Soaplovers

I think one of the issues with modern day soaps and 'good' characters is partly due to casting and partly due to writing. Van is a good character.. too good to be true.. and that can be a difficult character to write and make interesting. This is why casting is so important because the performer needs to add personality, humor, and other layers in order to make the audience like and root for the character. Peggy McKay was pretty good with putting that spirit/humor into Van.\

I kind of bought Gary with Kate only because he was in grief and she had been in the twins life for a year or so.. with Val being a refuge for Kate like how she had been a refuge for Olivia in the past. The way the show handled the Gary/Kate situation once Val came back was well done and the final scene between Val and Kate was heartfelt. Ironic that Kate also had a child with Gary and didn't tell him.. just like Val back in the day. Too bad that story didn't get more focus in the reunion movie.. including Kate's secret relationship with Abby's son Brian. @KhanI view that the 'Sally Friend's' as Latham and company realizing that they didn't plan for what would happen to Gary or Val once the Jill story wrapped up. When I viewed it recently, it looked as though it was being thrown together without any thought or idea on where it would go. Had Paulson or Dunne been helming season 10.... they would have probably played up the fall out of the Jill story with Val coming to terms with almost losing her kids again due to Jill, maybe some hidden resentment for Gary/Karen for not believing her yet again, and maybe she could have focused back on her writing (with the Jill saga a perfect inspiration for a book.. which would cause conflicts with Gary, etc).

Speaking of which EON alum... I always thought it was nice to see Ann Flood playing shorter term roles that were a departure of Nancy... such as Ella on SFT.

I think had Jill not been found in his trunk, but staged her disappearance with her playing 'Sally's Friend'... that might have worked.

East Coast soap performers were broadway/stage performers.. and sometimes they forgot to tone it down for tv and it became too showy and not realistic. I prefer the more subdued acting of someone like Ms. Mnoco over the over-acting of Maura West or Michelle Stafford.

The online AMC revival would have had plenty of funds coming in had Erica Kane appeared on it. That is a hill I'll die on. The online show had a perfect way that she could have fit in without the toxic weight of Jack around her neck. Dimitri was back, plus Brooke was back with a talk show. I could have seen Brooke and Erica having competing talk shows with Adam egging on the feud between them because why wouldn't he like his two ex wife's battling it out.

Sounds like Dorit understood that her job was in jeopardy if she didn't show her real life.. and now is doing what Kyle should have been doing all this time... being active and showing her real life.

I thought the first half of season 10 was pretty strong with people naturally unsure if Val was being truthful or not.. while all the characters believed Jill over Val. In fact, Jill was calm and rational to everyone while Val acted like she was off her rocker. The middle of season 10 started promising with Jill starting to put the screws to Gary out of revenge.. and I think it was cut short by having her body being found in his trunk. That should have been the season 10 cliffhanger.. and a good way to ensure viewers would tune in for season 11 with Abby no longer on the canvas.

Sorry... Jamie Lee Curtis doesn't hold a candle to Angela Lansbury. I could it if she played a former pupil of Jessica Fletcher's and inherited her house and decided to live in Cabot Cove again.. and perhaps solves a mystery that has plagued the town on and off for many years since the mid 1990s.

She wouldn't have let Ted get away with murder...she would have used that scene to set him up to be caught by the police. I did like how worked up Karen got because she couldn't get Abby in trouble for the Murakme scheme. That story I could buy for Abby because she always resented Karen and Gary being involved in Lotus Point. She saw the Manny scandal as a perfect chance to get that land back from them.

The premise was promising about two matiarch's that were friends..and sometimes on the same side and sometimes on the opposite side. Both women had a son and daughter. Ann Margaret's daughter had a thing for Sonia Braga's son..a priest... while Sonia Braga's sweet daughter was sort of dating Ann Margaret's scheming son..yet yearned for another man that had been paroled and was the son of the man trying to take Ann Margaret's ranch. Sounds more interesting on paper then it did playing out.

Gwyn's inability to break free of her co dependent relationship to Clay doomed her from finding true love. I do think she/Dane were great together..and I think she and Jeremy were promising as well.

She was too bubbly as Harley...Amy Carlson was a better Harley temp.

I think John knew deep down, but choose not to do anything about especially after Dina took off on the family. He became the only stable influence in Ashley's life. In fact, the long term effects on Ashley after she found out was realistic. Her sense of self and foundation shaken and never repaired. And she did the same thing to Abby that was done to her.

It seemed as though King's Crossing was less a soap and more of a family drama. Perhaps another night on ABC's schedule would have been better for the show since it seemed to be aimed at teen viewers.

One of season 9's little talked about episodes was 'There are Smiles'. This episode tied up the Peter Hollister story, established Abby vs Paige, and moved Paige out of the Lotus Point orbit. These served to tie up season 8 mistakes (Abby being all pro Paige made no sense, Peter Hollister had too much focus, and Paige was never a fit in the Lotus Point group). The other main thing was the Laura exit was set up in this episode with resigning from Lotus Point and her way of telling Greg she was dying was so very Laura. The acting between Greg and Laura is good..and subtle changes of Greg's expressions as he realizes what she is saying is flawless. Greg, as a character, truly passed away once Laura passed away. The other main season 9 set up happens in this episode and it was due to the Peter Hollister murder. Jill finally calls Gary out on his dysfunction at always rescuing Val and Abby..plus his continual ties to the kids. She even elects to cool things with him...but relents when he admit she's right and ready to move forward with her. All this progress is ruined by two words said by Val in frustration to Gary 'your kids'. The last scene of them in bed is Gary in shock Val finally admitted it as Jill's look shows that she now views Val as a threat and now is back in the cycle she had tried to break out. In regard to the funeral episodes, how Teri Austin choose to play those scenes is what gave the Latham's the idea to make Jill snap. The Jill character is a perfect example of never turning down work. Teri Austin said she happened to be in LA for pilot season, got a call from David Jacobs to offer her a bit part, she took it and it turned into a 4 season role all due to her and how she played that brief scene with Mack.

In her first few episodes, the show dressed Stephanie up to be more matronly..especially in her debut episode. This was thankfully rectified and after a few episodes was dressed more glamorous and confident. Not only did B&B play up the odd Stephanie/Ridge subtext...the show also played up her jealousy of her daughter Kristen and viewed her as competition for Eric. Was there an Eric/Kristen subtext..or just projection on Stephanie's part. I think Bill Bell not addressing Eric and Stephanie's Oedupus and Elecktra complexes was a mistake.

A combination of a great season 9 cliffhanger (Jill and Val), a long wait due to the writers strike, promotion by the network of the season 10 premiere, rerunning that episode the week before with even cast interviews, and the announcement of Donna Mills leaving...is my theory.

Season 10 regaining momentum and a bit of lost ratings was a miracle. The reinvention into a late 80s soap was successful. However, Latham and co didn't properly plan how to maintain this quality once the Jill story concluded and Abby had departed the show. And season 12 and first half of season 13 was an attempt at a soft early 90s reset with more topical issues mixed with soap opera melodrama. 90210 and 1st season of Melrose had that early 90s social issue/very special episode vibes until both successfully tapped into that soapy sweet spot. To me, Melrose inherited the mantle left behind by Dynasty and Knots Landing. The apartment setting and young adult focus was a 90s update of KL's cul da sec and married couple focus format...and the OTT plot twists and cat fights was a 90s update of Dynasty's campy set ups and cat fights. As previously stated, teens and twenty somethings were watching 90210 and Melrose Place..not Knots Landing or Dynasty. Case in point, back in season 1 when Heather Locklear joined Melroes...my late 30 something mom had to explain to her early 20 something co workers who Heather Locklear was and promised they were in for a treat.

Jane Elliot would have been all wrong for Samantha.

Knots landing did seem to go back to the cul da sec more in the final season. Having a newly wed couple come on wouldn't have cost as much...and maybe reduce Anne to a recurring character in season 14. Had Linda not been killed off, the function Vanessa had in the final season could have been fulfilled by Linda....and also writing out eye candy Alex was ill advised as well.

In season 3, even when it was a self contained episode...the other stories were still simmering in the background. Season 5 and 6 are flawless seasons...that season 7 and 8 are let downs even though there were positives to enjoy in those seasons.

Both were half hour soaps so I think it would have been easier to headwrite two soaps at the same time. Edge of Night was a soap that would have faltered if expanded to an hour so I'm glad it never expanded. Slesar's biggest misstep was keeping Raven on so long. While popular, it really diluted the crime and mystery format by having her be the lead.

Bold and the Beautiful: Bill Bell and Brad Bell too obsessed with Brooke. Her character was limited in terms of story. Storm and Donna in the early years had more potential then Brooke. Young and the Restless: Never really evolving Nikki after she married Victor and post divorce from Victor. General Hospital: Labine and Riche..too much focus on Sonny and Brenda.

Max and Leeann carry over to when the original Max comes back..and Luna feels guilt for crushing on him while he's with Lee Ann. If I recall, Malone eventually stops the Kevin/Stephanie story and puts him in LeeAnn's orbit with Jason as her friend. @Vee Yasmine did opt to leave when her two year contract was up.