KMan101

1 hour ago, Errol said:

Not for nothing but "The View" is having a terrible 25th season in terms of viewership, albeit it's still rated higher than most daytime talk shows and news programs. However, compared to how the show performed just one year earlier its ratings are in the dumps. Sure, last year was an election year. I'll admit that.

I was wondering. I don't follow the ratings closely anymore. 

The show is far more palatable without Meghan McCain, I'm back watching regularly. I guess folks 'hate-watch'/watch during a combative political/election season ... interesting they're in the dumps. I wonder if people are just ... tired. It's been a rough 4-5 years ... I think people are looking for more of an escape and less 'debate hot topics'. But just a thought.

Also, I assume, a large amount of the population aren't being 'seen' on the panel at the moment so I guess they aren't watching. 

And while I love the current panel, I feel like it's also a bit ... tired too. The more I talk out loud, the more I can see why ratings are down.

Also wanted to add I'm enjoying seeing past co-hosts come back to the table. Sherri Shepherd fit right in like it was nothing. It felt like a test to me but I doubt she needs The View money at this point.

Meghan is also bitching about the work environment. It seems only a select few have an issue working on the show. They want everyone around them to bend and cater but give nothing back. Sometimes the problem IS YOU. 

I will agree with her the show needs stronger leadership. It's clearly gone to [!@#$%^&*] without Barbara behind the scenes cracking the whip. But at the end of the day, Meghan seems like she's not a very happy person and I wish she'd look deeper into herself. 

On 10/11/2021 at 6:08 PM, AMCOLTLLover said:

Peris stalker story has to be the most obvious plot device in keeping Juliette and her apart that i have ever seen.

 

Definitely. Very plot driven.

On 10/16/2021 at 2:34 PM, Liberty City said:

It was blink-and-done. Disappointing. I feel like it was Lucy Allan just trying to wrap it up, and to move along. Now we've got Bobby using social media to befriend Cher.

lol yep.

The show is kinda bouncing around stories a lot lately.

My interest is starting to wane a bit.

I think BritBox has Corrie, Emmerdale and EastEnders but I could be wrong. I've never tried to subscribe to it. Do any of the "official" subscription based services have a 'full library' of these shows? Or is it just 'recent years' starting with like 2010? lol 

There's a blog out there with lots of old episodes of the UK soaps, but you'd have to download them from FileFactory. It's a great source though.

I was honestly shocked some local PBS affiliates were still showing EastEnders. I know for many of them it was still getting eyeballs it seems. Why keep airing it if it wasn't? I think a Florida affiliate was showing episodes earlier this year. I'll have to check if they still are.

On 10/9/2021 at 1:57 PM, AMCOLTLLover said:

I wish they would show more animals and farming like back in the day.. Even if its just on Radio but 'The Archers' is doing just an amazing job with that.

Emmerdale is my number 1 UK Show. I kinda love Meena.

The only issue i have right now is the balance and continuity of storys. Too much going on at once. We have the Liv alcoholism story,Meena-David-Victoria + Murder plot, Tracy and her Baby stuff, The Whoolpack Story of Chaz + Marlon, Aprils bullying, that weird Wendy + Russel money plot that no one asked for, Belles mental illness that pops up whenever they realise that the actress is still on a payroll, Jamie+Kim + Gaby etc.

Sometimes u dont see a character for a whole month. Thats way to uneven.. Hell even Meena was gone for like 3 weeks by now and people complain that she is on every day.

I kinda like Meena too. It's a bit paint by the numbers psycho but the actress is good IMO. I also like David and Victoria. Those three and Kim keep me interested. I tend to stick to their clips and not the whole show at the moment. I'm more into older Emmerdale at the moment. But my soap watching the last few weeks has been spotty LOL. 

You've listed a lot of the problems. The show feels so heavy. Some stories interest me but when you add it all together ... 

Also feels a little empty on the 'vet' side of the canvas though. Lots of long running Dingles (Marlon doesn't bother me) ... lol 

"whenever they realise that the actress is still on a payroll" 

I LOL'd but seems accurate. I notice this on the other shows too it's like "whoops forgot about them, here they are" ...

On 10/15/2021 at 4:37 PM, FrenchBug82 said:

Whatever one can say about LW as Carly - I like her but I know her take on the role grates others - THIS is the kind of storyline she excels at.

Ironically, I was thinking that original Britt - the bitchy antagonist of the Patrick story - was perfectly believable as a potential CoS. But writers fail to see if you shave off a character's personality for the sake of one storyline, what in turn can be done in other storylines changes.

Seriously.
When Ava needled Carly on Jason and then Nina had that line about timing and Sonny walking in on Jason/Carly right before they could consummate, I thought OK They are still trying to build something up here: they keep playing Sonny/Nina so clearly they want to go there and they are finally hinting that the Jason/Carly stuff might bug Sonny enough to justify...
Oh look Sonny and Jason just had a "mature" conversation where 75% of the drama has been squeezed out of already.
OK Then.

This.

Britt, original flavor, would have been FIRE as chief of staff. I can excuse some of it away as Britt mellowing and suffering from a medical condition but still ...

I agree on Laura Wright. She can really deliver on certain types of reactions and certain things she excels at. I can see why some are tired of her. It's a lot of yelling. But she's never phoned it in on GH.

And exactly on the 'drama' and lack of. We have Ava needling Carly and getting under her skin but then we get zero drama out of Sonny and Jason. It's so bizarre. They're so afraid to 'go there' with this trio. And yet everyone but the Facebook pearl clutchers are begging for the show to 'go there'.

Mathison's body is crazy well defined. I was shocked. Good for him!

4 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

As bad as it could be sometimes, I hope it is lol I won't hold my breath though.

Same. I hope it is as well. I don't understand wishing cancellation on any of the soaps no matter how bad they get.

But ABC doesn't seem to give a [!@#$%^&*] about GH (IMO). It literally COULD go tomorrow. They waste a lot of time for a show that shouldn't be wasting time.

I do feel there's a slight push by them to watch the show on Hulu.

18 hours ago, Nixor said:

If all the future generation kids of GH are Sonny’s kids we are going to have some very interesting storylines in the future (assuming GH is still on the air in 10-15 years).

Yeah. He's got way too many kids and future grandkids ... I'm all for big families but when nobody else is popping them out except Maxie (of all people) ... 

6 minutes ago, Ponds said:

I have absolutely no idea what is happening on parts of this board that I never read, but would like to continue posting with you on the threads we both enjoy!

Same. I rarely venture out of my usual spots LOL. Off-topic I can't ever jump into ... but agreed. I love SoapSuds and his humor and I feel like I can joke back and forth with him in silly ways and it's never serious.

I mean, to Toups ... is it about the shirtless men? I will say there are times I roll my eyes as much as I love the eye candy. I'm just being honest. Sometimes there's a time for it and sometimes there isn't, but that's just me. I'll never not be upset seeing a hot guy with his shirt off nearly naked. Ever. And I won't be a dick about it. I guess I am now but I'm really not trying to be. Just being honest as I see it.

I mean, it is what it is. I really don't mind but I do think some do and maybe SoapSuds doesn't always 'read the room' but it's not hard to scroll on by and carry on ... 

Where's the energy from Toups on the trolls? I love ya Toups but can we get this board under control? Focusing on SoapsSuds is counterproductive.

DON'T LEAVE SOAPSUDS!

4 minutes ago, AlexElizabeth said:

I love me some Greg Vaughan, but if he doesn't want to be around full time, they should just recast Eric. It would be great to have Marlena's son, a former priest, around for the possession story. Plus it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth that Nicole is so hung up on Rafe but doesn't give Eric, her soon-to-be ex-husband, a second thought. 

Absolutely. I love Vaughan too but Eric is recastable. Just get Dan Wells. The fans would eat it up. Done.

Eric should really be around for this story 100%.

A part of me wonders if they didn't want to recast both EJ and Eric around the same time but ... the DAYS go on ...

With Eric around and Shawn being given Rafe's spot at the PD, you DON'T NEED RAFE. Siiiiigh. EDIT: Hell, give some of Rafe's airtime to Lucas. Done. 

The UK soaps seem to have fallen into the same rut as the US soaps where they just constantly swap producers and writers. I agree stronger producers are needed for sure. It's clearly lacking.

On 10/10/2021 at 12:38 AM, John said:

Maybe Jackie is Bi-Polar

I would love if they went in that direction. I think they often miss the boat with Jackie, honestly. So much is there to dig into ... that's why I feel like it was a mistake to ignore Andy. But then make her never having kids a thing. She's a mess but never actually deals with it ... lol

If we're going to be serious they could do it with Jackie.

And Darlene's love triangles are not interesting. I know Sara wants to be 'the star' but Darlene doesn't even feel like the same character at times.

They do need better writers because the potential is there. 

13 minutes ago, dragonflies said:

 

Holy crap. Prayers for her. I wish her the best in her recovery.

2 minutes ago, AlexElizabeth said:

Oh, I have no doubt that they'll tease us with all this EJ and Nicole hotness, only to ultimately throw Nicole at that idiot Rafe. I have no idea what Nicole and Rafe's story would even be once they get together. There's just nothing to see there. At least with EJ and Nicole, the story/drama writes itself once Sami comes back. 

Yep and we'll get the usual Ava/EJ 'badness' and none of it will matter in the end. It does write itself with Sami coming back. I imagine it plays into that but who knows? 

I feel like we have Rafe because we can't/don't have Eric and I'm so bitter over it.

On 10/8/2021 at 6:00 PM, Soapsuds said:

Rather boring promo... Even Mardevil is losing steam.

It's just getting started boo  there's months of the Devil to come. You were never going to be interested LOL  but we'll see how it goes

4 hours ago, AlexElizabeth said:

Nicole looks freaking gorgeous, and so does EJ. Dare I hope that EJ kills Rafe today and that they're making out over his dead body? 

I'm too afraid to get behind EJ and Nicole. I feel like they want us to root for Rafe and Nicole but we're all stanning EJole. 

I'm already itching for Sami and Eric (I feel like it's Greg or nothing for the show, so the Eric ship has sailed it feels like) to come back and lose their minds over EJole together.

5 hours ago, Liberty City said:

Everything that is not Abigail-Chad-EJ focused has been boring this week. #FireRonC

They need to give Ryan more writing power. Ron has always needed a solid CO-HW to reel him in. I think it's obvious who he's forced to write for.

2 hours ago, ChitHappens said:

So GH has 2 mandates now.

1.  Must be vaccinated

2.  Absolutely no drama in the scripts!

Jason and Sonny scenes were painful and criminally drama free.  It was ridiculous!  There's a reason I always look to the GH women to salvage this sh!tty material.

LW played tf out of the scenes with Joss/Carly even tho she said very little.  When Joss talked about how Nina is playing the victim, Carly turns red, eyes slightly watery and you can tell there's a volcano she's trying to hold in.  I rewound that scene many times even tho I knew they would have been much better with Bobbie 

And yes, Maura West has been such a delight!  She is having fun and making me laugh at the same time.  Hopefully, Nik will be recast so West can have a scene partner and love interest worthy of her.  

Stanco masquerading as Austin is just ridiculous.  Not much left to say at this point. 

Britt as COS is laughable so nothing she does is to be taken serious.  Frank has made a complete joke of the hospital.  I only fast forward the scenes now.  

You'd think with Carly on every day every week we'd get more Bobbie but nope. LOL. I really think they miss the boat so many times in using the vets in ways that make sense. But then Frank would have to pay them so gotta pay for the pets.

I agree. I don't buy Britt as COS. And she lacks the fire she once had. I get why they're trying to make her a more 'regular' character but it's like they can't decide on a direction.

Maura West is fabulous. I loved Ava getting in Carly's head. MORE OF THIS!

I feel like we get like one day of good writing and the rest is such a mess ...

I also think it's quite obvious directions were shifted in storylines and they rushed to get Cameron Mathison and Charles Shaughnessy on-screen.

The flow has been awful. I used to be able to say they at least still play out a story but yeah not so much.

Frank needs to stop micromanaging and trust the writers. But he can't. He has his own agendas. Tell me there wasn't a Frank mandate to see more of "Dr. GH" and 'redeem' Peter.

Hilarious how the writers say 'Liz is the heart and soul' and yet we never see her. And she still doesn't have a perspective. Why is she not more involved in Cam, which would involve her more with Jason and Carly, etc? It makes no sense. It's gotta be deliberate. Oh goody, she gets to play nursemaid to Valentin. How riveting. But of course it's likely about Peter so ... of course we see her.

I love Bonnie Burroughs and Gladys but they really need to do more with her. Sasha and Blando are such wastes of airtime. They really need to go. Hallmark & GAC Family are waiting. Though I'd rather watch them than Michael and Wallow.

3 hours ago, slick jones said:

A great casting choice. Looking forward to seeing him interact with Sharon, Mariah and Faith. I don't want to see him with Tessa.  I don't  see anything generic in his acting or looks(as was stated elsewhere), just a handsome young man that fits in seamlessly with the other actors in the Newman family.  It's a shame the writing on this show is so bad, because casting choices lately have been spot on.

I agree. It was a solid recasting. Noah is needed. Nick is waaaaaaay past his frat boy days. Noah needs to pick up the torch. But they keep making poor romantic choices for him. Tessa ain't it.

I understand why Noah would side-eye Sally but frankly she should be pursuing him (though Adam makes more sense and I think it works better but still). You know?

I liked Adamson but he read older.

Unfortunately, Griffith sucks and can't write for anyone really so it's hard to get invested. Look at Summer and Kyle. Ana. He has no interest.

15 minutes ago, Ponds said:

If GH would simply send him on his way.  I can't believe the TPTB don't read these sites and see how virtually everybody is sick of RH and any character he plays.

Yeah, it just isn't working (and wasn't going to). They just refuse to see it despite even some Howarth stans saying so on social media lol. It really just isn't working. The Stanco stans want Franco, not Austin. And the rest of us don't want either. So ... time for a decision to be made that Frank clearly doesn't want to make.

2 hours ago, Faulkner said:

Robin Givens will return as Darlene for the reboot:

https://ew.com/tv/robin-givens-head-of-the-class-first-look/

A smart get.

Now I'm interested.

I completely forgot Isabella Gomez was the teacher in the reboot. I'll be checking this out. 

The original was a bit underrated. 

5 hours ago, wingwalker said:

While it probably won't play out exactly how many are thinking, regardless this REEKS of absolute desperation. If you have to resort this kind of stunt, then you are out of ideas. 

Desperate. Perfectly sums up the state of the show at the moment. It lacks a solid direction badly.

6 hours ago, Liberty City said:

Sean Kanan's original stints at Deacon were great. His crossover to The Young and the Restless, while tiring, was also great. But since then? Keep it. Kanan is becoming a prop by Bradley Bell, much like Kimberlin Brown.

There was a lot of promise when he returned in 2012, but Ron Carlivati went against his word and completely wrecked the character, and then immediately returned the role of Jason Morgan.

I'm still salty over AJ being brought back and then killed. So salty.

I agree Kanan is becoming a prop for Brad, along with Kimberlin. It's clear he's flying by the seat of his pants with no real long-term plan, IMO.

3 hours ago, pdm1974 said:

I feel like my brain dies anytime Chloe, Phillip, Brady, Rafe, Ava, and Nicole are on. It's straight up snoozeville.

It's odd that they NEVER have Ava interact with Tripp, too. Maybe put her back in her son's orbit and have her inspire an edge in him.

LOL right? Why not more Ava/Tripp? Why is Ava not all in her son's business? Pushing him in certain directions, etc. 

So many character opportunities and it's like they just don't care to bother. (I also assume scheduling/guarantees plays a part but I feel like they can do better)

22 hours ago, AlexElizabeth said:

That short period of time when Galen left the show was so beautiful. I remember being so excited when news broke that he was leaving, and so annoyed when it was announced that he was coming right back. Why can't we have nice things? I just want my Nicole out of Rafe (and Duke) hell so badly. The only way I can tolerate Rafe scenes is if EJ is there making fun of him. I want to see EJ pummel Rafe into the ground so bad. LOL

I wish Lucas had something to do besides wait for Alison Sweeney to return, lol, but clearly we're only going to see him a couple times a month until that happens. I did enjoy his recent two minutes of scenes with EJ. Since Lucas told EJ that he's investing in Johnny's movie (loved that little moment), let's actually get Lucas involved in that story. It would give him some much needed airtime and give him and EJ something to argue about until Sami comes back.

Wasn't it though? I was ecstatic. It was up there with Daniel's death for me and Shawn Christian leaving. I also was pretty happy when Scott said FU and EJ was killed like nothing. Dan's revived EJ for me. It's crazy how much I like the character now. Better writing for him helps.

Lucas is always wasted. There's initial promise everytime Bryan returns but then nothing except some pop ups. It's such a shame. Like I said, so many missed 'character opportunities'. More Lucas/Johnny vs. EJ would be nice. I love EJ's hatred of Rafe. It warms my heart.

If they kept Rafe as a side character who was a snarky cop I could deal. He's not a romantic lead. The character is just a warm body holding a spot on the canvas.

1 hour ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Back when he was one of my first crushes

A new direction would help. Maybe @KMan101is right and they should finally bring in Joy and have her cause problems for Chloe

I will say it often feels like Chloe is just ... here to be here so I can understand the feeling of 'played out'. I'd like a little more investment. A POV would help. 

1 hour ago, AlexElizabeth said:

I do think it's weird that Chloe is a single mom who doesn't raise her son. I guess he's still living with Craig and Nancy? Not that we'd ever see him anyway, but why not bring him to Salem? I always forget that Parker even exists.

lol I have too. I'd probably prefer to live with Craig and Nancy too LOL. Imagine the fun and the arguments. I wish they were around. Why not use them ala Justin/Adrienne-Bonnie? 

Ron should have teenage Parker find out Philip is his bio daddy and then we can bring back Stephanie.

1 hour ago, gtru1981 said:

Chloe and many others need a new direction. However that is the thing with soaps, it about creating drama between couples. 

Why can't Chloe run a successful music school funded by drug lords?

Another could be age her daughter to a teen and cause tension between her and the daughter.  Daughter becomes a massive pop singer and goes on a downfall spiral with the success, that leads to drugs, alcohol and do a Britney story where she is under a conservatorship by her mother and the dark side of it.

Exactly. So many things they could do with her. Joy could be in the music industry. There you go. And they dropped the ball on Chloe/Claire.

2 hours ago, Vee said:

This doesn't illustrate what you think it does, teeheehee!

That's because Kyle Lowder always looked ridiculous.

Chloe has had every possible demeaning story in the last 20 years short of being abducted by aliens or sold into slavery. I love Nadia but the potential there is burnt AFAIC. She should be gone 5-10 years but Ken Corday can't stop rehiring her (or a lot of other folks).

I can see the burn out on Chloe. The character needed longer than just a year/few months rest here and there.

2 hours ago, gtru1981 said:

Brady along with Rafe need to leave in my opinion. Time for them to set sail and bring back other characters.

We were so damn close to Rafe gone forever. Siiiigh. Whhhhy do they hate us? LOL

Personally I'd rest Brady and bring back Paul

Compared to his PASSIONS days I think Eric's aged VERY VERY nicely. And it helps he has a great personality.

8 minutes ago, koos said:

JKJ looks like he's been on the bad drugs, or maybe just malnourished.

 

Yeah, JKJ is very gaunt in the face. I have to admit I've wondered.

And yeah de-aging could happen with a recast, definitely. But they don't see Eric's Brady or Martha's Belle or Brandon's Shawn as a 'problem' like some on here do. I mean, look at Dan/EJ. It is what it is at this point lol even though the horrible SORASing bothers me

14 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Not me lol Eric’s old enough to be my Dad and I don’t care at all

But Brady is played out and unfortunately Chloe is heading that way too. They could use a rest. Maybe if there’s a Beyond Salem season 2, they could be part of it

Brady definitely feels played out. He's continuously driven story since Eric debuted, really. That's a long time and a LOT of relationships. LOL. 

I wouldn't say Chloe is played out. A stronger direction would help. More scenes with Belle and Shawn would help. Bringing on her sister would help. 

JKJ chews the scenery when Philip has to go all Investigation Discovery angry. The triangle has potential but it's all so flat and boring and feels like Philip doesn't stand a chance.

I think JKJ has aged fine. Nadia didn't need the injections.

Chloe/Brady/Philip writes itself so it shouldn't be so lackluster or feel like an afterthought.

28 minutes ago, Vee said:

Poor JKJ looks skeletal. Jason Cook looked great a few years ago, but anyone who watches GH knows Kirsten has needed to be off television and taking care of herself for most of the last ten years.

I think this ship sailed long ago though, starting with them hyper-aging Shawn and Belle for JC/KS to begin with. I never got over how they were toddlers when John and Marlena left on their honeymoon and teens when they came back.

Nobody expects them to de-age anyone.

Yep on Kirsten Storms.

37 minutes ago, Bright Eyes said:

The only problem I've had with Eric Martsolf ever being on the show is that with his casting they aged Brady way too much. I know this is DAYS, but I'm still going to hate every individual SORAS'ing blunder no matter what level of asinine, with EJ obviously being the stupidest.

Same. Even though I do like him as Brady. 

On 10/6/2021 at 8:19 PM, Liberty City said:

I'd rather AJ Quartermaine.

Same

Deacon was fun in his original go-around and I did like his brief time on Y&R with Nikki, but overall his returns have been ehhh ... Brad will tire of him like he always does.

2 hours ago, Skylover said:

Yeah, Janine's story feels a bit flat and yet she's still a highlight because she's a great character, I agree with that.

I think this is why I was a bit disappointed that it turned out Rocky isn't her dad, because it felt like they were investing in her. But on the other hand, it just means they switched to investing in Dotty/the Cottons and ultimately to me that's also a positive as I want the Cotton name to continue without Dot. Sonia does feel like she's becoming a good character. I also like overall how Kathy's been used in the last year.

Agreed on Sonia. I liked the idea that Rocky was her dad but I also like that he's a Cotton. I think it could still be a complex relationship but who knows. I thought it would be good if he actually WAS her father but was still on the scheme with Dotty. I guess they could but it would probably make it more convoluted than it needs to be. 

I also hope they don't write Rocky into a corner. I like the actor but I feel like he'd be the 'fall guy'. I liked his relationship with Kathy too.

Agreed on the use of Kathy. I'd like a little more perspective from her at times.

While they don't seem to know what to do with Sharon (I feel like Dean is trying to infuse her with some Angie energy, personally), I think it's been interesting seeing characters like Sonia, Sharon, Kat and even Janine become more of the 'matriarchs' of the show. It works.

I also like Sharon's brother Zack. He's certainly livened Martin up. Martin actually laughing and not raging 24/7 has been so nice.

I don't mind Mick and Linda but I also don't really miss them ...

1 hour ago, AMCOLTLLover said:

Huh? It wasn't just a rumor that Maisie was leaving.. She promoted her move to the States way before Covid-19. lmao I was surprised that she stayed until the end of 2021..

She will be another one of those who will end up back in the UK and if its not back with EE she will be on Oaks or Corrie

 

Ah. I haven't always closely followed the UK soap news ... lol. I'm not surprised at all she wanted to leave. I assume the pandemic delayed her move so she stayed on the show. I definitely see her back in time.

With Tiffany out, Bernadette not written like she can have a love interest ... we have Liam and Keegan and no one to pair them with. 

I feel like the show forgets about Ash (I did). Looks like they're giving her something to do.