sesame Street. Air the original on Disney+ and then a few days later air it for free on abc.com.

By bringing the 3 main ABC soaps to 1 hour of new content per week, as stated you can cut budgets, shrink the casts and tighten storylines. There can be crossovers. Maybe even a 2 or 3 hour tv movie intertwining all the shows. They could share sets, as Charlie's Pub could be a bar for all the shows, just tack a different sign on it.

I feel that sustaining a 52-wk soap opera nowadays is really taxing on ABC and GH. For them to survive, and to reboot 2 programs that the fans want to see, something radical and inventive needs to be done. And I think that something just might be streaming on Disney+.

Thoughts?


This is the blog for Friday. Please feel free to comment on the show and anything else.

32 comments:

  1. I don't watch them, but I think, this is us and a million little things are soap operas.

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    Replies
    1. Grand Hotel & Dynasty are considered nighttime soaps too.

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  2. Somebody just do something - there is a huge audience out there for AMC & OLTL. We want them back.

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  3. To reboot with original casts for these old shows the setting would be in a Senior's Center.Susan Lucci is 72-many of the stars have passed on or are retired. I don't think there would be much of an appetite for a reboot with a new cast. I am looking foreword to a new season of "Wentworth" but it doesn't show up on Netflix Canada until Nov-Dec.

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    Replies
    1. I agree with you about reboots. Just fix GH

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    2. i agree with you. it would be very hard to bring back the originals.

      i like what they are doing on some of the sitcoms. they are bringing back designing women, but with a new generation. julia's granddaughter is inheriting the business and i think they will have the original cast guest star. same with facts of life. all new girls and will offer guest star appearances to originals. this is what they should have done with dynasty instead of the travesty it is.

      i never watched amc/oltl. so there is no loyalty there from me. i just know that there is always some kind of talk about it, so i wanted to do a "what if...." scenario. I am so with you on fixing GH. It needs an overhaul and no matter what people say or suggest, it seems thaat no one listens. Lord knows Karen and I have given our 2 cents over the years.

      Frasier is also in talks for a reboot. the last idea i heard was that the character would be a professor at a community college. this would bring in new characters and allow niles/roz/daphne to guest star.

      thank you for your comments! just think... you got 5 more days of this. ha ha

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  4. If you can't fix the problem with the writing or some creativity, time to reboot. Glad you wrote about this delcodave. Great idea to discuss. It would be great to see all 3 shows on a Friday night. I'm a big Dark Shadows fan and when it was revived or rebooted back in 1991 I was ecstatic. Cast was good story was great but gulf war interruptions killed it. I think GH is about to hit a brick wall if there isn't immediate help. There are some actors/characters on GH who take up way too much storytime and are hurting this show. Need to bring in an Exec. with some guts and start to clean house.

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  5. Some reboots work, some don't. There is a major trend but imo it's due to lack of creativity and difficulty coming up with new ideas. If they do reboot AMC/OLTL they would be totally different anyway. Like you said...actors have moved on. My idea is to merge GH and OLTL, and I guess through in AMC. The actors could intertwine as we move from PC, to Llanview and the AMC town which escapes my old brain. I have watched every soap that ABC has aired(see Karen's list above) and right now GH is undefinable. Again, thank goodness they have such great actors.

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  6. The hospital:

    Dr. O and Brad: Dr. O wins the line of the day!!!

    Brad: Do you really think I'm an idiot?

    Dr. O: Of course not. Why would I blackmail an idiot?

    BAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHA! She got what she needed from him! :)

    Sasha's room:

    Sasha and Nina: Nina kept saying to an unconscious Sasha, You are strong and you are brave, over and over and over again. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Oh look Sasha is better!!!! Finchy was there and is happy she is better. Nina is doing cartwheels! Well it seems like she wanted to, cus she was so EXCITED! :) Sasha says she loves Nina, and it really looked like she meant that. She sounded very sincere.

    Outside the door:

    ValeNina: They talk about Cassandra, and that he won't have to do anything to Cassandra, because Sonny will do something since Michael could have gotten sick. Yeah sure. Sonny could hire his adopted sons Tribbles to get Cassandra. :)

    Nurses station:

    V.C. and Dr. O: Dr. O walks around with her doctor jacket on, and V.C. wants to know why! She likes walking around and around to see if Monica will kick her out! ROFL! And see how long Monica will do it until she gets tired of it! ROFL! Dr. O tells V.C. that Nina will never know that Sasha is not her daughter.

    Elevator:

    Dr. O, Brad and Lucas: Lucas is SO uncomfortable around Dr. O!! Hahahahahaha! The look on Lucas's face! ROFL!

    Lucas: Please tell me she didn't just call our son a dessert?

    ROFL! If Dr. O didn't say her line before, then Lucas would have won the line of the day!

    Dr. O, Michael, Lucas and baby Jonah

    Dr. O: Oh, how lucky that this little boy has 2 fathers.

    OH BOY!!!!

    Charlie's pub and restaurant:

    Diane and Alexis PLUS Flashback of Alexis and Neil's date: Alexis is talking to Diane about her date with Neil!!!! It was Drag bingo at the floating rib! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

    Drag queen: B 9! I have a tumor, and it's B 9!

    HAHAHAHHHAAHAHHA!!! I love puns. :) Oh look Alexis won bingo!!! YAY! She was so excited she kisses Neil on the lips!!! HAHAHA YAY! :)

    Ferncliff waiting area:

    King Mufasa and Nelle: Is it Ferncliff? Awww they are on their "date" ROFL! That guard was so rough with King Mufasa! She pushed him down to sit! ROFL! So King Mufasa and Nelle talk about his tattoos and about his book. Nelle wants to help him get custody of Wiley. HUH?! Nelle is sucking up to the guard and it's the best performance of her life! Hahaha.

    Kelly's:

    Outside:

    Joss, Turkey boy, and Jax: Turkey boy says that Joss can skip the first day of school, and Jax shows up and agrees with him. Joss decides to go to school. Her outfit is adorable on her. Overalls. :) I don't have a problem with Dev. I wanted him on the show. We need teenagers on the show!

    Inside:

    Jax and Carson: Jax just wanted a heads up that Dev is living with his daughhter. Carly agrees, but Sonny kept giving Jax strange looks! ROFL! Made me laugh. :) Jax wants Joss to live with him once he finds a place to live.

    School lockers:

    Turkey boy and Joss, and Thomas: Oh look a new boy named Thomas. He has Oscar's locker! In the locker is a picture of JossCar! He sees the picture and Joss wants it. Thomas introduces himself and so does Turkey boy! Can we see more of him? Like I said we need teenagers!



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  7. "DelcoDave says A lot of soaps have aired on ABC over there years. Loving (I watched this),"

    Me too!!!!! That is when I "met" Laura Wright. :)

    "Port Charles (I watched this),"

    Me too!!!!

    "Ryan's Hope and The City (I watched this)"

    I watched both of those..

    "I have a soap section on one of my apps on my firestick and I can watch old soap programs along with the soaps from other countries."

    Hmmmm. I wish ABC would show old AMC and OLTL shows! Way back in the day.. That's what I want. I am sure lots off people would love that too!

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  8. Well the President of ABC said in an interview that a reboot of AMC and/or OLTL is always a possibility.

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  9. What app do you use on your firestick to watch old soaps?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i have an app called CINEMA and an app called CATMOUSE. Both have a soap section.

      i have this weird preference for first and last. i like watching the very first pilot of a series and then watching the finale. both always just fascinated me. I just watched the pilot for CAPITOL the CBS series from 1982.

      if you need help navigating either of them, let me know and I will be glad to help you offline.

      Delete
  10. Great show today! Dr. O with Brad-just amazing scenes Of course, Dr. O with anyone, I could watch and listen to her all day long! I wonder who writes her stuff, she has the best lines of anyone. Her use of her native language today (whatever it is), was hysterical!

    I know that people are complaining about the show, and, yes, some of the SLs suck, but the cast is amazing, including the increased use of the vets.

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  11. Oh, also, why does Nelle want Shiloh to have her son? I thought she wanted Brad and Lucas to have him.

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    Replies
    1. Maybe she thinks if he gets him, then she could marry him and they can raise Jonah together?

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    2. I think she just wants to get him outside the prison so she can kill him. She doesn't want him any where near Shiloh.

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    3. oops...that should say she doesn't want him near Wiley.

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    4. "Di says I think she just wants to get him outside the prison so she can kill him. She doesn't want him any where near Wiley."

      I like that idea better. ROFL!

      Delete
  12. As much as I hate Nelle, I would LOVE love it if she destroyed Shiloh. It is wonderful to see someone handle him finally who sees through him. Of course, it takes another sociopath to truly see him.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh, also, I know this is a soap, but I never have heard of a co-ed prison . . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No and they'd never leave a male prisoner and a female prisoner alone in a room. They aren't even pretending nelle is doing first aid or anything anymore. L...a...z...y....

      Delete
  14. Michael sure can't pick a girlfriend. He has chosen another one who is lying to him.

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  15. Nelle is up to something. Perhaps as the other poster said, she might be up to killing him

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  16. What mother looks like a million bucks (like Nina) in heels and dress clothes when their child is dying in a hospital bed? LOL

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  17. Oh dear God, Nina treats Sasha like she's 5 years old.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And what was that little toy she was holding when she was sitting @ Sasha's bedside?

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    2. "Shelley D. says, And what was that little toy she was holding when she was sitting @ Sasha's bedside?"

      A koala bear!! ROFL!

      Delete

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