Hot Head Ben

This is where they need to get more creative.  I mean, what did they gain by making the primary Dimera mansion space so much shallower than it used to be?  Surely they only gained a few feet, which I can't imagine helped them build another space behind that set.  Maybe they did and they gained some additional footage somewhere going the other way, but I think more likely it gives them room for the passage way along the back, which they don't need.  Even if they kept the current dimensions, said they walled off the "tunnels" and pushed the couch up against the wall, it would have open that space up more.  Or they need to work on better blocking, because it's not like there wasn't space in the room for people to occupy; they could have found an excuse for some of the characters to be seated or for someone, like Tony and Anna, to be standing behind the couch and make the movement more dynamic.  But I think that's a combination of wanting everyone all in one shot, to use the three camera filming, so they only have to do one take; combined with them not rehearsing anymore, which means they just go for it no matter how clumsy the take turns out to be.

I'm ambivalent about whether they need both the Brady Pub and Julie's place.  I know the two set different atmospheres and they arguably need more variety, but how do we even need to see these people getting lunch or having a drink?

I think the police station and the hospital are key sets that could be worthwhile, if they just told the right stories.  There are countless medical dramas and police procedurals that tell the stories of cops solving crimes and seeking justice and medical staff helping patient; and the police stations and hospitals they take place in are key, but the stories have to be written properly.  

Remember when JJ got promoted for rescuing the girl the girl who had apparently been kidnapped; yet the first time we heard anything about it was after he'd rescued the girl and was receiving his commendation/promotion?  Or that time Johnny went missing and they found a body that turned out to be some other child's dead body they found and that was the end of that story.  Because it was super important to instead focus on Sami and EJ having grief sex on the Dimera couch in response to that tragedy.  They find all of these ridiculous excuses to bring the focus to places like the police station, and completely ignore the legitimate stories that should come out of those places.  I may not go down to the police station very often, but with characters like Hope, Rafe, Eli and Lani being cops, they should be there quite often - but not dealing with their own personal drama; they should be there doing their jobs.  Even if those stories are the backdrop for the rest of the drama going on in their lives, it balances things out; because without it, it doesn't make sense to visit the station as often.

They make way too much use of the park and so-called Horton Square.  For a city of indeterminate size, people seem to not only walk places way more than anyone I know, and within the same narrow area of town; they all apparently drive part way through town, only to get out and walk through parts of it.   Like Sarah taking off with Mickey/Rebecca. She leaves the Kiriakis mansion by getting in her car, strapping Mickecca into her carseat, drives into town, then gets out at the Horton square, loads the kid up in the stroller, so she can push her through the square and through the park, on their way to the airport or wherever the Kiriakis private jet is.  Who would do that?

They try to redress certain sets for multiple purposes, which is a noble effort in creativity, but they go about in the laziest way possible.  Like the blue room that has serves, among other things, as Hope/Rafe's office at the station.  First off, why the hell would you paint that room blue?  That space becomes so distinctive that it's obvious when they try to pass it off as some other place.  Paint it white; according to some people at least, it might look a little bigger, but at the very least it'll look more generic and brighter.
They could get even more creative with a standing multipurpose set.  In the theatre we have something called a periactoid; it's three 4'x8' walls joined to form a triangle on wheels.  With multiple periactoids we can paint each side for a different scene and for a scene change you just flip it around like old school Vanna White; put them side by side the right way, you can create the interior facade for three different rooms.  Granted, for a filmed production like a tv show, this technique would probably need to be tweaked, but they could still build a descent size, multiple standing sets with wall panels you could turn to reconfigure it into looking like different sets, without needing to physically remodel the space.  And depending on how accent or dress the walls, you could potentially combine them the different options to get even more locations out of one space. And they could be designed so that the walls could be re-positioned, moving doors or windows to be oriented differently, that would be a very dynamic set.