Chris B

I've been ready for a re-watch, but with the streaming thing not done yet I decided to buy the first two seasons so I could start re-watching in good quality. I'm going to try to spread the episodes out to the end of the year in hopes it's released in November/December like Dallas was last year. So far I've done the first three episodes of season one and I'm reminded at what a good job David Jacobs did of establishing the series. The self-contained format could be hit or miss on some of the primetime soaps, but it works really well here. My biggest takeaways this time is how unique the character of Laura was from day one. The immediately establish Richard as a scoundrel with a lust for power and the way he disregards her is pretty amazing. It's episode two and we're already running into one of her previous hookups and Richard pressures her into sleeping with him to get ahead at work. Then when he finds out he manipulated her into thinking that isn't what he wanted which is how he maintains control of her. Another thing I had missed in all my previous viewings is that Kenny was having an affair with Sid's daughter Annie. I think that's an interesting nugget to place in the pilot since Kenny and Ginger give us our first ever cliffhanger when Ginger learns of Kenny's affair with Sylvie. I was a big fan of these characters and hate we didn't get more from them. Kim Lankford mentioned that when they left the show the plan was to give them a Nashville set spin-off but James Houghton didn't want to do it which upset her. I would've enjoying seeing them in their element.

I don't know that Vivica wouldn't stay long term. She's already acknowledged she's interested in appearing on the show. I think it would be nice for her to have a long term regular gig that pays well. She would still have time to do some tv movies and outside projects much like Jackee on Days.

She already announced a young writer of color on Twitter last night. I believe it's someone she worked with on Ambitions. I'm sure they'll have diversity in the Script Writers/Breakdown Writers.. It makes sense to put established people at the top.

That means they season would wrap in September. The show is a midseason replacement in the 24-25 season. A renewal would start in September. CBS Daytime now goes by the primetime model.

In recent years CBS Daytime has started putting emphasize on seasons for their soaps. I'm sure we'll know long before that if it's renewed, but they're basically treating their daytime shows like primetime in terms of renewals now. I'm glad more news is out! I hope fans don't flip about the Guza news. This makes sense considering she's worked with him before and he's a great choice. He knows how to plot high impact stories and one of the big killers for new soaps is they tend to be slow in the beginning. I'm sure they'll be a magic combo. The best part of this news is Atlanta for filming! I've been keeping my fingers crossed for this. Filming in LA is just not worth it these days. It would've been a mistake to film there and give us another cramped soap like the Bell soaps have become. In ATL they'll be able to get a studio with space to provide sets that actually represent what they're trying to show. A more modern look will also help the show gain a larger audience. Excited to see who they cast but with November for a start date we still have a long ways to wait until they announce casting. I do wish they were filming with more of a lead in case they need to do reshoots. Audiences have a short attention span so they really need to get it right from the beginning. The days of starting mediocre and improving are gone. Everything is going the way I'd hoped so far. Now just keeping my fingers crossed for Victoria Rowell as Betty. I imagine we'll see a Real Housewife on the show as well.

I'm currently in December 1999, but I will say, from the bits I've seen of them together, I think Andy and Denise should've been a long term couple. In general I'm shocked Denise didn't last longer. She was a big part of carrying 1999 and Cassandra Creech gave great performances. I can't help but think that if she was white with that level of talent she may have had a career similar to Maura West on the show.

When Days joined Peacock they cited needing programming that could drive year round subscriptions. They would find success with short limited series and people would cancel after it was over. Days gives them what they were looking for and the first quarter after they added Days showed a big jump in subscribers. Nobody is going to come right out and say a soap is the reason for their success, but the signs are all there. It's probably the cheapest show they have other than reality tv and it drives subscriptions. There is a reason we're also getting The Gates. I strongly believe the soaps overall a lot more successful on streaming than we realize, for the exact same reason: year round subscriptions. Every streaming network was wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on these prestige shows which didn't give them the returns they wanted. Those days are largely over post-strike. Max is even getting back into the network swing of things with a 16 episode medical drama, which will be released weekly and will have a normal budget.

Days is so cheap to make and stays in the Top 10 (often in the Top 5) on Peacock, so I wouldn't be concerned about it's renewal. It's one of the few things driving year round subscriptions and the price point makes it an obvious choice to stay. One year of Days costs less than any of their 8-10 episode limited series. Also, I would be open to Ron at Y&R, but I can't see them making a change although it would be smart considering The Gates is coming. They should be working overtime to get the Bell soaps in tip top shape so the ratings are strong to be a good lead in. Personally I'd put Ron at B&B where he'd absolutely shine, but Brad Bell has a hold on that show despite phoning it in.

I do like Leo, despite the dreadful writing. In order for Leo to work, they should lean into making him a male version of Sami. Sami does awful things, but her deep connections with her family is what allows us to forgive us. Had they kept Diana the same as she was before, they could've saved the character. I would've kept her the same and also given him a good sibling and allow them to show the characters humanity and try to convince him not to do his bad deeds. Help us understand the root of his issues.

I feel like the latest they could go into filming would be October due to the holiday breaks in November and December. That's if they're sticking with a January debut. News should start coming out late-August/September as we get closer to October. I'd hope they don't rush the filming part of it. It's not uncommon to miss with certain bits of casting so it would be nice to give themselves some space in case someone needs to be replaced, or if they see something isn't working on screen and they want to scrape it before it airs.

I noticed in an article about The Bay casting, one of the new cast members is listed as being from The Gates. https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/jackie-zeman-general-hospital-the-bay-special-episode-1236067738/amp/

I'm late responding, but this was such an amazing movie! This is what I want to see represented at the Oscars, but I'm doubtful. June Squibb and Richard Roundtree both were brilliant, but everybody in the cast was. Parker Posey and Clark Gregg were both amazing and the actor playing Thelma's grandson was a charming deadbeat. It had a good mix of heart, comedy and some clever action. I wish we could get more tv shows/movies around people in their 80s and 90s. We don't see it enough, but when we do it shows that there is something there worth seeing.

That's any show in development. I wouldn't expect any news until they get closer to a start date. MVJ has made it clear things are moving fast and furious behind the scenes. I don't see how it could help to announce anything until you have a strong list of actors to announce. I would imagine August/September will see more announcements. They will likely start filming in the fall to be ready for January. I wouldn't imagine they want to wait until say November in case they need reshoots. I would guest September/October for filming to start.

I enjoyed season 12 of Knots Landing and I felt like the finale was more the new writers coming to set things up. I could be wrong though. John Romano was all wrong for the show and recently when re-watching Party of Five, I noticed in the 5th season I was really struggling to connect with the show. I checked the credits and surprise surprise, John Romano was the new showrunner. That man does not know how to write a soap.

While I do think they missed an opportunity to tease The Gates, I’m not worried about it from a promotion standpoint. There’s no way they’re going to be launching their first soap in decades and not giving it a big promotional push. In fact, I really don’t have any true worries other than what production model they take. The Bell soaps have been reduced to green screens and shrinking sets and I’d hope for a more modern look, but I think it’ll be better out of the gate than many are suspecting. Michelle has posted about writing so from a writing standpoint, they have time to perfect their product. This isn’t Port Charles which was basically put to air with no plan. Plus, I respect her taste level. From GH to B&B and Ambitions, I do feel she knows what it takes to make a good show. Also, as much as people love to hate Jamey, Ambitions was strong out of the gate and a lot of that was due to the impact of MVJ and Susan Dansby, so we know she knows how to launch a show. I’m really curious when they will start filming. What is everybody expecting? I would hope they start filming in August/September that way they can see how things are turning out and make tweaks if needed.

They for sure don’t have the NBC episodes but they do have several of the earlier years. Pre Covid they had plans to stream those but it got delayed and now I don’t think they have any incentive to post those since they seem to have given up. Ever since they changed it to free streaming you can’t save your place. I still don’t get why they cancelled the subscriptions. Surely some money is better than none. But now they don’t have to answer to anybody about quality since it’s a free service

September 18, 1992 according to SOW.

I personally want a physical release just so I can own it forever, but I know I won’t be able to resist and will end up buying it on streaming as soon as it’s out.

On the message board that provided the updates on Dallas’ HD transfer, someone said they got confirmation from a WB rep that Knots and Flamingo Road are ready and got music cleared already. At least Knots should be streaming before the year is up.

Because LA is too expensive. GH is the only soap that manages to still have a substantial amount of sets that also are big. The Bell soaps keep shrinking what sets they do have down and have a very small rotation. For this show to be successful and draw in new viewers it needs to look more modern than what we have. Filming in Atlanta gives them an opportunity to expand what they can do in terms of sets and location shooting.

It’s primetime. I wonder if anything will be said at the upfronts. I imagine we’ll know the cast in the fall, but I’m curious about when we’ll learn of filming locations and BTS staffing which would need to be completed sooner. I’m very curious to see what the writing team, directors, etc look like. And I’m still hoping for Atlanta over LA for a filming location.

I do have to say, theres so many wonderful Black actors to pull from, but Victoria Rowell being cast would truly be the ultimate “get” and full circle moment. After literal decades of advocating for Black people in front of and behind the scenes, it would be the best gift she could receive. So many people have benefitted from her work and id love to see it come full circle in that way.

Speaking of Ryan’s, I never understood why they never brought on the oldest daughter as a regular. I know at one point they brought her daughter on but I don’t think the mom ever came on. With all the recasts and a desire to expand the show, it seems that would’ve been a no brainer. They could’ve properly cast her and given her a husband and a couple of kids.

It’s a start. Despite some naysayers, I’m happy to see how much attention the show got on Twitter. I hope more people sample it as a result. If the show is smart, they’ll send a few people over to attend the Emmys and also do a press tour here to raise awareness. If they go in prepared, I could see them getting more nominations next year. They need someone to help them focus in on who to submit and what to submit.

Joan clearly has body dysmorphia. She was getting unnecessary work during Knots Landing. I think what makes her look so strange now is she has all that filler in her face but didn’t get her lips done. That combined with the nude lip just make her look strange.