DRW50

Thanks. Some of that sounds even heavier into crime than EON was at that point, although I guess you still had the Vickie/Julian romance and Heather losing her baby. The biggest difference is probably the comfort characters at EON, like Nancy and Mike. Oh, now I think I remember a little about the raciness. Was there something about toes? Considering the short time he was at OLTL, I'm not sure if moving made a big difference for Jameson, but I guess it still helped moving to a show that was seen as being revived around that point. Thanks. I'm sure there are other options listed in Paul's proposed soaps thread, but Lovers & Friends was so hurriedly thrown together it gives the impression NBC was just desperate, flying blind. They took for granted the audience Somerset had in that timeslot. I wonder if one more year might have mattered...probably not, but you always wonder, as that whole thing ended up leading to even more headaches and bad decisions for NBC Daytime. What I might have done is consider moving some AW characters over to Somerset. Trying to figure out who I'd choose...definitely not Iris.

Thanks @Paul Raven really appreciate this. Did Parker Stevenson leave Somerset for OLTL, or was he written out by the show? The Ellen and Dale story seemed to get a positive response, at least in some quarters. Maybe that was too much for P&G. I didn't know about any stories Ellen had after the relationship ended so I'm glad to know a little more now. Seems like almost every woman on the show had to have some tie or desire for Julian. I assume this is not written in chronological order, but I notice we got from many typical melodramatic soap stories to all crime stories. All this focus on Carrie, Vicky, Heather, etc. reminds me of how much the show seemed to cycle through heroines compared to how they settled on Julian. Who was the long running woman who got focus? Ginger? I didn't realize this final headwriter was an unknown. I wonder if Henry Slesar may have recommended him? Or knew of the real him? Somerset had already had a long run for a soap spinoff, but I wonder if the show would have been renewed if Lemay and Rauch hadn't agreed to try their own soap...or if NBC/P&G were just done.

You're right about the potential many of those stories could have had. The execution was more of an issue. Something never clicked for me in Angelique's present-day adventures - some of them I actually found very irritating due to the slanted writing and her voice being overshadowed. It took the Leviathan story for me to enjoy her in that timeline. I wish they had just left Peter/Vicki to the past and used that to inform who Vicki became when she returned, instead of bringing him back.

Thanks @slick jones I appreciate the interviews you share.

Is it just me or is this article written heavily with AI? (spoilers for the final season) https://collider.com/the-conners-final-season-roseanne/

Absolutely. And IIRC Rose Alaio has mentioned production having it out for her.

The show seemed to burn through the Kendalls considering how many there were. How do you think the show handled them? Why did they tape off? Was it casting issues? How would you compare them to the McClearys? If the show had continued, would there have been a future for the family?

Last I saw she was teaching acting (?) at a college, but that was probably ten-twenty years ago. She and Michael Levin had immense chemistry. This is one time where all the stuff about what was in character didn't matter to me - pairing them up just seemed like a no-brainer to me. The Joe pairing sapped Siobhan's spirit, and while I liked Rose/Jack, it was clear someone at the show did not.

Those are great ideas. That could adapt the whole claim that Gus was meant to be Rita's son. A child born of Ed and Rita and influenced by Roger would be great drama. I should probably have Philip's long-lost son be mid-twenties to make sure he's in a different peer group than Lizzie. I do think Frank was an easy cut in the show's last decade, but I could at least say he was a good part of the show for his first 5-10 years and had natural relationships with the other Coopers, who were heavy in story. I don't hate Ron Raines, but there were no good times with him for me. He was more suited to Werther's Original ads. He seemed happiest when he got to have sweet scenes with little Lizzie, just doing grandpa stuff. I agree that Amanda returning at that time would have had more of an impact than a stunt cast for Alex. Joan was terrific, but the show couldn't afford her long term, and they needed a strong Spaulding long-term. Great final moment for Alan. I never knew Taggert planned to bring Alan-Michael back. What might have been...

They were always meant to be short-term, I think - at least Mick and Lou.

They clearly loved her offcamera. I wish I could appreciate her work more, but...I don't. Thanks for telling me what Levin said at the end. I still don't think Carney was bad, but I guess he would always see them as not shining compared to Kate.

Around 2002, when I would have killed Alan, I'd bring back Amanda, who would have a love/hate relationship with Philip mirroring Alan and Alex, I'd have a proper Alex recast, I might bring back Alan-Michael (and maybe Hope or Mike on recurring), and I'd bring in a long-lost son for Philip who would be around his late teens or early twenties. I agree that Philip would still need a rival. That's where giving Roger another long-lost kid (not Sebastian) could have worked in this timeframe.

David knowing Burke was going to die and making sure to say goodbye to him was very unnerving. Some of the last moments where David Henesy's otherworldly vibes from those first few years are put to good use. I agree that the few months right before 1795 are excellent. They do a great job with building suspense and going through insane twists. DS was never going to be able to have a long run anyway, with the high burnout rate and a number of principal cast not likely to stay, but I do wonder what might have been if they had done a better job with the present day after the return from 1795.

Thanks for sharing your memories. It's so special to get to talk with your mother about a soap she watched when she was younger that you now watch. '70s feminism had to be much tougher, and other than maybe Search for Tomorrow (where the Kathy character is mostly unavailable in '70s form), Ryan's Hope may be the only soap that delved into this. Jill is such a fascinating character, one I'm not surprised was polarizing with viewers. So much about her probably shouldn't have worked, especially when you think of all the backstory thrown at viewers immediately (a previous love affair with Jack, being adopted and never feeling at home in the Coleridge family, being Frank's "other woman" for much of the decade). Nancy Addison was just so special, and the entitlement and arrogance of Jill felt offset by her vulnerability (which was not the case for the rest of her family). Mary was also very important for feminist debates, and likely more popular with the audience, but I never really connected with her the way I did with Jill. Maybe because the inherent smugness of the Ryans felt like a wall. Sometimes I wonder if it perversely helped Jill as a character that she was lumped with a complete dud of a partner for a year and a half, because it humanized her - why are you sacrificing your dignity for this loser? @safe Thanks for reminding me of more Sarah Felder backstory. A great deal I had forgotten. I appreciate her sticking up for the Pat/Nancy story if it was struck down due to prejudice, but there was so much else wrong with that pairing (I say that as one of the few John Blazo fans). I suppose the narrative about Felder is just too easy to believe (and she never has spoken about her time on the show).

How I will remember him...

The black and white episodes of the show are very special. An atmosphere the color run loses. Dark Shadows was filmed live-on-tape. They could do a retake but it would be very expensive. I think there was a claim that if actors wanted a retake they would curse. There was also a rumor that at one point Joan Bennett accidentally said "Hollywood" instead of "Collinwood" and that necessitated a retake.

I thought he was very cute too, and a likeable presence even though on paper Cliff was a prick. I wonder if he was well-liked by viewers or someone at the show as there's a point in these episodes where he could have been written out and was not.

You're right and I do imagine many longtime viewers were put off. I suppose the show felt many of the longtime fans were gone, so in that sense I get it if the show had continued. They should have taken greater care with the generation below Patti. It's hard to remember she was meant to be mother to Sarah. I wonder if that is one of the reasons they killed Sarah before Patti arrived. Or were those different teams?

Thanks. I'm glad they didn't give her a love interest at that time as it would have felt false after Ryder's horrible death. I can definitely see how Patti would have replaced Liza. Still not sure why they decided to kill off Suzi.

I read that somewhere too - maybe it was mentioned in that book? I hope it's true.

Goulet also had an odd way of speaking - very clipped and brisk, like she had just gotten out of a '40s film. She sounded out of breath. She had this on all her soaps. She was a better actress than Tolan and did well enough with Mary's grief over her marriage in her final week or two in the part but had no real spark. I agree they may have found a better Mary if they had tried harder. For some reason the recasting for the Ryan kids was never what it should have been. I don't know what was going on with Barbie Siobhan. Maybe that was ABC.

Grant Aleksander is a charismatic performer, but I never liked Philip very much. I thought he was a sanctimonious ass at times and also too intense for me. I do think they had a great opportunity for his 2009 return story at showing a man who had come back from the brink and wanted to reclaim his life. If the show had continued, I am curious to see what they would have done. The show's biggest mistake with the Spauldings was keeping Alan much too long instead of having Philip take his place as head of the family. Ron Raines was the luckiest man in daytime to last for 15 years. Alan should have died in the early '00s at the latest, during the Philip/Olivia saga.

Welcome @SoapCurios it is nice to see new people here. Many episodes from The City still aren't available, but if I find any that touch on Azure's story, I will post them.

What did you all think of Hogan/Patti compared to the stuff with Liza and Sonny? Did you buy anything about Sonny and Bela? Has a recast ever decentralized a character as much as Sherry's exit did with Liza? Or do you think that would have happened even if Sherry had stayed?

Thanks for the info. I haven't read the RH book, but I guess this is a reminder that actors will have very different views on a recast than fans. I can see where they thought Carney was low-key, especially compared to Kate Mulgrew, who has always had such a vibrant presence. But even if I wasn't a huge devotee, I'd still say she was the best of the other recasts. Kathleen Tolan (RIP) is one of the worst actors I have seen on a soap. She could not speak. She wasn't all that great at emotions beyond being mad. Frankly, her acting reminded me of one of the lesser Our Gang kids.