DRW50

Thanks. I can see where they just phased most of the Ted material out and relied on Todd McKee being likeable and hot.

That makes sense about why Robert was asked back, especially as JFP didn't want Kim Zimmer back. If they hadn't lost so many fan favorites, I don't think he would have been asked back. Roger was such a brilliant character because he could easily drive multiple stories just through his presence and how people on the canvas felt about him. I don't know if GL had a woman along those lines. ATWT did with Lucinda in that same period.

I think Michael could have still stayed on the show, as a himbo (the way he was with Linda), but budget cuts were likely a factor and the character had no real purpose, especially as Karen had moved on and had a new child (a story I hated, but that's another topic). The biggest mistake was how they mishandled Olivia, especially how one-note she became in constant judgmental attitudes toward Abby. The marriage to Harold also trapped her, even though I liked Harold. She should have been so much more. As mentioned above, the show also had no idea how to introduce younger men. Peter Reckell's character, DIRTY COP DIRTY COP, the Tidal Energy guy who bedded Kate. I did like Claudia's son, but he was inexplicably killed off. I have never known what went on there.

I hadn't thought of the Wild West story (I had just been thinking of PC getting some buzz at the time - although their time travel story may have been after GL's was already in the works). Makes sense. I think that story also just was a more natural fit for the Buchanans due to their Western roots. Casting Shari Headley and having her play a slave...not so much.

Thanks @slick jones I always forget there was another Dixie.

That makes a lot of sense. I think that may also be why Clone Reva was (for me) the best of that batch, as the aspect of Reva learning she was replaced, and then having to interact with her clone, including watching her clone die, did have some human element amidst the absurdity. Some stories, like Time Traveling Reva, I still don't even get the point of.

I was replying to a post about '80s GL, not those stories. To be honest I never felt like Erica's stories were inflicted on AMC (not until the last decade of the show, when it had many, many problems) and the few that were Emmy bait were mostly well done, but that's a whole other thread.

I agree. Bringing on Michelle Philips on a more regular basis helps too as they bounce off each other well.

Thanks. That sounds fun.

I haven't religiously watched '80s GL, but I don't feel like Josh was ever much of a strong character in his own right. I know the conventional wisdom is that he was trapped by Reva, but other than his pairing with Harley, he never thrived without her. He could have easily been written out from 93-95. Aside from a few stories, the template that made Josh a mainstay on the show was the pairing with Reva, marrying the wrong woman, and going back to Reva. At least in the last few years he got some stories out of the norm for him, like being a minister. Onscreen I never felt like Reva was heavily catered to due to demanding fans. The character was called out and suffered losses. Admittedly I was not exactly glued to '00s GL, but I never felt like the fan push and resulting show caving was as obvious as it was with Danny/Michelle, or Harley, or Bradley Cole. I'd also argue that Reva was never really the worst part of those eras - some of her stories don't work or can be boring (like Maeve/Kyle/Reva), but compared to Infinity or Claire has a psycho tumor or Simon/Jessie or Calla's VD shame or whatever else was going on... However, I can see why people see her as a figurehead of the show's decline.

The biggest issue with this group is they are plot devices, not characters. Knots becomes increasingly plot-driven from this point on. I think they get the hang of it better after 8 and 9 have some very rough spots, enough to keep me watching, but it's never the same show. I also don't really believe that Paige, Abby and Olivia all would have been hung up on Peter. They miscast the part. The story is still good, but that's down to the conclusion. I will say I enjoyed Ruth Roman and over time Jill becomes very compelling due to the work from Teri. Paige is genuinely hard to watch for a while. She's the rare - VERY VERY RARE - character who actually improves for me when they have her start eating large portions of the show. They seem to find her voice and Nicolette Sheridan easily navigates the warmth and coldness that define Paige.

What were the original plans for Ted?

Thanks. They enjoyed that Delia fantasy sequence more than I did. I disagree that viewers would have been upset about Jack/Mary splitting up. They would have with Kate still in the part, but not after she left, and the show had laid over a year of groundwork for them splitting up. Killing Mary didn't hurt in the long run, as Kate was never going to return and Jack still had a place in story, but I still think the show missed a trick never pairing Jack and Siobhan.

Thanks. I'm glad Hawk came back off and on to the last year (even if he wasn't in the final episodes, for some reason).

She was always very good at passing the buck, helped by a soap press who adored her. Unlike future soap personnel who benefited from this treatment, she at least had talent, but that was gone by the time she joined AW. I'm honestly not sure she did one good thing at AW. I did like Chris Madison. That may be it.

Thanks. I really have blurred those together in my mind. I think Rusty was at one of them too. (meanwhile poor Roxie was still locked up, although I think maybe they eventually said she was out)

Great article. Another reminder of how true the above is:

I'm not that sure either. I know they did get married again around 2002 or 2003. I can't remember who was at that wedding. Which wedding had Trish and Dylan and ghost Sarah?

1999 or 2000, I think. The best part of that was the returns. Nikki is the most interesting to me of those four (even if I often loved to hate Nikki, especially in the '90s), but I agree Reva also had moments of being very compelling. And I never hated her overexposure in her return years as much as some fans did. I just had to stop around Jonathan because I found him unwatchable. I will credit Newman and Zimmer for, IIRC, not being all that into a reunion either. The show did have them get back together when the show ended but it was extremely low-key. Jeffrey's end was odd to me - essentially playing Spy vs Spy with Edmund. As someone who thought Bradley Cole's best chemistry was with DAM (at times they almost had too much chemistry), I suppose it is fitting.

I can't either. Frangione certainly had the more popular take, and I enjoyed her lighter run with Cass, but Susan is just so compelling to watch...so good at "nice nasty" and slithering.

They'll make a meal of Hillary not stopping the "lock him up," chants either, but after what she went through, good for her. The conspiracy theories about Biden are pathetic and a great example of how much the perpetually online paranoia has bled into political coverage. The last thing the Democrats would have wanted tonight was having Biden on late as it has overshadowed a lot of the potentially positive reception of the night.

There is no minimum too bare for CNN and their true love Trump. They will do anything to get him back.

Thank you for all the clips. I read about all the talking points on CNN tonight, showing their agenda to help Trump. Why did Hillary let them say lock him up, why was Biden on so late, why did the DNC run long. Biden's speech was too long. A panel trashing his speech. The main one that annoys me is David Axelrod opening his tomb again to chide Democrats for being too eager and overconfident when it's so clear that isn't the case. He also repeatedly needs to remind everyone he thinks Trump will win. That's a very valid fear, but I don't say it with the same scolding glee he can barely hide.

Failed series pilot about a pair of mismatched law partners who struggle to stay ahead of their creditors.

All episodes of a short-lived Daniel Hugh Kelly Show.