Vee

I think American audiences actually did adjust to the streaming age up to a point over the last 15 years. When "peak TV" was big, in the early-mid '10s, people tolerated it for awhile. The problem is the bubble has all but burst, as there's now far too many shows on too many outlets, too much endless "content" and the crash is upon many of those same platforms that were briefly riding high (hence all the consolidation now when few of them can compete with Netflix or HBO long-term). And winnowing the episode orders down from 13 to 10 to 6-8 has gotten people pretty disgusted too. Then there's the weird outlier: Apple can afford to make multiple years of high-end shows or films no one watches with major stars - hence Harrison Ford doing 3+ seasons of a Bill Lawrence sitcom most folks don't know exists - but they are the only outlet that can, because Apple TV as a loss is a mere drop in the bucket for that larger empire. I've worked on some of the shows or films they put out with major stars (Kidman, Julianne Moore, Mark Wahlberg, etc.), some good and some terrible, that almost no one knows exist simply because they're only on Apple TV, a service almost no one has lol. But Mark Wahlberg pockets the money to make these invisible Apple films with no cultural footprint because the money's good. That's a strange pocket universe they've got going over there. Back to the larger point though: When everything is suddenly "peak TV" most of us don't have time for a lot of it. I know I don't. That's why you see streamers like Netflix, etc. leaning on acquiring library shows which are older multicam sitcoms or dramas with a minimum of 5, 10, even 10-20 seasons like Cheers, Grey's, whatever. And it's why The Pitt has moved to this model. Because it's a dependable revenue stream for people who know those shows will be there, that they have many seasons and they were put out every year.* I don't expect all prestige dramas that require bigger budgets like sci-fi or fantasy to go back to 15-20 episodes every year, that's not realistic. But I do think you're going to see more and more of a move back towards the classical model for many shows. And hopefully someone will learn that with a sitcom like ADW. (*It's tragic that Star Trek can't still be in this position, as their classic library shows still do very well. It's partly an issue of mismanagement at Paramount+ as that streamer slowly collapses as well as several of the new shows being downright bad, but it's also a fact that with today's budgets and FX you just can't afford to put out modern Trek with a cheap price tag. Modern sci-fi is going to cost and while not every series needs to look like a Michael Bay movie in every episode as some of the recent Trek shows have, even guys sitting in rooms with a starfield behind them is pricier than it was 30 years ago.)

I always liked Kelsey. Losing her was a blow for me.

And the shame of it is Sasha Calle has turned out to be a very strong actress in films. I don't know if she was ever suited for daytime, but the OTT push with those characters is what poisoned the well.

I'm pleased about it, but I don't trust Netflix to let anything other than a Stranger Things-sized hit go beyond three seasons. Hopefully some of these outlets are learning from The Pitt's production cycle which more properly resembles network television. ADW should have a minimum of 15 eps (like The Pitt, an hour-long show) and be in production every 6-9 months at minimum. Hence why The Pitt is now annual at the top of the year. That's the base/bare minimum you should start from with a streaming half-hour multicam sitcom IMO, not the ideal.

You can always count on @dc11786 to do the most thorough and well-researched analysis around on a soap, especially for Loving. Thanks again.

This is often FV's problem with his favored characters/actors. There always has to be a later twist that exonerates them.

It would be fantastic, but I cannot see FV allowing BLQ to take the blame for anything. And yes, it should've been a much more serious crash. The Curtis/Isaiah angle is stupid but so is everything about that quad, car or no car.

The treasures, statue, etc. stuff that I think had to do with Cindy and Grant all goes back to his early success and comic exploits with Alex (and Alex/Carlo) for me, but I assume some of it was also on Bourbon Street. The gothic/quasi-supernatural elements I think were always there on Malone's OLTL even in the first run. I can't speak to Bourbon Street or much of what happened on AW but I do think Malone II just turned it all up to well past 11 lol. I will never forget Victor's secret Indiana Jones trap rooms under Llanfair, or his Lion's Heart Manor in the enchanted Lenape forest! Beware the haunted fog, Antonio! The whole AW storyline he did where Amanda Cory poses as her stepfather's fake "mistress" in a Party City wig or whatever to frame him, then begins to lose herself in the role as a sort of quasi-DID experience and go 'am I Hadley? is Hadley real?!' was truly ridiculous. Ironically I actually don't think Malone ever would've revisited DID on OLTL after 1995 (and he's the only post-'90s writer to not do so during the network run, to his credit) but whatever that Amanda story was supposed to be was hilarious to glimpse.

It just seemed like the girls back then were more competent and more focused on the job in story, lol. Like, I'm sorry but I don't buy that the mutant teen and this hooker who blackmailed her way in care about the brand.

At some point, maybe midway through or after clearing '92 (since 1991-92 are my major zones of interest where I wasn't watching Malone I as a kid) I may explore this further by digging into Malone's cursed Another World run. I am admittedly a AW neophyte - I watched some of the final year live, I've seen a bit of Malone's run and have watched the share of available Lemay episodes in the '70s and '80s - but I'd like to compare and contrast to Malone's other work and themes. I know a lot of his Bourbon Street bible apparently carried over, but other elements that may have been in that show's plans seem like they date back to OLTL as well: Cindy Harrison the jewel thief or whatever, obsessed with ancient treasure, is right out of the Alex Olanov character model and story from OLTL '92. (And "the Fall of the House of Cory" was a good idea on paper but as I've noted before and I know @DRW50 has commented on, it didn't seem to actually make sense for any of the characters involved.) Malone also returned to characters vying for treasure and cursed jewels in disastrous fashion on OLTL in 2003, when Dorian, Blair, David and Mitch all went after Victor Lord's all-powerful "Bahdra diamond". Oy. Anyway, if people have any interest in that exploration given my relative lack of experience with AW, I'll consider it down the road.

I could swear Kate ran a tighter ship than this, but Maxie and Lulu did have pretty heavy story in those days so who knows lol.

I have a 3rd door I think is possible: Britt sacrifices herself (again) to save the town from Sidwell and redeem her latest terrible behavior, which also disposes of KT. I keep harping on this but it pissed me off so much a few years ago: Maybe Van Etten will write another tearful memorial for her where all the gay people in PC they can't be bothered to showcase onscreen come out again to pay tribute to the true gay icon, just like last time with the drag queens. Along with of course Lucas who is now somehow her latest BFF, because it wasn't enough that she had his ex as her helper monkey. There is no universe in which I believe Jason shrugs off what Britt just did to Joss. It would be as bad as when Ron Carlivati expected us to believe Carly would shrug off Todd depriving Jason of his son in 2012.

I think Finn Carr is wonderful, and he was particularly excellent today. But it's so gross that it was all expended on scenes to try to push the Rocco/Britt connection despite them surely knowing by now it is radioactive for her character. Van Etten clearly still believes he can put Britt over as the (str8, heterosexual female) gay icon of General Hospital through sheer force of will. I can only hope this is all the beginning of a long goodbye, because I really do think the very rough response to this entire storyline over the last year, plus the lack of love scenes and finally Britt's recent actions have put a target on her back. Maybe CVE will write another sorrowful goodbye celebration where they hire a bunch of actual gay extras again to salute Britt, the true LGBT hero of daytime. I still can't believe that aired.

I'm going to call it though: If Britt does take off with Rocco you can start the clock on KT. I'm sorry, but doing that on top of what she already did to this family plus what she just did to Joss is going to be a hard hole to dig this character out of.

Charlotte is so fúcking creepy and always has been. Her relationship with Valentin is gross and she treats everyone else (especially Lulu) like pond scum she has to tolerate to get more time with Daddy. I would excise her from Lulu's life by the end of the week.

Wow, that video. Susan and Eden have barely aged, God bless. Everyone is still beautiful (and Eva is looking a lot better than she did on GH, eesh). Vincent is probably hotter than ever, MAGA or not.

I liked Trevor a lot and was upset when Megan murdered him offscreen. But given the stories in her memoir, if true I don't know if I can really blame her.

Alexa agrees!

Oh, that's right. I'd forgotten.

I can't remember why they initially brought Maria on and abandoned Brooke and Edmund. I recall it being discussed here re: the reasons way back when. I'd love to know more. She really did take off like a rocket. Did Megan talk about it in her infamous memoir? I'll have to check it.

It's been this for a long time tbqh.

I wonder. Tina was in second or third position behind Megan before Jessica Tuck left, and then Cain and Tina moved up more. Andrew is the one in heavy rotation at this point with everyone while Cousins/Cain is gone from October until mid-late December. They only really begin to officially bed him into Llanview proper as himself in the first episode of January '92. Andrew was Malone's confessed personal avatar and muse, so I don't think he'd have ever abandoned him. And he clearly tried to redo Andrew with Joey in 2003 (with Andrew as his mentor). But he was one of those characters only one writer ever really got IMO. And again, he clearly adored Luna from the start and he plays Max/Luna and their being made for each other very, very heavy once they meet, so I really wonder what the original long game was (if there even was one so early) with Luna, Max, etc. Blair with Max was almost certainly a course-correct for her character after John Loprieno for the reasons I stated and a very bold left, as I stated re: the NYE episode. I have no idea whether Malone's original endgame was always Max/Luna before they began exploring with Blair post-Cord, or what. Another reason Malone's old notes at Duke might be helpful someday. We'll send Eric in with a crowbar and a USB. Yeah, I think so too. It was genius to put her in Asa's orbit with Cord gone, though. He loves Renee but you can tell immediately that he wants her, and Asa has been in his savage bag in general since the writing change.

Don't forget roofie'ing Carly and making her think he raped her. I always found it insane Sonny let him live for either of those.

I know @Khan and I discussed years ago how we would've liked to see Wayne's Roman with Lisa Rinna's Billie down the road. I think it could've worked as late as the 2000s into the end of the decade if not later, before Lisa became really hard to pin down due to her Bravo career. But oh well.