The Great Soap Experiment

As I noted yesterday, I am bored with my shows. So I have decided to embark on an experiment.

All talk indicates that currently One Life to Live is the best soap going around. It’s also a show with which I have no history whatsoever beyond seeing passing mention of it in soap magazines and, these days, websites. I have never seen a single moment, let alone a full episode of the show before. Soap magazine osmosis tells me it’s the one with the Buchanans and Erica Slezak, right? And Todd Manning was a rapist that got raped back and Michael Easton’s character was/is as over-exposed as a couple of GH’s leading men?

No, really, I have no knowledge or prejudices when it comes to this show.

So I have decided to watch two week’s worth of One Life to Live and see what I think. Originally I was going to watch one week, but then saw mention that Ron Carlivati – the show’s head writer – is back to post-strike writing the show from the episodes airing from May 2nd, so two weeks it is. Almost a week’s worth of strike eps, followed by a week’s worth of non-strike eps. In sweeps.

Hopefully this will be interesting from a couple of perspectives.

First, because it’s watching a show with which I have absolutely no history and it'll be fun seeing what I can pick up and what I can’t in watching for a couple of weeks. Seeing what I get entirely wrong based on soap spidey sense. I’ve deliberately done no extra research going in (though I reserve the right to look character names and the occasional truly confusing relationship up as I’m watching), and I’ll be interested to see if a soap can pull in a genuinely new audience member based on just what the show has to offer. Without a historical reference point or a mother or a college roommate to get me hooked against my will and fill in the back-story?

In this genre of disappearing ratings, can the reportedly best soap on air actually get a new viewer?

Second, from the perspective of a jaded long, long time soap viewer, I'm interested to see if it’s actually good and/or if I can even tell by watching two week’s worth of a show I’ve never known before.

Let’s see what happens.

Comments

[Tripp]

Good luck. I used to watch OLTL on and off over the years. I'm sort of watching GH's Spinelli and Maxie scenes but through youtube as I just don't trust the world is ready yet for geeky guy/badish girl (see Chick).

If Days winds up turning me off forever (which is getting to be a greater and greater possibility) I'll probably step away from soaps all together. I had successfully weaned off them for like 10 years. I only returned for S/K's return and the possibility of seeing missed emotional beats I felt Primetime was skipping on.

[Becky]

I am interested to see how the experiment goes, Zara. As a long-time viewer of OLTL, it is impossible to be objective and attempt to see it through the eyes of a new viewer.

I am wondering if my current positive view of it is in comparison to my other shows (GH, AMC, Days) or if it may actually BE good right now or perhaps that it is simply suited to my personal soap-viewing tastes.

I am also interested in this beyond the fact that it is a show I watch. I am fascinated by different reactions to the same event and how each of us brings our own individuality to an entertainment experience.

[lska]

I've been drifting away from Days, too, and part of me feels like I need another soap like I need a hole in my head. But I've also heard some good things about ATWT lately, and I'm thinking about checking out JP in her new role. I'm interested to see what you think of OLTL.