Vee

True. The closest she came recently was, again, the Mulcahey interrupt lol. He clearly loved NLG, wanted Alexis back practicing law and tried to bring on Lane Davies from their shared work at Santa Barbara (someone involved claimed they were not allowed to improv last year lol, I assume that was a production thing). It didn't go anywhere, but it was worth a thought. I would've watched them together again minus how shitty Cameron Lewis treated her. I do think Alexis is somewhat spent but I wouldn't get rid of her. Nancy always works hard and is compelling enough. I'd probably put her with a woman at this point lol.

I love the Andrew and Megan relationship, so I would never give it up. I do think looking at it recently today they may or may not have pivoted very quickly from testing her with Heinrich/Cain when they knew they couldn't keep Jessica permanently (and knew John Loprieno was quitting, leaving KW's Tina adrift) to doing something with a more closed loop, i.e. an unattainable romance with Andrew, a devoted man of God. OTOH Andrew was Malone's self-admitted personal avatar/self-insert onscreen (per his old website Q&As) in some ways, and Andrew's passion for Megan never really goes away as long as Malone is at the show. (And Andrew continues to have complicated ties to unattainable women - first Marty, then married Téa Delgado). I think if JT had agreed to stay they might have gone ahead with her torn between Andrew and Cain, or even pitted her against Tina again like the '80s for a quad. I love the Max/Megan relationship both from what I've seen in the '80s and here in the '90s, and they do have some lovely scenes when he returns and again on her deathbed. But I think their relationship is where it's supposed to be. If Tuck had signed another contract and Max had gotten sick of Blair and Luna, who knows?

Todd was never meant to be a long-term character initially, including during the major story he will kick off in spring-summer. It was only during the course of those events that they saw Roger Howarth's talent and decided to build him out.

I'd bring back Zander today. I had always given him up as permanently dead until I took one look at Ghost Zander a few years ago when he appeared to William Lipton's Cameron and said 'yeah.' Chad is a stone cold silver fox today. Why not have him come back out of witness protection or WSB custody or something to awkwardly attempt to re-form something with Liz or his son? It doesn't need to be a huge long-term thing but would pass the time for a while, maybe be a spoiler to Liz and Lucky or whoever. The same goes for Brad Maule's ghostly appearances as Tony, though Tony would stay dead - I don't remember who it was on the forum who suggested he return as some sort of scheming lookalike con man who tries to get one over on the family, but I think Brad would kill that role. Why not?

I think the audience at best grudgingly tolerated Bree's Jessica for the first 2-3 years due to the terrible writing (and the unpopular pairing with Antonio) until Tess. Then she garnered fans with her and Nash. I was never a Tess fan. I tolerated Bree's Jess, I think she worked hard and had some good stories or pairings (Brody and Jessica) but it was never the same for me.

GH seems to have a strong relationship with Gagnier, who has apparently coached or trained a lot of their current young stars; her name keeps popping up. And of course she did Frank a solid by replacing Sherilyn Fenn who backed out as Jennifer Smith at the last minute in 2015. I guess she and Frank go way back to the Rauch years. Good for her. I agree on that period. I pretty much tuned out a ton of 2016-2022/23 or so, and while I watched certain bits and pieces or storylines here and there, there's so much particularly from those Passanante/Altman dregs years that is unthinkable to me. I forgot about James DePaiva playing a pervy doctor who preyed on Kiki, after NLG supposedly rebuffed a pairing with his recurring player. And then there's the long period where both the intolerable Gladys and Willow's insanely creepy cult mom (Harmony) just... hung around?

I liked ALW on Another World, and was pleased when she showed up on GH. I was less pleased with the character when it moved towards Jason. Willis couldn't handle that amount of frontburner and she became deeply annoying. But it was never her fault.

I think Rory's Michael is very deliberately clenched and tense. They made a lot early on (and again more recently) about his PTSD from the fire, etc. They have had Sonny talk about it again. That is something that can and should be explored more. Michael when unhinged or out for revenge - whether under Chad when he started out, Drew Garrett or today with Gibson - has always been dangerous and volatile. If it was me Willow would start gaslighting or drugging him to add to this issue and attempt to obtain custody. Again it just depresses me re: the news from Mark Teschner on the Soapy podcast that they expanded Jacinda's role from 3 episodes because of her 'great chemistry' with Gibson. I just don't have an interest in seeing Michael play that story again, especially with a clearly cheap actor with no real concept behind her. This recast deserves an equally fleshed-out and yes, talented series of love interest options. I also think Wu and Curtis are just a fakeout for Willow as the shooter, who was becoming increasingly clear to the audience. But it's hilarious if Selina somehow fumbled it. I've never been the biggest fan of the one-note actor in that role, though the character is a great idea.

Christ. This is never going to end over at GH.

No wonder I barely watched in those years. I just remember "Kiefer Bauer" being the nadir of Guza's fascination with macho primetime TV - he or someone clearly named the guy after Kiefer Sutherland and his character from 24 (Jack Bauer). Like, c'mon.

What??

Not ghouls and hags!!

Doug, lol. Like I said, it was weird about Stephanie. They added her, Joey Thrower's Kevin, Lee Ann and Jason to the final Tour of Llanview opening in September, played her a fair amount that month with Jason in a very Malone way, and then had her trading barbs with Lee Ann and closer to Joey in October. Then with no preamble they very abruptly write her out in a single day to go to Chicago, and Robyn Griggs is immediately removed from the opening as JDP is re-added (the final change to the 80s opening, I think - strangely Luna and Blair are never added despite it being the same timeframe). A lot has been said about Griggs alienating people BTS at her various soaps and Joey Thrower talked about her being an issue at OLTL, so I assume that between her initial story pre-Gottlieb/Malone being so lousy, their adding a bunch of new people plus her offscreen behavior, they just quickly did a 180 and decided to cut bait on Stephanie in this period. I don't know if Stephanie comes back before the spring '92 story where she returns following Carlo's death (and is used simply to end that story). I suspect not. I do know Thrower's Kevin is back shortly. Why they sent him away for a few weeks I really don't know. I know Pat Elliott (Renee) said they should've told the Eber story with Asa and Renee so the audience could invest in it vs. two new people. Asa and Renee's relationship was growing very toxic at this point but I don't think that would've worked - I understand her point but it would've ruined Asa permanently, and the audience didn't want to watch him do that. I do think some of the stuff with Doug and Jane is well-written especially as she talks about how their relationship first turned abusive, and how she can't remember if it hurt the first time he hit her. Gottlieb was very clearly trying to educate during this period with this story and the Wanda subplot about female medical care, and it's always admirable for daytime to do that and was well-scripted but a bit too didactic, especially in the Eber story with random all-new characters. Maybe they could've brought back some minor past players instead to do the same short story, like one of the O'Neill girls or (shudder) Wade and Mari Lynn.

It was Doug, but yes we all thought of Roger! I don't get the hate either - I think so far the overall storytelling shift have been overstated re: the novella-type stuff. It is still following the fundamental framework of a year-long soap opera with larger storylines and throughlines running alongside or above the shorter-term stories (Doug and Jane, or the Wanda medical stuff which is more a B or C-plot). OTOH Gottlieb and Malone did change a lot about the show very fast, and the Eber (I don't think there is a 't') saga does get much more prominent very quickly and becomes a bit tedious so I can understand some of the critique. But in the end this story is going to both begin and wrap in about a month or less and it's far from the only story on the show, all of which are paced and plotted like normal soap opera. Laura Bonarrigo was done no favors in '91. First she looks like RSW's midlife crisis made manifest when she comes on as a notably young love for Bo under Rauch, then she spends this back half of the year howling, shrieking and sobbing while 'pretending' to go crazy (sure, Cassie). It's been driving me up the wall, and I am someone who grew up adoring LB and Cassie on the show for years and think she was deeply underrated. This stuff is a rough ride for her even though it seems like someone new at the show must've seen her talent and thought the way to use it was to keep giving her very big, broad material to showcase her chops lol. Instead whenever she starts to lose it I cringe and go for the volume on my remote. She's definitely playing it to the hilt but it's exhausting. Laura is lucky she survived this period and got better story.

I can't be fúcked to remember tbh. The new Lucas/Ava relationship was a bit of a reach for me as is lol. I just never bought that most of the PC folks who were unlucky enough to be related to the dangerous Jeromes would freely associate with them, because a lot of times those relationships didn't feel earned to me in the 2010s. Lucas and Julian made an effort so I can buy it there with Ava as Lucas gets older. Julian would often be banished or brought back in and out of Leo's life due to his various evil deeds until his death - it was a revolving door IIRC and I don't recall him ever being a dependable parent, not that I was watching a ton in his last years. But for all intents and purposes Ned is Leo's father. I can't remember Ava and Leo ever interacting. The youth set could definitely use a lot more sin and heat, as I've said before re: bringing characters to mix it up with them, Trina, etc. But Frank's GH doesn't really know how (or more likely want) to get messy a lot of the time. Which is unfortunate because the edginess is right there with Braedyn Bruner in particular. I also would like the Q Thanksgiving curse broken. Enough. Say Ghost Monica ended it!

I was pleased and a bit surprised to see little Leo, it's been so long. Leo was a pretty regular fixture at the Qs up til the last year or two. Another unnecessary kid (from Olivia's stupid ONS with Julian; Ned adopted him) but Easton Rocket Sweda has a winning personality and great rapport with the family, and it's a nice bit of representation for children on the spectrum.

Jon Lindstrom talks BTG and GH.

Good for them. I hope Kober will get better material than his frequently embarrassing GH role. He used to scare the hell out of me as a kid. I've said this before, but Brittany Allen became a major genre star in the last 15 years and has grown into a hell of an actress.

I suspect that likely had to do with her being famous for Mindy, who was a superficially similar character to Tina in certain ways. And being seen as a bit of a get from CBS. But I agree they should've cast a wider net if they had to keep going with Tina, who already seemed extraneous to the canvas by mid-late '94. I do wonder if Barbara Crampton (who flopped as Mindy but could play more than light comedy) could've worked. I do think Krista still sold some of the same sort of classic bubbly, rambling Tina material they often gave to Karen in the '90s. But it was too rare vs. her being duped or whining about money, and often pitched differently from how Karen or Andrea were presented onscreen.

I've said it before but I am amazed he took that job given his being very vocal even in recent years about struggling with Todd. Maybe it's because Matt Clark is not going to be a romantic lead, or he just needs to pay some tuition lol.

#MeToo, IIRC. Someone at ABC/Disney finally got wind that they had a rape-associated serial killer as a romantic lead on the show at that time and said enough. They also told Frank no when he asked if he could bring back Todd again for the same reason.

I don't think Malone had disdain for Karen Witter's Tina at all - I think he actually really enjoyed writing for her, even if his concept of Tina was different from the '80s version and more limited in scope. But I think Tina was an afterthought without Karen in that era, and it showed with Krista. I don't think it was all KT's fault, as I've watched some of that stuff again recently and she actually is working hard (she mostly drove me nuts as a kid, but that was down to the obvious disinterest in the character by then). She was there to play a role according to the type she'd played in the past. I think also the audience was unprepared for a Tina who was now in opposition to Viki again, in on a con against her, a role that Tina had not filled on the show in almost a decade. She was supposed to have grown out of that. But to me that was one of the few elements that worked, the idea that Tina could betray her family again after all these years and what that would mean. Part of the issue was that they played up Tina's worst aspects rearing their head with Krista, especially her becoming openly money-hungry re: Todd again. (Possibly a reaction to being heartbroken again by Cain, but still.) Andrea Evans could play that stuff with a wink and a smile and some heart, and Karen's Tina really was only in on her schemes with Cain for the love of the game at that point while devoted to her kids and family. But when Krista's Tina did it she was shrill, whiny and treated as a joke by the other characters, which she was, really. The nuance and heart had left with Karen Witter. I think they were just over Tina by then, and should've retired the character for awhile when Karen and Christopher Cousins left. But I don't blame Krista for a bad situation.

Nope. Franco (especially Howarth's Franco) was about as popular as syphilis for his first several years, and it never improved that much. People were never here for a heroic serial killer. It was Frank Valentini's passion project but it was hated by the audience, particularly in the first 3-5 years. Roger's Franco eventually garnered some modest share of fans only because of the rabidly devoted Elizabeth fans who were just happy for her to have a story - any story. But he was only put with her in the first place after several failed pairings, and after FV tried and failed to fire Becky Herbst (not the first). FV put Howarth with her because he knew Liz had a devoted fanbase who would watch her with anyone, and that would make her a safe harbor for a performer he refused to let go of. But the endless rounds of Franco-centric stories during those years remained unpopular with the general audience, until finally ABCD/Disney changed management and ordered FV to kill Franco off. Outside of that modest fanbase the audience shed no tears.

Uhhhhhhh

It seems like Happy's Place was very deliberately designed to be near-identical to Reba lol, down to the cast. Shades of Lucy's shows. It's funny how TV history and tradition always comes back around like that - Lucy was far from the only one to stick to tried and true formula. I think Lucy would approve of how Reba moves.