Melroser

I'm about half-way through the run. The "new" Victoria has just been reunited with Peter in 1796 because Barnabas helped her. The Quentin ghost has just recently come into play with David and Amy (obnoxious little kids). I'm curious. Who are your favorite DS characters and why? I find it hard to really like any of the "regulars". So far, my favorites have been Laura Collins (pre-Barnabas) and Nicholas Blair. I find them entertaining.

One of the most vivid early memories of soaps for me was Renee Dimera on Days telling off everyone at her engagement party to Alex and then being found stabbed on the floor upstairs. 1983? I was p#ssed because I loved Renee. I stopped watching Days for years after that. (I was only 10 at the time). The Anna/Tony/Renee/David quad was great. I also was a fan of Texas. It was initially on after school at 3pm and I remember being upset when it got bumped to the 11am slot. Ruby was fun. Justin/Reena. The Hitopah storyline I thought was the coolest thing ever. The big sets, characters running around in caves looking for a lost treasure. It was so Indiana Jones. I still remember Brette (Harley Kozak) finding the treasure in some kind of glass box on a podium in the middle of a pond and retrieving it, but when she lifted up the treasure snakes rained down on her. I freaked! I hate snakes. This would have been Summer of '82? The cancellation was my first "loss" of a soap. I didn't have a VCR until I think 7th grade (around '86) and was overjoyed to be able to watch my soap, AW. That was my show. I watched it religiously growing up and until cancellation. Other than AW, there was no other show that I watched so consistently. I often channel hopped depending on what story was going on on what show. I rarely got to watch ABC with our antennae tv unless it was winter time and really cold outside. LOL. Then it was like an extra Christmas treat to watch GH. I watched early Holly/Robert/Anna, Frisco/Felicia. I also watched a lot of GL because my grandparents were big fans. My grandfather always had to watch Reva. So after school, I'd run next door and visit with them while watching GL. Alan Spaulding back from the dead. Sonni/Solita. (I would also anxiously wait to see my grandmother's copy of TV Guide every week so I could look for the cool, full-page ads for soaps. I'd get so excited if AW had one!) I was obsessed with soaps in the 80's, early 90's. They were huge. I used to sneak money out of my father's dresser and buy SOD, then hide it from my parents. I couldn't get enough of the shows. Supercouples, current songs on the radio as their "love song", cool montages. Interrupted weddings (Cecile having Cass kidnapped at his wedding to Kathleen). Serial killers. Evil, twins (Anne Heche ruled as Vicky/Marley though I'd say Vicky was never "evil".) Pre-spoilers where everyone had to sit down in front of the tv together at a certain time in order to see what happened next so you could be the first to talk about it. Soap actors on talk shows, game shows. It was such a fun culture back then. At times I filtered in and out of so many different shows: AW, TX, SB, DAYS, SuBe, GEN, SFT (on NBC), Y&R, B&B, GL, GH, PC, a little of Lov but more of the City. OLTL after AW's cancellation until its own.

Great: AW's Lorna being Felicia's daughter. It helped to fill in some of Felicia's past and conflicted with Felicia's glamorous romance writer persona. Plus, Alicia Coppola and Linda Dano worked amazingly together. Bad: AW's Ryan being Carl's son. First of all, it was so shortly after the Felicia/Lorna reveal. It also led to the over-the-top creation of Justine (Rachel's doppelganger).

So, umm....a judge would actually consider letting Thomas live with Steffy and Finn opposed to a parent? The two were just recently shot by Sheila who is still "on the loose" and a potential threat. Taylor shot Bill. Steffy has been a prescription drug addict. I'm sure that's a better home to be in than Hope and Liam's (and I'm not even a fan of theirs).

AW: Friends and family with humor thrown in.

AW: successful family would be the McKinnons. They were on for several years and Jake until the end. unsuccessful family would be the Winthrops. The show tried twice with Stacey and neither time panned out. Morgan was only on for a couple of years then never heard from/of again.

Unlike GH (Luke & Laura, Robert & Holly, Frisco & Felicia) and DAYS (Roman & Marlena, Bo & Hope, Patch & Kayla), AW never had a "super couple" in the 80's that attracted the press like other shows. Yes, they had couples like Catlin & Sally, Cass & Kathleen, Jake & Marley, but they never hit the level of "super couple" that pulled in viewers just to watch them. One can blame writing, behind the scenes turnovers, et all. You can say that Mac & Rachel were the shows super couple, and I wouldn't argue that. However, they weren't the young, flashier demographic that NBC wanted.

Also Kale Browne (Michael, AW/Sam, OLTL), Linda Dano (Felicia, AW/Rae, OLTL) and a shorter stint Kevin McClatchy (Nick, AW/ Brian, OLTL) Lisa Peluso must have crossed paths with people on OLTL as well when she returned briefly after AW. Eileen Davidson and Thaao Penghlis on Santa Barbara before Days. Eileen Davidson and Stephen Nichols on SB before Days/Y&R.

Okay, I'll play. Y&R: I'd replace Jason Thompson's Billy with Randy Wayne (Matthew, the Bay). He's only a couple years younger than Miller and in my opinion fits the "type" of Billy Abbott. With a new Billy, I'd keep Billy and Lily separated. B&B: Robin Christopher as Felicia Forrester? I'd like to see her go up against Deacon and Bill. She could come into Forrester and want to take the company back as a "true" Forrester instead of Ridge and his kids (who are Marones.) Tamara Braun I'd take as B&B's Kristen Forrester. If Zende is going to be on, Kristen should be around. (I also like the idea of Krista Tesreau, tho she's a couple years older than RC. Krista and Sean Kanan as Deacon could be interesting.) This has been mentioned before, but I'd be okay with Robert Kelker Kelly taking over as Ridge. TK has always bored me. I don't think he "fits" as Ridge either. He's always so "greasy" looking to me. Sorry. Ridge is supposed to be in the fashion industry and Forrester an icon and yet he always looks so...unkept.

At the time I couldn't stand Kelsey as a character. It was probably the writing, but I wanted her away from everyone. She reminds me of that co-worker you're not really fond of that continually inserts himself or herself into every conversation without being invited to join. 😆 Maybe if I watched again now, I wouldn't be so against her. There were just many more characters I would rather have had on my screen. I didn't mind Olivia as much. I thought she was a good foil in the Sam/Amanda relationship. Other than that, I don't remember much of her storyline. I don't think she had much "independence", did she? I just think of her always needing a man. Matt, Sam, Dennis.

As someone that lived in Bangor, ME, for fifteen years, the mispronunciation of Bangor makes me cringe every single time. I wonder if DS had better ratings in ME/the northeast than the rest of the country.

I think Laura Wright would have made a great (adult) Amanda Cory on AW. Tho Sandi Ferguson was cast 4 years before LW started on Loving. LW would probably have been too young at the time, but maybe could have come on when Sandi left. Laura could have held her own as Vicky Wyndham's daughter and maybe stayed on long-term without the other horrible recasts. Laura Wright as Amanda going up against Anne Heche's and/or Jensen Buchanan's Vicky or Judi Evan's Pauline would have been fun.

I always thought AW's Adam and MJ ended too soon. Both characters from the (then) prominent McKinnon and Cory families. I enjoyed them as a couple. MJ was turned into a former hooker and it was revealed to Adam. Then they were done. Also, AW. Sam and Amanda were hot in the beginning. The "good girl"/"bad boy" (because it was Rachel's daughter and Mitch's brother) pairing made great story. Once Olivia was thrown into the mix, the coupling tanked for me. The many recasts of Sam didn't help.

3 Debbi Morgan (PC's Ellen on GH/B&B/Y&R)

Kin Shriner 3 (GH/Y&R/B&B) Vincent Irizarry 3 (Y&R/B&B/DAYS)

3 Stephen Nichols (DAYS/GH/Y&R) Eileen Davidson (DAYS/ Y&R/ B&B) Don Diamont (DAYS/Y&R/B&B) Tracey Bregman (DAYS/Y&R/B&B)

That was a great interview. I have to say, Beverlee seemed to be hesitant about the idea of Iris going to Texas. She said at the end that Texas would be successful, but I wonder if that was wishful thinking on her part.

They should have left it at Bill pretending to go along with Sheila until he had a chance to securely turn her in. It would have made much more sense and given Bill a chance to "redeem" himself by doing something good for Brooke and Katie since they are threatened by Sheila. But, doing a Sheila/Bill pairing for real is stupid...unless they write both of them off into the sunset. I'm tired of both characters. The show desperately needs a couple of new characters to switch things up. (Yes, I know. They would just end up brief flashes on the canvas but I'd take that over the repetitiveness we have right now).

When JFP came to AW she tried to turn it into ER/NYPD BLUE. There was a brand new (large) hospital set with the outside entrance in the street where Gabe (John Bolger) was shot. She also changed the opening of the show to the last version it had. (Which I personally liked but a lot of people didn't). AW had mostly been a show about families and relationships and JFP turned it into more of an "action"/plot soap in the beginning....or at least tried. I believe Justine (Vicky Wyndham) was created before JFP, but wasn't the character on for most of JFP's run? I'm sure Justine turned into a cartoonish character because of the way JFP wanted her show to be.

How come there's always a thunderstorm in Collinsport? Like always. I mean, it's Maine (where I live) and I've yet to notice it snow! I'm trying to watch the whole run on Tubi and I'm at ep 553. I have to say I'm getting tired of this Adam character.

AW: Fax Newman for the death of Frankie Frame.

Strangely I agree with all of these. That rarely happens.

This should totally be a thing. You should start the thread.

Yes, thank you. I really meant a new one. If only "Mac" was still around...

Really wishing I could watch a Cory family Christmas today with one of Mac's toasts at the end. Personally, I've never been big on Christmas, but I've do enjoy a happy soap episode with family. Helps break up the back from the deads, evil twins, improper affairs, etc which I absolutely love on any other day. haha.