Days Of Our Lives - General Discussion

[overtherainbow]

I just read on AE that DOOL is planning a gay storyline! I really hope they won't pull out of this though, since it's still very early in the process.

This is awesome, since it's basically the only soap I watch! We only get two American soaps on tv here: Bold & Beautiful and Days of our Lives, I have been watching DOOL since I was 10 years old.. about damn time Days did a storyline like this.

Anyway.. you can read about it here: insidetv.ew.com/2011/03/22/days-of-our-lives-scoop-gay-storyline-coming-to-salem/

[jjose712]

I don't know what to think, there had been rumours about it for a long time, i remember reading in a ATWT forum, that they were interested in Van Hansis for one of the roles, but that was long time ago.

The truth is there are a lot of Chill (Chad and Will) fan videos on youtube, so if they go that route, the couple has already a fan base.

It's pretty clear that a good bunch of people who usually watch american soaps miss Nuke, Lure and Kish, so if one of the other soaps (B&B comented something similar) starts a gay storyline, probably they atract that viewers.

But for me DOOL and B&B are being really vague on the information, and i don't know if they really want to do a gay storyline or only the buzz that a gay storyline generated. If they finally do it, i hope they learn from OLTL and ATWT mistakes

[blake]

I am really excited about this it should be pointed out there is a rumor saying it could be a lesbian storyline involving Carly.Again that is only a rumor and has not been confirmed there is a another rumor saying it could be Will and Chad but I really do hope that this storyline does through!!!

[blake]

Ok I just heard from my buddy the writer here's what I was told.Yes Days is in talks with doing a same-sex storyline it has NOT been confirmed yet so there is still a chance it could fall through.What I can tell you is this Chandler Massey the actor who plays Will has been meeting with Executive producer Ken Corday and Head writer Dena Higley.Also it is more then likely they will bring in a new character which means Chad will not be involved.He said on timeline has been giving but he heard that Days could introduce this storyline with in the next couple of months.He said that if he had to make a guess around late summer early fall or they may wait untill the new year.But I can'y stress this enough it is NOT a done deal as of yet.

[Ailyne]

i dont know how i feel about this.... :/ if it goes the direction Oliver and Kyle were going before they got removed from the show then im all for it....but if theyre going to make it like Luke and Noah than..im still all for it but not as much haha

[overtherainbow]

Mar 23, 2011 19:23:19 GMT -5 blake said:

Ok I just heard from my buddy the writer here's what I was told.Yes Days is in talks with doing a same-sex storyline it has NOT been confirmed yet so there is still a chance it could fall through.What I can tell you is this Chandler Massey the actor who plays Will has been meeting with Executive producer Ken Corday and Head writer Dena Higley.Also it is more then likely they will bring in a new character which means Chad will not be involved.He said on timeline has been giving but he heard that Days could introduce this storyline with in the next couple of months.He said that if he had to make a guess around late summer early fall or they may wait untill the new year.But I can'y stress this enough it is NOT a done deal as of yet.

OMG.. thank you! I love you! lol. Always nice to get some inside information ;D

Like I said in the beginning.. it's in the planning stage, so of course it can fall through! I love Will though, he's always seemed "gay". I think he can pull it off, I've also read that the actor is willing to play gay. And although nothing is confirmed yet, a meeting is a good sign, right? I'm crossing my fingers! And I really want my Chill, but well.. I don't care, as long as they pair up Will with someone he has chemistry with. I think it can work! I know it's not very likely, but maybe they can do a love triangle involving Chad in the future (a girl can dream, right)?

Please feel free to update us if you have any new information. I would be very grateful for all information you have

[jjose712]

Well, everybody said that the actor who plays Will has more chemistry with the male cast than with the female cast, so it'll be a good idea. And i hope it's true the actor want to play a gay role, because we know how american soaps are, and without the actors commitment it's impossible to make it (by the way, you get a lot more attention playing a gay role than a straight, at least if you are not one of the top male characters).

It worries me that everybody said that DOOL is a conservative soap (well, all are pretty conservative). We know what happens with OLTL, i wasn't exactly a fan, and i think kish storyline was really boring since the baby storyline started, but they were a cop and a doctor, easy to make them integrate in the storylines, but we know what happens.
I think ATWT problems has to do (apart of the bad writting) with Proctor and Gamble, without Van and Jake's commitment to the storyline, Nuke would never work.
It'd be good if they do the ATWT route, with one legacy character, and not the OLTL route with two newbies, because i think people will be involved easely if one of the characters is well know by the audience.

We'll see, i'm still not convinced if they are gonna do it, but i hope the best

[Gary N]

WOW! I used to watch the show years back when Sammi was pregnant with Will and there was that whole baby drama with Carrie, Austin and Lucas

[blake]

Here Is some new information that I just found out not more then 2 min ago.Days Of Our Lives producers have decided NOT to go with Will because Will and Gabby have a strong fan base and have decided to go with Chad played by Casey Jon Deidrick.Also since it was recently discovered Chad is a DiMera and the writers and producers think it will be really interesting to see how the DiMera's reaction will be to having a gay son.Also what I can say is this there has been a casting call for the character of Ryan also I was told that Days wants to make history with an interracial couple.But no word on if they will go that route here's a little bit of the storyline.That while Abby is getting close to Chad and starts having feelings for him,that he won't think of her in a romantic sense but only as friends.Then this new teen (the one with the Ryan casting call) comes to Salem and Chad starts having feelings for this guy.The dynamic of having Stefano having a gay son is going to be interesting to watch.My friend wanted me to make this perfectly clear that Chandler Massey was not against doing this storyline and nothing as of right now is set in stone and he did meet with the producers and the writers of the show.And has still agreed to do it if they want him to it's just that Will and Gabby have a very strong fan base.Also I like to point our that Casey along with his girlfriend Molly Burnett (Melanie) did the NoH8 Campaign a couple of years ago.Like my friend said nothing is set in stone and can change in a second but I will keep you all updated when I get more news!!!

[HQ75]

Mar 28, 2011 17:02:16 GMT -5 boyofgod said:

The good news is that Chad will play gay (He is hotter than Will) but the bad new is the interracial route.
I don't think that interracial couple will bring the rating, please don't go this way.

Please explain.

[mycatfox]

An article from "SoapOperaNetwork":

[dkp]

Thanks for the info Blake. I think your definitely telling the truth, cause an administrator from another board said he also heard it would be Chad.

Wait, so Will & Gabby have a fanbase? What fanbase would that be? From what all I see on the DAYS boards, most people would rather watch paint dry. LOL

So it might be an interracial gay couple? DAYS actually wouldn't be the first, OLTL was, Nick was latino & him and Kyle were a couple for a bit, but DAYS would have the first Caucasian/AA gay couple. I'd be for it, might be risky though.

[justinate]

dkp, I had the same reaction when I read about the alleged Will/Gabi fanbase. Everyone on the DOOL boards finds them boring and the actors have little chemistry. On any other show, on any given day, you will find threads squeeing about one pairing or the other. Will/Gabi, to my knowledge, have only had threads written about them to complain about how boring and/or chemistry-free they were. The only times I have seen people hankering for this pairing was in response to the possibility that Will might be gay. Then people started writing in: "Oh no! I love Will with Gabi. They have such amazing chemistry." Which I read to mean that these people would much rather see Will with a girl, any girl, as long as he didn't hook up with another dude. If DOOL has taken this to be indicative of Will/Gabi's popularity, then they are sadly mistaken.

As for the spoiler itself, I have to say I am a little disappointed and worried. From a logical viewpoint, I think Will is a more likely gay character than Chad. Chad has had some pretty good chemistry with women, he has fathered a child with one, and he comes off as a bit of a ladies' man. Not that this would preclude him from being gay; I'm just saying it makes it less likely. Especially when you have Will, who has never shared chemistry with any of his female love interests and who usually makes googly eyes at Chad. I could buy that Will has an unrequited crush on Chad and that Chad would react (initially) in a homophobic manner. The opposite scenario (if Chad had the crush on Will who reacts homophobically) does not ring true to me.

But from a dramatic viewpoint, I can see why Chad might be a better candidate. Familial angst alone would drive story for months. I don't see the Brady/Hortons being uncomfortable with Will being gay, or they won't take very long to come around. The DiMeras are another story entirely. And given his history with women, Chad would also be a character in deep(er) denial about his homosexuality. Plus, a key player from Will's coming-out story, his father Lucas, is offscreen (the actor was fired last year). So I don't know if they can realistically play out the beats of this story without the involvement of both living parents. Chad's mother is dead, so her absence won't be a problem.

I find both actors attractive so from that angle it doesn't make a difference to me which one plays gay. I do however suspect that the gay character will be a chaste one with minimal same-sex affection so I suspect anyone hoping to see hot dudes making out passionately and rolling around naked in bed will be disappointed.

So to sum up my perspective on this: logic dictates that Will is more likely to be gay than Chad, but this is not a barrier to Chad being gay. Dramatically, Will most probably faces intolerance from his friends, whereas Chad is more likely to face it from his family. Chad would also likely deal with denial. So it's got to be a balance of those two things. But I think it can go either way. It is also worth noting at this juncture that Will is the child of the Sami/Lucas supercouple, not unlike Lily & Holden Snyder (ATWT). He is a member of both the show's longstanding core families, the Hortons and Bradys. So it could be considered a bolder move to make him gay (although note some of this is lost by Lucas's absence).

Finally the interracial romance: I know it is deeply unfair and unfortunate, but I am also concerned with the reception to this story and how it might affect ratings. DOOL has, from what I gather, one of the more conservative audiences. Asking them to accept a gay romance is one thing, but an interracial gay romance is twice the bitter pill for them to swallow. Even today heterosexual interracial pairings can garner unpleasant reactions. In the late 1990s the pairing of Victoria Newman and Neil Winters on Y&R caused the actors to receive death threats. Even in the 2000s actors playing gay characters receive hate mail. It gives you an idea of the unpleasantness actors playing out an interracial gay romance might encounter.

And also consider the ramifications for ratings: Soaps are dying out, and declining ratings would be the trigger for network execs to axe a storyline. If DOOL suffers a decrease in ratings that coincides with the airing of the gay s/l, you can bet the blame will land squarely on them. And I don't think the soaps can handle another gay-story-lowers-ratings-and-gets-axed incident. If that happens, chances are no one in daytime would touch gay stories with a ten-foot pole for years to come. In the interests of maintaining a gay presence on daytime and of keeping the actors comfortable, I would also say an interracial gay romance is not the way to introduce a gay story to DOOL. No doubt gay audiences and soap critics will love it, but conservative audiences are less likely to react favorably. I think DOOL should consider it as a second part to the story; if there is a positive reaction to Will or Chad with their Caucasian love interest, they can (and should) explore the next gay romance for the character with an African-American/Latino/Asian-American.

[blake]

I personally don't see why anybody would get so upset about an interracial couple and what I meant by history is that Days wants it to be a black guy and a white guy.No matter how you look at it this is going to be a very controversial storyline for Days I think people just better be glad that Days is thinking about doing this.Days has been heavily criticized for beging to conservative I'm just glad that their showing their gay fans that they have not forgotten about them.I just hope they show this storyline some respect and not make a mockery out of it like Y&R did I know LBGT community was very upset with Y&R.And who could blame them also I think the main reason why Days is going with Chad is because if they went with Will.Will beging a Brady the Bradys would learn to accept him but with Chad beging a DiMera Stefano could end up trying to hurt Chad or whoever Chad is in love with also I believe they want to show is.How far will Chad go to protect the one he loves?

[overtherainbow]

Mar 29, 2011 11:48:47 GMT -5 blake said:

I personally don't see why anybody would get so upset about an interracial couple and what I meant by history is that Days wants it to be a black guy and a white guy.No matter how you look at it this is going to be a very controversial storyline for Days I think people just better be glad that Days is thinking about doing this.Days has been heavily criticized for beging to conservative I'm just glad that their showing their gay fans that they have not forgotten about them.I just hope they show this storyline some respect and not make a mockery out of it like Y&R did I know LBGT community was very upset with Y&R.And who could blame them also I think the main reason why Days is going with Chad is because if they went with Will.Will beging a Brady the Bradys would learn to accept him but with Chad beging a DiMera Stefano could end up trying to hurt Chad or whoever Chad is in love with also I believe they want to show is.How far will Chad go to protect the one he loves?

I don't have a problem with the interracial couple thing, but I hate the fact that they're going with Chad. Like some others have said, Will would be more believable, and it would be nice to see ACCEPTING parents for once. The whole "Homophobic" parents thing has been done to death. So it would have been different with Will, since his parents probably would have been accepting. I get that Chad being a diMera will make for A LOT of drama, and drama is what drives a soap, they probably have more they can do with him. Like, how long can they make the Will storyline if his parents are accepting, it would be over in like a month. Though they could still have done more with Will's potential boyfriend. Anyway, Chad will have lots of story, lots of drama being a diMera, but I'm sooo sick of seeing homophobic parents. Yes, it would be realistic in this case, but still.. I don't like it. Plus, the whole "I don't like gays, I want to convert you/hurt you/hurt your bf" thing will basically be a copy of Noah's psycho dad in ATWT, and that was done HORRIBLY.

All I'm saying is that I'm glad they're doing a gay storyline of course. I am skeptical, like you, about whether they'll do a good job or not. I really hope it won't be like ATWT, but I guess we'll just wait and see!

[jjose712]

Well, i don't know almost anything about this show, but i'm quite surprising about Will and his girlfriend having a fanbase, because all i read was that the actor has a lot more chemistry with all the male cast than with any of the females.

I hope they will do the storyline for the right reasons, i think ATWT did it for the right reasons (with very bad writing and a kissing ban), and OLTL did it for the ratings (and we know what happens).
If they will do because they want to tell a good storyline and they will take their time to tell it, it'll be ok, but if they will do for ratings better desist, Nuke happens one time, and even the new couple will probably be well recieved on internet and if the storyline is decent will built a fanbase soon, probably won't have any effect on the ratings.

It's really amazing that an interracial couple (gay or straight) make some people react that way. It's really really sad

[dmagiclight]

has the storyline already started?

[overtherainbow]

Mar 29, 2011 15:42:56 GMT -5 dmagiclight said:

has the storyline already started?

Well, according to that article that was posted here, Ryan is supposed to show up in May, and he'll be Chad's love interest. So maybe sometime after that?

[blake]

Mar 29, 2011 12:06:25 GMT -5 overtherainbow said:

Mar 29, 2011 11:48:47 GMT -5 blake said:

I personally don't see why anybody would get so upset about an interracial couple and what I meant by history is that Days wants it to be a black guy and a white guy.No matter how you look at it this is going to be a very controversial storyline for Days I think people just better be glad that Days is thinking about doing this.Days has been heavily criticized for beging to conservative I'm just glad that their showing their gay fans that they have not forgotten about them.I just hope they show this storyline some respect and not make a mockery out of it like Y&R did I know LBGT community was very upset with Y&R.And who could blame them also I think the main reason why Days is going with Chad is because if they went with Will.Will beging a Brady the Bradys would learn to accept him but with Chad beging a DiMera Stefano could end up trying to hurt Chad or whoever Chad is in love with also I believe they want to show is.How far will Chad go to protect the one he loves?

I don't have a problem with the interracial couple thing, but I hate the fact that they're going with Chad. Like some others have said, Will would be more believable, and it would be nice to see ACCEPTING parents for once. The whole "Homophobic" parents thing has been done to death. So it would have been different with Will, since his parents probably would have been accepting. I get that Chad being a diMera will make for A LOT of drama, and drama is what drives a soap, they probably have more they can do with him. Like, how long can they make the Will storyline if his parents are accepting, it would be over in like a month. Though they could still have done more with Will's potential boyfriend. Anyway, Chad will have lots of story, lots of drama being a diMera, but I'm sooo sick of seeing homophobic parents. Yes, it would be realistic in this case, but still.. I don't like it. Plus, the whole "I don't like gays, I want to convert you/hurt you/hurt your bf" thing will basically be a copy of Noah's psycho dad in ATWT, and that was done HORRIBLY.

All I'm saying is that I'm glad they're doing a gay storyline of course. I am skeptical, like you, about whether they'll do a good job or not. I really hope it won't be like ATWT, but I guess we'll just wait and see!

I understand what you are saying it would be really nice to have a storyline where the parents would be accepting and not have to go with that crap of homophobic.But if they went that route we could kiss this storyline good bye with in a matter of a couple of months.Also I think they want to question Chad's sexuality and I will tell you what I mean Will was in a relationship with Mia and now with Gabby.And as far as I can tell Chad was only in a relationship with Mia and I know that they shared a child and I believe he was with another girl but alot of people said that was only a friendship.Also I think their trying to establish his character I also believe they want Chad to do battle with E.J.Let me get back to the Will and Gabby fan base their fan base is with in the teens also if you read the other message borads this storyline is getting very and I do mean very positive feedback.Yeah of course there is some negative feedback but that's to be expected but there alot of people who don't want a interracial couple.I know that where I live there are people still believe that blacks and white's shouldn't mix.What I'm saying is this as long as your in love your skin color or your sexuality shouldn't matter I really didn't mean to be harsh and if I came off that way I'm sorry.I guess what bugs me is that people have been saying oh Days won't touch this storyline and now that Days is considering it.People are upset beacuse of skin color?

[cheerios]

I haven't watched Days in years, I know nothing of the current cast or storylines. The last time I watched Shawn found out that Claire was his daughter with Belle.

How is Chad a DiMera? And does anyone think this is all talk by Days? But that they aren't going to actually follow through with it.

[blake]

Mar 29, 2011 16:26:51 GMT -5 cheerios said:

I haven't watched Days in years, I know nothing of the current cast or storylines. The last time I watched Shawn found out that Claire was his daughter with Belle.

How is Chad a DiMera? And does anyone think this is all talk by Days? But that they aren't going to actually follow through with it.

Chad's mother Madeline slept with Stefano.She tried for years to hide the truth and passed Chad off as another man's son.It wasn't untill recently after a DNA test that the truth finally came out.As far as this beging all talk from days yes there is a chance that could be the case but from set side sources Days is really committed to this storyline.

[blake]

Mar 29, 2011 16:06:36 GMT -5 overtherainbow said:

Mar 29, 2011 15:42:56 GMT -5 dmagiclight said:

has the storyline already started?

Well, according to that article that was posted here, Ryan is supposed to show up in May, and he'll be Chad's love interest. So maybe sometime after that?

What really get's me about this if Days have already casted Ryan.Why not go on and announce the actor who will play him?Especially if he will show up on screen in May cause Days shoot 5/6 weeks in advance just saying.

[dkp]

Mar 29, 2011 15:19:45 GMT -5 jjose712 said:

I hope they will do the storyline for the right reasons, i think ATWT did it for the right reasons (with very bad writing and a kissing ban), and OLTL did it for the ratings (and we know what happens).

The part in bold is not true. Openly gay, Head Writer Ron Carlivati, wanted to do a gay story for a long time, almost since he started with the show in the 90s. Brian Frons, president ABC Daytime rumored to give the greenlight as a response to Y&R supposedly doing on and he killed it because of the ratings. It was ABC that did it for ratings, the people working at OLTL did it for the right reasons. Nearly the entire writing team was up in arms when news came down. One of the script writers even wrote on Brett's wall that he loved writing for the character Kyle & would miss him.

They should just pair Chad & Will up. Let Will have the accepting family, Chad not. They already have chemistry, fanbase, messageboard, youtube clips, would be another Dimera/Brady/Horton relationship show loves so much...why ignore all that? Especially since this new Ryan guy, if he doesn't have as much chemistry with Chad, that Will does, it will be a failure. Will & Gabby popular with teens? Well until someone from the show offers proof such a fanbase exists, I refuse to believe that. LOL

[overtherainbow]

Mar 29, 2011 19:09:06 GMT -5 dkp said:

They should just pair Chad & Will up. Let Will have the accepting family, Chad not. They already have chemistry, fanbase, messageboard, youtube clips, would be another Dimera/Brady/Horton relationship show loves so much...why ignore all that? Especially since this new Ryan guy, if he doesn't have as much chemistry with Chad, that Will does, it will be a failure. Will & Gabby popular with teens? Well until someone from the show offers proof such a fanbase exists, I refuse to believe that. LOL

I agree. I would very much like Will and Chad together too! However, it's obvious that the writers are not going that way. And even if they chose Will as the gay guy (which I think they originally were gonna do), they still wouldn't pair him up with Chad. It was the decision all from the beginning that they would pair up the gay guy with a new character. That's why I think this is totally fine. It's not like they tricked us or anything. They were honest since the start, I knew Chad and Will wouldn't happen, and it does kinda suck, but I think this Ryan guy can have potential. I'm just glad they're doing a gay storyline at all, and just like Blake said, at least they sound committed to it! Of course it can still fall through, but I think it's a positive sign that they've had meetings, and even a casting call for a guy named Ryan! It's obviously past the "planning" stage. So I don't get why people say that Days are just saying this to boost their ratings, that it won't happen etc.. when they've actually held meetings! I am staying cautiously optimistic. And I think this Chad and Ryan couple has a lot of potential!

[jjose712]

Mar 29, 2011 19:09:06 GMT -5 dkp said:

Mar 29, 2011 15:19:45 GMT -5 jjose712 said:

I hope they will do the storyline for the right reasons, i think ATWT did it for the right reasons (with very bad writing and a kissing ban), and OLTL did it for the ratings (and we know what happens).

The part in bold is not true. Openly gay, Head Writer Ron Carlivati, wanted to do a gay story for a long time, almost since he started with the show in the 90s. Brian Frons, president ABC Daytime rumored to give the greenlight as a response to Y&R supposedly doing on and he killed it because of the ratings. It was ABC that did it for ratings, the people working at OLTL did it for the right reasons. Nearly the entire writing team was up in arms when news came down. One of the script writers even wrote on Brett's wall that he loved writing for the character Kyle & would miss him.

They should just pair Chad & Will up. Let Will have the accepting family, Chad not. They already have chemistry, fanbase, messageboard, youtube clips, would be another Dimera/Brady/Horton relationship show loves so much...why ignore all that? Especially since this new Ryan guy, if he doesn't have as much chemistry with Chad, that Will does, it will be a failure. Will & Gabby popular with teens? Well until someone from the show offers proof such a fanbase exists, I refuse to believe that. LOL

Actions speak louder than words, i don't doubt about Ron's intentions, but it was very obvious what TPTB on OLTL really want. They didn't risk anything, Kyle and Oliver were two minor characters, no one of them linked to a core family, and both increased their screen time when they started the gay storyline, When the ratings didn't react, they pulled the storyline, it's really that simple.
Well, not, in fact is worse, they blame kish for the bad ratings (something that wasn't true at all and they knew it), and they spread rumours about the lack of profesionality of the actors.
They wanted a Nuke but without taking any risk, Luke coming out storyline was a long arc, Luke was very popular before Noah appeared for the first time, it's obvious that you won't get the same effect when nobody knows the characters before the storyline started. But even with that Kish were popular, they didn't have any effect on the ratings, nor negative neither positive.
Maybe Ron's intentions were good, but it's clear that the producers did it for the ratings not for the sake of telling a good storyline.


About Days, i think they are doing a big mistake not pairing Chill, they have already a fanbase without even being gay, so the success of this pair will be guarantied. And Days have nothing to lose, they used to be the third soap and right now they are on a slump
But i'm a bit sceptical about the storyline, in my opinion Days and B&B gay storylines (well the fact that B&B are testing the chemistry with the female cast of the character who is supposed to be gay says a lot).
Soaps are a genre that will be dead soon in the US if they are not able to bring new life in the old tired storylines