DRW50

@Maxim That makes me laugh. I imagine whoever wrote it did have some experience with soaps. I always roll my eyes at the "there must be something better" mentality when it comes to panning soaps. Susan would have made for a good OLTL psycho in the Rauch years.

Yes, I think Holly would have been there mostly to react to Ed's love life and to Andy's destruction. I can't see her having any real story of her own. I think it might have been interesting seeing her paired with someone like Tony, whose roughness might remind her of Roger, but whose kind heart might remind her of Ed (even if I didn't see much of that kind heart, he was meant to have one). And then we'd see someone who was immature and brash helping to raise a traumatized little girl. Then if Ed was still paired with Maureen, you'd have the conflict of ex-spouses, and co-parents to Christina, dating siblings. Marland's writing for women on GL is generally disappointing to me - aside from Nola and Vanessa (and I don't think Vanessa was well-written), one wan, noble figure after another, all in a row. I don't think he would have done anything with Holly. I think Maureen Garrett also benefited from the life experience of another decade. She's good in what I've seen of her first run, and she does what she can with her poor run on Ryan's Hope, but she is luminous by the time of her return to Springfield. I haven't watched Nadine's early run very closely but by the time she is scheming to keep Billy I think she is too sad and pathetic to be a villain. India started out as a bitch, but the show pulled back with her. Jenna also started out as a colder schemer but was significantly weakened throughout 1993.

Thanks. I'm not surprised either. I've always gotten some iffy vibes from him.

That would have made sense (even with the inevitable moment where Burt was invited on as a guest). Carol & Company is probably where I first saw Carol. I need to go back and rewatch. I remember liking the show. I can definitely see where it was too much to keep doing.

Dorian has a very interesting journey through the early to mid '80s - she schemes and her schemes backfire, as always, but as time passes, she does mellow and becomes more respected. I think when she leaves, she is even on good terms with Viki. They replay a lot of the beats with Dorian in later years that were originated in those years, but they're difficult to replicate.

I'd forgotten about that lawsuit. Bones was a huge moneymaker for FOX. Emily and David deserved every penny. I think Robert was also on that much-too-late Bob, Carol, Ted and Alice show.

Regarding Loni and Burt, both she and Burt were hurt with the constant tabloid frenzy, but I think, as @DaytimeFan and @Khan among others mentioned, what hurt her most of all was never really finding a real role after WKRP. At her career peak, she did a number of TV-movies that were focused on her sex appeal, when Jennifer worked because it was about her being more than just a sex symbol. Then she had a short-lived sitcom or two to finish out the '80s. After that was the divorce, and many of her roles just seemed like ways to earn money, rather than showcases. There was a very cruel Mad TV sketch I watched recently, from fall 2001, that was mainly just taking shots at celebrities pretending they were on the Weakest Link, and they had Mo Collins as Loni devastated by plastic surgery. It made me feel sad because I know she was more than that, but she never really got the chance to show that by this point.

Others will know better than me but yes this would probably be Sam Hall/Henry Slesar.

One Life to Live promo, 1982

Thanks for reminding me @kalbir . It all blurs for me.

You've probably already seen this, but Michael talks about Nurse here:

Thanks so much @SoapDope78 ! Sometimes I forget just how far Holly stayed into 1980 (her exit may be in some of the Christmas episodes that were or are around). Those little changing of the guard moments are what I enjoy on soaps and we get one, sort of, when Holly and Nola are in the same shot (Nola rolling her eyes no less).

Thanks @Maxim . An issue probably bigger now than it has been in a while due to all the 'racial purity' types who are so high in government and culture (and then there are many like Hank who may not be from that world but still have their own reasons). Hank and Nora are always a good watch as they can call each other out like no one else...and the show doesn't ever try to hint about putting them back together so you can appreciate them without any ambiguity. Then you have Rachel, who at this time was such a compelling and unique and intelligent character.

Thanks again @Maxim Sometimes I forget how wild Stephanie was by the end.

Interesting to hear such detailed talk of the whole Sky era. Do you think Sheldon did a decent job with Sky and Raven?

Thanks again @Maxim . This is a benefit to them releasing all their episodes (which all the soaps should be doing). Slaps and catfights can be fun but there's nothing like a good verbal sparring, and the Mulcahey-penned Brooke and Taylor scene you posted is in that category. They both gave as good as they got, even if I'm always likely to side with Brooke. I loved her line about the "death of a deathbed marriage." And saying that Taylor is just like Stephanie and will end the same way as her (if only she'd known Taylor would become Greenlee). Yet Taylor wasn't wrong to point out the revolving door of Forrester men and in-laws, even if Taylor herself was also involved with just about all those men... (I'm not sure if she ever took a ride with Deacon) It was interesting hearing Taylor do all that therapist-speak. Once upon a time they would just remind us she was a therapist by having her wear big glasses. If Bradley Bell let Mulcahey flow that way I can see why he stayed as long as he did.

Thanks @I Am A Swede @Maxim I had a vague memory of the truth coming out but wasn't watching by then (I don't even know if James was doing guest shots at that time). If that had come out in the '90s it would have been electric but by 2006 both ladies had been so degraded by Brad Bell. Is this before or after Taylor ran Darla over?

I'm not sure if we're counting primetime soaps, but for Knots Landing, John Pleshette wrote a number of episodes, as did Don Murray and James Houghton. Michele Lee, Joan Van Ark, William Devane and Kevin Dobson directed episodes. For Dallas, Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Steve Kanaly, and Ken Kercheval directed episodes. (I believe Linda said they weren't going to let her but Larry fought for her)

I hate soap stories where people rut while in avalanches or in cave-ins or whatever else. I would much rather just see people cheat because they openly admit to wanting to without the justification. I can't even remember if Ridge found out. Didn't she "die" before he could? Something else - and I may be wrong as I haven't watched any of this since it first aired - that was dubious to me was the leadup was a story about how James had been abused as a child and this led him to avoid sex. Afterward, he seemed to enjoy sex just fine (I remember a very fun sex scene he had with Brooke where she was in some costume), which would mean Brad Bell was doing one of those "making him a real man" stories in 1994. Then he was just cycled through various women until being written out (I can't remember if he was ever paired with Lauren - probably not). The one I would have enjoyed him with, aside from Brooke, was Sally - I think he could have been good for Sally.

That looks more like Betty Buckley in a wig than Maureen Garrett.

Thanks. I didn't watch those scenes so I don't know if they were very passionate or not but as you said it's nice to see someone who wants to push the envelope a little. Nice to hear of how supportive Laura Wright was to her.

This is likely what helped get him his guest work as the villain of the week in "Buffy." I remember his performance getting a lot of praise.

Thanks for the extra info.

Jamie certainly tried. The infamous Lady Blue...and that guest run on St. Elsewhere which just showed again she couldn't act but was at least memorable (and she got to work with Bruce Greenwood at his wicked best).

If you mean the biggest names, those come to mind. Actors who had their moments but weren't long-running stars on their soaps - I'd throw in Sheree J. Wilson (Dallas to Walker Texas Ranger) and Sasha Mitchell (Dallas to Step by Step).