Considering Halloween is right around the corner, I guess there's not much irony in the Nielsen soap ratings for the week of Oct. 17-21 being down right frightening. All five daytime soaps fell among the highly coveted women 18-49 demo (Source: Soap Opera Network).

ABC Daytime's General Hospital proved to be the week's biggest loser. GH was in last place in total viewers and in households (tied with Days of Our Lives in the latter). The ABC sudser tied its all-time low among women 18-49 and hit a new record low among women 18-34.

In story, beloved heroine Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) had to sit there and take it while her ex-husband's bastard brother told her what a damaged slut she was. A deranged Lisa (Brianna Brown) drugged Johnny (Brandon Barash) and set off to make trouble for Scrubs. NuMaxie and Old Spinelli (Bradford Anderson) acted out Scooby Doo episodes on Spoon Island and a pisspoor attempt was made to try to set up a triangle between Coleman/NuKate/Sonny. Nope, can't imagine why more people aren't watching GH these days. 
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Wow, this is the first week of writing Ratings, Rants and Raves with only five soap operas still airing in daytime. Un-real. While we'll miss All My Children until it returns, hopefully this Jan. 2012, we plan to definitely keep its spirit alive and well here on Daytime Confidential via fun content pieces like this one.

Days of Our Lives saw a healthy boost the first week of the soap's much heralded reboot (Source: Soap Opera Network). The returns of Deidre Hall (Marlena), Drake Hogestyn (John), Christie Clark (Carrie) and Patrick Muldoon (Austin)  (Matt Ashford, Bill and Susan Seaforth Hayes returned the week prior as Jack, Doug and Julie respectively.) helped bring an additional 260,000 pairs of eyeballs to Salem. Unfortunately that wasn't quite enough to get DAYS out of the last place slot in total viewers, but it came close! DAYS was up year-to-date 163,000. The Corday/Sony sudser went up two tenths of a point in households, one-tenth of a point in women 18-49 and held steady among women 18-34.  READ MORE

That sound you hear is Sony executives wailing and gnashing their teeth as CBS Daytime's The Young and the Restless hit record lows the week of Aug. 22-26 (Source: Soap Opera Network). Granted, the ratings for this period were effected slightly by preemptions on Tuesday, due to the earthquake, and Friday, because of Hurricane Irene, however daytime's No. 1 soap was the only sudser to hit new lows in total viewers, women viewers 18-49 and women 18-34. In the latter demo, Y&R was in fifth place! Y&R also tied its record low among women 18-49 for the third week in a row. Sorry, Maria. No natural disaster to blame that last one on.

I can't comment on what happened in Y&R storywise for the week in question because I was boycotting the show. I feel the exact same way about Y&R right now as I did during Chuck Pratt's show-destroying stint at All My Children. If Maria Arena Bell isn't either reigned in or relieved of her duties, this show could soon be irrevocably broken. Oh yeah, and where is Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott)?
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Cancelled, low budget soap opera One Life to Live is continuing the ratings climb it started on before news of ABC ditching it was confirmed (Source: Soap Opera Network). The week of Aug. 8-12, One Life came in No. 3 among total viewers, just behind CBS Daytime's The Bold and the Beautiful and was tied with B&B at No. 2 in households, with a 2.1 rating. This was the soap's highest rating in that demo since December 2008.

Among women 18-49, OLTL was tied for No. 2 with General Hospital, the latter being the only ABC Daytime soap opera that hasn't been formally cancelled. OLTL hit No. 1 among women 18-34, tied with GH. Does Anne Sweeney truly believe a f***ing weight loss show, shepherded by the very same clown who tanked her network's soaps, will ever match these numbers?
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As if the cancel happy suits at ABC need any more incentive to add General Hospital to their mass soapicide; the sudser did terrible in the Nielsens the week of April 25-29, 2011 (Source: Soap Opera Network). For starters, One Life to Live beat GH in total viewers for the week and was tied with the serial in households. That wasn't the big story, however. GH hit a new low among women viewers 18-49, and tied it's all-time low in the demo for that bracket. Among women 18-34, GH hit a new low. Storywise I thought GH was pretty good the week in question, what with all the big drama over Luke's (Tony Geary) intervention, but for some reason or another people tuned out at a time when GH needs all the eyeballs it can get. READ MORE

Well I'll be a rabbit's chopped off foot! Vanessa Marcil Giovinazzo (Brenda) proved she's still got it this past week on General Hospital. Her previous return stint (2002-03) saw 800,000 viewers come back, now, the ratings deets are in and 417,000 total viewers were gained by GH the week of Feb. 21-25. (Source: Soap Opera Network) Hallelujah, praise Soap Jesus and tell Tori Spelling don't nobody wanna watch her over their morning bagel, 'cause soaps they are 'a saved! Okay, not quite, but it sure felt good to type that.

The wedding storyline for one of daytime's most popular couples of all time, Brenda and Sonny (Maurice Benard), coupled with all the buzz surrounding the return of Franco (James Franco), helped GH go up a staggering four-tenths of a ratings point in households!!! I haven't seen this kind of an increase in a long, long time.  GH also went up two-tenths of a point among women 18-49 and one-tenth of a point among women 18-34. Okay, Guza, OUT-FREAKING-STANDING!!!!!!! Now how are you gonna convince La Giovinazzo to stay? Personally, I think someone should give Laura Wright a pay increase. While Brenda and Sonny's magic is still apparent at times, Carly brings the FIYA day in/day out. Just sayin... READ MORE