Soaplovers

If the views weren't there, I doubt it would have last 2.5 years and counting as being a solo Peacock property. I wouldn't even mind if one of these streamers didn't a primetime soap exclusively on a platform like Peacock that drops an episode a week 52 weeks a year with no breaks. It would be a good compromise between the old school day time and prime time formats.

I disagree. I think Jill going off the rails made perfect sense. It was a multi season process starting in season 8, climaxing at the season 9 cliffhanger, and continuing into season 10. It was after Jill's story ended was when Knots Landing really went off the rails because it happened just as Abby was leaving the show.. and the Lathams didn't really have anything interesting to follow both of these events.

I think the move to NBC dealt a huge blow to SFT that caused the show to slowly bleed out throughout their almost five year run on that network. SFT was a CBS show and it really showed when it first started airing on NBC so I understood P &G having to make adjustments to the soap in order to make it fit onto the NBC schedule vs the CBS schedule. The 1983 Tomlin/Lee era was probably the strongest while it was on NBC. They managed to still focus on Stu/Stephanie/Jo while developing a strong youth focus with Wendy/Warren/Suzi/Kristen/ Brian with the comic element with Rhonda Sue and her partner. This helped the show from staying the Liza/Travis show.. which it was in 1981/1982.

I had one of my friends that watches modern day B & B watch the early episodes of Bold & Beautiful (Season 1 on Tubi in the states)... and they were so surprised at how different Brooke was in the early episodes, and that Brooke/Ridge didn't end up crossing paths and having a conversation until around 60 episodes into the show's run.

I remember there were some episodes shared during that era where Devon was trying to be a wife to Wally, who was basically checked out of their marriage due to his feelings for Betsy. And Devon confronted Betsy while I was sitting there thinking 'This story was never mentioned in any AMC history books'... but at least Devon/Wally's arc was mentioned while Betsy was never mentioned at all. Although I was also surprised that Betsy was buddies with Sybil Thorne. Two characters so different from one another being friends was fascinating to me.

Speaking of Ashley, here is what the actress posted on her IG regarding her thoughts on playing the scenes between her/Derek (and I think even in her responses to comments, was even team Derek LOL) https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ28rL7NgaV/

Just got home from work and chilling a bit before I dig into the new episode. I'm glad to read that Anita and Tracy had some good scenes and I can't wait to see TT finally get something to sink her teeth into. She's far too talented and likable to continued being saddled with those weird monologues that even she can't make work all the time. The one thing I've noticed after about 60 episodes is that the show seems to rotate all the stories from week to week where they get A level attention. So I have no doubt that Derek/Ashley will get less attention next week since they received B+ attention this week...and I guess Hayley finally is getting some attention though that means that energy vampire Dani will be seen

Ah yes... she was one of Stephanie's many assistants that came and went. I think Rhonda Sue, Alex Neil's character, Justine, Quinn, and an unnamed female character all were Stephanie's assistants between 1983 and 1986. It was like Stephanie was the Murphy Brown of daytime tv with her rotating assistants LOL

I think the fall out from the reveal episodes last week helped the views grow, and I think the momentum will only continue to gain traction. I was talking to a friend of mine that has watched soaps for years, and they told me that BTG is an interesting mix of elements of P & G, Bell Soaps, and Days (Sony)... and considering that the writing staff has those employed from all three entities.. it's an astute observation

It was an odd fit, though she did liven up any scene she was in. I think she ended up leaving in December 1983. I actually think she would have fit in better on Guiding Light during the Lewis invasion in 1983/1984 (probably as a Wanda like character).

Brady is the category of individual that is cute, but dumb. Basically he needs to smile, take his shirt off and not speak LOL

They might be doing that until they get a clothing budget for wardrobe that fits Keith. It has happened a couple of times on the other shows. Louise Shaffer in an interview said that she took over from another actress on SFT back in the 60s and wore only one or two items of clothing for a few weeks because the budget for new wardrobe hadn't come available/approved. I do agree that Maurice played Ted as more cocky/suave.. and aggressive when opposite SPS (Leslie/Dana)... and maybe the show figured a more sedate/remorseful Ted was what the show was looking for.

The ratings the last few months seemed to hover between the high 4s and mid 5s with an occasional off week when it would almost hit 6.0. Ironically the last week the show was on the air, it did hit 6.2 so it proved that people were available to watch the show.. but had fallen off due to the constant change in focus. It's possible that maybe the final writer was Henry Slesar considering the more crime slant the show took in the final months... but why work against your other show.

I just got home from work and will take a look at today's show in a bit. However, I was thinking about Silk Press Sheila and wondering if she would try to suck up to Mona... and thought to myself only someone suffering from delulu would try to suck up to Mona (Jan, I sort of understood why she tried).. and seeing that SPS is just delulu enough to suck to Mona makes me chuckle. I understand that Derek/Ashley are not end game (just like how on B & B when it started that Brooke/Dave were not end game)... but the show is going about this coupling in all the wrong ways. Since the show seems to operate from a place of misandry, the way they're writing this Derek/Ashley conflict makes Ashley the bad one. I would have had the conflict rooted in two things: 1) Andre/Ashley's continued friendship.. which would have made Dani a bit jealous if she came across the two chatting and continued to make Derek left out/jealous 2) Derek/Hayley had good chemistry in terms of rapport so I would have had a couple of more scenes of the two running into one another out and about. Perhaps she and Caroline could have been having a work lunch at Orphey Jean's.. and Derek comes in to get an order for his fellow crew.. and the two have a brief chat. Maybe establish the two running into one another at Uptown while she waits for Bill and he waits for Ashley and/or Jacob. And eventually Naomi or Jacob come across the two talking and they alert Ashley. That way the two would a legit argument over their jealousy over the others platonic interaction with someone of the opposite sex. Just my two cents... and it would give Hayley something to do outside her continual 'honeymoon' with Bill.

Poor Chelsea... having Bill and Dani for parents has to suck. And while the acting during the Chelsea/Dani scene was good (Karla, for once dialing it back)... I still view it as Dani making it all about her. Narcissists like Dani will never change

I would test Derek again with Hayley.. or with Vanessa ( she would totally be ga ga over a fireman). Dani does tend to make things all about her, but I viewed the Dani/Chelsea element to be a pale version of the Erica/Bianca dynamic.

If I'm not mistaken, Lisa Peluso's last episode was around Christmas 1985... and the very last scene was Bela at her door before the next episode or so later reveals that Wendy just vanished into thin air. And there was a scene from the killers POV where they crossed off Sarah's pic and circled Wendy's pic. So it was up in the air if she skipped town, or if she was killed off. Did the show ever resolve what happened to Wendy, or was that an unresolved thread?

Considering that a soap opera hasn't been launched in over 25 years, I think the show is doing well. In 2025, you're not going to get a soap opera on the level of soaps you watched before the 1990s for a variety of reasons. - All scenes are filmed out of order. No longer do shows do the live to tape process. - No longer are there rehearsals before filming the episodes. - Most of the greats retired/passed away without teaching a lot of the new generation how to produce or write a soap opera in the pre 2000 way. Also, this isn't filmed where soap operas were filmed so the show is using local talent that is hitting it out of the park. It reminds me of the CBN soap Another life that used local talent in the Virginia beach area. Lastly, soaps take several months to get going.. and I think the show is in good shape after 56 episodes (at least compared to other soaps that started in the late 80s and 90s like Generations, SunSet Beach, Passions, etc)

Actually.. I thought she restored Katie back to her more fun loving/self deprecating spirit after being watered down by Marland. Even the actress that played Katie puts the blame more on Gail Kobe than Long. I think I understood what she was trying to do with Nola.. but it didn't work. She was trying to write a character that gets her happily ever after with the man she loves... but struggles with the reality of living in real world after getting her happy ending. However, the way she went about it was all wrong. Trish, she wisely made the peacemaker of the Lewis family.. though I could understand the actress probably growing restless with being the pragmatic peacemaker by 1985. Unpopular opinion: I actually think Beth should have stayed dead. I think it made his embracing of the dark side of Spaulding more realistic once she was dead.. and as we saw, it did affect his relationship with Chelsea during that period.

Charmed and Party of Five didn't do too good with the diverse concept... I doubt 7th Heaven will either. Perhaps maybe do a diverse show about a female minister and her husband and call it something other than 7th Heaven. I know it's going out on a limb to actually come up with something different and to title it differently.

The writers need to reign in Vanessa' character... I can see the actress is trying to reign in the character.. but the writing isn't helping her in her quest. Dani has been going on and on and on about being insecure since the end of her marriage for 55 episodes.. and I'm sick of it. She's in bed with a younger attractive man and she won't shut up about her insecurities. I want to tell Andre that the sex isn't worth being tied to this emotional vampire. No wonder Bill cheated on her (and I do sometimes side with the cheater). I'm really hoping Derek/Ashley are breaking up soon because she's been a total witch and he can do so much better. Have him in another scene with Hayley or even a 1:1 with Shanice. I think that's a Danielle Paige quirk. Her novels are all about symbolism, and she did say that Claire Labine mentored her at Guiding Light.

The only Camden kid I liked was Mary... and I don't know if Jessica Biel would want to go back to playing that character or not.

Oddly.. Chase and Steve seem to have both vanished from the canvas in December so the Estelle return loses impact when two of her kids stop appearing shortly after her return (and I assume TR leaves in early 1986 as well). The Steve recast doesn't work... but it's odd that he has a long scene with Teri with Cagney looking jealous.. when the majority of his time on the show previously was a relationship and engagement to Stephanie (who he barely has a scene with in the episodes I see). Your idea for Wendy/Bela/Stephanie sounds just like what Ryan's Hope did with Michael/Kim/Rae... and considering Louise Shaffer was playing Rae and Stephanie.. it would have been a lousy redux of a superior story on another soap (that had months of build-up) I think Quinn becoming assistant to Stephanie was Mayer/Braxton... but not 100 % sure. I don't know if Mayer/Braxton was setting up Sarah as a bad girl disguised as a good girl.. but the actress (Joyner) was playing the scenes in that manner.. and Tomlin wisely tapped into that when he took over.

I don't mind Dani in this mode, she fits best in a supporting role vs the main attraction. Dani being thrown into the Doug story just reeks of Reva Shayne in the late 90s/early 00s where she was involved in every storyline. Nothing makes me hate a character more then when a writer/producer shoves a character down the viewers throats. There was a brief scene between Pamela/Doug/Vanessa where Vanessa was being Vanessa.. and Pamela was giving her a look that wasn't too friendly (not a look of dislike, more a look of someone that is looking down on someone else). I think the divorce/split between Jon and Cady was friendly/ not messy.

Her voice reminds me somewhat of the late Carrie Donovan (best known for Old Navy commercials).. but she was big in the fashion world I believe.