Those Were The Days Of My Life
Okay so this is a post some who read my blog might be interested in. A lot of people ask and probably want to know . . . do I still watch the soaps? The answer, kinda, but not really. Sorry folks, this post might depress or upset some of you.
When I stopped doing “the page” back in March I had every intention of continuing to watch “Days” and “Passions.” I had watched “Passions” since the beginning, and “Days” since I was in 7th grade. Unfortunately in March is when “Days” started going downhill and fast, at least in my opinion. Two weeks of the whole “Locked in Crazy Ava’s room” was enough for me, I just turned the show off and honestly stopped caring if I watched every day like I used to.
Since then I’ll turn it on if I’m home when it’s one’o’clock, but if I walk out the door because I have to do something during the middle of it, or before it’s even set to come on knowing I’ll probably miss it, I don’t really care. Does that make me sad? Yup. But if the show chooses to go in a direction that doesn’t hold my interest, then I won’t beat myself up over not watching. I probably see one whole episode a week now, two if I’m lucky. Usually I end up watching the days it is the “Phillip and Chloe” show, or like Friday when it was the “Max and Stephanie” show. I don’t like these characters, and when they are the majority of the hour, I tune out even when it’s on in the background. Don’t get me started on the never-gunna-be-resolved EJ, Sami, Lucas mess. They are the new Austin, Sami, Carrie; it will never end until the actors leave the show.
Only one other time comes to mind that I have been so disinterested in “Days” as long as I’ve watched it. It was during my third year of grad school and I was swamped with classes and teaching, so I stopped watching for about six months. It was also when the whole “Austin and Greta Virtual Garden of Eden” crap was going on, and that had a lot to do with my decision to tune out for a bit.
“Passions” I tend to have the 3 hour Thursday marathon on in the background while I’m doing other work. That show ends soon and since I watched it from the start, I’d like to see how it actually ends. Plus I’m stuck paying for this DirecTV so I might as well watch it! But like “Days,” I don’t pay attention like I once did (cause I had to in order to run the page). Come August when the show ends, I will call DirecTV and cancel that service, even if they don’t want to let me out of some contract I might be in (and think I am). I’m sure I won’t be the only one doing it either!
I do not watch any other soaps on other networks. I was always an NBC soap watcher, and doubt I will pick up any others at this point. I just don’t have the time anymore, and it seems I don’t care for the ones I used to like enough to watch them regularly anymore. I like my night time shows enough as is, they are enough for me 🙂
Please note, this isn’t meant to insult the shows or the shows fans. I’m just being honest about how I feel and answering a question many people have asked or might be curious about. Like I said earlier, it makes me sad I’m not as interested in the shows as I once was, but shows change and so do people. Honestly I wonder if I would have given up or just not watched as religiously as I did a lot sooner if I hadn’t been doing “the page.” If I see a change in the shows then who knows, maybe I’ll begin to watch more regularly again.
know how you feel, I’ve been watching days since JHS but stopped completely. Occasionally I’ll turn it on if I happen to turn the TV on when it’s on, but I’m always disinterested and find something else to do. The only other time I stopped watching Days was when Marlena was possessed.
06.21.2008 at 11:33 pm
I used to read your thoughts on Days and passions and keep up with the show through that page, but since you left I can’t stand to read those thoughts and I haven’t been keeping up like i used to either. It’s just not the same and i’m bummed. Your soap pages were all I had since I don’t get a chance to actually watch the soaps all too often. I am glad however that you are in a better place and I wish you luck in all you do. LOVE this site by the way.
06.22.2008 at 12:05 am
I’m with you in this. I stopped watching Passions long ago and will watch for a few min here and there. Days I record it everyweek but I only have the DVR set to record 5 episodes. I’ll watch about 10-15 min of about 2 or 3 episodes and that’s it.
06.22.2008 at 10:06 am
I’m with you. I have been bored with Days for awhile and I have been watching it my whole life. My mom started watching it in the sixties when it started. I have to admit that I DVR it everyday and then use it as naptime. I tell my family I am going to watch it for some alone time and then I close my eyes! I’m sure most people feel like you……….. 🙂
06.22.2008 at 12:18 pm
I guess I’ll jump on the bandwagon of dissing Days too. My mom used to say that when I was a baby, if I were crying and heard the Days theme song some on, I’d shut up. I remember watching it with my grandmama as a kid and carried on for nearly 30 years. BUt I stopped watching full-time maybe 2 years ago. I DVRed it for the Bo dying stage but really, even that made me sick. Why is it that it seems other soaps can go on for years and their viewers don’t seem bored, but Days viewers are the exact opposite? Are our writers the only ones that repeat storylines year after year? I hate to say it, but I bet this show won’t last much longer.
06.22.2008 at 12:39 pm
Oh I forgot to say I started watching it when I was 10, but for the longest time it was just during the summers. Then I started recording it around 6th grade. I stopped watching here and there bc I was busy with life(school, Navy, ect) I hope it gets good again.
06.22.2008 at 1:57 pm
Someone told me given the website and having to watch it every day without the luxury of FF’ing, I probably got burn-out and that was why it was so easy to just stop watching. Makes sense, but I still feel like the stories aren’t aimed at me as a long time fan of the show. I’ll continue to put the show on when I’m home to see if it improves any.
06.22.2008 at 2:32 pm
Well, I am totally against this post. I have watched DAYS OF OUR LIVES for years and I am still interested in the show! I love DAYS, always have, always will. Nothing they do will turn me away from it. Dustin, just letting you know, you gotta watch it to enjoy it. Maybe the reason you dislike what your seeing is b/c you have missed the show for days, and when you finally do tune in, you have no idea what is going on. The show is at a point where if you miss just one day, you miss so much of what is going on and its hard to get caught up if you do that!
If you want to enjoy the show, catch up on soapcentral.com’s recaps and watch the show on Monday! DAYS has been great this whole year, and I don’t think they have gone downhill. Dena Higley and the entire writing team have done a fantastic job and the show gets better and better every day. Please do what I’ve said. I have never missed an episode since I started watching the show, and I know what I’m talking about!
Thank you.
06.22.2008 at 3:24 pm
LL, I know what’s going on, that’s not the issue. It’s just I don’t like the characters who have become the sole focus of the show nowadays.
06.22.2008 at 3:58 pm
I totally agree with Dustin….I also have been watching the show since JHS and was DVRing it every day until a few months ago when I had like 3 months worth of DAYS episodes to catch up and realized it just wasn’t holding my attention like it used to! If I am home I will turn it on, but even then I usually just get up and go do something else….sad! I hope it gets better, I would definately tune back in if it did.
06.22.2008 at 4:11 pm
Dustin, the main characters of the show that most episodes are based around are John, Marlena, Bo, Hope, Steve, Kayla, Philip, Abe, Lexie, Kate, Daniel, Chelsea, Max, and Stephanie. Each of whom are engulfed in major entertaining stories. They are not boring! Watch it is all I’m saying. DAYS is the real deal and is better than ever!
You may not like the characters that are front and center, but each have changed so much over the course of this this year, so if you pay attention to them, I’m sure your point of view of the characters and the show will change for the better! 🙂
06.22.2008 at 5:30 pm
i totally agree with you. i’m not a days watcher, but i was a passions watcher. ever since they left NBC i slowly lost interest since i couldn’t actually watch it. i read your page for updates, but less and less and since you left it, i left the page also. my main soap as always been young and the restless and even if i’m home when it’s on, i don’t watch it. i just read the update online at night. maybe it’s because i’ve been watching for so long and yet it’s still the same story that frustrates me, i don’t know. i am interested in passions ends, but i just don’t like how “the page” is written now, so i have no idea what is going on.
like you, i now prefer my night time shows. if i watch tv during the day it’s normally on lifetime, lol.
06.22.2008 at 5:53 pm
I agree with you Dustin, Days has lost it’s lustre. They started some intruiging story lines, but let them fizzle. I have watched forever and am often insulted when the show chooses to rewrite history on us. I like some of the new characters they have added, but they disappear as quickly as they appear, so it is hard to stay interested. I really miss your thoughts on Days as you were always so insightful and entertaining; however I respect your decision and wish you the best. I will probably keep watching but like most of you, if I have something better to do I skip it.
06.22.2008 at 7:12 pm
I’ve been a Days follower for years but I no longer watch the show. It’s just too time consuming. And it’s a lot of repetitive storylines. I actually read the “Prevuze” summaries online every day, they are a bit snarky but humourous to read. And then if there is an episode that sounds really good I’ll record it the next day (in BC we’re a day ahead of the NBC feed). I haven’t recorded an episode for a LONG time. Other than that I only watch Days if I’m sick. For me, Days has lost its sizzle. I like Nu-John, Nicole, EJ and Sami when she has a pair and isn’t whining to get Lucas back but find that the rest of the characters pretty much annoy me.
Dustin I’ve always been amazed at how much TV you were able to watch and report on and not be 500lbs from sitting all day. And in reality you can not watch Days for years and then start watching it again and it’s like you never stopped. Someone’s memory will have been erased, someone cheated on someone else, one couple swapped partners but now wish they hadn’t, etc etc etc.
06.23.2008 at 12:59 pm
Dustin – I still watch Days, but I don’t often read “the site” anymore as I really don’t like the thought’s column of one of the new writes, and the other is just ok. Really miss you over there, but understand how time consuming it had to have been for you!
06.23.2008 at 1:26 pm
Days has always been like this though. To watch the show you have to have patience to deal with the bad story lines that never go anywhere for the little gems like the “New John”. While currently it may be a downhill slide I’m along for the ride and hoping that like in the past it will get back to what it was and how it should be.
06.23.2008 at 3:27 pm
I stopped watching Days about a year ago, but I still read the episode summary everyday – takes only a few minutes, rather than wasting an hour! I don’t know what any of the new characters look like though 🙂
06.23.2008 at 4:12 pm
i agree dustin
i have watched days my whole life
but its so boring now.
i just can’t get into it anymore.
06.23.2008 at 9:42 pm
Hey Dustin,
I’m amazed at how long you kept up your soap page. I for one want to thank you for all your years of devotion. I read your page religiously. You say that what may have kept you watching was doing your page. Me, it was reading yours! LOL I understand fully you wanting to make a change! Keep up the good work!
06.24.2008 at 8:14 pm
I totally agree with you – I usually only watch Days two days a week and I usually FF through half…it has gotten into a rut that’s very disinteresting. I think what really did it was the write off of Stefano and the flippant way they’re treating Tony and Anna. At any rate, I’m sure there will be an upswing, I went almost a whole year without watching it much and then I got back into it. I watched Passions from the first episode, too, but it got too weird for me, then went to satellite, so I stopped paying attention, but I would stop over to your Passions page to see what was going on after I read your Days thoughts.
I’m glad you’re at least still keeping up with this site – I don’t even go to soapoperafan anymore, it’s too bleh and commercialized now that others have taken over (but I totally understand and support your decision to move on), but their thoughts pages suck, but yours were really rad 😛 Thank you for making Days more interesting for so long!
06.25.2008 at 11:51 pm