Planet Soap

Post got me thinking. To continue to tie the show to the hospital, the default occupation for any new charachter could have been hospital related unless story dictated otherwise

GH/Guiding Light: big city action adventure soap; Guiding light has more of a small community feel OLTL- urban soap, dark campy storylines, touches of comedy ATWT- conservative, multi generational community based soap AMC- community based, multi income diverse soap, social issue oriented B&B: trashy tabloid scandals surrounding rich glamorous people Y&R: glamour, dark, moody, charachter driven, little comic relief; business executive focused, more individualistic than community DAYS: high camp, reality bending stories with a touch of supernatural

Steffy could just tell Douglas he can't live with her to keep him safe from her mess with Sheila.

My list based on most impactful: 1 Victor 2 Katherine 3 Nikki 4 Jill 5 Jack 6 Drucilla 7 Ashley 8 Christine 9 Lorie 10 Sharon Bonus: Nick

OLTL Plot hole: Mitch says he gave his baby to Viki to grow up in luxury and gave Clint's baby to Walter & Roxy in 1986. How could Mitch have known which newborn twin was his vs Clint's without a blood test???

It's telling that the two most reality grounded soaps, Y&R and B&B, have remained on top.

Expand on the star system. Would like to hear your perspective.

Would you say all soaps should have never touched the ultra-melo dramatic material or should have been a balance with shows old-school stage play feeling while others went over the top? SB: Outside of medical and supernatural, I'm surpirsed the genere never went for more distinction between soaps like primetime. A few comedy soaps here and there, a legal soap etc.. Largely all daytime dramas have been about the same with a few subtle differences.

GOOD, OLTL: It's been discussed on different threads already but Mitch being Jessica's father was well done as it was plausible and rooted in history. My only issues were that the recreated flashabcks where crappy and it took ten years to make Clint her pops again. Loved the slow reintroduction of Allison Perkins which lead up to all of this. NEUTRAL: Ray is Jock's son, Dallas. Did it really advance any plot? I guess it works from the poor outsider now has to fight for his place angle. Maybe it expanded his stories beyond ranch hand. Otherwise, he and Lucy were another Billy and Mac. Screw the incestuos ramifications, let's make 'em family for some shock value. BAD: Dylan is Paul & Nikki's son. A complete retcon of events that played out onscreen. How could they say Ian Ward was cult leader when someone completely different was established as such on screen (as I've read on these threads). Just like Sheila, inventing new children when a charachter has negleted offspring from whom to draw conflict.

The way it was framed around 2006 was that Malcolm did not know Dru was high or that she believed she was sleeping with Neil instead of him. Neutral: Irene Manning is Todd & Victor Jr's mother, OLTL. The essential question is did Todd have to made made a Lord? I suppose it was a way to give the charachter money so he could pull off bigger schemes, and use rewritten Victor Sr. as the origin for Todd's darkness. If not, Todd didn't necesarily have to be related to anyone to be a good villain. With Victor Jr, making him Irene's son had to be done to facilitate Roger Howarth's return. Bad: Jill is Neil Fenmore's daughter. It's still better than Jill as Kay's daughter but I wish there was a way to Liz & Bill her parents again. Unfortunately in 2003, Liz stated outright that Jill was adopted. Bad: Finn is Sheila's son, B&B. Sheila had so many existing offspring to choose from. If they said he was Ryder or something escaping his past that would've made sense. But a whole new son while she was obsessing over Scott Jr for years???

I sympathize with this thread's question. It must have been great to have a plethora of shows with great storytelling unfolding every weekday afternoon, and watch it live. Growing up in the 2000s I thought soaps were the greatest thing until vintage YouTube clips made me realize how far they'd fallen. The only good thing about today is the ability to DVR soaps. There's so little left on the air air that you watch all three tv soaps back to back on many markets (12:30-3pm).

Ill start: OLTL: Victor Lord Murder & Viki's DID (1994-96). So much happened in between: David & Tina, Todd finding out he was the heir, Viki contracting some virus, Sloan dying. All this under the umbrella of Viki trying to get Dorian imprisoned for killing her father, only to realize she did it herself. This story just went from one to the next. ATWT: Carly trying to have a baby by 1998 to meet Rosanna's money deadline. (about 97-99)

Basically the title: GH: Bad: Franco being Soctt & Heather's son. Completely out of left field and born out of an obsession of tying new charachters to the canvas unncesarily. Y&R: Bad: Jill is Kay's daughter. Especially because it came at the expense of Billy and Mac. Did they think "screw this couple we've invested in, let's write this shocking retcon". Neutral: Sure it made for some quick drama in '95 and '06, but did Lilly being Malcolm's daughter serve the show in any way?

I was just going to say this! In the YouTube postings of Lucky confronting Laura about marrying her rapist, many commenters said the same thing, smug. I would also say Laura's relationship with Spencer kind of reminds me of her and Lucky back in the day. Watching modern GH in clips on YT is far more interesting than sitting through a whole episode live. I guess because I can skip through the crap. From the magazine shots: Alan and Monica are really underrated as a couple and are often just lumped together witht the Qs as a whole. I would dare to say they are one of the best and most toxicly entertaining couples in soap history. They have the longevity of Tom & Margo on ATWT.

Very OLTL with the heaven scenes. Need the anti aging elizr that Portia and Elizabeth have discovered. New Nik isn't that good from what I've seen.

Brenda Epperson was dare I say better than Eileen Davidson. She was warmer, had more sex appeal, and romatic chemistry with her male love interests than Eileen. Eileen was better as Kristin on DAYS for me. Shari Shattuck however, wasn't all that. She wasnt terrible, just not right for Ashley.

What is the general concensus around Luke & Tracy's relationship. Did the public like it, did you all like it? As much as I like Laura I will admit that Tracy's cynicism compliments the later darker Luke. I do think they're played out now though.

I always find it funny that Geneie Francis (based on what I've read) was treated so disposably despite being apart of the most celebrated supercouple on soaps. I guess she didn't have as much leveraging power in negotiations because she wasn't made to be first female lead in her later runs compared to say Susan Lucci on AMC, Diedre Hall on DOOL or even the Carlys on GH. Likewise, based on what I've read, if not for Tony Geary's storyline interfearences --- could Luke & Laura have been a more stable and long lasting pairing without Luke becoming increasingly dark as a charachter? 90s family man Luke is a great partner for Laura, otherwise cynical Luke is perfect for Tracy.

Louise Sorel would have been a decent Dorian had Elaine Princi not taken the role. Princi and Claire Malis were really good as Dorian. I havent been taken in by Nancy Pinkerton's performance but I think I just need to watch more.

Open with the classic ambulance which transitions into Faces of the Heart

Is Sandra Nelson not into doing soaps anymore? There's dislike for him, but I would take Billy Miller in a second over Jason Thompson as Billy Abbott. Thompson is too brooding and serious. He was that exact same way in his last few years as GH's Patrick. Much like Y&R's Paul, you'd never realize Dr. Patrick was a playboy in his early days in the role, based on latter year performances.

I can see that. Which would've been crazy because Jack was her stepdad (while she was a minior), plus saw her as a baby multiple times....Not that that matters on soaps (B&B👀) I wonder of it's awkward for Heather Tom & Don Diamont on Bold because she was a teen when she started on Y&R and he was there.

Reguarding back from the dead with a new face: I think it's best that writers not acknowledge a character's new face because that assumes the recast is permanent. Look at Adam on Y&R. He was recasted as an adult four times, but they only acknowledged his new face in the transition between Muney and Heartley's portrayls. Unless it serves story purpose for a character to look different, recasts don't need to be acknowedged. I also think recasts shouldn't disqualify flash back scenes with different portrayers. Unless it's an issue of residuals, shows could simply have a caption at the bottom the screen saying something like : "Ashley was protrayed by Brenda Epperson at the time". Despite continuity concerns, fans understand the nature of the businesses is to have actors be leave, be replaced, and return.

All of this sounds so confusing. As a light Days watcher, I'm just now figuring out that those two are separate characters.

BEST GH: Jason 2017. It was great having OG Jason back. Steve Burton owned the role too much to have anyone else be believable in it. Robin 2013: Robin was shown to be alive but presumed dead. Her reunion with Patrick and Emma was great, but it was frustrating to have her leave the show again. At least she and Patrick went off into the sunset. GL: Reeva 1995. I like the drama surrounding her breaking up Josh and Annie, which created one of the shows greatest villains. Some people didn't like it however because it went back to Reeva being the star instead of an ensemble.