Soaplovers

Cenedella did create Joan and Jerry...but I think it was Depriest that retconned it to make them.siblings..with Jerry trying to explain why he gave a different last name from Joan (turned out he gave the last name of the family their mother Virginia was working for in Switzerland). I think Jerry was meant to be in only one episode..but he and Penny had great chemistry. He doesn't appear again after his introduction episode for almost two months. And it was hinted that Jerry and Joan were connected as Cenedella was leaving..but it wasnt revealed until weeks into depriests stint what that connection was. I'm hearing Marland comes at the end of September. She is setting up the next thread quite nicely with the next chapter of the steve/carolee/Ann story with MJ being added...and Matt being indicted with the hospital board preparing to vote he leave his post as chief of staff. My theory on why Depriest was replaced was because the viewership for the Doctors skewed older..and someone posted on Twitter an article from summer of 1976 where viewers werent too keen on these changes. I do have a feeling had Depriest stayed on that she probably would have resolved the Joan Dancy story by November sweeps with the Carolee story taking over next. And I'm guessing that Nola/Matt were being set up as a possible barrier to Matt/Maggie...that got changed by Marland.

14 episodes is a good season length... the Housewife shows of the past used to be 12 to 14 episodes with a one or two part reunion. Sometimes bigger isn't better.. and I agree with Carole from RHONY.. the more relaxed reunion wardrobes were better.. more relatable.

How were the notes from Nixon and Cenedella different, did they say? Nixon was very detail oriented and I assume back in the day, she had to fight as hard to get anywhere as Irna had to. I dont know why Depriest had shorter term stints (except for Days where she was conned wrote for 2.5 yeaes..or Another world 1.0 where she lasted almost 2 years). But I am loving her take on The Doctors and am sad it is close to an end since the story is at a pivotal point...but she will he leaving the show in a fairly good hands for Marland to take over. Speaking of which...Marland is always created with being this genius..but he's over rated. The only show I can see where he worked any sort of magic would be GH (that show needed help)...but when he took over GL..it was in great shape...and when he took over ATWT..it had already been repaired by Bledsoe Horgan...and he didnt do much to tweak what she had put in place except for those horrid Snyders (and now we know he didnt create the Dancys on the Doctors...but seeing that family, you could see how they would inspire him...but early Dancy's were more likable than the Snyders..imho).

Jada hasn't done much yet as Carolee...she's basically been catatonic with a brief second where she called out Steve's name. She does resemble Carolee Campbell..but she has a more fragile aura than CC ever had. I dont think we will be getting sarcasm or one liners anymore once she comes out of her current mental state. Oh I forgot Althea's return in late 1970 had lots of flashbacks and wait till her therapy sessions during that period.

The first two or three years of the Pollock's tenure is quite good.. but by 1974, they start running out of steam.

I remember when Pam Long had Kathleen Cullen return for Christmas 1987.. and she was a warm, smart person that knew what Phillip was after.. but agreed that Alan needed to be taken down a peg.. and gave him her proxy.. while enjoying a warm visit with Ross.

That was a good scene between Monica/Gail. It's interesting that the Pollocks' (during their year long stint) created the Jeff/Monica/Rick/Gail/Heather branch of the show... but it was Marland/Falken Smith that utilized that group to their fullest potential. It proves that they saw potential in these characters and decided to stick with them rather than firing and replacing them with new characters. When watching reruns of the Doctors (during the Pollock era).. they had created a train wreck character by the name of Stacy Wells... and it looks like they took that template with them to GH where they created Heather Grant... and both characters are alike.. except I think the Pollock's fixed what they did wrong with the Stacy character on GH.. because their Heather was interesting and more subtle (at least when played by Cher's half sister).

@Cat I don't think OC is quite in bad of shape as BH, ATL... because the women on the OC don't care about showing their flaws (Shannon and Kelly especially LOL). I kind of wish Vicki would ditch Steve.. because I miss the Whoop it up Vicki of seasons past. I want to see work Vicki again as well. Jury is out for me on Gina (part of me thinks the show should have downgraded her to a friend of.. due to the marriage issues and having to edit a lot of stuff out before the season started).... and Emily (in interviews, she comes across as balanced and normal with a quirky side.. like Quinn in season 3)... but on the show, she doesn't fit. Now, I do think if a housewife doesn't fit.. it can be a good thing because it can provide organic conflict (Teddi on BH.. the one bright spot). I am wondering if perhaps another change in the Real Housewife formula is in order. The shows started out about their individual lives and gradually morphed into group dynamics and contrived get togethers. Perhaps the format/formula needs to change again because cast chemistry is difficult to have, yet you also need to change things up. I'd rather of had Kenya come back since she's married, going to be a mom, and kind of has a life outside the group.. while Porsha doesn't have anything to offer (plus, Kenya vs Kim Fields was a great organic conflict). Kenya can help get a feud started.... Nene, Cynthia, and Kandi have not been able to do so. You need Kenya to get viewers on a new girls side. Eva M being a new mother I guess will be her gimmick/story for the season.. but I still recall how she claimed Paul Rauch was mean to her when she was on Y & R (but in this case, I could see why he was mean to her because the girl couldn't act to save her life).

I think the fact that the show keeps having Marlo appear is rewarding her for her bad behavior. I want to see elegant women that can shade with the best of them, have active lives outside the group, are married, have children willing to be featured, and do not resort to physical violence. What does Porsha have on Bravo? I still can't think of why she keeps getting a peach when she has nothing to offer. Atlanta needs a revamp, just like BH.

This is a soap I wish had survived into the 90s and thereafter. It was created during the 80s and from what I read..the final product that debuted differed from what the bible intended.

Yeah...the Pollocks destroyed two possible long term antagonists dr john Morrison and Dr Dan Allison. They had some strong years and not so strong years (they writing off Margo...a wonderful anti heroine was when I knew they'd burned out). I'm really dreading the arrival of Marland..from what I hear..it will be in mid to late September. He can craft a good plot, but his dialogue leaves a lot to be desired and his shows always leave me cold instead of excited. Love or hate her, but Depriest and her script writers took the excitement that The Pollocks were known for..and were able to infuse the characters with some depth (not quite to rita Lakin levels..but there are some mountains few can climb). The reason Marland did so well on GH was because that soap was more about community , etc. The Doctors was more about passion, competition, angst and fury (Nick Bellini alone had that lol).

I'm excited to see the show in this new form. I mean the Hogan Family went on for a few seasons after its star was fired.. so it is possible.. plus Darlene/Sara Gilbert was so strong in the 10th season of Roseanne.. that it makes sense to turn the show into an ensemble.. but I hope the directors tell Metcalfe to tone it down (still not happy she was nominated when she really wasn't that funny in season 10).

I think the joan/pull the plug story is one of the shows stronger stories...an umbrella story. Perhaps he couldn't get a handle on it since it appears he takes over after the story is in full swing. I was actually don't get why Depriest was replaced...she seems to get the show..and in dreading Marland coming in (though maybe since it was his first soap..none of his annoying traits were formed yet).

@Cat Emily is a lawyer, hence the untrustworthy vibe. She did warn in an interview a few weeks ago that her hubby gets into the drama despite his best efforts..and she wasn't kidding lol Man, I could never be Gina's friend..or rather a close enough friend that I'd hang with her if her brats were around.

I'm confused as to why there wasnt any major retooling on the BH franchise before filming resumed? From what I recall reading, viewers were bored with season 8, and that both Erika/Dorit really served no purpose on the show. It seems as if Andy Cohen is afraid of doing a major overhaul after his attempt at doing so after season 4 of NY met with lukewarm response. It seems the only show not afraid to do any sort of retooling is the OC. This always has had me curious because that show has never had the same cast for more than a season (which is one of the reasons I enjoy it).. while shows like NY and Atlanta keep their same cast formations for two season or more sometimes (I love change in general.. so that could be why)

And the ironic thing about JC and her return to AW was that there was a ratings increase when she returned, yet the show still insisted on doing nothing for the character. When you have a charismatic star like JC, I can understand perhaps not putting effort into writing for her (because you figure people are just happy to watch them so why work hard to make the audience like them)...but at the same time, because viewers like a performer, they want that performer to be given something meaty. Its almost a catch 22. The late 70s of OLTL reads like a goldmine of performers both Male and female. If only I were born before that period...alas.

Oh I think Carla and Sadie would have fit in wonderfully at AMC. Sadie could have filled the void left by Kate Martin, and worked at the hospital where she could have been the warm and wise presence at the hospital.. while Carla could have been the District Attorney while mixing it up with Adam, Palmer, and Erica Kane. However, I think both of them would have been better served going to Loving because it was still owned by Agnes Nixon, and with the show being lower rated... Carla/Sadie could have infused the show with ratings and also a purpose/direction long needed for the show. Plus, I think Ellen Holly's ideas would have been listened to since with a lower rated show, the writers/producers/owners are willing to take more risks and not play it safe (since you can't go anywhere but up when on a lower rated show).

Didn't she mention that when she returned the 2nd time that the writing wasn't as good as it was before..and even submitted to Jean Arley her idea on how Carla Gray could return? I didn't quite catch it the writers, or Abc, rejected her idea/script. She seems fairly fond of Jean Arley...and I was surprised she wasn't as harsh about Agnes Nixon as I feared. I truly think that once Nixon sold the show to Abc and focused her attention on AMC in the early to mid 70s..that was when the problems for her truly began on the show. It seems like the first five to six years of her time on the show had her being front burning and active...and nuh the mid 70s became much more background. Had vicki also become more a background character, than I could chalk it up to veteran characters moving to tentpole/supporting role..but that wasn't the case. I do like she held out for more money before agreeing to return a 2nd time and the lesson is that the actor has to stand up for themselves because no one else will stand up for you. 150k per year in the early 80s is pretty good money and I was happy she didn't settle for less. And I like that she and Lillian got attention and respect at the 15th anniversary of the show.

I guess these episodes were before Erica became islanded in her world. I questioned why the show isolated Erica in the early 80s.. they corrected it in the mid 80s thankfully.

I'm with you, I wonder what changed with Depriest because her later stints differed quite a bit from this one. In the latest uploads, we got mention of Jason Aldrich..so it looks like the ground work is being laid out for his return. I wonder had depriest stayed if the Dancys would have remained..or if they were meant to only be around as a unit till the Joan Dancy story resolved.

I get why she refused to return... she came back in the early 80s and was let go after Paul Rauch came in...so she didn't want to risk having that happen again. I recall when my mom was alive, that I had asked about the character of Carla Gray..and my mom (who was a pre teen) said that it was an awesome story..done well and intelligently..and was sad that her character got phased out since there was huge potential for her character.

Didn't they audition the actress before casting her as Greta? I will assume no.

And don't forget Murder She Wrote

I didn't even know Ellen Dolan was Maureen because by the time I was old enough, she was playing Margo on ATWT. I noted that her Margo was more serious than Hilary B Smith's version of Margo (Smith was my favorite Margo). With that said, I only recall Maureen in the early 90s where she was set up as a stay at home mom that felt unfulfilled and went to get a job as an assistant at Spaulding. Imagine my surprise when I realized that Maureen had been played by Dolan in the early to mid 80s.. and was a hospital admin... so I couldn't buy her getting a job as an assistant when she'd had experience running a hospital for two or three years before becoming a full time stay at home mother (I was surprised to see that Ellen Parker was still playing Maureen when she was a hospital admin.. but she didn't come across as convincing unlike Dolan, who always had a very confident stance. With that said, seeing Ellen Dolan's take on Maureen.. she was much perkier, feminine, and strong willed... also she dressed very trendy as well. I could have seen Dolan's Maureen eventually becoming the heir apparent to Bert down the line since she did have a calming presence. I'll admit I think Pam Long wrote Ellen Parker's Maureen better than Curlee and co did. The Maureen of the late 80s was funny, sarcastic, full of spirit and had a lot of self confidence. I noticed the whole Maureen trying to have a baby, being jealous of Holly, etc didn't come into play till Long left the show. I always viewed Maureen as more of a Pam Long type character than a Marland type of character (since her left months after she was introduced.. and Pam Long wrote most of Maureen's stint on the show.

The August 3rd and 4th episodes continue the fall out of Joan Dancy's death with some great acting/scenes featuring Maggie, Penny, Jerry, and Nola. I did love that the show remembered that Toni and MJ were still in the cast and that they had the talk about the elephant in the room between them (Alan).