Simpson Murder Case : As World Turns on Simpson Case, Soap Opera Fans Are Upset : Television: Viewers are flooding executives with complaints about the live broadcast of the real-life drama. ‘I’m sick of this. I want my shows back,’ says one.

There’s an angry television audience out there that’s fed up with the real-life drama of O.J. They want to know what’s going on in the make-believe dramas of Erica, Bo, Billie, Gina, Peter, Victor and Jennifer.

Thousands of soap opera fans have been flooding ABC, NBC and CBS with complaints about the gavel-to-gavel coverage of the preliminary hearing in the O.J. Simpson murder case that has brought a temporary curtain down on most of their favorite daytime dramas. Just like in the soaps, emotions have ranged from frustration to rage.

Since the hearing began June 30, when all three networks started putting aside the majority of their morning and afternoon programming to air the hearing, the calls have been growing in number--and in fury--say network executives.

“At first, they were just angry that the shows were not on, but now they’ve escalated into really angry calls, death threats, things like that,” said Susan Lee, vice president of daytime programming at NBC. “The calls have come from all over the country. They just can’t believe that someone isn’t watching an episode somewhere . These fans are desperate to get to anyone at the network who can get them a tape, or make a decision to put the shows back on.”

Charles Reilly, a spokesman for NBC’s “Days of Our Lives,” said: “A day without ‘Days’ is difficult for our fans, and they don’t feel shy about letting us know.”

Some of the soaps were reaching critical crises in their story lines, some soap experts said.

Officials at CBS and ABC also said they had received several complaints from viewers over the preemption of soaps such as “Guiding Light,” “All My Children,” “The Young and the Restless” and “As the World Turns.”

Responding in part to the furor, NBC has scheduled two episodes of their popular soap “Days of Our Lives” tonight in an unusual prime-time slot. The two, one-hour episodes will be broadcast back to back at 9 and 10 p.m.

But NBC added that there were no immediate plans to show another soap, “Another World,” in prime time, and officials at CBS and ABC said they have no plans to show any of their preempted soaps in prime time or late at night until after the conclusion of the hearing, which could last into next week.

To fend off concerned fans, network officials--as well as many of the news anchors involved in hearing coverage--have told them that they will not miss any episodes, that the dramas will resume at the point where they left off.

“We’re letting them know that they’re not missing anything,” an ABC representative said.

The decision to broadcast the hearings has cost stations about $200,000 a day in advertising revenue, sources have said, but officials declined to offer further details on how they are dealing with advertisers about rescheduling commercials and adjusting rate scales.

But it’s the viewers who are really feeling shortchanged, said Lynn Leahey, editor in chief of Soap Opera Digest, a biweekly magazine for soap fans.

“Imagine being in the middle of a great book, and then you lose it and can’t find it,” Leahey said. “That’s the way many of these folks feel. It’s the ultimate frustration.”

Leahey said most of the complaints have centered on the perceived overkill of the hearing coverage: “It’s not like the fans don’t have interest in the trial, because they do. But they don’t see the necessity of having to see two hours on a hair follicle. They say this case is not a life-threatening emergency like the earthquake.”

“Ideally, they want their soaps and O.J. too. They want the network to show the soaps, and break in whenever something important happens.”

Gladys Vaughn of New York, a retired nurse, said she is furious at CBS for preempting the soaps. She said watching her dramas--”The Young and the Restless,” “As the World Turns” and “Guiding Light” was one of her few daily pleasures.

“I can’t tell you how mad I am,” said Vaughn, 64. “Why does it have to be on every channel when it’s only going to be on all the newscasts at night anyway? Why don’t they just do a capsule summary at 11 p.m.?”

Priscilla Jones, a supervisor with the Los Angeles County Department of Child Services, said: “I’m ticked off.” Jones said she is addicted to “All My Children” and “One Life to Live.”

“It’s on every station, every day, every night,” she said of the preliminary hearing. “I can’t get away from it. When the trial comes on, I turn it off. It’s like a big circus to me.”

Her sister, Laura Boyce, a data entry operator with the Los Angeles Regional Family Planning Council, agreed: “So what if O.J.’s an ex-football player? He puts his pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else does. I’m sick of this. I want my shows back.”