Soaplovers

Do you think the show would have benefitted from dumping Sally Sussman from headwriting duties. The concept of the show was interesting with a lot of potential.. but it just didn't seem to gell when put into practice.

I knew the show was going down the tubes when they brought Beth back in late 1997 and had her acting so out of character.. even with the show trying to provide reasons for the change.. it still didn't make sense. And there was an interview with BC at the time where she mentioned the show told her right off the bat that they were going to make the audience root for Philip/Harley with Beth as the vengeful third party... when I think that the triangle could have been interesting had the show written Beth in character.. and had the audience conflicted over who Philip should be with (his first love vs his current love). Seeing how BC played the character in her first stint, it was obvious that she was being directed to act bizarre with the wierd acting tics when she came back in 1997. In later years, she eliminated most of those acting tics and played the character much closer to how she played Beth in her original stint... which was close to how Beth was truly written. Oddly, I was also thrown during Lizzie's rebellious years how Beth mentioned how like her she was.. and seeing how KT played Mindy in 1983.. Lizzie was more like a young Mindy then a young Beth.

Hopefully Eva's acting has improved because she sucked when she was on Y & R. Nice that housewives are getting some attention at SNL... back in the day, you know you'd made it when you get spoofed on SNL>

So would June/July of 1989 be the period when the show finally starts to get going? I recall that the early episodes were very slow moving with a lot of exposition and little action, or plot movement... kind of like SSM's Y & R.

Steve is such a dumbass! How Carolee could love and stay with the man boggles my mind. I keep telling her to get some self-esteem and divorce the SOB. Armand is handsome, but I don't know if I buy him as Mike. Penny is back!!! With singer Andy in her sights, she will make mince meat of insipid Stacy LOL

I recall there were episodes before the official transition to the new filmed look that had the traditional type of film mixed with the new filmed look.. and it was jarring. I remember my mom texted me and told me that it looked like the show was ready to commit suicide with this new film look because it was shaky, the lighting was awful, and distracted from whatever was going on with the characters. 18 months later, the show was dead even when the show improved the filming somewhat. Peapack was the wrong choice because it made the show look country/hickish..when the show was never that way even when Pam Long wrote the show (she had a good mix of down home and cosmopolitan when she wrote the show both times).

To me Pam Long's 2nd reign stands out for me because she fixed the mess the three previous headwriting teams made during her 18 month absence (and she left the show in an interesting place with Alexandra vowing war against Billy/Kyle due to her son's death and Reva's suicide attempt at the bridge.. all of which the following regimes didn't build on) and it also gave a preview of the Curlee era of the early 90s. Both of those reigns made the show very watchable from 1987/88 through 1993... same as what viewers probably through of the Dobson/Marland/early Pam Long era. I still love the disco intro, but I loved the early 90s intro the best with the light house flashing.

Because of the book..faye wouldn't be accepted by most people. If she didn't come across so sleazy and mean spirited...and actually changed..that would have been different. The fact Kyle was good friends with her has always shaded my view of her because there is an old saying about the company you keep reflects who you are as a person. Kathryn, as I've said before, almost seemed too nice for the show. During the reunion, she looked like a deer caught in headlights. With that said, she had a nice house, cute husband, and they traveled alot..so I think she had a lot to bring to the plate..but the show didn't let her develop organically...they threw her in regarding the book then vs Erika before we got to know her. Same thing happened with Carleton and Joyce in season 4. Rinna, Eileen, and Erika had individual vignettes before they merged eith the rest of the women. Dorit and Teddi never did.... The last time a friend of made an impression on OC was in season 7...drunk Sarah (her drunken rant at the bowling alley then eating a bow off of heathers cake). And jeana made waves in season 6...and poor Lauri tried in season 8 but was too laidback to truly stir the pot (Lydia would have been better as a friend of in season 12).

I actually only liked her in her first stint...didnt like her in her 2nd and 3rd stints in the role. Delia outgrew Ilene's acting ability.

I recall reading someone if NBC had given the shoe another six to nine months..it would have continued to grow ratings wise. W asnt it too slow paced for the early 70s? It seems like Kathy glass was kind of temperamental and hard to work with..since she had issues on this show, OLTL, and the doctors (less so on this show)

I think in a post on this board..pam long had been interviewed in early 1984...and she talked about how one of her favorite things as writer was to write scenes of characters talking..owing to her upbringing in the south and women gathering around the kitchen to talk after church or during a regular weekend day...and she hinted in the interview that the suits were pressuring her to focus on plot and that she was trying to squeeze in talking scenes. It explains the shift in late 1984 through 1985 of plot over character...though she did maintain Company as a gathering place..and the bauer kitchen was important. I guess by the late 80s...the suits left her alone (cause during her 18 month absence, three writing teams messed up the show and they had no choice lol). It is telling the difference in quality from the bauer barbeque in 1987 vs Christmas 1987 (when Amanda Spaulding came back for a visit...and history was focused on).

Jeff Lewis on wwhl recently the three are getting along again...excited for next season and next season's trip.

Kind of a shame they recast mike so fast....they spent months establishing the guy...and he kind of had the build of the previous Mike...though was more laid back. I just don't get why the change suddenly.

I think she could have made R eva work in the late 90s...and I know she wouldn't have ever thought of bringing in the mob or creating that stupid island. The reason Pam Long didn't work on OLTL wad because that show was about a more urban area, class differences, etc. Santa Barbara was quirky and more avant garde then what Pam Long wrote. She seemed strongest on family stories..rather in the country or smaller towns. She even created a drama in the 90s for ABC that was decent (but in a bad time slot). She helped steer the show correctly in 1983/1984...and came back in the 2nd half of 1987 and helped fix the show then....so I could have seen her doing that again in 1998/99... I could have seen her keeping the momentum if rick/Abby as the next tent pole couple...and helped focus the drew/michelle/bill/drew stuff. I just think she is better at turnaround and not steering the ship long term...but picking the correct course.

It is a shame the show never thought to bring back Pam Long especially since she did help correct/right the ship in the late 80s leading to Curlee's early 90s golden period.

I'm loving the episodes from summer of 1984...there is a lot of Bert, Hilary, Ed, Rick, and Mike being featured strongly in their own stories plus being support in others. It's a shame the momentum loses steam by that fall. I liked Mike being featured fairly early in the Susan piper story....still think it's a waste Nola didn't play some part in that wtory...cpuld you have imagined scenes of Susan piper and No la? Or even scenes of Reva and No la? I did happen to see the scenes where Hilary is killed..and faintly remember watching it with my mom when I was very little and my mom being surprised at Hilary being killed. A shame since she was a great character and would have been fairly active as a b auer, a young anti heroine, and a nurse at cedars...plus when holly/roger/Blake came on in the late 80s....she would have been used effectively. A shame.

Caroline and jacqulrine...hell no. New blood please!! Kim D did look like the crypt keeper at the reunion lol

I could see why from just watching those two episodes from 1984 why the show dethroned GH from the #1 spot that summer... balance.. a mix of the veterans and the newbies.

I was too young to remember 1984...but who did Mike click with better...alexandra or Lillian? I'll say I recall 1985 as a very small child..and liked beth/Lujack...and India. I even liked the infinity story though I recall my mom thinking it was kind of stupid until the conclusion resulted in Lujacks death...with Alexandra heartbroken over losing her new found son (I think that explained why she was so clingy with Nick...a second chance coupled with not wanting him to be with the woman who broke up her marriage...a good Pam long/Nancy Cutler twist).

Based on what I've read...marland was not a good fit for the Doctors..with beefing up the aldriches and Darcy family..with few, if any, ties with hope memorial. The show is called The Doctors. Oddly his tinkering with GH worked...but it doesn't seem to have worked with the Doctors.

I like that now we are getting dates with writers taking over. According to Rita lakin...she wad the only writer hence why she had a writing partner for a year before she bailed. I'm guessing cenderella is helping with script writing as well as story outlines.

I so admit I liked Jill even in her more messy final days. It was interrsting how to the other women and to bobby/allie that she was top dog....but when she had scenes with her and sister...she let them take the lead...especially her sister. I'd like her to visit again..even if just in scenes with just dorinda and/or Luann. Dorit seems to have issues with time and how to tell time. Teddi seems too nice and sensitive for this show...thus far. Camille and TH's are a match made in heaven....camille will make mince meat of dorit. Rinna Rinna... her daughters arent gigi and bella, ahe hasnt done any acting mich (except a guest slot on the middle where she was charming..and days of our lives..ehivh I hope means we get some scenes of Rinna there).. So I guess being the truth boomb is her only.hope to keep a diamond.

I am curious the factors that determine who gets to be a housewife and who gets to be supporting? Is it the same on all the franchise's, or does it vary based on the show? For instance, I've always believed if you couldn't film all aspects of your life (by choice, or due to an ex)..that should automatically make you a friend of..no matter how much drama you bring. So t amra on OC and Brandi on BH shouldn't habe been full time housewives for that reason..especially Brandi (who never brought anything to the table except conflict...and Rinna kind of does that well in a more frustrating way lol). Cynthia keeps her peach because every show needs a 'boring' one...and she brings it fashion and hair wise. With that said, Kim should have done what Sheree did during her driend of season...been the Greek chorus and not make too many waves...cause she got her peach back the next season. Jim had to be careful..her spinoff won't last forever...and if she pissed off Nene, Kandi, and kenya...good luck getting that peach back.

When Bethenny visited BH...did she and Camille interact? That would have been interesting to see because Camille usually keeps her cool and can shade with backhanded ability like no one else...and make Bethenny look like a lunatic. Yet Bethenny can jab throw a mile a second.

Instead of having Johnny Bauer as a 3rd cousin...why not have had him descended from Trudy bauer..and had Mary Stuart in the 80s be Trudy Bauer? The character was on in the 50s and lived in New York...so i could habe seen Mary Stuart playing Trudy as more east coast, yet warm and in your face... and her branch could have been bought on as well. Still I loved Meta being on in the late 90s...and I liked how she took over for Ed in trying to steer Blake in the right direction. I kind of liked that the show ended with Frank and Blake dating since the two had ties since the early 90s as friends.