DRW50

4 minutes ago, Vee said:

I agree, but it will take more than dead-ass Gregory for me to get excited. It's time for a good 3-4 people to go. Just for starters!

I remember the crazy days of Malone II at OLTL. IIRC they didn't dump a ton of people in the first month, but after that they started cutting a swath like a house on fire (starting with Larry Lau's Sam Rappaport), slowly but surely over those next six months. There were also a lot of additions of course. And Guza II here at GH dumped Kristina I and Roy fairly quickly in 2002 (and GF/Laura, though I doubt very much that was the plan going in), but I can't remember anyone else getting iced. Of course, those shows' canvases were not quite as bloated or full of pointless people as this one is.

Was Hannah already gone by then?

I did wonder if A wanted to leave or if he was fired.

23 minutes ago, BetterForgotten said:

Seriously, if a cast pruning doesn’t happen this year, then we know that sh!t is all Frank and ABC, and PM/EK just have to deal with it. 

I just fully assume Frank and ABC are still going to call the shots and PM/EK will work around the edges. 

1 hour ago, Khan said:

It's very telling how Lansbury, who usually had a pretty good memory, blanked on his name in that Archive of American Television interview, lol.

When she kept saying she couldn't remember his name but it was a strange name I kept wondering why that sequence hadn't shown up in any "shade throwing" compilations.

I was reading the Rialto Report interview with Juliet Graham from about 7 years ago. I would link the article but that site is very NSFW as it focuses on the "golden era" of adult film. Juliet, under the name Chris MacLeod, went on to host a few NY talk shows, and do acting work. The talk shows were apparently enough to get her this ad for her AMC run:

@DeliaIrisFan Oddly the show has since Frank came in painted the Nurses Ball as a huge PC-wide, or even national, event. 

I know Lucy can be frustrating, but similar to when the character was trashed on PC to try to prop up others like Eve, I just can't sit through any of that. 

I do think, from the clips I've seen, PM is improving some elements of GH, but the core is just too rotten to be worked on, and we see the inevitable result of that.

Sorry to hear of her passing. All I've seen of Meg's work as Julia seemed to be another example of the more nuanced and multi-faceted level of performance that helped shift Y&R's female characters into a new era. I wish her Search work was available (beyond one short clip).

11 hours ago, Ben said:

I’ve been meaning to come back here and post my thoughts on the show. I’m enjoying it a lot; the quality is back to what it was in 2022 after the bumpy return last year (let’s call that the Mischa Barton era ). 

I think what we’re seeing on screen now is everyone settling in, so all the initial nerves and excitement of being back have gone; new actors are bedding in and recasts are clicking into place (I’ve warmed to nuByron now). Production wise, the addition of 4th walls in some of the sets have been very welcome, which has given those sets a more real feel and allows for them to freshen up the directing of scenes; the incidental music is now really good, too. 

Neighbours have produced some outstanding episodes this year, especially the episodes around the death of a long time character, with the grief being played brilliantly by all involved. Krista’s traumatic birth went into the kind of detail I’ve never seen the show do before, and it really elevated Chelsea’s gold digging to a whole new level of villainy. (I’m being careful not to give away specifics for those who haven’t caught up, yet.)

Chelsea, as a character, was difficult to get behind at first, as she seemed to be so cold and devoid of any caring side, even for her sister, Cara (I do like all the barbed exchanges between Chelsea and Remi and Leo describing her as a ‘trashy blow in’ ). But since the story has taken a dark turn with Krista, Viva Bianca has been able to show the guilt Chelsea feels (not enough to stop her from trying to push Krista into a drugs relapse, though), and I’m starting to love to hate her character now. I low-key want her to stay. 

I love the Rodwell and Varga-Murphy family units, and I thought the recent inclusion of Andrew’s brother Felix, was great, but his stint was shorter than I expected, which is a shame. 

I think the teen scene could be beefed up a bit; maybe give JJ a friend at least. 

Haz has suddenly become more interesting with his latest storyline exploring his past as a hacker. He definitely works better as this morally grey character instead of whatever they were trying to do before. I won’t say that I like him, but his scenes are certainly more interesting to watch now. 

The one area of the show that doesn’t work for me is the Terese/Toadie/Mel triangle. It’s terrible and really drags the show (and characters) down. The writing for Toadie has been especially damaging, and I’m happy that he’s currently off screen. 

I’m super-excited about the Emmy nomination for Best Daytime Drama and for Guy Pearce getting nominated, too. That’s a huge deal for the show in terms of publicity in the US. 

Great to hear your thoughts. I have had mixed feelings on the revival, which is inevitable for any soap, but I do think the quad and the decisions made with Haz have hurt the show.

The quad is just so hollowed out and feels so unbalanced to me - Toadie and Melanie were dragged through the mud to the point where I find them both very difficult to watch (Melanie's only solo story being Karl shitting all over Erinsborough kind of says it all - what a great use of Alan Fletcher when there was a perfectly fine plot in place about Susan's absences and their affect on him), while Terese and Paul are written as good and right. Somehow Paul throwing a thug at a pregnant woman got him about two or three weeks of backlash (all of which was framed as us needing to feel sorry for him) followed by all kinds of material about how wonderful he is, complete with singing "This Little Light of Mine" and leading funeral services. I just don't buy it. 

I get the feeling this story is written on the old Agnes Nixon "make 'em wait" idea for Paul and Terese. I don't know how their fans feel, as frankly I don't really care about either of them, but how many times have they done this with Paul and Terese? 4? 5? If we are also meant to want Mel and Toadie back together, I think that ship has sailed for many fans, who at best just went along with the pairing because Sonya was gone and Dee was never coming back.

Chelsea is such an unpleasant plot device, and on top of that, a complete idiot, which just makes her getting away with things more of a suspension of disbelief. I don't mind suspensions of disbelief, but that's in a story I actually care about. They also missed an opportunity to actually write a real relationship with Chelsea and her sister. I would agree the only scenes that have any real value are some of her interactions with Krista. Krista is also pure plot device, she doesn't seem to have a personality beyond graciously suffering, but the actress who plays her has done a great job. 

I actually did like Haz at first, when he was the sweet guy who was pining for Mackenzie, but that started to change when he just started using women and treating them badly, and this was never properly addressed. We were meant to feel somewhat sorry for Holly, but she got over the whole thing quickly because she too is basically a plot device. His other girlfriend, who was introduced as a kind person, suddenly became so horrible that she let his dog out at night and later came back to try to sabotage him in a competition. 

That pattern returned with this hacker story, where the emphasis is not on the terrible things he did to people, but on how the person he hurt is in the wrong (along with Mackenzie, who is, as is often the case, just there to suffer from Haz's behavior rather than have much of a life or voice of her own). 

It doesn't help that (to me) the actor who plays Haz just isn't suited for this type of material. He comes across as a kids' show host put into a soap opera. 

I think the show has done well with the Varga-Murphys/Rodwells, but I feel like that story has been rushed through compared to everything else. Maybe they thought - understandably given the increasing levels of homophobia out there - viewers wouldn't accept the family or their stories.

I do like that recent episodes have been mixing up characters more often, and had some side plots that I can feel a little more invested in (like Byron/Sadie [even if that doesn't feel like it's going to go beyond support material] and having Byron there for counsel Dex), but I wish the show's main stories were not so hard to get through.

When Daily TV Serials announced Ted Danson's casting for Somerset, they mentioned that months earlier he had filled in for Jerry O'Sullivan for a few days, due to illness. 

19 minutes ago, allmc2008 said:

What?

For many years the thought process among executives was that you had to pivot to programming catered to their idea of a young person because young people would grow up to be rich and would then rely on all the products they saw advertised from that early age. That isn't as important to the powers that be now, because they know that isn't how things worked out (thanks to the crippling economy, many young people are lucky if they even have their own place to live). 

5 hours ago, Vee said:

Same. I would prefer Marci frankly, as I always had issues with Berman's tics.

She also had raging anti-chemistry with most of her leading men. I never got the hype beyond "oh she's a young Luke." Yay...

3 minutes ago, Vee said:

I can't see why with another soap on the way. Unless Sony has zero interest in what CBS does with the daypart.

I think there's part of that re: stuff that is familiar and comforting, like the popularity of long-running sitcoms on streaming. But I think it's also just been an overwhelming glut of 'Content' that burns fast and flickers out on streaming. People want some stability. I don't think a return to soaps, sitcoms, whatever is about conservatism so much as possibly a steadying force in turbulent times vs. chasing trends and pop culture quick hits.

I hope that isn't the reason (Sony losing interest), but then you'd think they would have moved to save Y&R or DAYS earlier on. Maybe this is just him finally losing the wrong person behind the scenes. 

I think beyond the reasons you've mentioned, this is also a byproduct of the powers that be going back to relying on older viewers as the fantasy of a mega-rich 16 year old who is there for them to try to revolve their whole schedule around fades.

2 minutes ago, BetterForgotten said:

Kimberly J. Brown is getting mainstream press coverage for her wedding , but because of her Disney work. lol

Former Disney Halloweentown Costars Kimberly J. Brown and Daniel Kountz Are Married: All the Details! (Exclusive)

Kimberly still looks so similar to when she was on GL (no wonder it felt odd when she returned a few times in the late '00s - still wouldn't have minded seeing her come back for the finale).

I did not know how popular those films were until Debbie Reynolds died. 

5 minutes ago, BetterForgotten said:

It was interference from the Bell’s that got Griffith fired the first time, and JFP the second time (also rumors of him having emotional breakdowns). But what did Kent do as soon as he saw a chance? Hire this failure again, and this time with no objective opposition. That should end now - unless Sony and CBS do not care (like P&G did at the end when they eliminated the Executive In Charge of Production role when MADD retired). 

I had the same thought - wondering if this is just more shutting up shop. Still, even in today's depleted times, you'd think CBS/Sony would have more care for Y&R, especially with a new soap on the way to attempt to build a lineup for the network.

Thanks @FrenchFan

This is good use of Meta as a character. There's so much left with this Bauer setup - losing Bill and Meta by the end of the decade hobbles them. Did Ed Bryce want to leave or did the show write Bill out? 

I had wondered if the show had deliberately made so many parallels with Kathy and Robin in death. I guess I have my answer. 

There is something so unbearable about the idea that Robin was just damned, with no possibility of ever having her own happiness. A good reminder of the stark tones that many live their lives by even today, and which helped soaps connect with so many viewers. 

This period of GL seemed to be doubling down on these heavy emotional moods. I wonder if the shift to being more plot-driven in the early '70s, with the characters mostly being whirled around by one baddie after another, is what led viewers to move away from the show.

@j swift It definitely had a sense of tradition respecting tradition. The end of GL felt like the death knell for daytime - not because GL had been a big hitter in recent decades, but just the opposite. The show finally going was the blood in the water. DAYS was seen as likely to go soon, we knew it was just a matter of time for the ABC lineup, and ATWT was already canceled by this point (or all but canceled). I'm surprised Les Moonves even allowed it. Sad to say 60 Minutes cared more than the [!@#$%^&*] Daytime Emmys that year. 

@FrenchFan Thanks for the synopses for Robin's last days. I had never known if viewers actually saw her throwing herself into traffic or not. It's all so bleak. I'm surprised they had her mention her mother Kathy, but it's very fitting - Kathy too was so plagued by mental problems, and Robin's death closed the circle. I don't know if Irna had any ties to GL by this point but I'm sure she was proud. 

Ed's involvement feels ominous as some of the details (the cabin, the adultery, death by car) remind me of Maureen's death. There are also some hints of instability in Maureen's last days. I'm just glad they didn't try to suggest she killed herself.

I wonder how viewers felt about any of this, or about Robin in general. She sounds so exhausting. I wonder if Gillian Spencer parlayed any of this into Viki.

I haven't watched very much 911 but I did see the coming out clips and I appreciate how Oliver Stark has handled the matter, from shutting down bigots in his comments to being hesitant to avoid the topic when the show wasn't going there with his character being bi because he didn't want to queerbait. It was interesting to read that they were originally going to give the male romance to his partner/friend on the show, Eddie. If they bring that back it might be one of the first times these m/m fanon ships really become canon.

8 minutes ago, John said:

So Heather's Cobalt poisned Hip was Chris Van Etten's idea and according to Alley Mills CVE is still on the writing team. AM is also happy that Patrick Mulcahey is HWing GH now

That definitely seems like an idea that writing team might have come up with.

36 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

It should have been laid to rest before Peapack, honestly.

I remember cancelation rumors around early 1995 AND fall 1996. I'm glad the show didn't end then (especially fall 1996, which was just a miserable time for the show), even if it probably would have been fitting, but they were extremely lucky. I know those last decades the show was kept on just through malaise and blind luck, but that sheer force of will always makes me wonder what might have been if they'd ever had a sustained period of quality in those years...and why a part of me will always wish the show could somehow be revived.

2 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

Over the decades, I have lamented many times about how crushing a blow the 1983-84 Massacre of TGL was, and how it seriously crippled the series. I don't need to regurgitate my personal complaints in extended detail...AGAIN, lol.

I will say, however, that it's gratifying to see other posters, who had been watching prior to the Gail Kobe/Pamela Long era, acknowledge how abrupt, extensive and damaging the massive structural changes were.

The show gutted its core family who had been essential since 1948, changed the style, focus and tone, and chopped off most of the soaps' memorable history. 

In exchange, we got saddled with the Shaynes, the Coppers, the Lewises, the Santos mob, the Winslow royals, and a seemingly endless revolving door of irrelevant and pointless newbies. 

For me, 1982 was the last, great year of "The Guiding Light That Was."

When I got into GL around 1990 or so I didn't even notice as much that there was such a lack of a core family compared to other soaps (like ATWT) because there were several dynamic characters or actors who helped keep the canvas vibrant. Unfortunately, when most of those actors filed out in the early '90s, it did expose how hollow the show's core was, especially Maureen's death, as Alex and Mindy had been so poorly written by the time Beverlee and Kimberley left that they weren't at their strongest anyway. Maureen still felt more central. That JFP did this solely because she assumed viewers wouldn't care otherwise if Maureen died says a lot about how she approached soaps.

4 minutes ago, Taoboi said:

Idk. I liked it. Broody and gothic before I knew what gothic was. 

As someone who grew up watching Dark Shadows reruns, I don't mind soap gothic at all, but I just don't remember finding anything especially gothic about their setup, beyond Stefan brooding and wearing black. I did want to be involved, at least with Stefan (never cared a great deal about Nik), but I didn't think the show felt the same way. I've admitted before late '90s GH isn't my cup of tea, so I respect that others enjoyed it.

2 minutes ago, j swift said:

I was inspired to read it because of DL, and it was a bit more nuanced.  He questioned his sexuality because of his experiences during his adolescence and the times, which didn't allow for any discussion of the impact.  Then he fell for a fellow actor.  But he realized that drugs and alcohol, as well as dissatisfaction in his marriage, affected his decision.  So, he never sought male companionship afterward.  However, he credited Boys in the Band with helping understand the difference between men in a consensual relationship and the grooming he experienced in his youth, thus there was no “blame” implied or inferred.

He regrets how he made Robin Strasser feel by leaving their marriage.  But, it was very volatile, and he often felt neglected by her commitment to her career advancement.  Which is an interesting insight into some of the characters that she played. 

Thanks. That's very interesting. Sexual exploration is all very difficult, even today, let alone in the '60s. Kudos to him for being so open (although I hope he gave Robin a head's up).

17 minutes ago, Khan said:

I don't, lol!  If I had my druthers, the "mob element" AND the Cassadines would have been phased out a long time ago (along with things like Crimson, Deception, the Metro Court, etc.) in favor of a renewed focus on the hospital and the complex and all-too-human personal lives of its' staff.*  Claire Labine and Wendy Riche worked so hard to turn GH into a grounded, relatable show again after a decade or more of OTT supervillains and action/adventure storylines.  To me, Bob Guza's decision to reactivate the Cassadines was a real step backward.

I think the idea of the Cassadines was more interesting than the reality. They were effectively used as villains in the early '80s, but once Guza brought them back, they were caught in the inevitability of tedium you get with brooding or "mysterious" figures year after year. Just how mysterious could it be seeing Stefan wander around his island muttering about "Lasha" or Nik staring off into space yet again? Guza didn't even seem to care about either of them that much compared to Luke or JJ Lucky. 

There was also the lack of compelling romantic relationships for either of them. Stefan/Bobbie were great but they were nixed in favor of pairings that we were told were meant to be compelling rather than ever being shown (Laura, Katherine). And I don't believe Nik ever had an interesting romance. At least not when I was a regular viewer. 

At least they did manage to put Spencer in a romantic pairing that worked and had fan support...only about a year or less before he left, but that's an improvement, at least.

1 hour ago, vetsoapfan said:

I recently re-watched 1970's Boys in the Band, and realized how well-acted and written it really was. Soap actors for the win! (Keith Prentice from Dark Shadows, Peter White from AMC, Reuben Greene from AMC Robert La Tourneaux from The Doctors, Laurence Luckinbill from The Secret Storm).

I can only imagine the avalanche of hysteria that the film must have engendered among hyperventilating, pearl-clutching conservatives 50+ years ago.

That was more of a time of experimentation in film, I suppose - some of the films that were mainstream successes at that time would cause jaws to drop today (I was just rewatching They Shoot Horses, Don't They not long ago), but when I first heard of/saw the movie I was surprised. And so much of it has held up today, no matter how much we think we've progressed. 

I avoided the Ryan Murphy adaptation at all costs.

1 minute ago, vetsoapfan said:

Cringe.

When awards are handed out for being "the least awful among our potential choices," this is what you get.

And if this was for Ron, they can't even say they're the least awful.

5 minutes ago, John said:

Guy Pearce could win the Guest performer Emmy

I think Dick Van Dyke will win, but I'd be happy for Guy, to reward his loyalty to the show.

3 hours ago, Bright Eyes said:

Unfortunately, looking at the actor nominees, they clearly have no chance of winning when they should objectively win all the awards in a landslide.

I think in this case the nomination is what really matters anyway as it helps get the show attention.