Chris B

It was hilarious! The roaches in the bed! Microwaved dog! Dianna's Grace Jones knock-off in the finale. The dreadful catfight lol. The biggest thing to get used to with CPW was the lack of Communique which through Rachel to the background (a mistake) and I still don't see the point in keeping Nikki to appear in only two or three scenes. Overall it was a very fun show, but the end left me wanting more. Dianna had become a complete parody at that point and I wanted to see more. I just can't get over how bad Raquel Welch is on a CBS primetime show. It's sick. She had nothing to offer. BTW, Jessica Walter is an interesting choice. She appeared in one episode as Lauren Hutton's lawyer. Another choice would've been to pull from the pool of daytime soap actress (an Aaron Spelling move) or take someone from an 80s soap looking to return. Stephanie Beacham, Donna Mills, Michele Lee, etc.

One major problem I have is Phina Orbuche's hair. She looks a hot mess. It's way too short and it's not flattering. For such a sexy woman (just going off Buffy and Footballers Wives), it's an odd choice. I wish they'd given her a fierce weave or wig, but I do like her on this show so far.

Thank you! That was a great read. Nice to see other people enjoyed the show as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Peyton_Place_(TV_series) The formerly barebones Wikipedia page for this show now has cast pictures and storyline info. It's like slowly we're learning more info which is exciting. saynotoursoap, I was wondering if you could tell some of the characters/stories featured in the episodes you have.

We have a CPW thread? I need to find that! It really is a shame watching this. Central Park West was such a good little gem! I wonder how things would've been had a better actress been cast as Diana.

I'm about 10 episodes in and the show is still amazing. Looks like I'm towards the end of a season because I see new characters and stories being introduced. Gena Rowlands as Adrienne is amazing so far. This looks like a more straight forward story, her goal being to seduce Steven. Her entrance was classic soap and I was at the edge of my seat. My only problem with PP remains that the episodes are so good you can never just watch one. I have to force myself to stop. What I've enjoyed most recently is the heavy use of Elliot, Connie, Norman and Rita. All great characters who became so supporting for a while. It's also nice to see Norman better integrated with his family for a change. It looks like he and Rita might actually have one of the central stories for this upcoming season. Lots of forshadowing with Ada and Leslie which I'm loving.

CPW is not as bad as I thought. It's more earnest, the fashions are very drab and the pace is slower, but it's not bad. The worst part is Raquel Welch. She's a terrible actress and is trying so hard to imitate Joan Collins that it's laughable. The outfits, the accent, the diva attitude is just cringe-worthy. I dread her scenes. Another thing that doesn't work are the characters from the old series. I enjoyed crazy Alex, but why keep Michael Michele if she never appears? And to keep Stephanie's husband for this psycho story seemed kinda pointless as well. I'm glad Rachel seems to be maintaining a foothold, as well as Carrie. They're the two stars of this show. Such a shame Kylie Travis and Machen Amick never got their due. I'm almost done with this series and then it's onto Savannah, the last of the classic soaps I bougth.

The fact that Duncan, Ricky and Cheryl are safe, yet they choose to write off a character like Zak (or even Dave) is kinda worrying. I see lots of pretty people being cast, but I'm curious about how interesting they will be. It seems like things are starting off rough if I'm bein honest.

Okay I started with the week of June 7th and I believe the last episode I watched was the 17th or 18th. Overall the show has improved a little, but a lot of the characters are dull and the stories aren't very interesting. I'm eagar to see July 5th and on because I know it's when Marquess gets his name in the credits so no more blaming Allan for anything. As it is we all know he's there heavily tweaking her work and I'm surprised it's not better. Not sure how Theresa as Calvin's killer makes much sense and that was his choice. It's just more misery for the McQueen family and another way to tear them apart. That's the only story that family gets, just with different family member combinations. Steph has never been an interesting character to me, so her upcoming exit or cancer story don't move me too much. It's very watchable but so many important characters around her are dead so it's hard to care. Ricky and Duncan are absolutely revolting and unwatchable. Zak and Michaela still have huge spark and are two of the strongest characters. Nancy is at a cross roads and I had wait to see where that character goes. I also noticed less pop music, longer scenes and not every episode opens with the typical fantasy sequence set to music. I see him tweaking things to make it a more traditional soap, even in some of the choices the directors are making. Hopefully his storytelling holds up and he can completely revamp the show.

Hopefully I can resume my Peyton Place viewings today. I left the DVD I was watching at my old apt and since I'm going to visit my brother I'm going to look for it. Wish me luck! LOL. If not I'll just skip forward to the next DVD, but the story is so juicy I don't want to miss anything. It's been far too long without Peyton Place in my life. Connie was great in those early years and the best love interest Dr. Rossi ever had. They tried and tried with him, but could never top Connie. I won't say much more because it involves spoilers, but lets just say we take the most simple things for granted these days. The TV censors were ridiculous back in the day lol. Just wait until the rape trial where the word "rape" is never mentioned. It's amazing how good some of these stories are with all these restrictions. And then seeing what they *do* let slip through (lots of frank sexual talk). It just goes to show how good the writers and actors were.

Okay it looks like i'll be returning to Hollyoaks since the new showrunner is about to arrive. I'm starting with the week of June 7th only because I didn't wanna go too far back, but wanted to see where things were before he arrives. I'm looking at the arrival of the Sharpe family as his true start since we know that those are 100% characters he created. I think this could go either way so we'll see. I notice a lot of the actors he's casting are very pretty so I just hope they can act. I'm beginning to see it truly is going to be a very different show and I just hope it's a GOOD show. Will keep you guys posted once I begin viewing episodes.

Actually, I looked forward and it looks like the online episode guides are incorrect. Kylie Travis made the revamp and she remains until the end. And yes that was her fabulous first scene. Machen Amick is also amazing on this show. Looking at a CPW episode it looks like a dreadful show lol. And Racquel Welch is a hot mess. I can't wait to reach those episodes! So a bizarre departure. The original series is really very good.

CPW continues to impress. The original series, even with Marial Hemingway is great. I'd say it's better than Melrose Place even. It has it's own identity, an interesting group of characters played by good actors and is well written. Each episode I watch the more obvious it is that the show is just on the wrong network. FOX would've ate this up. Right now I'm kinda dreading the revamp focused on Raquel Welch and Lauren Hutton. In the original series Hutton isn't doing much. Reading recaps I see her role increases over time, but it's going to be a huge shift seeing her as a main character. Her story is heating up since it's been revealed her husband is sleeping with Nikki, played by the underrated Michael Michele. I can't wait for all of that to explode! Something else I don't look forward to is the exit of Kylie Travis. They brought her in in episode 3 and she's an absolute goddess! Her character will definitely be missed.

I'm currently in season four and it's just delightful. I actually loved seasons five and six although I know many fans hated them. It's the final season I found incredibly dull. Rena Sofer sucked on the show and I didn't like the smaller cast. They were kinda dull. I hate that Lisa Rinna left. Especially with Sydney gone u needed her for comic relief.

Kylie Travis arrived and fits in perfectly. The only dud is Mariel Hemingway's character. I was reading a review on EW.com and the original series actually got a great review. And on other message boards I saw, people thought the first season was better. I guess it really was a case of the right show on the wrong network.

This entire show was a disappointment for me. Overall was poorly cast with poorly concieved stories and characters, but a few key stars like Kylie Travis, Linda Gray and Emma Samms who were all poorly used. Everything about this felt unbelievably lazy coming off a huge hit like Melrose Place. There were never any "wow" moments. I was shocked that even after the Emma Samms revamp they didn't attempt to ramp the stories up more. Another thing that disappointed me is how they reduced Linda Gray's screentime as the series progressed. Originally she had love interests and some edge and seemed well integrated into the cast. As time went on she got soft and was just there as the mother hen. It was a drag. Especially when you consider she was the star of Dallas and this was HER spin-off. In many ways she felt as out of place as Amanda Woodward was on the horrendous sequel to Melrose Place. Right now I'm about three episodes into Central Park West, which I see according to the credits always used the CPW abbreviation. The pilot I found a big of a drag, but the show is improving. Not as bad as I was expecting and actually quite interesting. I think I was thrown by the way the series was shot and the fact that it was shot in New York. It was also very traditional for a Darren Star soap. I was impressed with the differing tone from his other series. I'm still getting to know the characters so no favorites or anybody I dislike so far, but it looks to be well cast unlike Models Inc. Loving the straight forward business stories and romantic entanglements. Can't wait to see how the series holds up leading into Raquel Welch's arrival and the big revamp. I'm also interested in seeing how Kylie Travis fits on this series and if Noelle Beck was ever able to act. I wonder if the show just gets boring because it's really doesn't seem like a bad show. I still have probably 10-15 episodes of Emerald Point NAS to watch, but that show just never caught on with me. Maybe one of the most disappointing shows I've ever seen. So boring. I may attempt to resume, but I don't even remember where I left off! I'm also severely behind on Peyton Place, but moving apts, I left behind the disc I was watching so I don't wanna skip those episodes until I'm 100% that disc is gone. But I'm pretty sure it's just at my old apt so I just need to look when I visit my brother.

I believe I'm two weeks behind on NYC. I still need to see Kelly's meltdown and the following episode with Jill arriving. Can't wait for the finale and the juicy reunion. With the previous two seasons the reunions were better than the actual season. I hope its the same this year. Will be sad to see the housewives go, but you still have Bethanny Getting Married which I'm sure will be a close enough spin-off to keep the NYC fans happy. Unfortunately NJ is a total disaster this season. Four boring family members with no conflict and a woman none of them will even share scenes with. I'm sure they'll pull it together with one or two exciting episodes, but there is too much filler. They should've added someone who could've been a friend and ally to Danielle to make it work. I feel like they're stretching the drama of season one out too much. If NJ makes it to season three (which it will) they need to do a major retooling. KEEP: Danielle, Theresa and Jackie. Dump Dina for sure and probably Caroline as well and think outside of Italian stereotypes when casting the other two women. Perhaps try a sports wife or something.

Gabrielle Carteris from 90210 was on that series as well. I never saw much of it, but I'd be interested in seeing what it was about. Right now I've been focused on Models Inc. It's a fun little series. Emma Samms has finally arrived which is a lot of fun! More on that later, but I do find it interesting that Kim Zimmer has a major recurring role. I had no idea! It's interesting to see her in a primetime format. She's definitely a poor fit here. She looks so old compared to even 10 years ago. I guess it was the 90s aging her.

Oh wow! Thats looks great. Makes me wanna watch the mini-series at least, but that'll make me want to see the series even more.

I find Jill the most unlikable. She was great in season one, but that ego blew up in season two and now shes a hot mess. I think Alex has toned it down and become really interesting and likeable. Ilike her and Beth and Ramona is crazy but I love her. She is so off it's hilarious. Kelly is an idiot but very harmless. i like her. Luann is a fake hoe who I can't stand.

The student group is Dave, India, Hayley (wonder if she'll stick around), Josh and some others. Basically the old teen scene. Michala and Sasha too.

Even if his stories aren't in play, it'll be interesting to see how he tweaks Allan's work.

Yeah I think Allan's show has been very light and fluffy which is the problem. Maybe he started watching with the fall out from all the Zoe/Sarah stuff and Mercedes thinking she had HIV. The show was very dark then.

Hopefully all this press means his material is coming up soon. I can't wait and I do hope he can save the show. I love the new multi-generational aspect.

As bad as the show is now I'm ready for anything, as I've said before. I hope this new version of the show is good and can pull in viewers.