The rankings are out and for the week ending May 22, 2020, and General Hospital took the top spot in the Nielsen ratings in total viewers.
Ratings Race
Per the Nielsens, GH earned 2,168,000 viewers. The Young and the Restless came second with 2,124,000. Days of Our Lives was third with 1,956,000. The Bold and the Beautiful came in fourth with 1,726,000.
Last week, GH aired original episodes through last Thursday. Stories focused on the heated custody battle for Wiley (Erik and Theodore Olsen) as attorneys Martin (Michael E. Knight) and Diane (Carolyn Hennesy) drew testimony from the parties involved. Sasha (Sofia Mattsson) was tempted by drugs. Liz (Becky Herbst) and Franco (Roger Howarth) sparred over Ava (Maura West). Robert (Tristan Rogers) speculated that Holly (Emma Samms) might truly be alive.
For the same week, The Young and the Restless aired re-broadcasts featuring classic characters. Story points included Brock (Beau Kazer) getting mugged and shot; Neil (Kristoff St. John) and Dru’s (Victoria Rowell) first meeting; Devon (Bryton James) encountering a lion after running away and later, him being adopted by Neil and Dru. Also, Michael (Christian Jules LeBlanc) learned of Ashley’s (Eileen Davidson) connection to Tom Fisher (Roscoe Born).
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This week, General Hospital began airing all classic episodes. Currently, the only soap airing original episodes is Days of Our Lives. Will this affect all soaps’ ratings?
More on Soap Opera History
Soap opera began in the early 1900s, as radio broadcasts. Soap companies were behind the conception of the daytime dramas because they wanted to sell soaps to stay-at-home-moms. They did their job and also launched a lifelong programming format, the soap operas.
Spanning more than five decades, American sudsers have seen the rise and fall of daytime soaps. In the heyday of soaps in the early 1980s, there were up to 13 different soap operas broadcasted. However, over the years, the number has declined. Currently, there are only four American soap operas on the air.
Bringing the Drama
The four remaining soap operas currently on the air include Days of our Lives, The Young and the Restless (YR), General Hospital (GH), and The Bold and the Beautiful (BB). Check your local listings for air times.
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