KMan101

That's very very true. I have no doubts that occurred more times than not.

Yup. Exactly this. They ignore the past and make a mess of things. I almost am kind of glad certain characters were left in our memories, because how damaged would they have become? Hope would probably be an entirely different character. Just, the wannabe writer in me sees so many opportunities for her and Mike and other characters so it's always frustrating when they fail to mine the past. And when they often do they do it badly, lol, so ...

LOL sorry about Janet! 🤣 I mostly agree with you though. I can see why it's a turn off, especially after you got to see the 'better' years when it was an actual ensemble. I think a lot of fans who jumped onboard in the 80s and 90s are used to the focus on a certain character but it was definitely not always like that. I prefer an ensemble, for sure.

I agree. As Janet's World Turns in the last year or two was a bit much. I don't get it either. Like how GH is now 'The Sonny Show' (well it has been since the mid 2000s). It's obnoxious (that being said I'd rather it be 'The Laura Show' but no one should dominate) I think I give AMC a pass because Erica just always entertained the hell out of me, lol. And I felt like she deserved to be 'the star' and especially since Susan was so loved on the set and cared about the show so much it felt less obnoxious to me but I can see why it's a turn off. I was definitely tired of the Days of Sami's Life, especially around 2009/2010 when she became some weird supermom.

I feel like even early Reva was GREAT. Such a different kind of character. Not sure exactly when it turned into The Reva Show but she was pretty dominant I feel in the very late 80s (88 comes to mind). I feel like the 90s were worse for that. All Reva all the time it felt like. Agreed on Elizabeth. So fascinating. That's the thing, SO many characters were just ... fascinating. You really feel like you know them. Everyone had layers. It wasn't 'good or bad'. Grey. GREY is always far more interesting to watch. It really bothered me Hope never came back. Same for Mike. Especially when Alan Michael was so prominent from 87-96. It really was like a character study. It was true DRAMA. Not camp. I mean, I love me a campy show but not when it's a parody of itself. Soaps felt like they became a parody of themselves.

God so true. I feel like HBS resents that brief time. I can't blame her. 1998/1999 (moreso 1999) was a huge turn off for me. Very very very true on Phelps. She loves dumbing down women and making stories about the men. It's why she likes basic actresses like Sonia Satra and Jensen Buchanan. And all the men do is yell and grab the arms of women. It's sad a female producer is so misogynistic. She also doesn't seem to understand or care for soap divas either (Dorian Lord, for example). I'm shocked Jane Elliot and Tracy stuck around for Phelps entire duration. I guess because she was tied to Luke and Geary. She also seems to live vicariously through women who have her exact same color of hair and style. It's so creepy and bizarre. But I also felt like other writers probably live vicariously through their characters (Marland comes to mind with the men): Nora, Vanessa on GL, various brunettes on AW ... did she force all the women to get the same exact haircut as her or was that just the style at the time and everyone wanted it? Harley on GL was such a fun character until Phelps arrived on the scene. Harley's life became mostly all about Mallet.

I really enjoy the Dobson's Guiding Light (what I've seen which isn't their full run of course). The show was effectively dismantled by the mid 80s. I like some of the very early 80s with the arrival of Vanessa and Nola and even Josh, but yeah it eventually all goes to hell which is sad to see. It just grabs you and makes you want to watch. I feel like the brief Curlee era somewhat returned to that but of course it was still very different. I can see a lot of Reilly-isms (which makes sense as he was there at the time). Not awful but it's noticeable. Phelps really does come along and take an axe to the show. So sad. DAYS used to be 'my soap' but honestly I feel like I have such a special place in my heart for GL.

I agree. I always liked her too. I'm good with this OLTL reunion, minus Kale Browne, lol. I liked Jason Shane Scott too. I just hated the 'invasion'. Shane Scott could have been a Drew recast instead of them killing off Drew, but I digress ...

I really enjoy watching the late 70s era, personally. I do love me the 80s though but there was something special about the 70s. It's so fascinating to watch. I can see how longtime fans were so turned off in the 80s. I greatly prefer a character study as opposed to constant sex and action. But that's just me lol. There's room for it all but it seems the drawn out scenes and character study became 'boring' in the 80s. I think that's how it should be now (especially with covid restrictions) but it won't be lol. There's no real 'depth' anymore on soaps and I miss that.

Excellent points made about Reva and her male friends. You'd never know it through most of the late 90s and into the 00s. I thought Buzz and Reva had very weird sexual chemistry but YMMV on that. It was still such an odd pairing though. Yikes.

I enjoyed Lily vs. Barbara too Ahhh. Thank you!

LOL totally almost all of them gave off gay vibes. This is the most I've been able to watch of Marland's ATWT and you weren't seeing things that weren't there, lol I didn't like the spa stuff either. Ideas on paper often sound better than played out simply because soaps just don't take the time to layer characters and storylines. It was very DAYS, which is why I wasn't shocked at all when Hogan joined DAYS later on, lol Yep. A less than exciting episode is still way better than the last decade of ATWT Excellent post Carl! I liked Emma and Cal too. I get whiplash sometimes with how many couplings so many characters went through during Marland's time. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn't. Many of them didn't seem to have chemistry. I also feel like they did a 'swap in/swap out' with certain characters. Exit Ellie enter Connor, for example. I know most soaps do that but I often wondered why they didn't just recast a certain character but I guess soaps weren't always so recast heavy back then, even though they did recast obviously. I could see Casey and Frannie. Darn it, now I want that! lol

Having seen more of Heather Rattray as Lily for the first time, I have to say I liked her version a lot. Martha's Lily was annoying. However Rattray sort of blended in at times. I actually could have seen Martha's Lily hilariously and embarrassingly trying to get into business. I liked it but I don't know if they ever really did it justice in terms of writing it, if that makes sense. I also think Byrne looked more like Lucinda's daughter, Rattray was more suited as Iva's biological daughter. JMO.

That's good to hear. Agreed about his work, lol. Pretty much.

Rauch and Brown's GL was a hot [!@#$%^&*] mess

True on that lol. He is pretty hot. I don't know if I ever remember looking him up or seeing a picture before lol

lmao true!

LOL yep. I felt like a lot of men on Marland's ATWT were ready to burst out of the closet, or Marland lowkey wanted them to be and couldn't, which was obvious in certain stories.

I have to agree with you on this. Quite a few bad recasts, newbies who couldn't act. Almost every year it felt like a slew of new characters. I thought Marland had a lot of bland leading men that left me puzzled to what the vibrant and lively women saw in them, LOL. I loved Casey and Lyla but I have to agree on the chemistry. I didn't see. I LOVE Casey as a character though and Lyla as well. Both actors are so good that they just make it work.

Yep. Exactly. It's so maddening and SO BLATANTLY OBVIOUS.

Yet for me she has always been the face that comes to mind. I mean, look at Amanda Sinclair. How boring can you get? Don't tell me that isn't being done on purpose because it is. You could literally remove her next week and fan outcry would not be nearly as bad (well it would for different reasons now, but you know what I'm trying to say)

Latham did seem to want to write for Dru and she was leading at the time. It wasn't "Winters Wednesdays".

Yep! And it's SO frustrating. I tried to get folks on social media talking about Rowell and Dru and was blown off. "It's too late" etc. It's not even about that. It's CORRECTING THE WRONG DONE TO HER. The outrage viewers had over Loren Lott's firing lasted all of like a day or two until Y&R placated fans by bringing Mishael back at the same time. Why is more noise not being made about a Black actress being told "we have no story for you" yet they have no trouble with everyone else.

True, but she does follow certain people. It raises some questions. But you're right, she's definitely not pulling a Melissa Reeves so ...

That's fair. But these people have long been telling us who they were though.