titan1978

I remember thinking it did get better when she got there, but then I stopped watching it again. I absolutely loved the period written by Karen Harris and Barbara Bloom.

A lot of the points raised in this post are why actual representation matters. If you had several LGBTQ characters you are not as locked into one type of person being the only kind presented. If OLTL had done the serial killer storyline while Kyle and Fish were a couple, it would not have been nearly as egregious as it was. Greg Rikaart’s character on DAYS was a fun change of pace from Will, Sonny, and Paul because he got to be awful. Fear is what has been killing soaps for decades- the audience is both leading and being ignored by tptb, which has created a strange paradigm where nothing of import happens and they all share a generic tone.

I have my doubts. DAYS absolutely chose the right character in Will Horton. Sami was the lead character. He was tied to important history on the show and to the major families. Marlena was used exactly as she should have been, his supporting grandmother. It all really fit well and wasn’t easy to just wipe away. On GH, we have Kristina, also tied to a major family but a character they don’t really invest in all that much. I think Morgan being both gay and bipolar like his father and interested in the family business would have given a gay male character tons of potential, especially on GH. Lucas should have been on contract before the recast. And while prime time is better- shows like Grey’s Anatomy, 9-1-1 are highly rated and have LGBTQ representation, it’s still has room to grow. I think these shows will be long gone before they have true representation.

During the JFP/Guza era, I considered Alexis a lead. She has been on and off with Valentini at the helm. To Nancy’s credit, she has been given a lot of clunker stories in the last 25 years, and managed to bring a character to life that was barely a sketch and was mostly defined by her, not the writing. And when she is allowed to be Alexis- witty, deadpan, smart, exasperated and playing off good scene partners she is still fun to watch. But morose for years on end is just a waste of what she brings to the show.

I would not mind him as Lucky! And this would be the perfect time to bring that character back to the show.

Well, I did like Ryan at first. Maybe he won’t be shoved down my throat again. isn’t this cast kind of bloated already though, especially in his age range?

Damn 😆😆😆

All true. Except back then they had half hour shows and smaller casts to deal with too. It’s still pretty remarkable that he continued to work this way. Also demonstrates how much power he had and network respect, that was sadly not extended to people like PFS or Alden, two of his protégés. They also didn’t burn story like they do now. Even Y&R by the time he retired moved much faster than it used to.

When I read that interview with Bill Bell and Claire Labine, where he said he doesn’t write storyline bibles or do story projections, I thought it was both incredible how much his stories did work and flow, and it also explained some of those strange dropped characters, story directions, and the sometimes treading water feeling I got watching Y&R. But mostly pretty impressive!

He was part of a gay couple on the show, so there are plenty of scenes from just his storyline on YouTube if you are interested. It’s Spartacus, so expect some trashiness!

He’s attractive, and I remember him being decent on Spartacus. You know, DAYS casting has been pretty good overall in the last few years, especially with younger actors. Valentini at GH should take some notes, because they keep finding the exact kind of actors that would make many of GH’s dud new characters actually have some life. Certainly the several attempts at hot guy casting, DAYS is crushing Frank.

Her second stint with Monty also really was another excellent period on the show. She created Anna and Robin. We all know the script and direction of the plot were an outline to Monty, as she often had the actors improvising and adding dimension, sometimes ignoring the scripts altogether. That had to be hard for writers like PFS and Marland. Not so much probably for Norma Monty.

GL and GH aired in the same time slot when I was a younger, and GH was my show. So back then I didn’t watch GL. As a fan of the genre though I bought the GL coffee table book back then, and knew by reputation about characters like Roger, Holly, and Alexandra before I had seen the book. After all my watching this summer, the Curlee HW era up to the Blackout is some pretty amazing soap opera. And while there are some bright spots and certainly some well produced material after that, it’s just not the same. I am biased, Sherry Stringfield played one of my absolute favorite characters on ER, so I already love her Blake. But without Bev as Alex and also KS as Mindy, that whole corner of the show is not as interesting for me with the recasts.

I can’t. Because it’s all so over the top, and what I have seen from all three is more nuanced work, and characters that had more agency beyond what man they were with. Yes they were all in relationships, but the women on JFP shows are so secondary to the men and so lacking in other motivations.

The ratings had already been climbing before Luke even arrived on the show, and according to Denise Alexander, the show went to number one on the back of the Monica/Rick/Lesley storyline. AJ was born in December of 1979, and the rape was a couple of months before that. Alexander said they got them to number one, and then the Luke & Laura thing just kept it going higher. Monty’s first year the show shot to 3rd place from the bottom of the pack.

I loved Marj as Vanessa on AMC. My feelings about her are not meant as a slight, I think she was very watchable. As others have said, this was a tough recast to pull off. She kind of plays her as exasperated and almost looney at times, and it’s like she got no background at all. I think the actor should interpret the role but still they need to hold on to the essence of the character. But that is also the fault of the writers, directors, and producers. Even Zaslow is having a rough go, he’s one of those people I usually think is flawless. But the seams are showing there too. I wonder what Constance Towers could have done with Alexandra? After Helena on GH, I feel she could have pulled off scenes with Roger and Mindy quite well as a colder, more calculating version of Bev’s Alex without going full out like Marj did.

I agree! It’s hard to watch. The writing was not as strong as it had been, and everyone is over the top. It’s also a room filled with recasts that for me, just don’t quite work as well. Blake, Mindy, and Alexandra just don’t have the same shine that they did. Compare this to the Country Club scenes with Alexandra and Roger, and the episodes just after. Subtle, character based writing and performances. Even when Beverlee could have gone into histrionics she played layers.

As someone that had only seen Holmes and Dolan’s versions until YouTube, I now understand why they were such major characters. I did enjoy Dolan’s dry, sarcastic portrayal, but Holmes was just a bore. Nothing like the more iconic duos before them.

Great episode. Has anyone ever been luckier than Lily? Torn between Holden and Dusty. When I was her age that would have been my dream! As a grown ass man now though- Holden is a man, and Lily is such a girl still. It’s creepy. I know things were different back then but still. I hope there are scenes of Lisa letting Barbara have it once the truth comes out, especially after making her feel so guilty. Barbara works so well as entitled and leaning in to her nasty side. That was also a great scene with Lisa, Chris and Nancy.

As a viewer, my favorite Luke is the one you described. From their return up to Nikolas. I loved him owning the club, devoted to Laura and while unconventional, still a caring father to Lucky. He had interactions with the entire cast through his relationships and the club. I know Geary didn’t like what Labine was writing for him. I think Laura suffered more under Labine than Luke did. She becomes very one dimensional as their run goes on, and the first year of Guza’s run does wonders for her character with Damien Smith’s murder, Lulu’s illness, and the return of the Cassadines.

I just can’t believe it lasted until 1996! It seemed really dated by that point to me.

With DAYS and Y&R, it’s never say never for me. Because we know they have their libraries intact. I feel like Corday has even said he knows there is value there, he just has to figure out a way to capitalize on it. After The Doctors showed up on Retro TV, I have hope that more soaps will be available somewhere in my lifetime. Just a question of when. But then again, I’m hopeful that HBOMAX will eventually stream Knots Landing, as they own the show (Lorimar became Warner’s). So maybe I’m delusional.

And when Denise wanted the same things, in her case an extended vacation before signing her new deal and to hold onto her contract clause that they could not work her over her guarantee more than a handful of times a year, they decided to kill Lesley off. And although I liked Rick, I would much rather have had Lesley remain in the show. She probably would have still been there for longer than he was anyway, as she was a stronger character!

At this point, I don’t want Laura with Scotty or Luke. I would love for her to have an invested relationship with a new man. I just don’t see anything lasting with Kevin. But the current writing team does not seem to be able to accomplish that. They have three leading ladies in the same age range with no good prospects- Laura, Alexis, and Anna. For me, there is no denying that at one point Luke and Laura really did have a connection that was fun to watch. I rewatched their return storyline and then skipped to the Damien Smith murder and watched through the return of the Cassadines this summer. They really do have great chemistry, she makes Luke tolerable. I also understand part of how Tony feels- she kept leaving the show and that does impact him. I’m not saying she didn’t have her reasons! On the other hand, I think the stories that revolved around her or both of them equally are better than the ones where she is supporting to Luke. I love Jane and Tracy, but I also never got Luke and Tracy either. It was fun at first when it was a scam, but those two as actually in love was questionable.

Even though this was not the greatest period on the show, it’s still very watchable and interesting. GH went through so many strange periods in the 1980’s for a show that was consistently in the upper tier of soap ratings. Other shows fell much harder during rough patches, but until a few months in to Monty’s second stint, the show had high ratings. That is audience loyalty. GH must have had incredibly loyal viewers before Monty’s return and Eckert invasion drove them away. Shows like DAYS and GL did not maintain those high rankings and numbers during their rough patches in the same 10 year period.