Planet Soap

I don't get why B&B can't just run six or so storylines that run at least 6-9 months, instead of rushing through about two simultaneous show consuming plots for three months straight, having a dull period, then moving on to another. For example $ Bill warring with Justin for control of Spencer Publications would still be going on if written properly. I didn't make Paris out to be a player, I wonder what direction they're going to take the character in next?

i had no idea peter and ana were on charmed together!

It would have worked and it would have ended in flames given Jill's misery and Victor's ego. I wonder what would have happened if Victor and Lauren had gotten involved? My guess is Lauren is too independent for Victor who likes needy women. Both of them would most likely have been cheating on each other. As for Brad, I'm having trouble thinking off a female lead he hasn't touched (or at least attempted to) lol.

yes, 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman', lol yes, 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman', Lol Tyler has to do better! yes, 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman', Lol Tyler has to do better!

Please Wendy come back! Sally Sussman & Kay Alden returned to Y&R which amounted to zero so hopefully if Riche were to return something would come out of it. Sonny and Victor have more security than Laura the mayor! What happened to Max & Milo? Luke is getting more of a remembrance than some of the actors that have actually died.

Yes! I've had trouble sitting straight through late 70s early 80s ATWT episode. The pace was really slow and it really felt like you were watching a play on tv. GH had a swifter pacing. Y& R looked really good even though it was before the glamour era really set in.

It felt like there thankfully weren't too many celebrity deaths last year but since Betty White passed, 2022 is proving to be the opposite😔

YR: Victor/Ashley/Nikki/Matt + Jack

Shemar Moore Y & R 2004

Brenda Dickson's Jill in a scene with Victor! Rarely have I ever seen them interact. The original Mamie gives me slight Esther vibes. Subservient and ditsy. Veronica Redd's Mamie Stood up for herself and fought back more.

I take it that budget crunch was in response to the "great soap purge" that was occurring at that time.

Agreed. Not too many CBS shows from the 90s are relevant today (as far as I can think of). Seems like CBS did really well in primetime in the 50s-70s. ABC had the late 70s. I'm not too sure who was the difinitive network in the 80s. NBC had the 90s & early 00s, and Fox did really well in the mid 2000s.

Queens surprised me. It was better than "Our Kind Of People" and less trashy than "Empire". I do think the pacing needs to slow down. Modern primetime soaps move too quick, but I do understand the need to hook people by making a throw-everything-in-there pilot episode.

I know Y&R likes to repeat names (ex. David Kimble's mistress Diane), But it's odd that she had Robert as her chauffer, then they had her hire Robert who was involved in the Marge swap.

In the episodes being posted by D Goldenson to YT, you can really see the the production value begin to slide around 2009. I've said this before but DAYS looked pretty good up into the mid 2000s in comparison to the ABC soaps especially.

Y&R's sets are pretty bad now but DAYS definitely looks the cheapest.

Reminds me of the rural purge back in the 70s. Black-ish and Grown-ish are now attempting to replicate that.

Understandable. B&B's problem is that it's plots are strictly bent on romance, w compared to GH whose plots range from sci fi, mystery, crime, and romance. I think the cutting would reduce casts to illuminate redundant characters who have a little storyline, and make plots more focused. Hypothetical formats (CBS for example) Mon-Wed y&r 1-1:30, b&b 1:30-2pm; Thu-Fri ATWT 1-1:30, GL 1:30-2pm (or) mon-wed y&r 1-2pm, Thu-Fri B&B 1-2pm

I was literally just thinking about "The Daytime Purge" the other day, though I'd say Passions (which deserved cancellation) was the first nail in the coffin. The only way I could see soaps surviving is if they cut back from the five new episode per week all year long format. I'm amazed that we still have all four post apocalypse soaps 10 years on, but I question how long they can continue with ever shrinking budgets and 💩💩writing. I think the only audiences that remain for soaps are the diehards that have been watching for decades. I only know about two people in the millennial/zoomer age group who keeps up with modern day soaps. On the positive side, we're in the age of nostalgia and reboots. This may not be the end of soaps, even if it means not in it's traditional format. Hype around characters like Sheila returning to B&B, the "Locher Room" and the increasing availability of classic soap episodes online proves that there is at least niche interest remaining in the genre.

If that's how much it cost to produce the modern day young and the restless, I can only imagine how much an actually well produced and written primetime show amounts to!

Flashbacks!!! Did Sheila & Deacon ever really interact back in the day? Feels weird calling 2002-03 back "the day" lol!

I'm here for it since I saw that "What If: Ryan met Carly" episode.

I always wondered what would happen if Ron were writing Y&R and that's exactly how I picture it. Pulling historic characters out of the woodwork via a superficial use of history, and a darker more suspenseful but somewhat lacking show like the final years of OLTL. It wouldn't be the best, but it'd be better than whoever's writing the show now. At the very least some classic characters might return.

Drew & Carly👀

To my surprise Queens was actually decent, much better than Our Kind of People. It just can't find an audience though. One thing I believe daytime used to better at than prime time is slowly building up a continuous plot. Primetime serial dramas like Riverdale seam to eat through plot way too rapidly. Primetime soaps seem to be limited to romance, business and occasionally crime storylines where as daytime gives you a variety of melodramatic plots.