Tuesday, April 10, 2012

DAYS Co-Exec Producer Greg Meng: 'Women Want To See Romance'

TV Guide Magazine's Michael Logan published an insightful interview on Tuesday with DAYS OF OUR LIVES co-executive producer Greg Meng on the recent firing of head writers Marlene McPherson and Darrell Ray Thomas, and the hiring of Gary Tomlin, Chris Whitesell and Lorraine Broderick. Meng says "what we're hearing is that people want really good romance." Below is an excerpt from the interview:

TV Guide Magazine: Or just straight romance? Could it be possible that the mainstream Days audience does not want to watch the gay storyline and where it might be going? ABC claimed that was the case when One Life to Live suddenly dropped the Kish romance.
Meng: I don't know. I think it's a beautiful story and we are committed to it. But probably it's not the story that most women are going to tune in for every day, the one they don't want to miss. I think it's a story everybody likes, but the women want to see romance. Our goal is to get back lapsed viewers — our family of viewers who stopped watching altogether or aren't watching us every day.

TV Guide Magazine: Is that "next step" going to involve some major actors going away?
Meng: Yes. We're looking at weaving people in and out, and bringing them back later if we can.

TV Guide Magazine: Will it be as shocking as, say, the time you axed Drake Hogestyn and Deidre Hall a few years back? Will these firings be epic?
Meng: Yes. And that's all I'm going to say about that right now.
Read the complete interview at tvguide.com.

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2 comments:

  1. Well, I think soap opera viewers do want to see romance. That is very much a mainstay of the genre. But more than anything really, is good storytelling and great performances from good actors.

    The Will Coming Out storyline is fantastically written and acted. Chandler Massey is doing a phenomenal job and I believe this is maybe Deirdre Hall's best performance in a long time. She's really stepped up to the plate. What could easily be written as supporting part, she's pitched it as a starring role, making his coming out process as important to her character. And I like that they are building this rivalry with Kate, who isn't being portrayed as unaccepting -- but rather as the supportive grandmother who's just pushing too hard. Fantastic nuances.

    Do we want to see more romances? Yes, of course. But it needs to be driven by story and character development. Lacking that, then just give us great character development and good stories.

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  2. I may be reading into it but it sounds ominous for Will, almost as if he thinks a Will storyline can't have romance.

    The biggest problem was that all the storylines move too slow.

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