BetterForgotten

Irna invented the genre - in her wake, very few people were given the same freedom to execute their vision to the fullest extent. Bell was one of the few exceptions - even Agnes Nixon eventually had to contend with being a “consultant” in name only once she sold her shows to the network.

Irna was in and out for some of that time, no? But I guess she would be the template that few were able to follow in that regard.

Whether you enjoyed it or not, Bell’s Y&R was an auteurist vision - something that became increasingly difficult to find in daytime. Other than Slesar’s EON, there’s no other long-term and sustainable comparison in this medium, IMO. In the sense that no matter who came after - it was just never going to be the same again.

This type of role does scream short-term. I can’t see it being contract unless the character really catches on despite inadequate writing (not likely in today’s Y&R). Probably also a bid to see if they can get a Guest Actor Daytime Emmy out of it (which would be Colleen’s first).

Miracles do happen, eh? Michael Easton and Cameron Mathison next please…

The writing for the character will most certainly be trash (it’s hard to have any type of expectation for Y&R or any soap these days) but I am happy for Colleen and I am glad she’s getting this opportunity over some c-list primetime star from the 80’s.

Having Lois back really makes Olivia feel like a redundant spare part.

What’s interesting though is that Madonna and Rihanna are the only ones from this list who were able to have comparable legendary singles chart runs internationally. Even just talking about English-speaking countries like the UK, Australia, Canada, and Ireland.

Something about it just feels flat and deeply generic sitcom (which I don’t think you could ever accuse the original iteration of being) so far. Let’s be honest, it was the supporting cast that really enabled the original series to soar and take flight. While there are some decent actors in this iteration, the characters themselves feel stale so far and don’t have a very compelling dynamic with Frasier. Also, sorry, I just can’t buy this everyday man interpretation of Lilith and Frasier’s son. Feels very forced/contrived to make him follow in Martin’s footsteps.

Classic era Coronation Street (60’s - early 90’s).

😉

Murphy is a hack, but on to bigger things for Chavez.

The best comic-related film of the year, and probably the best Spider-Man related film as a whole (something I had also said about Into The Spider-Verse at the time as well). Spider-Verse also does the multi-verse concept as hell of lot better than current the MCU and DCEU.

Y&R was such a singular vision, but if they had to have someone other than Bell, I think Marland (had he lived) would have loved the corporate intrigue, gothic undertones, and psychological atmosphere the show had become known for. He’s the only non-Bell talent I think could have really taken to that show (even if it wouldn’t necessarily be in Bell’s tone).

When Gunn made this announcement, I don’t think he anticipated ‘The Flash’ would come in lower than what WB’s internal projections were. The PR machine had been in full steam to promote ‘The Flash.’ Zaslav had been non-stop about that when the movie proved too costly for him to possibly forego its theatrical release and with Ezra’s issues preventing him from promoting the film. Hence why you saw stuff like Gunn suddenly proclaiming in the press that it was “the best comic book movie I’ve ever seen!” and why they paid Tom Cruise’s management team to say he saw the movie and thought it was one of the best films he’d seen in recent memory. The PR campaign was a disaster and all of it blew up in their faces as this is one of the costliest flops of the year.

Not only did the ‘The Flash’ flop it actually delivered LOWER than what WB ultimately had to admit to what they were projecting. That is never good. DC is a damaged brand and this is the third consecutive box office flop in a row that’s lost WB money. Yes, Gunn and Safran are rebooting the entire cinematic universe in 2025 anyway - but there is so much to overcome and these financial and critical losses are putting their reboot in a hard spot and not setting them up for success. Muschietti is ultimately the most expendable one if someone has to be a casualty for this expensive flop. With its roaster of characters, DC should be a stronger brand than it is. Unfortunately, so many stupid decisions keep being made with this IP that continues to devalue it.

With ‘The Flash’ bombing hard this weekend and now not projected to make back its production/promotion budget, I wonder how soon before Muschietti is replaced or leaves because of “creative differences.”

Thanks! Interesting, I think the article I read that tidbit from was from the 90’s, so maybe demographics shifted over time?

I remember reading that Y&R (like EON) also had an unusually large viewership of men vs. other soaps as well. Whether that’s attributed to the timeslot or an alpha male character like Victor being front and center, is up for debate. But I think that was an interesting insight and not a demographic the show probably intentionally went out of its way to court.

I think Y&R was a perfect storm of many things. Being a “younger” soap with more “contemporary” tones may have helped attract some of the audience ABC was getting, but the show itself was also very traditional and Bell’s writing wasn’t that divergent from his mentor Irna Phillips, so regular CBS/P&G fans weren’t alienated either. Affliate scheduling also helped - eventual 12:30 and 4pm timeslots in various markets was a great benefit.

Bless Julie and Corrie would never have been the same without her. I hope she can power through this diagnosis and it doesn’t get too severe.

As different as Y&R may have been from its P&G neighbors on the CBS lineup, I think a great deal of those P&G soap fans were still drawn to Y&R as Bell was still a traditionalist in many ways. For years, I think the Bell soaps complemented the P&G soaps even as they also served as an alternative.

With Leslie Charleson clearly not able to work fulltime anymore, I think Debbi Morgan bringing Angie over as Chief of Staff of GH would be the only full-time addition I'd ever accept. She can be at the heart of the hospital side of the show and serve as a new matriarchal figure. Fine, bring Jesse as well, but we know GH writes "good guys" in law enforcement as idiots and being the wronged party so that part would be tricky, lol.

I wish Valentini would stop trying to make GH "ABC Daytime's Greatest Hits of actors." That said, I think it absolutely makes sense for characters that were lawyers like Nora and Jack to feasibly crossover with their roles for guest stints. It's only when we get to terrible casting and force-feeding the likes of Cameron Mathison, Roger Howarth, or Michael Easton in long-term roles that just don't work where I get pissed.