KMan101

Interesting review. Great read. TFP Carl! SB is another soap I've always wanted to see. I had no idea they lost so many characters in that time period. WOW. That's a LOT.

I think in a way, yeah. She was the young vixen with dreams to marry a rich guy.

1999 and 2000 were the best years of the soap. So much more traditional (while 2000 was a little more out there). Good, soapy slow pacing ... It's so sad what it turned into.

Ah. Makes sense then I guess.

I agree. It was also a big shift in character for Amanda. The character took a huge nosedive. At least Season 7 attempted to bring the real Amanda back.

It seems like in the 80s soaps dressed a lot of young, sexy women very matronly. I wonder why?

Season 6 was a huge disappointment. Season 7 improved a lot, IMO. Seasons 2, 3 & 4 are my favorite seasons. I haven't watched Season 5 all the way through, but I like a lot of it. Season 1 was good in a different way in that it really set up who the characters were, even if the first half of that season were "stories of the week" with some lingering plotlines. It wasn't until Amanda and then Kimberly and even Sydney appeared that season when things started to become really interesting and take off.

What was with Irna and killing off popular heroines through ridiculous traffic accidents? Lol

Yeah, Michelle was never all that interesting to me, ESPECIALLY with St. Alban in the role. Talk about ZZZZ. She was just too wrong for the role. Mike should have been the anchor, with Ed as the weaker, troubled brother. I also agree they needed a strong female presence. Maureen was OK, but I wonder if they moved her into matriarch mode too soon? Meta should have been brought back a lot sooner (like around Bert's death) to take on that role. Or have Mike have a no-nonsense wife who could fill that role. I don't know if he did or not, I'm familiar with a lot of GL history but draw blanks on Mike, sorry!

I agree. I get O'Leary is a funny guy and a little bit of a goofball, but at times Rick was written almost like a joke. It is a shame the Bauer's were never truly reinvigorated. There was a lot that could have been done with them. I also think a lot of the middle aged Bauers were affected by the fact that, weren't Mike and Ed soarsed a LOT and then they did the same to Rick? And also, Michelle was aged way too much. Especially with Nancy St. Alban in the role. Nothing against her, but she made Michelle seem 40 when Michelle should have been a hell of a lot younger and not saddled with a husband and kids so soon. IMO.

I'd be surprised too. Is it a reboot or a REMAKE?

Oh, I loved that 1984 episode! Really enjoyed seeing Phoebe and Chuck. It's too bad the Tyler side of AMC has gone away. Chuck could have easily been re-integrated. Charlie, too. My biggest hope for Prospect Park is that they delve into AMC's vaults and bring us some forgotten favorites to make up for, what I'm anticipating, losing a lot of it's current cast.

Huh. Never would have known they were friends!

I definitely think the Doctors could have continued and lasted for much longer than it did. Like you said, a lot of it's core was still intact and there were characters to bring back and new families to develop. I'm sure it's been established in 28 pages, but why did NBC axe The Doctors? Were the ratings terrible?

I'm pretty sure Nixon still owns it, I guess. You know with ME-TV, RTV, Antenna-TV, Bounce-TV all of these over the air broadcast networks that showcase old shows, I'd like to see one pop up for soaps ... wouldn't that be great?

Maybe we can petition Prospect Park to air reruns on their online network? LOL

The 1991 NBC primetime reboot is aired on Chiller. I don't believe they air the daytime version, though they should. I'm excited about the movie too, I hope it's done right and gives a nice reboot to the series.

Cathy Jeneen Doe was a nice variation of Lena's and Chrystee's Simone's. I didn't mind Simone as a lesbian, to be honest. And early Sheridan and Luis are awesome. They just hated each other and I loved feisty Sheridan. I hated when she became this whiney victimized heroine and then she morphed into just bad (though I truly believe it was Beth taking over Sheridan's life). It really bothers me how Shuis didn't end up together, for whatever reason. They were just as much of a force as the Theresa/Ethan/Gwen saga was. Luis with Fancy never made sense to me. I much preferred Fancy and Noah. Noah went downhill when paired with Paloma. Well, the second, bad acting version of Paloma. I always felt the character of Noah was wasted, much like Hank was. I always felt like JER had more planned for Hank, but for whatever reason, kept him a boring good guy before just writing him off.

Yeah. Season 2 was a great balance. Season 3 wasn't bad but by Season 4, it was definitely all plot. I didn't mind so much, I guess, but by Season 5, everyone hated each other and had slept with each other and gone through just about everything they could go through. And I much preferred tough Jo to sappy heroine Jo. I think losing her was a BIG blow to the show, looking back on it. She offered a very different presence to the show. (By "losing her" I meant when Daphne Zuniga departed after Season 4)

Yeah, the second Simone was just rough. Bad. Didn't fit. The last Simone was better. Lena Cardwell was the best Simone. I wish she had stuck around. Her and Mary Elizabeth Winstead were real finds that were wasted as very supporting characters.

Lena's Simone was never given much at all to do. She panted after Chad but I don't recall her Simone ever getting a storyline. 2000 was a really great year for the show, too. Lots of fun storylines.

I wish Agnes Nixon could find a way to have Loving rebroadcast, even on the internet. Doesn't she still own the rights?

Thanks Carl And yeah, I agree, they never knew what to do with Pat. I always liked Malcolm Groome the best. You're right in that Patrick James Clark was just another 'hunk' ... I don't believe he lasted long? Didn't Groome return in 1983?

A lot of it's early formula sounds like a more modern All My Children, using similar family designs (Ava/Kate = Erica/Mona, the Aldens = Tylers, etc.), which appeals to me.

Thanks, Carl. I always loved Ryan's Hope reruns. Having never seen 1982, what did folks think of Patrick James Clarke as Pat?