I asked several people on twitter their opinion of GH. Here's a small sample:
I'm not watching at all anymore. GH is relentless darkness, same characters being propped EVERY. DAY. No romance that appeals. @Mardoledger
** Rarely watch now, bc its all Sonny/Dante. Bored w them, bored w crappy incoherent stories for all others. Still tune in for Spin @berkleychick
@Wub the whole Scrubs storyline for the past year is a series of dropped storylines and plot points @thescrubshub
***Loved the days of couples and huge weddings! I miss the WSB and all the stuff that went on there. *sigh* Now Mob mob mob @streebecka
@WubsNet Add me to the list of non GH watchers. Started taping Y&R. Better cast integration. @goaliemom
There are still some that love GH though... @WubsNet whoever isnt watching #GH is silly... so good!! @ClaudineDeSoula
For me, it continues to be the consistant lack of continuity that drives me insane. Bringing on new characters only to let them fall into the background and do just about nothing. The Keifer story is going to turn into the Sonny Therapy story shortly. It's not about Kristina going to therapy, they are BOTH going...and then she's going to set the whole Johnny lie in motion to piss Sonny off. OK, whatever. Poor Robin Christopher. Enough said on that subject.
The ELEPHANT in the room is Michael's rape in prison...MANY people have hated that idea-- and the fact that not only is he beaten, his sister was too--two teens being beaten at once! WOW, what a thriller of show! Now that Kristina is connecting Keifer to Sonny, it's all going to be the Tony Sopranooooo...oh, Corinthos show all over again. Michael will fall deeper into depression, btw... and Jason is supposedly going to figure it out and go after Carter. We'll see if this leads to Michael going to therapy with Sonny..(get it?! LOL)
There will be new scoops up later once angelfire gets it's sheeze together. It's down for some reason right now, but keep checking. My fave thing is that Jason gets out of Jail to "help with Franco"....like he can take a "leave of absence" or something. LMAO. ahahhahaha. Here, go catch the criminal St. Jasus but come right back, ok??! Please hit an ad for charity while you're there..we still have a lot coming up to donate to.
This week was sad for fans of Gary Coleman and now Dennis Hopper. Hopper was the COOL GUY when I was young--and Coleman kept me laughing on TV. Wonder if there will be a third?
Please put YOUR comments on the show below. Many of you already do...., which of course, I love. Do you miss your fave couple?? Would you have liked a wedding or an adventure this summer instead of Franco? Love Sonny and his dimples or sick of them? Let me know. Have a wonderful day tomorrow. Remember the troops who are out doing their jobs. Remember those that died while serving.
More Burton and Benard show with a lot of Carly and Dante thrown in.
ReplyDeleteLet me just get a barf bag for those days when I actually have my television on at 3:00.
When I watch, my main thought is "How do I get this hour back? I've just thrown in away watching this crap"
I am a big SaSon fan .. more Jason fan these days.. Sonny make me sick.. I even think MB acting is getting worse....
ReplyDeleteabout GH these days TOO MUCH Dante TOO MUCH DARKE Stories
I think the Jail story can be good and i think it is good in some parts. I love seeing Characters change and Michael does need a chance.. I just don't know about the rape.. it is too soon after Krisi beating...
They can make Michael suffer but not in that way...
I also think they want to change Jason character..
About Franco and Jason- well Franco is obsessed with Jason so it is understandable that they will need Jason to get Franco...
I wonder if this story is a plot point to make Dante and Jason friends???
I hate the Krisi New Storyline this is so stupid. why can they have her facing what happened?
why do they need to make her stupid girl who revenges her father??
I hate that part.. can they show her have therapy like they did with Robin's PPD have group of girls that been trough the same thing???
Anyway I am not giving up on GH I find the Michael story interesting if they will change Michael and Jason..
Franco we will see...
I AM NOT GIVING UP yet, But I want Humor Love romance i hope i will have it...
I will not give up GH bec. I've been watching since I was a child, and regularly since VHS and then DVR. I am someone who loves tradition and hates change, so I rarely walk away from anything. Also, I do LOVE MB, so, on some level, am grateful that he's the star of the show.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I can't stand Carly or Franco, and am very disappointed as to where the show's been going. As much as I LOVE Sonny, it needs to be an ensemble show, not the Sonny/Carly/Jason show, and we need light, love, family and humor, and we certainly DO NOT need boys being raped in prison.
A girl beaten by her boyfriend can be a good lead-in for discussion and information about domestic violence, but what on Earth is the socially redeeming aspect of a boy being raped in prison? It's disgusting.
I have watched GH mabye 2 months out of the last almost 2yrs. It started 4 me as a protest 4 the shabby writing of Liason- but morphed into so much more. They offer us nothing that is worthy of investing in. JaSam reunite. but I can't even get a reason 4 why Jason (the king advocate of kids)would forgive her & then move onto a relationship with her. Sonny goes from Kate to Claudia to Carly to Olivia to Carly...can you say no investment and just plain icky. what is this show? Man Whores R us...we have zero tried & true romance stories being done anymore. Most of the soap fans that love Elizabeth- like me hate both Nik & Lucky. Even if she doesn't reunite with Jason...Nik & lucky...eeewwwww! Q's get thrown out & in like soap water being turned out with no real investment. GH your main issuse for losing fans may have been a Jasam/Liason fanbase war but it's reason for not getting most of them back are that and so much more. This 27 yr fan is just digusted by it.
ReplyDeleteHey the Third was really the first, u forgot Art Linkletter, death comes in 3s Art, Gary and Dennis
ReplyDeleteI feel that for an afternoon show with nothing positive to say has turned off long time viewers. I can't watch the show with my kids because of the violence.
ReplyDeleteI miss the days of the WSB, huge, splashy weddings, adventure, romance, couples who get together at the hotspot in town (remember The OutBack? Luke's? The Bucket O' Blood? (heehee) The Floating Rib?, characters getting together for a picinic in the park during the summer holidays... I for one am very tired of Sonny, Carly, Jax and Jason. They do nothing for me and honestly, their kids do even less for me at this point.
I don't mind a dark storyline if something is to be learned and talked about with kids or your friends BUT there must be light and positive along with the bad. TPTB don't do this, they show awful stories along with other awful, devastating stories.. No light, no hope. Where can Michael's character go at this point? He's been shot in the head, in a coma for a year, kidnapped more than once, on the run, shot someone else, put a hit out on someone, has been beaten, possibly raped, in jail.... He has no hope left and honestly, the character has nothing to look forward to. What happened to a summer romance for the teens?
I think that Franco coming back for more block taping is a waste of time. He tanked the ratings when he was around in the fall and he will do it again. Bringing back a dynamic character with ties to people other than Sonny and Jason would be better-- BUT TPTB must write for them.. Oh, that's right, TPTB can't write for anyone other than the quad and the peeps attached to them. Hmmm, what a shame.
It's time for a new writing team and time to clean house of the current stories.
Also, FRons should be ashamed of himself for ruining SoapNet. He needs to be fired yesterday. He is single handedly ruining/destroying daytime television.
-SonnyandBrenda from Twitter
"GH" is unique among soaps because of its style -- the darkness in plotting, framing the stories on the evil characters and a desire to not dwell on the show's history that doesn't reflect that.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, I am very tired of "GH." I have never been a "mob" fan and thinks it sends out a horrible message (evil, ultimately, pays no matter what). The show would be so much better if Sonny, not Michael, was in prison, struggling for his life. That would have been a better use of Sonny story and, maybe, redeem Sonny in some ways.
Luke, my favorite character and the cornerstone of the show, has been ill-served on "GH" for more than a year. Let's see him cheat on Tracy with Skye while on this big treasure hunt for Skye's missing money. If Luke can cheat on Laura, he can certainly cheat on Tracy.
Get the Qs back on a weekly basis, even if it's only to prop up the younger characters like Maya.
My 2 cents.
Oh Patti I disagree that most Liz fans hate Nik AND Lucky. Most Liz fans remember the magic of her with Lucky and as much as we do root for Liason JJ made us forget all about them. I for one want lightness again the way Carjax has the ability to show us. HUMOR. Loyalty in the form of friendships. I want Spixie to be done. I don't care one way or another about Jasam. The old GH would have never had Jason forgive Sam. I want more Diane and Alexis and I want scrubs to be happy. I am sick of Sonny & Carly but I love Jax and I love Dante. he's fresh and migles well with Lucky which is much needed. JJ rocks any scene and I can't wait to see him back with Liz. Thinking of that emotional scene when he finds out that baby is his is one of the reasons I watch every single day.
ReplyDeleteI agree that all the stop/start (hot/cold) makes GH a bit torturous to watch. The only constant is the mob stuff and it is tedious. How can we be interested in (or even remember) these other stories/characters when they only show up once every 2 weeks? Now Guza is going to clear the decks even more to make way for Franco and I am less than thrilled. Franco was interesting at first but the dragged that monkey through the mud way too long. Luckily I have to watch GH on my DVR after work so I can FF through anything too annoying for me.
ReplyDeleteEvery show goes through a transition phase but I really do miss the summers full of love and adventure. Jason and Dante "on the run" chasing Franco might give give us a glimpse at the glory that was Luke and Robert but I am not holding my breath.
I've read the upcoming stories for the next 2 weeks for OLTL this morning and I think it will be the show to watch. Far more interesting and diverse things going on over in Llanview these days.
Been watching GH on and off for 27 years (since I was born, literally!). LOVE it, although it has become rather dark. The fact that it's all mob-focused these days is a bit of a turn-off for me. The only reason I tune in at all is to watch the little bit of happy we get with LuLu and Dante. Love the interaction with Tracy and Luke. Looking forward to Maxie and Matt. I loved the Kristina and Keifer story- so powerful! But I've grown so tired of everything revolving around Sonny. Sure, allow storylines that show Sonny's kids working through their daddy issues and how their lives have been affected by his less-than-stellar parenting, but it's possible to do that in an interesting and intriguing way that doesn't make the entire show about him and the mob. Just saying. I love Dante and LuLu, but I'm even growing tired of Dante's mantra of taking Sonny down no matter what.
ReplyDeleteSo to recap: More happy! More fun! More Quartermaines (can we please bring back Ned and Lois?)! Less mob!
In terms of hating change I'm with AntJoan. I've had the same doctor since 1977( even though he's moved 3 times and is now more than 10 miles from my house) and the same dentist since 1986. I said in a previous post that I feel like an old friend has died because I just can't stand to watch this anymore. The prison rape was the absolute end.
ReplyDeleteTo me it seems that we say we're sick of the violence and TIIC hear "we're sick of the same old violence - shootings, explosion - give us new violence - teenage domestic abuse and prison rapes."
Nobody is happy on this show for very long. There is almost no romance. I can't stand to see one more scene of Sonny having sex on that damn couch. Burn the thing please!
I know they recycle stories but we just had months Of Flashlight Logan last year. I don't know why they have to do Keifer's ghost now.
I never thought Maurice was at all attractive, I think his acting is all too often over the top and the character (despite the crap we hear repeated almost every day) has no redeeming features. He truly does not love anybody and everything is only about him.
The same exact dialogue is mouthed repeatedly. If we each had a dollar for each time it's not about you was said to Sonny, Sonny's a good father was said by the whole cast or we had to hear Michael saved his mother and baby sister we would all be rich. We heard it the first time and the thirtieth - write some different dialogue.
I just can't stand it anymore. I'll keep reading Karen's blog but after thirty years they've finally driven me away. It may just be a break but for now I'm gone.
Sorry this was so long!
GH is so unbalanced and contrived right now. It is all plot-point with no logical character development for anyone. Characters can grow, change, & learn from their mistakes; that's what makes characters interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteThe continuity on GH is just insulting. GH is written as if the audience is comprised of half-wits who do not know or notice when illogical things occur. I know a great many GH fans, & they are, by & large, bright, educated, articulate men & women. But that is not the audience GH is writing for, & in my opinion, that is the audience that is actively walking away from a show many have loved for 30-40 years.
I cannot stand cookie-cutter stories & couples. I looked forward & hung on since Franco's First Fiasco to see if things would get better, but they have worsened. Here's just one painful example of how I have been disappointed. I wanted so much to SEE Spinelli & Maxie's beautiful romance grow, but inexplicably Franco blew that up. My dreams of an old school summer romantic adventure for a unique, interesting couple like Spixie have turned into more senseless abuse & more mob violence as far as the eye can see. Spixie did not even share a scene through all of May Sweeps. I'm hurt & disappointed at the message GH is sending about Spinelli...that he's not worthy of a real love or even a real story of any kind at this point. Is he not "cookie-cutter" enough?
I saw an article in the newest edition of SOD where Guza talked more about Days Of Our Lives and recreating THEIR couples than focusing on writing his own unique romances. That kind of creative bankruptcy is more than I can tolerate. For GH's sake, I hope the throngs of DAYS fans are looming just over the horizon to prop up the faltering ratings.
I love GH, & it's really the last soap I faithfully watch, but GH has abandoned me; I didn't abandon them.
General Hospital has become a show that doesn't respect it's past. It relies too much on plot points. There is no balance with writing for characters. They have lost the inability to tell more than one story at a time. It has become all about Sason, Dante and Lante.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing in the Summer previews that interest me at all.
I agree with you Spin's Vixenella. What GH has done to Spixe and Spinelli to Prop Matt is insulting to anyone who has watch their characters fall in love. What they are doing to Scrubs is almost as bad as their intentional destruction of Spixie.
ReplyDeleteThis show has become very dark. With the exception of Lante, I can't think of one happy couple. I am tired of seeing Lante on practically every day. You can add Sonny, Carly and even Jason to the list of people I am tired of seeing everyday.
I'm really liking Maxie and Matt. And I'm looking forward to seeing more of them! They shine brighter than the sun! RIP- Dennis Hopper. But "Then Came Bronson" was far better than Easy Rider!!
ReplyDeleteI watch GH but realize that it can be so much better. The first thing that the writers and Frons need to do is study the history. Bring back the vets and show them more. The show needs to write for every age group not just one. The second thing that the show desperately needs is BALANCE. Not everybody likes the mob stuff. They want Scrubs or the Q's. The third thing is to figure out who the fans root for. Liz is one of those characters that should be interacting with Jason much more because there are a ton of Liason fans (I'm not one of them but I will watch a couple if the writing is good and it is good for the show). Finally, we as fans need to stop all of the couple wars (like JaSam versus Liason) and think about and want what is best for the show as a whole. Personally I love the idea of Jarly but know that not enough people would root for them and am okay with seeing them with other people. It's what is best for the show.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mean to go on but obviously I have a lot of opinions on the matter. Thanks for reading them.
I am actually liking the jail storyline. Yes, it is rather soon after Kristina's beating, but the writers can do it some justice if they try.
ReplyDeleteI think Liz and Lucky belong together. Although I read he and Maxie will go on a date. Those 2 are good together too. JJ is such a damn good actor, he works well with everyone.
We need to see more Quartermaine storylines. We need Tracy back in the board room at ELQ. Maybe if they bring Ned back....and I miss Alan's ghost.
One person they can get rid of is Lisa. Let's have one happy couple on this show - and Scrubs is it. I so hope Patrick doesn't fall for her antics.
I am okay with all the mob stuff, just not so much every week. Need to see more Anthony - I love that character! I have never been a Jax fan, don't like him with Carly, and am sick of him always trying to bring Sonny down. He and Claire would be good together.
Would like to see the nice friendship back between Olivia and Carly.
And lastly - more hospital action - it IS General Hospital after all.
I stopped watching GH when it became dark and the Sonny show. I wanted to watch but I couldn't stomach Sonny. Spixie brought me back. They were fun and loyal and connected. Now, they are giving us cookie-cutter sleazy angst for a unique couple. That is, when they are actually on.
ReplyDeleteGH needs to re-learn what romance is. GH needs to learn to write for couples as couples. It needs fun romance, or just plain fun.
I'm sick of depressing mob storylines. I am sick of the perverse logic of the police being the inept, unethical ones when the mobsters are to be held in high esteem.
I'm sick of 4 characters dominating the show. I'm sick of only one couple being promoted. To me, this is what leads to a lot of couple anti-comments. People are jealous of the other couple getting the attention. Let see several couples be in love at once and see what happens.
Have they noticed that the most popular couples are the ones that are happy & having fun? They need to rethink the idea that happy couples aren't interesting.
This is a soap-opera. It's about fantasy and romance, not darkness and high-testosterone.
Soap operas are to be about couples in love. To me, it speaks volumes when actors say they don't want their couple to get married because they will go to the back-burner. Couples need to be showcased as couples. Long term ones need to be shown. People want to see the couple & character the have invested in survive. I know that some couples have a shelf-life, but some should be allowed to endure long term.
With so much uncertainty in the world, people want to see something that will take them away from the world's troubles. They want to see a fairy tale romance and adventure. They want to be entertained.
Sure, adventures, danger and the mob have been a key part of General Hospital for a long time. It was they in balance with the romance that attracted me to GH in the first place. However, there is no longer balance. It seems to be all about the flash and not the follow through.
Just like life, uncertainty reigns on GH. You can't trust TPTB to invest in the character. You can't trust them to invest in the audience. Characters are changed to fit plot -- often plots that make no sense. The characters that we came to love don't evolve, grow and build upon their growth. Instead, they grow and regress -- often into something different than we came to love in the first place.
Take Maxie and Spinelli. Here are two quirky characters who found that together they were better than the sum of their parts. They grew, but instead of building upon what made them great, the writers threw in angst that changed the pattern of their story. Suddenly, Spinelli, who perhaps had low self-esteem but always happily accepted himself as is, is moping around and depressed, trying to be someone he isn't. Maxie, who has a tragic past, was finally moving past her self-destructive patterns. What happened? They robbed her of her street smarts, made her flighty, and had her question her loyalty to the man with whom she could always be herself. Now, the purity of what made them special is gone and needs to be slowly rebuilt. What they needed was character-driven story, resulting in progressive growth of the characters and couple. Not repeats of the same story over and over and over again. It's boring and an insult to the audience. We are more intelligent than that.
To Be Continued (sorry I'm so long winded)...
Continued from above...
ReplyDeleteIf nothing else, TPTB need to explain to us in their writing why we are seeing what we are seeing. We need friendships for that -- and friendships that are not based on chemistry testing. Those don't count. And please, keep the characters in character. Don't change them to fit the plot point.
I am sick of cheating being the go-to angst for all couples. I remember when misunderstandings, where characters were lovingly sacrificing themselves for their partner or were separated against their will, were the chosen angst. What happened to couples going to the wall for each other? Angst was to challenge couples and eventually lead them to a stronger place. It lead to couples longing for each other. Except in the case of Alan and Monica, who had a tumultuous relationship, cheating was reserved to break up a couple. It was not a rite of passage. TPTB need to think about it. If their spouse, or spouse of a friend, cheated on their partner, would they want to immediately reconcile? Do the fans want to see their favourite couples cheat? For the most part, I would guess, no. Just like any relationship, they want to know that the person or couple they invested in would endure, oh, beyond the almost wedding (and I use almost wedding her for more than the almost wedding for Spixie, Skate comes to mind as well).
I am watching old GH clips on youtube and several things stand out to me. There is more than one couple being shown in a good light at one time. Adventure in interspersed with romance. There is cast integration. The show is fun and entertaining. The darkness is the exception rather than the norm.
I used to recap GH for an online web site. After the Spixie karaoke night, I was recapping about Claudia's baby dying and her ordering a hit on Michael. I had to stop recapping. I was getting depressed and disturbed. That is no the reaction that I want from my soap. I stopped recapping at that point and never returned to the role.
What I have learned from GH recently -- and especially TPTB -- is that the only seem to know how to destroy what they build up. Why become invested in a character and couple if we KNOW that they will be destroyed. I am feeling that TPTB don't realize that we need variety in the show. If they are only going to showcase a several characters at time and one couple, they will only attract the fan-base of those characters and couple. The audience will rotate depending on who the couple is (because we know that Jason, Sonny, Dante and Carly will be the characters with the stories). Variety will attract a wider audience. Unfortunately, I don't fit into the audience they are writing to at the moment. Even if I was, I don't think that I trust TPTB to take care the characters and couple I love.
As with life, why invest in something that you know will burn you? Unless they get new writers and management, the one thing that I can count on is that I will be burned -- and I have better things to do than wait to be burned.
I'm a big fan of Robin Christopher I was happy she was coming back but I'm not happy with her return she hardly on I would love for her to stay if gh use her if not I would love for her to come back to All my children I would love to see a David and Skye hook up! and I would love to see Skye go after Annie and Liza!
ReplyDeleteJennie
We need a Jasam wedding, she seems to be the only one besides Carly who really gets him. They are so good together and probably have the most romantic moments of any couple on the show, all they have to do is look at each other and they know what the other is thinking.
ReplyDeleteCarly needs to be rid of Jax.
Get rid of Lisa, Robin and Patrick(use to like him, but he is acting like a dick).
More Davis sister time and Corinthos brother/sister time.
Sonny needs to get over himself.
More fun nights as Jake's.
Can't stand Liz, her a JJ are good together, but she has walked all over him to many times, he needs to have some fun!
Love Spin and Maxie and hate what they have done to Spin's character, instead of having him grow they have made him this whinner with no self confidence.
Like Brook Lyn, now bring back Ned and Lois.
Like Johnny too, he can stay.
I stopped watching after 15 years. I check wubs everyday to see what is happening on GH and what is coming up, but from what I have read, I won't be watching it again any time soon. It is too dark and depressing. The core families have been destroyed. There are random characters I don't care about, storylines don't make sense half the time, and the couples I like never stay together long enough to enjoy them. I honestly have not missed watching the show.
ReplyDeletei still watch gh, though sometimes it feels like i only want to ff most of it. tired of everything coming back to sonny, no matter which character it may involve.
ReplyDeletemichael being raped/or not is just stupid. fine, he got beat up, it's prison i can accept that, but to have this kid who barely is 18 raped? no way. he's already in jail for simply protecting his mom and sister, and gh writers are just taking it too far. this isn't oz. i'd much rather see michael learn from this, figure out mob life is not all it's cracked up to be, and maybe decide to look towards the quartermaine side of himself.
kristina is all over the place. sometimes i like her, and other times i completely can't figure out wtf her problem is. i wish gh would send her to therapy by herself to work through the issues she had with kiefer, so she can start to grow up. i don't want therapy to become just another way to tie sonny into another storyline.
mb is a talented actor, loved him since back in the day with stone and his relationship with stone, but i think it's time he spends a few months locked up in jail and not on our screens. the sonny from the 90's was nothing like this sonny who only seems concerned with seducing his ex to get close to dante.
olivia needs to head right back on to bensonhurst and take brooklynn with her. spixie need to split so maxie can hook up with matt already. lisa needs to stick with steve, and patrick needs to pull his head out of @ss and act like a husband and father.
i love jasam together, but i don't like sam losing herself in the relationship. we need to see more of her and spin doing their p.i. stuff, and it's about time to start with the reveal of who sam's father is. i'd love to see helena and all the cassadine's involved together in a storyline.
i like gh when they can have a lot of the character interacting, like the carnival. we need to bring back the q's and show more of the hospital since that's actually what at least half the soap should be about instead of mob central.
i wouldn't mind seeing returns of ned, lois, brenda, laura, scotty, and maybe even aj to bring back the way gh used to be before guza decided to rewrite his own versions of history in port charles.
I'm kind of sad that Soapnet is going under, watching old episodes of GH every now and again gave me faith for my soap. I've watched since before I can remember, I was raised watching GH with my dad. Its definitely not what it used to be. I'm getting excited to see the Spencer/Cassadine feud heating up again. I hope they don't put it on the back burner for all the Michael raped in prison crap. Seeing Luke and Helena in a room together reminds me of the good old days when the mob wasn't to forefront of EVERY story. I think more than anything, I get annoyed that they rewrite and ignore history. GH has an awesome history with some amazing writing in the past. If they would honor it every once in a while, maybe the fans wouldn't get so ticked off and they wouldn't have to keep changing the past to fit the present, or pretend that things didn't happen. Mark my words, if they do move forward with the Michael rape storyline, that will be exactly what will happen. I love Dante and Lulu, I'm a little upset that they just barely officially got together and they are already breaking them up. They don't give people an opportunity to embrace a couple, that is why they have so few power couples today, they aren't together long enough to solidify and grow together before they chem test them with other people. So annoying, and I saw real potential with Dante and Lulu...
ReplyDeleteI still love my GH, I'll never let go but I do miss the older days with more adventure, romance and long-term characters that actually interacted. And I really miss the traditions- the nurses ball, the christmas story at gh, thanksgiving with the Q's.
ReplyDeleteAnd Sonny- back when he first came on, he was kind of the "good" bad guy but lately he is just bad news, I think they ran out of ways to keep the magic alive.
I hope people stay tuned and I hope by January 2012 they will find a way to save Soapnet. We have so many crazy channels, how can we not have Soapnet? Do that many people really watch CSPAN3??
im 30 and i grew up watching GH. I miss the summers where Frisco, Felicia, Sean, Tiffany, Anna, Duke, Robert, Holly...FAISON, WSB..ruled. Luke, Laura, Lucky. The action, the drama. not worrying if your favorite couple was going to break up or sleep with someone else...where you wanted the bad guy to win..because he was so damn good at being bad.
ReplyDeletei hate sonny. i always have. jason. i havent liked him since he got in his accident. carly lost her appeal about the 5th person she slept with. i miss Ned, Lois. I miss GEORGIE and the q's.
this isnt my show anymore... :/
Karen,
ReplyDeleteThis was the best forum that you ever had. The posters helped to make someone's point that we are a literate, educated group of women and men, and we care deeply about the show.
It seems that we all are in agreement--at least on this issue. Is there any way that you can forward all of this to someone, to TIIC, anyone, so that maybe they can get some genuine, hardcore fan feedback? We are the best fans, if we give up, who do they have?
I think Liz haters need to remember that Lucky, not Liz cheated with Maxie first numerous times even after being caught. This is hy Liz turned to Jason the night Jake was conceived (also the night Sam slept with ric)Of course the nik affair disgusted me and I wondered what they were doing to this much loved character.
ReplyDeleteI disagree that MB cannot act. Yes sometimes his acting can be over the top but the man can act. If they really wanted us to be captivated he should leave the mob & bring Brenda back.
I agree with a lot of posters here. AntJoan hit the nail on the head as well...we need an ensemble cast. If you watch The Young and the Restless, all the stories and characters are connected on some level. It makes for some fascinating stories (not that they are all perfect, mind you!lol).
ReplyDeleteRegarding the hotspots in Port Charles...The Floating Rib, Pop Snyders, The Versailles Room....I do believe The Bucket O' Blood was on Days of Our Lives (I could be mistaken...)
I have watched GH for 25 years but have turned it off because the characters I loved have been manipulated so badly, I do not recognize them anymore.The heroine Elizabeth Webber has been run over by the bus to prop Lucky, Jason has forgiven the woman that watched his son get kidnapped, Robin is acting all jealous and unstable. No reason for me to watch because it only depresses me more. I love Jason and Liz together and believe that they should have been given their love story, so many fans held on for over a DECADE to get this story and then when we thought we had it they threw it away. At that point I know a huge amount of fans started tuning out. The writers of this show have made it their own playground instead of writing for the viewers and respecting them. So sad to see a once loved show fall apart right before our eyes. Wubs thanks so much for giving us this forum to voice our opinions. Kudos!!!
ReplyDeleteI waited for Liason to finally get together for over a decade & was terribly disappointed when that didn't happen. Then when I saw how the characters of Jason and Elizabeth made to do and say things that were so out of character & repulsive, I threw in the towel. If GH is willing to ruin 2 of its most beloved characters & re-write their history just to keep from writing their love story, despite the fact that the fans overwhelmingly want it, then I am not interested in becoming invested in anything else the show has to offer. I truly believe that reuniting Liason once and for all would do alot to improve GH's ratings and the good will of its fans.
ReplyDeleteDo NOT watch anymore...all dark, mob related and continuously dropped story lines along with negating character histories. I ,for one, LOVED the relationship with Jason and Liz and was thrilled to think it was going to the next level, giving character growth to both characters and opening up a whole new, fresh direction with the Q's; them balancing mob life and "hospital, normal" life...etc..would have been awesome.....now; show blows chunks...
ReplyDeleteI began watching GH in 1980. I stopped watching a little over a year ago. The mob is played out. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of Sonny and Jason never paying for their crimes. I'm sick of the whitewashing of despicable characters. I'm sick of 40 year olds like Carly acting like high school mean girls. I'm sick of dropped story lines and rewrites.
ReplyDeleteI'm sick of the whole premise of criminals with hearts of gold. The skewed morality of this show has gone too far. I do not see anything rootworthy about this entire Michael situation. He's a spoiled brat who is taking really bad advice from a bunch of criminals with no morals.
GH has sunk so low from the great show it once was that it is no longer recognizable. And I won't watch it.
Not watching. GH doesn't have any characters to root for or identify with anymore. These days GH seems to ALWAYS be writing for the lowest common denominator. I understand that real life sometimes has darkness but that's not all there is to it. Frankly, I sometimes find it a little scary when someone says they enjoy that, especially the actors who say how great it is. I say, no thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe only good thing about GH these days is the commercials and ending credits. I no longer recognize my favorite characters. The storylines are either recycled or unrealistic or a combination of both. What once was a great show, GH has now been reduced to less than mediocre.
ReplyDeleteMiss love in the afternoon, the romance of couples. I do like the mob stories more than the hospital stories but everything is unbalanced right now. The Michael jail/rape story really creeps me out. Get him and Jason out of jail. I have watched General Hospital for many years and will continue, but show us more romance Jasam & Scrubs have great chemistry, show more of that. I am really liking Lucky & Claire. Put Brooklyn with Johnny, send Oliva & her son away, anywhere. Honestly, Liz is not my favorite character but I find myself loving her and Nik together, even with their fighting you can see their passion. Give us more romance GH.
ReplyDeleteI barely watch GH anymore because of the Sonny/Carly/Jason show. It's disgusting how this show revolves around these three characters.
ReplyDeleteThere is no balance on this show at all nor any romance or honor to character history. Killing off nearly the entire Quatermaine family just to add more of Corinthos brats is disgusting.
The couples suck.
Jasam is a joke, sorry no way in heck would Jason Morgan be anywhere near the woman who watched his kid get kidnapped and hired people to scare them.
Spixie boring
Don't even get me started on the whole liz/lucky/nick crapfest.
GH just writes to its own whims and agendas which is why I don't watch anymore.
I mean really the last time the entire cast got dressed up and was shown in a typical soapy fashion was the B&W ball.
I miss the nurses ball, Alan's christmas stories, The Q's thanksgiving, I miss the old GH.
I cannot believe they are even hinting at a Michael rape. They should just kill him...he's done. It's a wrap. Unbelievable. I don't recognize Jason. Being with Sam. Forgiving Sam. Telling kids not to trust the police. Being friends with Lucky (now that JJ is back). I don't recognize Liz. Having sex with Nik. Getting caught by multiple people and continued having sex with Nik. Not in love with Lucky. In love with Lucky. Blaming Nik for everything. Lucky is now BRILLIANT, when he's not crying and being sanctimonious. Sonny and Carly. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. I'm not even going to get into Sonny's kid. Cannot stand any of them.
ReplyDeleteI stopped watching and started again when I heard things were changing. Doesn't look like they are. The terrible redos that GH seem to have gone back to, continue. You have ruined the Jason and the Elizabeth characters, my favorites. Their love story is one I have been waiting for and they totally got ripped off. I will be back when they are. They can't even share scenes but we had to tolerate the Sam character everywhere. She doesn't fit anywhere but you shove her character everywhere. I suggest you get a clue before it's toooooooo late
ReplyDeleteNot watching recaps of the show and not one s/l seems interesting. Waiting to read a recap that says the Q's are back on the show and Jason & Elizabeth have finally come to their senses about revealing Jakes true paternity and I'll come back in a heart beat. In the meantime I'll keep watching CBS where ABC has pushed me.
ReplyDeleteI have not watched GH since December of 2008, because by then my ONLY reason for watching was the story (I was waiting to be told) of Jason and Elizabeth. By that time the stories had already become recycled to the point of having already happened as recently as a few weeks prior and it appeared that the writers didn't even try to hide that fact. I watched GH for nearly 30 years because of the rich, character driven stories that managed to cross the entire canvas and allow me to remember that these things were happening in a SMALL TOWN; a community of people who know each other. Stories had ripple effects that could be felt across the canvas to at least some extent and the entire cast was utilized.
ReplyDeleteWhat we have now are 3 characters for whom are dictated constant plot-driven, stunt-casted stories that are not properly set up, have no real conclusion and no pay off. There is no reason to be invested in the stories for several reasons: A) People fall "in love" after knowing each other for 30 seconds and are doing the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet right away - and at least R&J had the excuse of being only 15. There is no romantic build up. No friendship. No courtship. So there is way for a fan to have the anticipation of their finally getting together. And on the flip side? If you do like a couple and GH manages to write a build up for them? One of them will be cheating before the "You" in I love you is well out of their mouths. We don't get to savor the happiness AT ALL and it seems to be for no other reason than that the writers don't know how to write happy or are not interested in writing it. B) There is no moral compass on this show at all. I didn't mind seeing Luke and Laura in the "Left Handed Boy" story bringing down Burt Ramsey because he was a bad cop...a cop on the take for Frank Smith. That was an anomaly within the PCPD. Back then the cops were not written as utterly incompetent with a Mob Enforcer - who by the way is a MURDERER - going around saving the day for everyone all the time. None of the "bad" characters ever get their come-uppance for their bad deeds, unless it is at the hands of one of the local thugs (or their offspring) and its delivered via what the criminals deem as justifiable homicide. NOT because of the danger presented to the town in general, but because they dared to cross one of the unholy trinity (Sonny/Carly/Jason). C) Veterans are not used except for "special" occasions. But we are subjected to the continued foisting of new characters who we don't know and have no history with, who as a fan are seen to just steal screen time from characters we are already invested in and actually care about.
I feel like the agendas that go on backstage at Prospect Studios have driven what was once the best show in daytime into the ground and I am offended that ABC has allowed the very same people who ALREADY had a track record for ruining soaps be the ones to do it. Both Brian Frons and JFP have negative pasts with regards to the soaps they were in charge of prior to their tenure at ABCD and I feel that the fact that it was "only daytime" played a large role in the decision to hire these people.
I am one of the people in the age groups that Mr. Frons has very publicly stated he doesn't give a damn about with regards to my opinion about what is on GH. I am "too old" to count. What the man fails to realize is that soap fans are not won they are inherited. My grandmother watched GH, then my Mom, then me. My daughter WAS watching but now she hates it as much as I do.
They have lost fans by the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS since 2008 and they can't say its because of the genre dying. Take a look at Y&R's numbers. Their show is compelling, RESPECTS ITS HISTORY and they write character driven stories that utilize ALL of their cast - including the ones who are over 35!
Basically, I no longer watch GH because they don't deserve me as a fan anymore.
I am boycotting all ABC Daytime.
ReplyDeleteIt is time to bring back "Love in the Afternoon".
GH has no respect for women, and could care less what thier fans want to see.
I used to enjoy GH a lot. It was a little different from the standard soap - a little grittier, but there was still a lightness about it that balanced the dark.
ReplyDeleteI stopped watching regularly for a lot of reasons: because the unrelenting darkness now makes watching feel like too much of an unpleasant chore; because characters and histories have been changed so much to serve "stories" that some long-time favorite characters now look like strangers; because I grew tired of the writing favoring a few particular characters while all but ignoring others; because even when a story starts out well, almost without exception the writers will proceed to tell it in a way I find twisted or ridiculous or empty, with no clear or satisfying resolution before moving on to the next disappointing story.
I really came to feel that the writers are simply kind of lazy and are happy taking the easy way out of stories. They told me too many times that a character, despite years of living one way, is now going to live a different way, but without showing me a genuine explanation for the change. As a result, I stopped being able to believe the things those characters said and did.
The writers are serving themselves and their own "artistic vision" (whatever it might be on any given day), and could really care less about maintaining the integrity of the show.
I used to love GH, so much that I would watch it before I did anything else after work everyday. I stopped watching after the toxic balls mess last year. That storyline proved to me where the direction of GH was heading, and I could not watch my favorite show be destroyed. I still read recaps and keep up with the spoilers just to see if anything has changed or if anything could entice me to return as a loyal viewer. Sadly over a year later and it seems the GH I once loved is still nowhere in sight. I still laugh whenever I go to ABC.com and check out the description of GH listed there. GH-A soap opera covering the hospital and surrounding town of Port Charles. There is no hospital to speak of on GH anymore, unless someone connected to the mob is hospitalized from the result of violence put upon them.
ReplyDeleteI did not mind the mob when it was balanced with the rest of the show. When Jason had his accident and ended up in the mob it was a vital story and characters actually interacted. The characters simply react to one plot point after another now. For some unexplainable reason the character of Elizabeth has been trashed since her break-up with Jason in Dec. 2008. Lucky has been written as the victim in their relationship, since JJ's return and every bad thing he ever did to Elizabeth seems to have been forgotten by the writers and all characters on GH. Jason who protects everyone of Sonny's and Carly's children cannot spend one minute with his son--why? But Jason can spend time with, forgive, and have a relationship with the woman who watched his son get kidnapped among other things--it just makes no sense. It makes Jason look terrible in the process.
I hope that one day I will read something that makes me want to watch GH again but at least I still have OLTL. The writers of OLTL balance stories and characters.
I only watch on certain days. I hate what they have done to the Jason Morgan character, I do not even recognize him anymore and REFUSE to watch EVER and give a rating when Jason is shown with the woman that wanted his son DEAD and GONE. As a parent. watching a father stab his OWN child in the back, well.... It's not entertaiing for me to watch. The ONLY reason I ever watched was for Jasn Morgan and to watch him be protrayed as a deadbeat father and a hypocrit does nothing for me as a viewer. Also.. Forced couples with no chemistry is a turn OFF. RUINING your lead male character is wrong on so many levels and to change his history all because someone can't carry their own storylines and needs to ride on the coat tails of another actor makes me not want to watch a show that I use to love. General Hospital can take their backstage politics and FORCED pairings with their LOW ratings and say adios to this viewer.
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched GH for over a year and half now. I stopped watching when THE people in charged did a 180 on the show and ended Jason and Elizabeth and now they refuse to allow Jason in a story in Jake. I think this was a pathetic decision on there part. I think putting Jason back with the woman who kept Jason and Elizabeth apart is the worst story ever. I have no desire to continue to watch the same repeated MOB STORIES GH continues to write. I wanted to see the 40 year old mobster grow up and be with his own family. Im sick of him chasing Michael over and over again for years now. I think Jason and Sam look like and act like overgrown teenagers who never grow up. Any normal MAN WOULD HAVE choose his SON OVER THE MOB and Im tired of him never allowed to think of JAKE. Just when I thought GH WOULD WRITE MORE WITH JASON AND JAKE THEY RIPPED THIS FROM THIS FAN. I don't want to see Jason with SAm ever again so I don't watch. I am waiting to see Liz grow up and leave loser Lucky and Jason to get his own life. But what hurts this fan is I have said this over and over to THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE AND the stories on GH stay the same. Jason has yet to say Jake's name. I think its sad. How many times has he said Michael: probable a thousand and Jake's name maybe 10 times. So unfair.
ReplyDeleteI am a 20 year viewer who is more than disappointed with the direction GH has taken for the character of Jason Morgan. This character loses more appeal each and every day that he is paired with a woman who has endangered his child. I in no way support this storyline for this character and I am no longer tuning in when this couple is on.
ReplyDeleteGH was going in a fabulous direction with Jason and Elizabeth. Now, we're back to recycled re-dos that I have no interest in watching. We're back to watching Jason devote his life to Sonny, Carly and Michael. Where is the growth for this character? I want Jason Morgan back with Elizabeth Webber and being a father to his son. That's the story I want to watch.
I am no longer watching General Hospital, I was a fan of over 30 years. I started watching with my mom. I stopped watching when GH decided backstage agenda's and personal pets came before good story telling. GH has destroyed favorite characters, completely disregarded history or changed it to suit their own bias purpose, killed off vets and destroyed everything that was good about GH. There is not one root worthy character or couple currently.
ReplyDeleteJason Morgan my favorite male lead has been utterly demolished, he used to be the hitman with a heart of gold and now because he is sleeping with a woman who has intentionally set out to harm his son, I feel not one ounce of sympathy for him. Jason used to put children first now he puts everyone and everything before his own son. Jason is no longer watchable or rootable since his hook up with the child endangering con artist currently attached to his butt.
Elizabeth my favorite female character has been written reprehensible. Elizabeth hasn 't loved Lucky since they were kids and only remarried him out of obligation. Lucky has verbally abused her at every turn. Now that JJ is back to playing the role of Lucky fans are supposed to forget all the damage and abuse he has thrust upon Elizabeth. I don't think so. Elizabeth sleeping with Nick was digusting on all levels. Nick took advantage of a broken hearted Elizabeth and Elizabeth would never sleep with Nick who she considered a brother.
Sonny's downfall was when he hooked up with Claudia another woman who hurt children but in Sonny's defense and Claudia's she did not hurt Michael on purpose and Sonny was not aware of her crimes unlike Jason who is aware of every crime his current bed buddy committed against his son.
LuLu destroys every male she hooks up with because of her constant whinning and holier than now attitude.
What was done to this history of Luke and Laura was a disgrace.
When GH starts to write for the fans of the show instead of themselves I will be back to watching ABC instead of CBS. GH needs to get back to the basic and write some "love in the afternoon" Reunite couples fans want to see like Jason and Elizabeth, the good girl and the bad mob enforcer with the heart of gold. They are a couple fans want to see fight the odds to be together. They are what true supercouples are made of. Write real stories that make sense and have a begining a middle and an end. Stop disregarding history and for the love of all things stop destroying characters to force unbelievable couples and stories.
I have been watching gh since 1999 and that is where liason became more than friends. What you've done is destroyed Liz and Jason. Jason deserves to become a family man and get to know his son and Cameron. You putting Jason with Sam again is a slapped in our face after all she did to Elizabeth and her boys and she get redeem i don't think so. Elizabeth sleep with nikolas and get dragged through the mud and this is not right. That it is why i stopped watching gh. Can you here us liason fans out and look at the ratings you are receiving and give us our Liason back they are nothing without each other. They complete each other and once you get them back you get the fans back and the ratings will sky rockets.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI quit watching when Jason and Elizabeth broke up, but the ending of that relationship was merely the last straw, not the sole reason for my departure.
ReplyDeleteAs one of the other posters said, I was fed up with the lack of continuity of the show and complete disregard of character history. Many stories were started, dropped, or changed mid-stream and I find that disrespectful of the audience and the actors who are attempting to bring a bit of authenticity to their character's actions.
I also miss the romance. It has to be believable and we have to truly want the characters to be together. There's really no one to root for right now. The only reason I have seen any current story-lines is because I still love, love, love Elizabeth Webber. Unfortunately the writers seem hell-bent on destroying her long history on the show and I find that too painful to endure.
When General Hospital STOPS ruining the history of my favorite characters and re-installs the history of these characters, I will turn back in. Backstage politics and Brian Frons needs to go, I'm sick of it. He has ruined ABC Daytime. They can take their white washing and shove it. I could see if it was someone WORTH white washing but it isn't. Ratings prove this over and over again with ratings of 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 and 1.9. What will it take for General Hospital to whake up and GIVE US BACK OUR SHOW! Instead of ruining characters and trashing them like Jason and ELizabeth, how about letting the character that has done nothing but conned and manipulated people pay for her crimes. This actress needs to go. Her un-professional and un-classy attitude gets no ratings from alot of viewers. Brian Frons and his PET need to leave. The bottom line is this: This actress can't carry a storyline and drives viewers away with her non acting abilities and telling everyone at a PA how she had Brian Frons in her back pocket and on speed dial as she trashed Steve Burton. Whake up GH!! Take the garbage out to the CURB!!!
ReplyDeleteNope I don't watch GH currently. My reason is the OOC writing for both Jason and Liz this past year. Its beyond unbelievable how they've been written and this fan of over 30 years could not take it anymore. The writing for GH has been horrible and when you cannot get behind a characters motivations and reasons for behaving OOC then the writers have failed. It has made this fan turn off a show that I've watched faithfuly for many years. I just refuse to watch them trash characters I've watched since they began the show. Jason especially has been horribly trashed. You will never convince this fan that the real JM would EVER hand over his son to Lucky to raise! Or believe that HE could not protect his child! Sorry that is unbelievable. Also the forgiving of SAM after her HEINOUS actions towards his ONLY CHILD! IS UNREAL and WAY OOC for Jason, not buying it never will! JM has been trashed badly and for what? Its certainly not won him any fans that is for sure! Oh and the trashing of Liz.. unreal! she would NEVER sex up Nik... been told all through their history that nik has wanted HER at times but she was NEVER into him at all! So to have her bedding him and using Lucky was SO Utterly OOC. STOP trashing characters and making them so OOC! That has been my biggest problem with GH for over a year now.
ReplyDeleteJason was growing and not being Sonny's whipping boy when he was with Liz. Give him back his growth and let him have his family! THAT would be the only SL that would bring this fan back to watching GH again.
Wow! So many posts! I'll add my two cents (for what it's worth). I have been watching GH since the 80's. I am still watching, but probably more out of the hope that it will actually get better than anything else. There have been brief moments of it, but then it is gone...I find myself hittng the FF button more and more. I was a Liz and Lucky fan, but then Lucky "died" and Liz moved on and I became a Laison fan. Through SB leaving the show, then returning, then leaving, then returning, I held onto the idea of Liason. When they finally gave us Liason, they destroyed it. Now we get Niz, and my finger automatically hits the FF button. I liked JaSam the first time around, but there is no way that the Jason that we all know would ever have forgiven Sam, so now if they are on the screen, I FF. I used to love Jason, Sonny, Carly- now I FF through all scenes with them. Loved Dante and Lante, but after they FINALLY had sex, it has all been whining about putting Sonny away and getting Michael out and my finger itches to FF (I have resisted the temptation so far). I agree that the stories are too dark, that they are inconsistent and that new characters are brought on just to disappear for weeks at a time (months in Matt's case), and then who cares when they finally reappear? The toxic ball story was beyond bizarre. The Franco story at least started out promising, but then crashed and burned and now we have to go through it all over again. As someone who works in the Criminal Justice field, I cannot tell you how much I hated that whole trial and this whole prison storyline. The only authentic part of the story is, unfortunately, the beating and rape. But who the heck wants to see that (even if only implied) during daytime TV? I disagree that they need to bring the veterans back. I think it is way too late for that and they would just wind up screwing it up anyway. What they need to do is stop brining on more characters and actually develop the characters they have but are not utilizing. Brooklyn can go back to Brooklyn- the bad accent is annoying as hell (oddly, Rena Sofer's Lois' accent never bothered me. The bad Lois wannabe recast was beyond annoying.) and Brookyn can take Lisa with her. No matter how much they try to develop her, Lisa is a worthless character. Figures they actually develop the character none of us can stand! Okay, I could go on forever, but I will stop there. Thanks for letting me vent!
ReplyDeleteI would love to get a LIASON to balence out the SAD storylines we are getting these days!TIIC can write a great love story if they wanted to WHATS up with them NOT given fans what THEY want to watch instead of CRAPOLA we are getting with a couple who is sucking the life ouyt of this soap...JASAM SUCK EOC
ReplyDeleteI no longer watch GH and my reasons are many. First, would be the writing for ALL women on the show. It seems the tptb have forgotten the majority of their audience is women ,yet there are NO strong women on GH. They are thrown under the bus for the men on canvas.They are only there to "serve" the men and when written for are weak, whores, cons, liars, and manipulators. Case in point, Carly , a grown women, seeking revenge on her niece and Dante who did NOTHING wrong. Where are s/l's for women about strong independant women who can stand on their own two feet and do not have to be ruined to prop the men on canvas? Second, would be the fact there is NO ROMANCE OR LOVE. Sleaze doesnt' cut it. GH does not invest in couples anymore. They no longer know how to write for them. If they do it will be all about THIRD PARTY angst and triangles. Been there done that. How about real storylines. How about keeping a couple together and letting them survive the odds. Third, GH thinks nothing of lying and manipulating and trying to REWRITE history. Writers insult my intelligence on a daily basis with the flips and flops they have the characters doing. All it has done is RUIN all the characters. Best example would be Jason Morgan. He has been turned into a joke the last year and a half. They wrote him OOC to the point he is unwatchable. The mobster with a set of ethics and morals was destroyed right before my eyes for NO REASON other than favoritism and "a pet" wanting a pairing back. This pairing has gone on to SINK GH to record lows , yet they are continuing on like it is "ok". Fans do NOT forget the past and all they do is turn fans off with their BLANTANT rewrites and pimping.
ReplyDeleteProblem my biggest complaint is the violence and how GH is ALL about the mob. Where is the hospital in General Hospital?
The violence against children is what really did me in. Not only are the majority of viewers women , but MOTHERS. Shooting Mikey in the head, Jake being kidnapped two times, Krissy's abuse storyline and NOW a teen male rape storyline. When is enough going to be enough. GH is too dark, depressing, and vile to watch anymore. Not only that but the storylines serve no purpose for character growth. They are truly pointless. In fact, writing for character growth and integrity has been replaced to write for PETS, plot points and agenda.
GH is NOT for the fans anymore.
It is for TPTB and THEIR agenda.
When fans are NO LONGER invested and totally apathetic about the characters they have been lost for good and that is where GH stands
TPTB need to realize the current storylines and stunts such as James Franco do NOT work.
Fans want the GH of old. Sadly with Brian Frons and JFP in charge that will never happen cause they do NOT respect the soap genre and only care about their pets. Then you add in Guza who ONLY cares about the mob and his pets, like JJ, GH is sure to fail. No one has enough guts to do what needs to be done to turn GH back into the soap it used to be. Where love, romance, adventure, drama, angst, families, and friendships where the basis not Sonny Corinthos.
Shame to say , but at this point I do NOT see myself watching GH every again and I am ok with that . Young and The Restless is a far better soap. TPTB at GH should take lessons
The GH of now is so dark and depressing, I can't watch. For me, ever since the story of Jason & Elizabeth was cut short, for no good reason, it's not worth it. This was a couple worth rooting for. Jason & Elizabeth are just better together. What really floors me is that this couple has so many fans out there who have wanted this story for over a decade but, TPTB just don't seem to care. Ratings have been steadily falling & yet what the fans want is ignored. Why should I & many other faithful fans invest in a show where backstage politics & pets reign suprmeme? I hope that someone in charge realizes that the long time fans matter before it's too late for GH.
ReplyDeleteI have given up on GH. In fact, other than Wubs and maintaining an email relationship with some great people I've met online, I have washed my hands of GH. There are
ReplyDeleteso many reasons why but I will just hit on the major ones in this post.
1). The continual lazy writing. Storylines are dropped with no explanation...no resolution...no follow-through. LAZY!!!!!
Storylines are plot-driven with scant attention to history or any kind of build-up.
2. Lack of romance. And, no...i'm not talking about sex. The reason I used to watch soaps was romance with action and intrigue sprinkled in for balance. I liked when Jason and Elizabeth began a relationship. The reason why is because of the good girl/"bad" guy element. They also have a rich history together. It was the beginning of the end for me when the writers pulled Jason and Liz apart. I was disgusted that such a promising storyline with so much potential was yanked away from viewers who had started to invest themselves in that couple.
3). Depressing and violent storylines. It's a pathetic "Sopranos" wanna-be and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of seeing Sonny, Jason, Carly and Michael. I'm tired of watching Jason baby-sit Michael while his own biological son is forgotten about. And all that b.s. about Jason can't be around kids is completely negated when he is often surrounded by Kristina and Molly. Not to mention going to that idiotic carnival .... With a gun no-less! Um...carnivals generally attract children.
4). There is not one person to root for now. The writers have turned Liz into a caricature by having her doing her fiancée's brother. Every story has its heroine and someone to root for. I can't think of anybody I even care about on that show anymore.
And for those who are tired of the Jason/Liz Jason/Sam wars, I'm tired of it too. As a fan of Jason and Liz I can tell you that Frons and Guza have created that monster and have gotten some sort of cheap thrills from this "fan war" but most of the Liason fans aren't playing the game anymore. I'm not. It's so not worth the energy.
Stopped watching GH for probably the last time at the end of '08, when the story I'd been watching for oer ten year was abruptly ended for no logical reason. Jason and Elizabeth were the long relationship I'd followed for years, and now the two co-exist in a town the size of a postage stamp without ever seeing each other. Terrible. Nothing about the upside-downy-world where Sonny and Carly's sick, violent, criminal activities are acceptable intrigues me. Young and the Restless and As the World Turns are 100 times better.
ReplyDeleteWow, there sure seem to be a lot of unhappy GH fans, along with me, willing to watch if the show would only return to what made it great in the first place. I'm still in the coveted demo, but I've been watching since just before Luke & Laura's wedding. You know- the best time for GH. There were families. Married couples in love. Lovers. Schemers. The WSB. There were characters like Luke who were good, in a non-law-abiding kind of way. Yes, he hurt Laura, no argument here. But their story was told as a love story. Robert & Holly, Luke & Laura, Sean & Tiffany, Frisco & Felicia- think back to their adventures. Fast forward to Jason & Sam looking for Anthony in Florida or Spinelli in California. Not quite the same quality, is it?
ReplyDeleteWe saw the Spencer family, the Quartermaines. We knew them. Loved them. Christmas at the hospital. Thanksgiving with the Q's getting pizza year after year. Who among us didn't want Lila as their own grandmother? She was, for me, the very best of GH. Strong but loving, sees through your crap but loves you unconditionally. There's absolutely no one like that now. No one.
I guess what I miss most is turning on my tv and knowing who the character really is. I don't mean I don't know their name, it's that their personalities have all changed dramatically. Luke- he loved Laura & Lucky/Lulu.Now we found out he'd been having affairs & fathered Ethan while married. Jason after the accident was dangerous, reckless, the guy everyone feared. Yet we saw him with baby Michael and Elizabeth- he was caring. Sonny was the powerful businessman, head of the mob, yet a charmer. Now? Sam came on as a con. She cheated, lied & slept with whomever got her a better deal. Now she's the next Mother Theresa. Elizabeth came on as a spirited young girl, was raped, eventually became a loving mother & good nurse. Now look how she's been written in the last year, everyone calling her a whore (and worse) in public.
Lucky went from being written as a stupid cop, mob hater & sometime father to being Father of the Year, bff with Jason and Best Detective Ever all by bringing in JJ. Need I go on?
I've been around a long time, lived through many pairings I didn't like, saw many breakups I never wanted to see, but I stuck around because of my love for the characters. When I look at the screen now, I say 'who IS this because the (__) that I know wouldn't do that ever. Not one character. Not one couple. The whole cast is like that. And THAT is why I refuse to watch GH. But I'd LIKE to come back.
It's just too much of the same old same old. 24/7 mob central while it's tolerable as part of a story not all the time-please deliver us from that.
ReplyDeleteThe prison s/l --no way it's even more depressing.
carly and her revenge--WTF is that about.
Give Elizabeth her backbone back and have her kick those two morons to the curb. I loved her with Jason but he is hard to stomach now but she could bring some actual life into his character god knows he needs it. Lucky isn't a hero he is a serial cheater and a whiner like his sister Lulu. Nic well give him to someone else.
Too many old & new useless characters never say a word what is the point of that-none.
Franco s/l stupid the first time-even stupider the second--unless he goes after Jason's Morgan's 'real' family not that fake bunch--that would set him back on his heels and make him rethink and regroup. If Franco knows all about his 'hero' he has to know about his son, Cam and Elizabeth. Or let him kill Sam or Carly either works for me.
I don't actually watch the show I only catch Elizabeth scenes on YT the others I can live without-I stopped watching when I realized they were going the second kidnapping way and have only tuned in for the two brief scenes Liason had together.
They have the poorest cast integration of any soap I've ever watched--4 characters do not a soap opera make.MB & LW are huge over actors.
A little (good) romance for mature characters is always good-no redo sex.
Their ratings are down for a reason the show isn't worth wasting an hour every afternoon.
I watch, but I'm hanging by a thread. I think habit has more to do with it than any enjoyment or loyalty.
ReplyDeleteI was a dedicated Tony Geary fan and loved the Luke character, most particularly with Genie Francis' Laura. I hung around even after I began to hate the show because of the overexposure of mob, Sonny, Carly, and the total overturn of morality. I hung around for my favorite actor.
Then came the destruction of Luke. I used to love his witticisms, his total faithful love of his girl, his adventurous spirit, his social uncertainty. He was unique in soaps, a one-woman-man. That gave him appeal any woman could appreciate!
But Luke's history has been totally destroyed now, he is no longer clever and witty, no longer the guy who was heroic but fallible. Today he is just a pathetic, parasitic, drunken goof. Having him marry Tracy made for a funny few scenes, but to declare now that she is his true love, his soulmate--no, no. Saddling him with a son he could only have by cheating on Laura? Emphatically NO!
Perhaps it is time for Geary to retire before his great legacy is buried forever.
To me, it is sheer panic that is driving TPTB to keep bringing on these short term guest stars, even when they are GH vets. When we know someone is only going to be there for three or four weeks, why should we care? How can we get invested? I would love to see Tristan or Genie back, but not short term. Either put them on the payroll or don't bother. I hate the way these 'guest' stories push aside on-going stories, how favorites and top actors such as Nancy Grahn are backburnered for some lame story with some 'temporary', just to see if the ratings can be pumped up for a day or so. I hated the whole Franco thing--would much rather have seen a good story for a regular like Mac or Steve. And now we must put up with more of him, with more stories interrupted for him.
Bringing on new people constantly isn't necessary--it is actually counter-productive. So often they arrive, have a few good days and seem to disappear, usually because the unholy trio need all the airtime!
And with that we come to the biggest problem and one every poster seems to have mentioned. Too much mob, TOO MUCH SONNY. We might have once liked the character (I never did but I concede some may have), but his over-exposure has corrupted the show, paralyzed it on some level. I don't hate Bernard, but I must say if I never see him again, I wouldn't mind. I'm tired of his mannerisms, his speech patterns, his body language--I've seen way too much of it all. And I hate his murderous egomaniacal character. He wore out his welcome long ago when they went to the 5 days a week of Sonny schedule. Carly is almost as bad. She has learned nothing from her mistakes and is tedious and unlikable in the extreme.
Letting Guza continue to live his fantasy of being Tarantino writing the 'Godfather'--BIG, BIG mistake. The fans have had their fill and are dropping out like flies. The actors on this show are some of the best in daytime, really superb talents. We can't fault them at all. But the direction the writing has taken in the last decade--for shame.
On OLTL, Todd Manning loves his children, even when he threw his pregnant teenage daughter down a flight of stairs. There is one thing about this man who raped his victim twice over a fifteen year time period, he would, never, ever, not keep his word to kill her if she harmed his children. I lost all respect for Jason Morgan the day he did not keep his word to kill the woman that tried to kill his baby son, twice.
ReplyDeleteI love Liz, but the TPTB write crappy story lines of her being with Zander, a man who used a date rape drug, then gave birth to his child. Disgusting. Liz is a young heroine and should be written as such, not bed hopping between two brothers, when she would never, ever sleep with Nicholas.
Lucky and Liz should have been featured in Kristina's abuse story line, since their relationship has been both mental, verbal and physically abusive - case in point, he caused her to fall twice while pregnant and almost shot her while strung out on pills in an alley.
Where are the GH vets? Monica, Bobbie, Edward and Audrey?
Sonny and his supersperm needs to be put out to pasture along with a vasectomy.
MyKill should have died when he was carrot top.
Ethan should have been a Scorpio and Robin's brother, not another dead beat Spencer.
Luke has far lived past his prime and should be sent to the old soap graveyard, with a nine hour across his head.
Where is Laura? She needs to come home and beat the crap out of Lulu!
Carly is a Ho ho ho.
I like MANY of the posters have stopped watching GH. I started watching with the Frisco & Flecia story. Romance,danger,angst and happiness - they had it all. This is what I was desperate to see for the Jason and Elizabeth characters. They are an amazing couple to watch together and could have the BEST story to tell. Instead the story is dropped without truth to the chatacters to prop couples that don't work!
ReplyDeleteI hate that the writers have forgotten that soap fans love their characters and the continuity of those characters.
Jason being with the woman he once threatened to kill for endangering children and the woman he loved is so out of character! His pairing now is also very juvinile and sleezy. Why do we always have to be told by children (Molly) how in love Jason and Sam are? GH was a show that catered to all age groups, not just the horny teens who aparently need to be told, repeatedly, what is love. By the way, not a great example of love either. Sam has no substance other than as Jasons cheerleader, waitress and booty call. She was better when she was a bit evil, at least she had a sense of purpose.
The show has no pay off! Stories are continually dropped without resolution. I don't trust the writers to tell a complete story so why invest.
They seem to see sleeze as rommance, violence as drama and repeated stories as "never before done in daytime."
Writing this is also as disapointing as the show because even though many feel the same way I do, and have voiced their opinions (here,in polls,letters and calls), fans are not heard by the powers in charge.
It is sad because that hour a day that I use to watch GH was pure escape and pleasure. I couldn't wait to see how a story ended, to be blown away by the twist or fall in love with a truely root for couple. GH is none of that anymore. Violence, sleeze, lack of character growth, juvinile behavior by characters that you wanted to see grow and most of all lack of any worth while stories!
If by some miricle these comments make a difference - GIVE US BACK A REAL SOAP!
Haven't watched in over a year. The name should be changed to General Mob. That's what the show is centered around. Even if there happens to be some type of crisis at the hospital - guess who's at the center of it - yup, the mob. It would also be nice to see a family and couple in tact. They destroyed the Quartermaines who were always entertaining. They also managed to ruin two of the best characters in daytime. Jason and Elizabeth were incredible together, but I still watched when they weren't. UNTIL.... Jason's character is unrecognizable and Liz is just being written ridiculous. For a fan that has watched for over 30 years I'm sick of the repetitive stories and the destruction of some of my favorite relationships including Liz with Nik as almost brother and sister.
ReplyDeleteThe only way I'd come back at this point is for Liz and Jason to REALLY be given a chance and written well. I doubt the writers are that creative anymore because to redeem Jason at this point, the past year needs to be someone's dream - no, nightmare.
And yes, I still check boards in hopes of some sign that things have changed.
WOW...lots of comments, thanks so much. I should print them all out and send them to TPTB or TIIC. :)
ReplyDeleteI stopped watching when Jason got with his current bed partner without any explanation as to WHY. He broke up with Elizabeth, NOT because he did NOT love her, but because of the danger he thought/thinks he can not protect her and Jake and Cam from and yet he is sleeping with one of those dangers...It made no sense to me, so I wanted an explanation. Same with Elizabeth. It was a mutual breakup, so I have no problem with them moving on but she was OVER Lucky. Then out of nowhere she wants both brothers? and now she obsessively loves Lucky again? Since when? ALL I WANTED was explanantions. SHOW me why/when i.e TELL the story and I'll follow even if I don't like the couples because at least it makes some sort of sense. Instead I got horrible attempts at erasing bits of the past by pretending it didn't happen or happened differently than shown. I couldn't get behind that. Nor could I tolerate not being able to recognize my favorite characters anymore, and it was NOT just Jason/Elizabeth/Liason. They were just the start, or rather, final straw. I figured since I no longer recognized my favs that I had watched forever and there were all these newbies I had no reason to care about I might as well be watching a different soap all together, and so I did...Days Of Our Lives.
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched regularly for a year and a half. I think I've only seen five full episodes in that time. My first disillusionment happened when they broke up Jason and Elizabeth. They are a very romantic and exciting couple and I got tired of the show yanking their love story away. Gradually the show broke up most of my other favorite couples except for Robin and Patrick and I got tired of it.
ReplyDeleteThe show seems to feature mostly sleazy relationships now and while I have liked the mob characters in the past, they have taken over the show. There's just no variety.
The hospital should be featured more, and it's a travesty that the show has pretty much decimated the Quartermaines as a core family. They're a fantastic soap family that should be utilized. I will never understand why they got rid of Ned and Dillon and killed of Alan and Emily. It makes no sense.
In fact, when most characters leave the show it's usually through violence. How about sending them on vacation, to school, or have them move.
There's also a constant influx of new characters. It's ridiculous. And when new characters are introduced, they often take over the show. Also, when they have recasted, they often try to whitewash characters, which is silly because viewers remember show history.
I just got tired of all of the above and more. If the show were fixed and favorite couples of mine like Jason and Elizabeth were brought back I would watch again.
I am not very good with words, but this speaks as to why I have stopped watching:
ReplyDeleteJill Farren Phelps, in her interview entitled "James Franco's Upcoming General Hospital Appearance Explained" with Michelle Kung of Speakeasy in the Wall Street Journal, stated when asked about the cancellation of Guiding Light, that "...if people have been watching something for 70 years, it has value. Stories of love and life and family will go on forever." Viewers of GH have been longing for exactly that, a return to a GH with love and life and family-a return to a soap opera that is historically fluid and correct, that includes characters whose behaviors make sense and are in keeping with their history that involves multiple characters and evolves into multi-layered, entertaining, romantic, creative, exciting storylines.
Sadly, very little of that has occurred over the past year and it has been even more evident recently. One fan stated, "It would have been great to see Anna and Robert come back to celebrate Emma's first birthday (Patrick and Robin's child). Add Matt and Maxie to that guest list and that would have been a nice family moment." However, the day of Emma Scorpio-Drake's birthday was also the day that a young Michael Corinthos killed his step-mother shortly after his mother, whom his step-mother had kidnapped, delivered his baby sister. Where is the example of love and life and family here?
Apparently, viewers have become disgruntled to the point of not even watching GH, as evidenced by the falling ratings. Unfortunately, while Ms. Phelps seems to understand that these viewers want a soap opera with love and life and family, she is either unwilling or unable to fulfill those desires. Viewers are tired of watching characters they have grown up with, or watched grow up, written as complete strangers or with no emotional depth or growth.
The Sonny Corinthos character is consistently and mundanely written as dark, depressed and self-destructive, aside from the small amount of time he was paired with Kate Howard, his first love. At that time, Sonny seemed brighter and more hopeful; many viewers thought after 15 years of virtually the same Sonny, fresh, new stories with growth and development were on the horizon. They were sadly mistaken.
Elizabeth Webber is another example of a character that has become completely unrecognizable to many viewers. After watching the recent GH promo featuring Liz, Nik and Lucky, one viewer stated, "Will someone explain to me when Liz has ever done something as vile/degrading/disgusting as this? I have watched every second Liz has been on this show and there is no way she would be doing this." To have Elizabeth once again falling into the comfortable, easy, emotionally obligation-riddled, non-romantic relationship with Lucky after the courthouse scene with Jason is not out-of-character.
To have Elizabeth suddenly, and for no reason and with no romantic emotion, become so entranced with the brother of her ex- and now soon to be again- husband that she sleeps with him, while leaving her injured son at the hospital, then repeatedly daydream about him is not only unbelievable, but it is demeaning to the many long-time fans of GH that 'know' Elizabeth Webber. Another fan observed, "If the writers have to twist a character this much just to tell a story, then either they are completely incompetent or they simply aren't doing their job."
Not only are the characters stagnant and/or completely out of character, but the storylines themselves have virtually no emotional believability or substance. One specific example features one of the male leads, Jason Morgan. This character has gone from being a beloved mobster, an enforcer with a heart of gold, which many fans endowed with integrity, honor, loyalty, methodical/logical intelligence, and an ability to have a specific, proportionate response to most events to becoming a simplistic, irrational, reprehensible, emotionally erratic hypocrite.
Cont:
ReplyDeleteMs. Phelps, in her interview with Michelle Kung of *Speakeasy*, stated that "we certainly pay attention to what the fans say. There was once an old-timer in the business who said, "If they're mad, that's good, they're watching." Sometimes you have to take into account that the thing that people say they don't like, is the same thing that's keeping them glued to the set."
Sadly, GH has gone well beyond the point of creating stories that have people mad, but glued to the set. With the dramatic fall in the ratings, long-time fans, some who have watched GH for 20 years or more, have been letting management know that they have quit watching, why, and what it would take for GH to get them back as regular viewers.
These very fans are not mad while they continue to watch, they are apathetic and have quit watching. Obviously, this is *not* good. They have become apathetic due to the lack of compelling storylines and the out-of-character behavior of beloved characters. Gone are the days when management can say that viewership is high and any buzz is good buzz. Jill Farren Phelps, along with the rest of management, needs to pay attention to what the viewers are truly saying.
I became hooked on GH during the Sonny/Brenda storyline. A couple like that has never been duplicated on ANY soap for me since then. Sonny's character back then was so well written and you could root for him even though you knew what he was doing was wrong. You could tell that he wanted to be a better person because of Brenda and you could feel him struggling with how to deal with both worlds. GH almost came close when they started the Liason pairing (which is the only thing that really kept me tuned in after Brenda "died"). After the abrupt ending with no apparant reason of that couple, I had nothing left to really invest in. Other than Robin and Patrick there is not one couple who's relationship has anything at all to do with "LOVE". GH has done nothing since then but insult my intelligence.
ReplyDeleteI have not watched Gh since they broke Jason and Elizabeth and ruined a lot of my favorite characters. It is utterly disgusting to hear what's going on with GH. A total overhaul is needed. Frons, Guza and the other executives have ruined and caused this long time viewer off. What happened to romance in the afternoon> Now Gh has turned into a violentt hour of sleaze.
ReplyDeleteFronz and Guza, Bring Back Jason and Elizabeth - "Liason". This sleazefest got to stop. It does not work. You want GH's ratings to go back up, bring back the old GH.
ReplyDeleteNo I don't watch GH. Stopped 2 years ago because I was tired of getting my chains yanked by the writers and as a fan felt insulted by the constant re-writes and characters being written out of character. So if they don't care why should I watch? I was tired of the mob-centered obsession this show seems to have. I used to love it by now it's incredibly skewed way of writing where the mob effects every aspect of the show and it's honestly dumb and not realistic. (Yes I get it's a soap but doesn't mean it's smart writing)
ReplyDeleteWhat I also don't like or appreciate is the incredibly misogynistic view of woman this show has. It's scary and insulting and I'm only a 22 year old woman. Apparently a woman who cheats on her fiance is considered a whore and compared to an animal and branded an adulterer by the whole town while the men get away and excused away for cheating?? I don't think so. The "good girls" of the show get trashed on with a flip of a switch and made look stupid when the conniving most manipulative opportunistic nasty and actual "slutty" woman of the show get praised and white washed. It's not what I want to watch. No thanks.
And last but not least a couple I was actually rooting for and had THE most potential before they even got started got ripped apart for unknown reasons and that would be Jason and Elizabeth. I called, wrote in fought so much for them and it was such a waste of time knowing the end result. I feel the writers used and discarded the fans of this pairing and I felt jipped and slapped in the face. It was completely unfair how they wrote for this couple, they were never given a fair chance and now knowing how LONG fans have waited for these two to get together (which I wasn't aware of at the time) they deserve a fair chance at a story. I wasn't even aware what a big fanbase this couple had and to see the way the show treated this pairing AND the fanbase who has been very patient and loyal is rather disturbing and arrogant IMHO. I lost respect for the show and the writers. The fans deserve better then that and so do the actors. GH doesn't respect the fans fairly I won't watch the show.
Until I see a change in the writing and the show actually LISTENING to fans I will watch. But as of now, no way. No thanks. I want my pairing back! And I want my show back!
I just wanted a Liason love story. Watched the characters from the beginning. Watched the friendship. Watched them in other relationships. Thought I was finally getting what I had been waiting for. Now, all I see is the same old same old. Sonny and Carly repeating the same exact patterns of the past how many years. And this whole Mikey thing is crazy. And, of course, my two favorite characters are unrecognizable to me. And I don't have the time or desire to get invested any of the newbies. So, I will just stay not watching until the last week the show is on before cancellation - similar to GL and soon to be ATWT.
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying all of these postings, although there does seem to be a lot of unhappy Jason/Elizabeth fans and a lot of folks who say they no longer watch, but depend on what they read on various blogs. I have never been much into vicarious experience so I can't attest to that. I also wonder about the number of folks who can't seem to find a name...Oh well, whatever....
ReplyDeleteI became a huge GH fan when I lived in the states. I live overseas now and I used to wait up until clips were posted on the net. It was all about Liz and Jason. There was so much potential there. She´s a Webber, he´s a Quartermain (well, you know what I mean) and they´ve always had an amazing chemistry and such a rich history. I was so invested in their storyline, the writting was great (even though it was basically 2 min scenes every other month) and then suddenly, out of nowhere, the Russians knew about Liz and Jason, kidnap Jake and they are over. HUGE slap in the face.
ReplyDeleteEver since then they´ve both been written out of character IMO. The writers keep making up stutns to have peaks in the ratings and have no regard for history, the characters or the viewers.
I no longer wait up to watch the show, most days I don´t even watch it. I just surf the spoilers waiting for some hint that the writers will smart up and bring back Liz and Jason, or at least, start writting for the characters with some regard to their history. Pretending like they never knew each other doesn´t cut it for me.
Oh and by the way, not everyone likes to watch the Sonny/Dante Carly/Lulu Jason/and everyone´s offsprings but his own- show.
I know I don´t.
I watch General Hospital on days that Elizabeth is on, otherwise I delete it. I am not pleased with her storyline, but she's my favorite character and it's difficult to give up a habit after 12 years of watching. I loved GH in the late 90's up until 2003 and then I only watched for the character of Elizabeth. The writing has gone downhill since Brian Frons took over ABC Daytime. Look at all the ABC soaps and you see his handiwork. The writing is plot points, not plot driven. The mob doesn't even get good stories anymore. I miss the family interaction. I used to like Sonny and Brenda, Robin and Stone, Jason and Robin, Lucky and Elizabeth and even Jason and Elizabeth until Zander and Courtney entered the picture. I haven't liked any couple on GH since 2002. That's sad. I'd love Nikolas and Elizabeth if the writing for them was better and they'd actually get to be a couple. Tyler and Becky have alot of chemistry, in my opinion, but the writing was against Nikolas and Elizabeth. The actors and actresses on GH are much better at their jobs than the powers that be and writers are at theirs, in my opinion. ABC just doesn't care about its programming to do things to improve its shows like the Y&R and Days of Our Lives executives did to improve theirs.
ReplyDeleteI have not watched GH since the end of 2008, by then my ONLY reason for watching was the story of Jason and Elizabeth and perhaps the Q's. The story I was waiting to be told and waiting patiently I might say – well my patience ran out. Why this show threw away a chance at super couple gold is just impossible to understand. By then the stories had already become recycled to the point of having already happened as recently as a few months before. It appeared that the writers didn't even try to hide it. I watched GH for almost 30 years because of the great, riveting and character driven stories that managed to include the entire canvas and where the characters stayed true to their morals, their codes and their integrity. Port Charles was a community of people who know each other.
ReplyDeleteNowadays it’s the same characters that are involved with the same stories, over and over. This show used to involve the entire cast with stories that involved more then the 4 chosen characters that this show continues to showcase to the extent of over exposure. The stories used to involve the WHOLE canvas, not just the chosen few. Stories used to be somewhat believable, couples used to be believable, and stories used to be gripping and exciting, not so much anymore. Most stories now a days only involve violence, misery and pain for all, even children and young adults. Not to mention being recycled from just a year or so ago. Too much mob, too much violence, too much unbelievable and we get enough of that with real life and don’t need to see it in our entertainment also. It’s become sickening and unwatchable.
I feel like the politics that go on backstage at this once great show have driven what was once the best show in daytime into the ground and I am offended that ABC has allowed the very same people who already had a track record for ruining soaps be the ones to do it. Both Brian Frons and Jill F Phelps have negative pasts with regards to the soaps they were in charge of prior to being at ABC/GH. I am also very offended by being ignored and looked over like so many longtime viewers. Where do you think those thousands of viewers lost have gone. Like myself they have left, not to return after being used and abused for years.
I am one of the people in the age groups that Mr. Frons has very publicly stated he doesn't care about with regards to my opinion. I am "too old" to count. What the man fails to realize is that soap fans are not won they are inherited. Soaps are passed on by generations. Grandmothers watched GH, their daughters watch and then their daughters, daughters watch. Well that is being destroyed by this current regime by !) not listening to the longtime viewers and 2) by destroying, changing or ignoring history (both the show and the characters histories) The longtime viewers know the show and know the characters and what those characters would and wouldn’t do. Most characters in recent years are doing and saying things that they NEVER ever would, period.
General Hospital has lost fans by the hundreds of thousands since 2008 and they CAN’T say it’s because of the genre dying. Take a look at Young and the Restless’ numbers/ratings. Their show is compelling, RESPECTS ITS HISTORY and they write character driven stories that utilize the entire cast – veterans included (and not just for “special occasions”).
I no longer watch GH because they don't deserve me as a viewer anymore. After all I am the customer aren’t I? And to be ignored, well…
Count me in the "not watching club." For me it was the shift from character driven stories to plot point driven stories. I still check in on the net to see if I find anything interesting and want to return to watching but have yet to see it. I was actually appalled last week when I read that Jason got himself sent to jail for Michael but Helena is sniffing around Elizabeth (which means Jake) and it doesn't even matter? I LOVED Jason, he was my favorite, but when they turned him into a character I didn't recognize my simmering distaste for the show grew to a boil. HE'll do anything for Sonny's kids but not his own? Horrid. But Jason's character is merely an example of the overall problem which affected to many characters I once enjoyed and I ultimately turned the TV off. Putting it most simply, the show used to have Oprah like writing driven by characters, now it has Jerry Springer writing driven by a desire to bring in younger viewers and it has sacrificed a once great show. FYI, this is coming from someone in their desired demographic. I think they are painfully out of touch with what they THINK we want on our screens.
ReplyDeleteLike many others, my main issue is not enough romance and WAY TOO MUCH MOB. The show should not be based around 3 people. There are a lot of characters I would like to see. To have 3 be main players and EVERYONE ELSE be backburners is BS!!
ReplyDeleteThey have ruined many characters as well. I am talking Sam, Liz, Jason, Lucky, (soon to be) Patrick, Luke (who is never on), Lulu, Olivia, Michael, and I can go on and on.
I was a Liason fan, as many on here were/are and having them not together was just the beginning of this mess for me.
They are recycling old stories and throwing away other stories, that aren't mob related. How are we supposed to invest in a story when it only shown 1 day a week, if that?
Now, I am an avid DOOL fan as well and they are utilizing many stories together and all the characters are getting in on the action, including some major vets. They are also bringing back a lot of beloved characters, if even for a little while!
If GH would quit ruining the characters and stories, I would be invested 100%. Now I DVR daily but can honestly say I FF through 95% of the show. Soon, I will quit DVRing it all together.
I have been watching GH almost from the very beginning, off and on at times. I really don't like seeing the hate that viewers have for certain characters, but to say I dislike the Sonny Show is an understatement. The character hasn't grown or improved at all over the years, yet he continues to monopolize the show. Can you imagine any of us interacting in real life with someone like Jason, who has killed people? Yet he is always the hero and sympathetic one. We get a tease of an adult, amusing romance between Alexis and Mac for about 5 minutes. Sonny and Kate had a really interesting, intelligent relationship even if they were mismatched, but that had to die also. We had to suffer through a year of Michael recuperating emotionally from his shooting, and now we have the even more delightful trauma of rape for him to deal with. I really like Dante and thought that the addition of a decent, historically related character was a good thing, but he is also being tweaked and hated for doing the right thing. The writers still cannot figure out what to write for the gorgeous, immensely talented Robin Christopher, yet they tease us with her comeback. I could go on and on but I will still probably watch the show, but not happily.
ReplyDeleteI'll try to hit a few more adds for you but the show blows! It's ALL ABOUT SONNY!!! And I hate Sonny. I started watching 10 years ago and I can't believe how much the show has changed. Lucy, Felcia, Bobbie and Laura use to have story lines! The show was diverse and exciting and funny and not mob crazy. Such a disappointment. At one time or another I watched all 4 ABC soaps (at the same time) now I can't stand any of them. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they canceled them all. And while I'd feel horrible for all the actors and crew I think everyone should be put out of their misery
ReplyDeleteI have been watching since 1979, with a four-year break in the late 80's to watch Santa Barbara (the best soap there ever was). I came back to GH when I heard Nancy Lee Grahn was going to be on. And, I fell in love with GH all over again.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I have stopped watching since last year. I keep up with you blog, just to see if I should come back. I tune in occassionally to the show to see if I should come back. Nothing has inspired me to watch again. In fact, when I do check in, all I see are more reasons why I should stay away.
As many others have already stated, the lack of passion, romance, hope, fun and laughter is completely gone. I hate the mob and all their propping. I hate that women are treated like stupid whores. I hate the non-stop violence and and plot-driven "sweeps stunts."
I tuned in the other day just to see if I could watch and the first thing I saw was Kristina (a character I do like) telling Nikolas how "ut was so unfair what Michael is going through." It sickened me. The guy took an axe handle and bashed in the skull of a woman and it's "unfair" that he goes to jail for it??!! It's sickening, backwards reasoning and I am so fed up with it.
I have been watching GH since I was a kid and I don't think I'll ever stop. However, that doesn't mean I think it's all that either.
ReplyDeleteFor several years now the show has lost a lot continuity and has many going nowhere plots and character's. The mob stuff is stupid and overdone.
It's hard to be on board for any couple, because no one stays together for more then few weeks w/out unrealistic issues.
On the bright side, the actors make the show and all of them are very strong. If I didn't love these characters I wouldn't watch. The plots often loose steam or don't make much sense, but somehow these actors make me believe and still give a crap. That's why I watch GH!
I use to watch the show, but not any more!
ReplyDeleteLets face it we watch soaps to escape. Everyone knows going into becoming a loyal follower that some of the stories are going to be ridiculous. However, if you loved the characters in the story and felt the story was told with a beginning, middle and end you were hooked. Even if the outcome wasn't what you wanted. If the story was well written and the characters actions explained you stayed commited.
Soaps were also predictable to a degree. You had the evil or "bad" character who you could always count on to cause trouble in such a way that they usually got away with it. I loved these characters! They usually were the most fun to watch and eventually as they grew, they sometimes became better people. You also always had the "good" characters and you rarely messed with them. They stayed good unless something awful happened. They were the people you always cried for.
Well, GH has nothing! The characters who were in the mob but had a moral code are gone. They have become selfish and dark. The once great characters on the show have been turned into characters I don't care about or root for.
Stories that could have been told with a lesson (date abuse)are dropped and then turned into a pathetic prop for the mob again.
GH, do us all a favor and pull a Dallas. Make these past 2 years all someones terrible nightmare! Since most of the show centers on Sonny, have him wake up and Michael is off to college (do us a favor and have him go out of town, the Mikey show is horrible!). Have the rest of the characters return to what history made them, not these idiots running around (would Jason really be sleeping with the woman who watched his son get kidnapped? Not the Jason I've watched over the years.)
I'm definitely not the traditional GH viewer. A 43 year-old male, I've watched since 1977, and still frequently watch (or keep up on Wubs) with the show.
ReplyDeleteMost of what I've seen in the last 2-3 years is re-warmed, uninspired stories, half-starts and stops with characters, or storylines with potentials that wasted away. Now I know that opinion is shared by many. But I'd like to offer my perception on why the show is currently falling flat.
My biggest complaint is that the show--contrary to those who might see it as only about Sonny, Jason or Luke (when he's in town)--has become centered entirely on Michael for the last 2 years. Michael's shot, Michael's in a coma, Michael wakes up angry, where's Michael going to live, Michael's on the run, Michael kills Claudia, Michael wants to be in the mob, Michael's on the run (again), Michael's in court, Michael's in jail. All of the other characters have become plot points in the Michael Corinthos drama. Even the Franco event that could have been a cool dynamic spiraled into protecting Michael. And to me, it's honestly making the show boring.
I'm even okay with the "events" every sweeps period if they were planned out from start to finish instead of starting strong then petering out.
There clearly seems to be a disconnect between the writers and the audience (no mystery there) as evidence by the "implied prison rape". Male or female, no one wants to see rape used frivolously as a plot device, and I refused to watch those episodes even knowing that the assault was "implied".
When the actors seem bored on the set...and many of the actors do seem bored or 2-dimensional...I blame the writing. But as long as the Daytime Emmys continue to nominate the show for writing/directing, expect more of the same.
Ultimately, money talks. So let's hope that as viewership continues to fall (and along with that ad revenue) that there will be a renewed willingness to listen to what the fans want.
I was a faithful watcher for 20+ years - right up until they broke up Liz and Jason. It was unbelievale. All the reasons she gives for breaking it up are seemingly a non-concern with Nick? Come on.
ReplyDeleteI also dislike how the story lines have moved away from the families to a Sonny-centric universe.
What makes the soap opera genre unique compared to other genres is the long-running history and opportunities for character development. Instead of celebrating and embracing its history, the writers of GH seem to have “wiped the slates clean” in the brains of the characters and instead are writing the characters in “story bubbles” that do not carry over character growth or recollection of past events into newer story arcs. Instead of folding the diverse traits of the characters into the richness of future storylines by crafting character-driven storylines, the writers of GH now write story-driven (plot-driven) characters with little substantial storyline direction. What makes current storylines and pairings confusing is that viewers have not been privy to the reasons behind why characters’ personalities or actions are different or have been completely re-written. Characters are now written to fit story plot-points as if they were ingredients in a mass-produced recipe instead of being written to behave based on their individual personalities or characteristics as someone would when making a heartfelt gourmet meal for someone they wish to impress and engage. The bottom line is that GH’s writers are no longer writing for the genre or their audience.
ReplyDeleteThe writers of GH need to respect the history of the show, the characters and the audience, write character-driven storylines that let the characters grow and develop over time and make use of the plethora of current talent that is already part of the canvas. Moving favorite characters to the backburner while creating sudden changes in the personalities of many others only serves to confuse and alienate viewers who have often watched for many years, which has become evident when examining the ratings.
It's all been said; but mostly, I'm sick of the Sonny/Carly/Jason/mob storyline. I love the actors, but I'm sick of their characters. That said, GH should be about the hospital and relationships; the mob has taken over; story lines are unrealistic. When the focus is on a relationship, they build it up; then knock it down before it even gets started. Is anyone happily married or in a safe relationship? If they focus on a medical issue, for the most part, it's unrealistic--something that is incurable all of sudden has a cure. Let's move away from the dark/violent side of things and move on to romance and intrigue.
ReplyDeleteI stopped watching GH when Genie Francis last left and had watched it spottily before that so it's been about 2 years; I had enough when Guza killed off Alan and Georgie for a cheap sweeps rating boost. I care for not one character on the show. I especially can't stomach Carly, Jason, Sam, and Sonny. Every new female character becomes a toy for Sonny; he sires most of the children in town. Guza's ploy is to deconstruct every character and couple. There's no build up to anything and it's pointless to root for anyone because (1) they are all unlikable people to begin with and (2) Guza will trash them sooner rather than later. Guza likes to tell longtime viewers what they witnessed for decades was a lie...example Luke Spencer. Could I have thought even 5 years ago I would or even could detest Luke Spencer today? Never. Yet I do; I detest the lies coming out of his mouth and the total destruction of Luke and Laura. The richness and vulnerabilty of Luke's character is only seen when Genie Francis acts opposite him. The cast is a revolving door of newbies: some come and go and some come then languish without a story--but one thing is for sure: they are all tied to Jason, Sonny, Carly and the Mob. Guza writes sleaze. This show reminds me of Melrose Place with all the residents swapping beds every few months. There is no sense of having to tune in; no urge of anticipation, no feeling of ever missing something. Until Guza goes, nothing will change; he is in love with himself and thinks the audience needs to be told what they want and that is his number one greatest mistake: when the audience is unsatisfied, they tune out and they are, en masse.
ReplyDeleteI stopped watching GH when Genie Francis last left and had watched it spottily before that so it's been about 2 years; I had enough when Guza killed off Alan and Georgie for a cheap sweeps rating boost. I care for not one character on the show. I especially can't stomach Carly, Jason, Sam, and Sonny. Every new female character becomes a toy for Sonny; he sires most of the children in town. Guza's ploy is to deconstruct every character and couple. There's no build up to anything and it's pointless to root for anyone because (1) they are all unlikable people to begin with and (2) Guza will trash them sooner rather than later so why waste an emotional attachment to a character or couple. Guza likes to tell longtime viewers what they witnessed for decades was a lie...example Luke Spencer. Could I have thought even 5 years ago I would or even could detest Luke Spencer today? Never. Yet I do; I detest the lies coming out of his mouth and the total destruction of Luke and Laura. The richness and vulnerabilty of Luke's character is only seen when Genie Francis acts opposite him. The cast is a revolving door of newbies: some come and go and some come then languish without a story--but one thing is for sure: they are all tied to Jason, Sonny, Carly and the Mob. Guza writes sleaze. There is no sense of having to tune in; no urge of anticipation, no feeling of ever missing something. Until Guza and his misogyny goes, nothing will change; he writes to satisfy his own twisted mind and does not understand most of his audience is women. He has stated the audience needs to be told what they want and that is his number one greatest mistake: when the audience is not satisfied, they tune out and they are, en masse.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE GH I have watched this show with my Grandma since 1969.... Ya the mob stuff gets a little old, but so can the doctors locker room, so remember this is a soap opera....DRAMA I think the mix of mobsters and doctors is great! I love the banter with Tracy and Luke! I wish there would be more of the Quartermane disfunction, always a guranteed LOL! I simply LOVE this show!
ReplyDeleteSt.Jasus can join the new 'St.Luckless'. Seems nothing Lucky did the last 10 years happened? Must be nice to be 17 and perfect again :)
ReplyDeleteI go back and forth over watching GH, but lately i don't watch it more often than i do. i think the last episode i saw was on May 4th --the last time i was in NYC.
ReplyDeleteI miss the GH of the 90's, which was when i first started watching. It was so good, especially Jason's accident, Liz's rape/her relationship with Lucky, Carly/Caroline, anything Casadine. My favorite storyline was from 1999 when Chloe needed to marry someone to get control over her company, so she married Ned even though she was in love with Jax, who married Alexis, who was involved with Ned. It was so much fun! How about when Felicia wrote Lila's memoir's and uncovered a murder?
The reason I don't really watch it any more because any storyline can be summed up with...and there was an explosion,... and there were poison spheres,...and Sonny has a kid that he didn't know about,... and Jason saves the day,...and the cops are inept. I want something fun, but what i get is either bored or depressed.
I realized that i didn't address the fact that the writers are constantly stretching reality too far. For example, when Michael confessed to killing Claudia he should have received his own trial--one that was not tried by Headmaster Charleston. There should have been a brand new arraignment or at least a plea bargain!
ReplyDeleteGENERAL HOSPITAL TURNED INTO A GHOST HORROR.
ReplyDeleteJASON SONNY LEFT OVER WENT BACK TO A WOMAN WHO WATCHED HIS OWN OWN SON GET KIDNAPPED WATCHED THE SCENE 6/29/07 THAN HIRED A PROSTITUTE FOR MICHAEL WHAT NORMAL PEOPLE OUT THEIR WOULD WANT A JASM.
MOB WAR GOING ON
SAME OLD CHARACTER JASON, SAM, CARLY, SONNY, THIS SHOW SEEM ALL ABOUT THEM. WHO TAKE UP AIRTIME AND HAVE MORE SCENES THAN THE OTHER PEOPLE ON THE SHOW