Soaplovers

That makes sense about the recasting of Wendy since the original Wendy was sweeter and warmer than this Wendy is portraying so far. Plus, we had hints that Marland was slanting toward a Wendy/Eleanor/Luke triangle with Eleanor being insecure over Luke thinking Wendy was beautiful. From what I recall reading, a triangle doesn't end up happening and I'm not sure if it was due to a writer change... or audiences didn't warm to this story.

The one positive of the 1988 strike...the Laura stalking story wrapped quickly.

I've heard Marland say he didnt know much about pacing, etc when he first started..and dragged both of those stories out longer than they were supposed to be. I'm also mystified at how there is almost a 180 in regards to the women characters. Penny is a stepford wife (the old penny would have taken that money to go back to school herself without telling Jerry), Nola lost brain cells, carolee admitting she wanted to go back to Steve before she was mugged, MJ losing her quirkiness, and Maggie becoming a shrew. I was amazed Althea was made acting chief of staff..though I was hoping for more Paul vs Althea power plays (pollack's would have done that for sure). And Sarah saying Nola was wrong for not being Jason's plaything !?!?! It's a shame that he used this show to learn how to head write...the show was in a shaky place at this time..and the show needed a proven talent to turn it around.

Funny you should mention that.. one year ( i think it was 2011).. they opted not to do the horton Christmas ornament scene preferring to hang the ornaments in the new Horton Town Square... fans were livid and the tradition was restored the next year. I still recall when after Alice Horton passed away, the show was going to get rid of the set because it was designed back when shows had budgets and it was too costly to keep.. fans were livid over that announcement.. a few months later, Jennifer came back to the show full time and moved into the house thus the set was saved (or redesigned so it could fit without costing too much).

Brandi was never needes...Kim, on the other hand, hell yeah. Sorry kyle..you're always be over shadowed...1st by Kim, than camille and finally lisa. Sucks to be without charisma.

@vetsoapfan Was that the episode you had wished was on youtube awhile? The 35th anniversary episode? I have to admit I really enjoyed watching the episode and thought the show crafted a great 35th anniversary featuring the two tent pole characters Stu and Jo. For a 30 minute episode, I think the show did well with paying tribute to the show and it's two tentpole characters... which baffles my mind why modern day soaps can't see fit to do a worthy anniversary episode in a 60 minute time slot. There wasn't any writer credits at the end of that episode.. was this before, or after, Pam Long/Addie Walsh took over as head-writers of the show? It has their touches since they were strong writing friendships between characters.

Their 35th Anniversary episode... a few months later, they would end

I do think that Marland has finally settled down in his role as head-writer.. and finally is moving the show forward. He also seems to have finally quickened the pace a bit with having Maggie cheat on Matt with the new guy after only a month or so of knowing him. And poor Greta is neglected and acting like the adult for once.

I wouldn't mind if they kept what happened in the 90210 reboot with Brenda/Kelly/Dylan/Donna/David/Andrea in this version since we got some updates with Kelly having a child with Dylan, Brenda being successful as actress/director, Donna being crazy due to her and David breaking up.. and Andrea's daughter Hannah was following in her mamas footsteps by getting into journalism (the character appeared only in the pilot as an anchor on the high school news program). I recall only liking season 1 of the 90210 show only because of the cameos of the original cast members and getting updates on their lives (much like I loved seeing Jo blackmailing Amanda and strangely acting more like herself than she did in the second half of season 3 and all of 4 of the original MP).

Scarlet... but I heard Minibar was known for doing that. I never had a problem even when I was a little heavier as long as I wore my Stonewall kickball t shirt Alas, they don't exist anymore so obviously they turned away a lot of peeps.

I will tell you that having all the leads being white didn't make sense, but than I have to remember that they were older than I was.. so perhaps that was how gay men hung out back in the late 90s. I live in Chicago, and the gay population is diverse (though it's interesting that the three or four main areas of gay club hotspots have different demographics/clienteles). I could see someone like Brian going to the hot-spot as a 50 something guy thinking he's still hot stuff and being told he was too old/fat/etc.. and to go to another club (true story, it happened to one of my friends when he had put on a little weight and was told he was too fat to be let in). There are so many avenues the powers that be could do with this show.. and Andy Cohen doesn't oversee production on scripted/unscripted shows anymore (or at least ones in development)... so there might be a chance of some depth being infused in these shows (and yes.. a little male backside is always a nice touch

I liked Paul/Stacy better when Depriest was writing because there were so many layers and dysfunction with that coupling. Stacy's craving a father figure (which fit Paul)... and Paul remarking that Stacy reminded him so much of his late wife (who died from suicide). Depriest set up layers of psychological elements with that coupling where I wondered if Paul truly cared about Stacy, or if he just using her to further his own vendetta/agenda against Matt. I always wondered that while watching him with Stacy while Marland kind of spelled it out for us including making it seem like they were in love (with them being sappy with the baby coming, etc). The other thing I noticed about Marland was that the interesting push and pull between Paul/Ann (so fascinating and hilarious with their one liners) was deluted/watered down the moment he and his script writers came into the picture. And watching how he's totally watered down Penny to the point where she's a Stepford Wife.. it's no wonder Julia Duffy bailed...I would have at the end of my contract as well if I were in her shoes. The Pollacks, Cenedella, and Depriest wrote some good content/material for Penny.. but since Marland took over.. she's become window dressing and become a Stepford wife.. and oh how he's watered down MJ as well. I think Marland wasn't the right fit for the show. The Doctors needed writers that wrote plot and heavy emotion.. over repression and restraint. That was why Cenedella also struggled when he had the helm, too.

Depriest was a faster paced writer than Marland was. In her final few weeks of her tenure, we had a lot of movement in both stories.. once Marland came on the scene... both plots slowed down quite a bit. Both stories were set up to end quicker than he intended.

I think a few of the older characters should appear on the new version.. to show the generational differences between the younger gays vs the older gays.. It would be an interesting angle to explore that could mine stories for many seasons if done correctly.

From rewatching the Thanksgiving 1983 episode, I was surprised at how ahead it was in terms of subject matter, especially the discussion between Didi and Marty about Thanksgiving. I know fans of the show didn't like Sheldon's version of Edge of Night.. but the show in 1983 was so ahead of its time in regards to story (This was after the mind control/George Orwell esque story had concluded and before the Native American land deed mystery started).

It would have gotten a second season if Andy and Bravo weren't obsessed with thinking the Salahi's were the only interesting thing about it. You had Cat and her British abruptness that threw everyone for a loop especially Stacie (I loved how Cat totally read Luann for filth on WWHL).. Mary was such a ditz yet had a nice husband and her oldest daughter had some fun stuff going on (back when the show gave camera time to the kids).. and Lynda was such a boss.. the greek chorus with a great looking boyfriend and fun career... and Stacie was the normal one (with a fascinating backstory). When Cohen and co opted not to do a second season was when I first thought that Cohen should have been replaced with someone that could see the bigger picture and not focus on just the train wreck factor.

I love that Lecy's worked off the acting rust.. and has become a pro at deadpan comedy delivery. I always felt Becky got the shaft starting in season 5 (yes, Lecy left for college.. but even during her return in season 8... the show still didn't utilize her at all). With that said, it is still a little weird not having Roseanne there delivering a wisecrack.. but I think in season 2.. it won't feel so weird (stages of grief I guess LOL)

Gina needs a pink slip from bravo for Christmas.

From what I've read, Marland was upset that the scabs burned through his story outlines at a fast pace. I don't think the show ever got back the momentum established in 86-87 after the strike. It was decent, but it seemed much darker than the show was before the writer strike. And I hate to say this, but I thought the day to day episodes were less cringe (in terms of dialogue) during the 1988 strike than it was when Marland was around.. but the pacing/stories were all over the place.

I do recall Stephanie being mentioned when Mike first came onto the show... he had a disdain for Evan/Rosanna... and Rosanna confronted him.. and he had revealed that his sister Stephanie married a wealthy guy and forgot about the family (i.e basically abandoning the family).. and that left a sour taste in mouth for anyone wealthy. I know that when Mark/Sara joined.. that the show had mentioned next casting for Nora.. and once that happened and the mom was settled would look into bringing Stephanie back (the child that married into money to escape the alcoholic father..and mom who enabled that behavior). I recall the show was casting for the mother (Nora).. but than backed away from casting her for some reason (perhaps a change in writers/regimes.. maybe).

That was because Knots Landing had the Jill/Val story all season.. and I swear that story kept the show afloat.. as well as the hilarious Abby/Greg political marriage.

If Dallas comes back for season 4.. they need to shake up the cast to keep it from going toxic.. so I say let go of D'andria, Brandi, or Leeann.. and add a new housewife.. someone brand new to Dallas and slowly merge her into the cast (the shows used to let us get to know the new housewife for two episodes or so before introducing her to the other women.. worked much better).

Wow... this is why I'm glad with my brain and not with emotion

I think you might be right, but I do think Dennehy had the tortured quality that Garrett had as Holly back in the 70s. At the same time, Dennehy and Aleksander had more chemistry as a couple than Stringfield and Aleksander did as well. Plus, Stringfield was 21/22 when she started as Blake so she looked young enough to play daughter to Garrett/Zaslow as well.

So I've been watching the 1988 videos recently reposted on Youtube.. and I actually think I know get why Blake was eventually recast with Sherry Stringfield in mid 1989. I think once the plan was officially in place to bring Beth into the picture, the actress playing Blake had to be replaced since Elizabeth D had spent a year playing Blake as tortured and remorseful, plus she and Grant A had chemistry. The second that Sherry Stringfield walked into the room on her first day as Blake, gone was the tortured public relations guru. Sherry S was anything, but tortured. She had a sarcastic wit (just like her mama Holly) and was much colder than Elizabeth D was in the part without any of the torture/angst. You could buy her being the heavy in Phillip/Beth's love story more so than if Elizabeth D kept playing the part.. imho.