danI can't tell you the number of times I've received an email or phone call from a soap fan disgruntled with the direction of his or her favorite soap. "They pay the writers for this? I could write a better story than that for free," seems to be a frequent grumbling. I've always thought that it might be a good idea for each soap to have a longtime viewer on staff as a consultant. Let's face it; no one knows the shows better than the fans. Writers come and go, but the fans are loyal from start to finish. They can tell you what color blouse a character was wearing in 1982 when supposedly dead husband was revealed to be very-much alive in a faraway European country.
Right now, the networks have focus groups, groups of viewers that are asked how they feel about characters, couplings, and stories. The results of these "studies" often impact who and what you see on-screen. Who is in these focus groups? I have no idea. They are as mysterious to me as the Nielsen families that generated the ratings for everything on television. In this political season, I am sure that everyone has come to know that everyone has a poll, an opinion, and something to say. That doesn't make it right.
There's a delicate balance to maintain when developing story, especially now that ratings are at record low levels. Make that dangerously low levels. The writers seem afraid to shake things up too much, for fear that whatever fanbase is left watching the show will defect. You can't please all of the people all of the time, but sometimes the writers end up not pleasing any of the people.
A good example is the current "Nuke" love story on As the World Turns, which generated the most feedback of any storyline in my mailbox this week. As a quick aside, if you are going to use the power of the Internet to generate a mail-in fan campaign, please be sure that you post the right address for people to use. Nearly 75% of the mail sent about "Nuke" came from an invalid link that was given out on various Internet sites. Anyway, back to the column. If you don't watch ATWT, here's a quick briefing to let you know what I am talking about. Nuke is a combination of the names Luke and Noah. Yes, the characters are two men. With that explanation, you can probably imagine why some As the World Turns viewers are unhappy. Many fans who have written to me "do not want to see two men kissing" on television - daytime, primetime, or otherwise. The problem on the other side of the fence is that the couple seldom does more than hold hands in the darkest recesses of their homes. A full year ago, I wrote a commentary column about the very first kiss between Noah and Luke. It took the better part of the next twelve months before the couple had their second kiss. Meanwhile, two underage kids have been in and out of bed. Fans that had originally applauded the Nuke tale were now furious that the show was "caving to the conservative viewers who have threatened to boycott Procter & Gamble products." Procter & Gamble owns the production company that produces As the World Turns and Guiding Light.
Now fans opposed to a same-sex couple and fans who don't want to see the story are both tuning out. Sometimes you just can't win. But hey, I think I know someone that could write a much better storyline for half the price…
danjkroll
In the Bubble with Dan J Kroll: Sometimes the writers just can't win
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