DRW50

I think Loving's first episode (not just the movie) is on Youtube. Strange Paradise, if that counts. I have wondered if Our Private World was saved since it aired in primetime, or if it that was junked.

That was so grueling to watch (at the same time you had Kassie de Paiva on OLTL playing a stillbirth while heavily pregnant). It did make me respect Krista as an actress because I thought she did a very good job.

Oh that's right. Thanks. Just another misery story from around that time, although Swoosie always did a good job. Picket Fences had an Alzheimer's story around the same time, although theirs was "wackier" in that typical rictus grin DEK way.

At first I thought it was still tied to the Franco killing but that was already over by this point, maybe...? Eric's presence makes me laugh because out of context he looks like a peeping tom.

Thanks so much.

I did like that story. Philip Sterlin was such a warm, incisive actor. You're right about the Alzheimer's story. I had forgotten about it until now, but it was just another sign of bleakness all over the show (and didn't one of the sisters have to contemplate killing him?).

Alex probably had the best love interests of any of the sisters. I liked all of them (I think I liked Victor the most, maybe because the actor was cute). The Trevor story was a tough watch, and not the best buildup, but I agree most of it made sense for Georgie.

Was this a strike story? It reminds me of the Nicole/Cass haunted house story around the same point. What did people think of the story?

I finally found my copy of the GL episode that ends with the Jessie (Rebecca Staab) and puppet beauty shot, which is one of my all-time favorite beauty shots just because it is so out of the norm compared to most beauty shots. Here's the whole sequence, which in of itself is a little bizarre, including open-mouthed kissing between Rebecca and Shawn Thompson that does not fit the nature of the relationship (you can tell they were together at this point, or soon would be), and what seems like open-mouthed kissing between Rebecca and puppet. I also kind of love that India asks her to come talk immediately, which Jessie agrees to, and then the next shot of her is just leisurely drinking coffee and playing with the moose.

Thank you for keeping your reviews going. You've now seen HB's final appearance. Larry Gates was a wonderful presence - I'm surprised when I realize he was only on the show for a little over a decade as he was there when I started watching and it felt like he was there forever. The issues with airtime won't be getting any better, sadly. I don't want to spoil too much for you, but Abi eventually gets a cochlear implant. I watched some of the Halloween episode a few years ago and it definitely was very disturbing. The Abigail POV is something I don't remember getting very often from the show, or other soaps. I'd totally forgotten about Reva and Brent interacting, and his HIV scare. At the time I did think it was a deserved comeuppance for him - looking back I can see where it was kind of gross. Michael O'Leary did have a thing for looking hot in shirtless dramatic scenes at random times. If you are still watching in 2000 you'll get another one.

https://deadline.com/2025/04/the-conners-series-finale-producers-explain-everyone-crying-1236374356/

The treatment of Eve was strange, because she had a big introduction, yet was also treated as disposable. Then when there was a clear point where the character could have been written out, she was redeemed and stayed for a further year and a half. They seemed to just be throwing everything at Nick but didn't care about doing the work. Your idea for Eve/Nick sounds much better than what we got. I suppose Ed being at a loss as a character around this time helped Eve stay. I did care about Eve. I have a feeling I'm one of the few who did.

I do blame her, because a good producer, an objective producer, would have known the story reached a natural conclusion and couldn't survive the departure of both leading ladies. I think she just banked too much on her own ego, and on Vincent. But you're right - all she really needed to do to make the story better was to take more care in casting Mindy. She didn't. I remember enjoying Barbara with Quinn Redeker, but Quinn was a chemistry machine, and the whole core of Leanna was that she could never be with a man as she was a trainwreck. Barbara did work well with Michael O'Leary, but that was just as she was heading out the door.

I think with AW it may be the opposite - the ties to the past, those that weren't junked wholesale the way they were in the mid/late '70s-early/mid '80s, could work better with viewers and in story than attempts at creating new families. They came and went and came and went. There were popular new characters, and new families in some cases, but even in those cases, that was often more individual characters (like Cass, Felicia, Donna) who were slowly centered and had families built around them (I know Peter came before Donna but within a year or two Donna was the center of the family). And characters like Cass and Felicia were quickly tied into the Cory family dynamics, especially Felicia.

IIRC, Robyn Griggs actually was well-liked by viewers. She was fired because of offcamera stuff. After that nothing seemed to work with the character.

I think the only reason was because JFP wanted to keep playing out the Mindy/Nick/Alexandra "triangle."

We didn't even get to the part where he starts throwing money at her.

Thanks for the article @chrisml . You can see Logan in full stenographer mode there trying to tell us how great it is that an actress was hired without an audition because she went to the SOD Awards and decided she missed soaps. That's a recipe for a failure and no soap of quality would (I hope) have that mindset. I was a fan of Crampton on Y&R, but it was obvious very quickly she was not suited to GL, and obvious that JFP had no interest in finding ways to help her fit in. It's telling that she only improved as JFP's influence was waning. I can't remember if it was you or someone else who speculated that the reason the ratings did not increase during the period where the show genuinely improved (89-92) was down to viewers who were too burnt out to try again. I had no idea they were still at #5 through such a poor and hollowed out period for the show. I can see why a lot of loyal viewers never went back. That's hilarious. I wish I could see that scene, even if the reality is never as fun as the retell. I don't know if I ever heard this before. I probably did and just forgot, but still, thanks. We talk at length about JFP or Rauch and spitefulness, but Kobe seems in some ways even more spiteful, to allegedly kill off two characters, both of whom had story left to give, just because the actors wanted to have other opportunities. Even Gloria Monty, when she thought Jack Wagner was pulling a stunt to get more money, did not have Frisco get his head blown off - she just recast him and sent a message of his job not being safe. With what happened with Lujack and Hilary, I'm genuinely surprised Mike Bauer left Springfield alive. Maybe it's because Don left so abruptly? Otherwise, Mike probably would have had a plane crash on him, probably piloted by...checks notes...Chandler Hill Harben? I wonder if this is the end result of always trying to chase the brief high they got in 83-84. That and ABC and NBC having supercouple success. GL at its core was never a supercouple show, and never should have steered in that direction. Watching that Hilary funeral clip, Rick and Mindy have such a natural connection, yet I don't even think they were involved at that time. A waste. The talk about Mindy and Kurt reminds me that I never even heard her mention him in later years. I don't even know if she was by the end of Krista's run, when she was with Will Jeffries. A huge wedding remote, her first husband, and it was just a blip. Mindy was probably the most vibrant of the Four Musketeers yet was the one who seemed to get the least respect from the show (you could say Beth, but at least they did have her around on a regular basis for the show's last 12 years).

Thanks. I wonder why you could buy Passions boxers but not DAYS boxers.

Olivia is one of those characters where the stories weren't up to much but the scenes were interesting, as Hossack knew how to layer with vulnerability. I did appreciate some of her relationships. Your idea about the conflict between Liz and Iris, which would have drawn in all the Corys, and likely Jake, makes sense. It's a shame by that point the show was barely using Iris and Liz even less. I think Bailey just wasn't a compelling presence, but I agree that if he had stayed and Lemay had been able to write for him it could have worked out.

I think Amy is a good actress who was probably best served by her work in her primetime procedurals. Josie was such an aimless character and then they decided to just make her into cop Harley. Not really a fan of Gary/Josie either - AW is probably Tim Gibbs' best soap work, but the stories are all a slog.

I actually did think Olivia was compelling, although that may be more down to Allison Hossack than the writing. She was mostly just used as an obstacle for Sam/Amanda rather than a character in her own right. I think that Russ was important as a character in his own right, especially if they knew another important character in his age range (Mitch) was going. They would repeatedly try to find more men in this age range and none stuck, due to actors leaving or story issues. The most successful was Carl, who had tried to kill much of the canvas. If they had found a strong actor for Russ and rooted him to the canvas, it would have been good for present day, good for Rachel, Iris, etc. not just because he was a Matthews.

I think what hurts that version of Drew is Cameron doesn't really have the same charm he had in those early years (to me, anyway). He has a darker vibe and has ever since his later AMC days. It still could have worked, with time and care, but the character is so vocally hated by a number of fans, I don't know if it ever would have clicked with the viewer base. I don't even know if the people who are saying it want it to happen, they just think there are clues (like where he lives, his fixation on Willow, his change in demeanor, etc.). I do wonder if it may happen just because the show could then use this to bring back the "good" Drew, last seen...I don't know when. Maybe they would say before he dumped Carly, given Korte's fondness for Carly.