Below are some of the fan responses I've found. I can't post them all as there are too many for anyone to count. Now there are some who are pleased but that's not the focus here. And looking at the ratings, that number is getting smaller and smaller everyday. But I'm allowing a forum for those who aren't heard. Those who are blocked or degraded or ignored.
The hatred and anger and sadness and disgust is overwhelming. They blame the producers and, in the words of the "illustrious" head writer, they're just "haters". I would argue that's not the case at all. They love their show. They hate what's being done to it. And they're willing to walk away rather than see it go even lower than it has.
I can't start with the massive amount of Sabrina hate. There's too much. It's, well, a lot of hate. I would be here copying and pasting all month. However, the grand return of Howarth is rivaling it. It's newer, so it's easier to document. There is as much vehemence, just not as many posts yet. It's only been a few months. But it's getting worse, not better.
These all come from DD in the past few days. It's a daunting task to pick and choose as there's so many. It would be funny, if it weren't kind of sad. All typos and grammar are left in place.
Okay, so the brilliance of Dieter, as I call him, or Franco, or, as DD calls him, the Baboon. I see that not only do they hate the character, some now hate the actor. Move on, Buddy Boy, it's hurting your brand. But, it's up to you. Here's some of the love....only not:
" It's so insulting and unless your a RoHo fangurl this show is the pits. There is no way I can watch that Franco crap anymore. I see Franco's face and I just can't anymore. I just have zero interest in Franco. Such a stupid, stupid casting choice."
"I semi-liked RH at times as Todd, although I thought he was given way too much focus on the show before. But Franco is not a character I can get behind...no matter who is playing him. Franco was a villain. Not an anti-hero...a straight up psycho villain. The vision here is completely lost on me."
"Honestly you really have to think Roger Howarth is the cats meow to think this stuff is any good, what they're doing with this character is so wrong for the show. Will see how long they can keep this up I guess."
"But Roger has been fairly awful with a character that needed to stay dead."
"I really need a Franco free day I can't take it anymore, he is so horrible to watch."
"This gorilla on Let's Make A Deal reminds me of Franco"
"I like Ava. She can stay. Fuck Curious George though, he can ADIOS"
"The stench of baboon shit knocked me out."
"The baboon was still sucking face."
"I think it's enough time. Franco is an unmitigated disaster."
It seems the actors who are throwing themselves onto the bandwagon are also hurting themselves and their brand. Take Laura Wright who has been throwing herself on Howarth as if he's the last plane leaving Saigon. And about Wright's over the top promotion of a pairing with Howarth, well, let the fans speak:
"It sickens me to know that Laura has no sensitivity chip at all.
No bashing her but as an actress, you'd think she'd want her character
improved instead of looking more stupid.
I never thought i'd ever wish for Sarah or Tamara to come back till now.
They are the two actresses that spoke up about their characters and wanted
better for them, not worse"
"I truly believe that LW is in for a rude awakening in reguards to Carly and Franco being accepted. I dont care what Ron rewrote, Franco was involved in Micheal's rape, my God the guys a serial killer outside of what he did in port Charles."
"she's crazy if she thinks this viewer wants or will support that shit"
"She is delusional if she thinks the Franco thing is inspired. It is a big reason people finally bailed. It is killing the show right now (along with a lot of other things)"
"LW making her case in subtle way that she and RH will be paired. Her analogy was Luke raped Laura. Well this shows her lack of intelligence, that is completely differently situation. It was Lauras will to fall in love and marry Luke. Franco did not intentionally order Michael to be rape, however, his actions talking to Carter exploited michael to a predator therefore Michael was raped. There is no justification if Carly ever falls in love with Franco, and forgets what happens to her own damn child. That wit will be clearly the most despicable act on any soap in this history of soaps. A mother hooks up with the man that exploited her child to be brutally raped. LW did not think it through that way, she's so gung ho about RH and is desperate to be front and center because she knows hes' priority and a Liver.
If they want to hook Franco up with someone, even though he's vile, the way to go is for him to hook up with someone whose child was not rape because of him. This is many different women on GH- but LW is a pet and a clear asslicker of RC she thinks it's a privileged to be able to have the pairing.
And no matter how the writers spin it, no woman on the planet would be with the man who caused the rape of her teenage son. Total disgusting way to go."
And the feelings about TPTB? OY Vey:
"Anyways lothe gh these days but love these old 82 clips"
"It probably won't happen but the only other thing is someone slaps their hands at ABC and tells them to start refocusing the show to reflect the long term GH characters and lessen the hold on the livers and newbies. Otherwise I can't forsee I'll ever watch GH again. RC/FV have gutted the look and feel of GH because they couldn't let OLTL go"
"I just think FV/RC are super spiteful of GH legacy characters, no matter how much they try to claim otherwise."
" RC is disrespectful in every way to fans and now to the editor of a soap mag. Can't believe it ... seems like RC's boss should step in and silence this twitter stuff NOW.
Let's face it: RC is so blinded by his Liver pets, he'll NEVER understand the issue, even with the sinking ratings. So when RC gets yet another soap canceled, if he needs to find a reason, all he'll need to do is look in a mirror."
" watching Gh is now more of a chore than entertainment. I watch now mostly out of habit. I have no emotional attachment to anything on the screen. There is no heart. I don't recognize the show at all either physically on screen or emotionally"
"The blantant front and center of OLTL actors/actresses is offensive to this GH fan."
"But you can compare other times when the same actor returns to the same show in a different role. It almost never works. To do it with three at the same time, who have just been on the show five minutes earlier in different roles was bound to fail. Add to that making one of them a rewritten serial killer and I don't know how Ron even thought that it would work. Correct that. I do know how. Pure arrogance and someone that started to believe his own press"
"Soap fans know them as who they 1st came on as and from their other soap.
If they couldn't bring them back as who they were to fans then it isn't and won't work. That's a whoooole new level of arrogance to that think fans would really eat whatever and not even disguise it"
"I am not defending him, by no means, I think he's a horrible writer, but often times creative types create for themselves, what make them feel good. Their work comes from a more emotional place. It's much easier to reason with a more analytical type person, because facts and figures are easily understood and accepted and negotiated. I don't think Ron is capable of understanding what people are saying."
And the result- apathy and moving on:
"It is so sad to see what has become of this show. Newbies and Livers own it and what is left of the vets have become different characters to prop the aforementioned. I could cry"
"I've become so detached from the show itself. I used to care about the show whether or not I was watching but I just don't anymore."
"I selfishly never wanted my fave to leave. Now, I really wish they would because I see no light at the end of the tunnel...except for an oncoming train of poop. They can leave and come back the last two weeks for their HEA."
"It is painfully obvious that they dont "get" GH or the characters and would more than likely damage Robert if he he came back even more. i pray that they leave Jason DEAD even if SBu would return(which i know he won't and dont blame him) but I want the characters I love to escape the pen of Ron and vision of Frank. I really want some of my other favs to leave honestly, which is so sad and just shows how much i truly HATE the writing and direction of GH now. "
"I could care less about the show anymore. I turned if off months ago when the one character that I was still entertained by became a shell of his former self and only lived to prop a newbie."
"The sad thing for me is that I think we're stuck with Cartini till the end. ABC won't bother to make another regime change. So it's either support this bullshit or root for cancellation. I want better choices. "
" You can only look away from the disaster that GH has turned into with those three characters for so long."And the saddest of all:
"I also dont think too many people would be fighting for their favs to stay on Gh."The only thing daytime has is it's legacy of long term fans and their dedication. Unfortunately, GH has squandered that and, by doing so, it is no longer relevant or even GH. It's a morass of egos circling the drain of ratings. When I told Valentini to "Burn the Mother Down", I had no idea he would take me literally.
But he did. These people aren't haters. They're the opposite. Yet, as usual, no one in control over there will hear it. Too bad. That show was once something.
I once thought at least Howarth would walk away unscathed. Now, I'm not so sure. I've been watching these fans for about twenty years and I've never seen something this bad. It's a new low.
The stink of the loser, Buddy, the stink of the loser. The Baboon comments aren't about Franco. They're about you.