Planet Soap

@Vee wait, aren't Alexis and Stefan related👀😳⁉️ According to Wikipedia Frank and Ron started in February of 2012, but when when did their first episode air? Is it when the OLTL characters crossed over? I will say 2011-12 was an awkward time for the show. Frank and Ron were a great reset. I think the best period of the JFP era (at least for the show eating trio) was 2001-2004. We got Tamera Braun, Sonny & Alexis's affair, Kristina Sr's death drama and Kristina Jr's paternity drama, Sonny & Sam's affair, Brenda's return, Faith Roscoe, the PC hotel fire, and Rick locking Carly in the panic room.

Another superb Carly v Alexis scene, this time from Riche/Guza GH. Alexis read Carly like a book. My favorite Alexis scene from JFP/Guza/Pratt era GH, August 2002.

Out of curiosity, why do soap head writers get recycled often and stay for short relatively short stints?

I guess NBC was to daytime what CBS is to the morning news: unable to keep a decades long solid hit (except Days and AW).

Plus many of their veteran actors still get alot of screentime whereas older actors get sent out to pasture on the other dramas which might help their numbers. Plus the show had a lot of great well plotted storylines such as Sheia, Matt, David Kimble, Nikki vs Diane it's heyday. AGREED! Y&R is the worst of the final 4 soaps era. Surprisingly B&B has managed to slither out of that spot for a close second. Ateast with MAB the show still had classical scores and a marginal remanance of life. Since JFP too over in 2013, YnR was finished. That leads me to another perhaps unpopular opinion, GH is currently the best of the final four soaps (though that isn't saying much because they've all become terrible).

Speaking as someone whose favorite soap is Y&R, I have no idea how the show remained number one in the 2000s and 2010s storyline wise. I think OLTL and GH delivered far more thrilling plots (despite their issues) during that time. Why Y&R is so highly reguarded though is their lavish production value, awesome directing and great classical scores in the 80s and 90s. I haven't seen any other daytime show top them presentation wise, with B&B being a close second.

I feel that. 2003-2005 definately was the cut off point for the genre as a whole. Somewhat unpopular opinion: Cricket had some good material on Y&R in the 90s and early 00s. (The 80s were iffy).

Without Jerry Orbach the show wasn't and still wont be the same. Plus S Epetha is on Chicago Med and I question if Sam Waterson would return. The only detective paring that might work would be Chris Noth and Jessie L Martin perhaps?? IDK.

The "break up" of Jason and Carly -- then redirection toward Sonny and Carly -- is exactly why I wanted Sonny to walk in on Jason & Carly in the act after the latter's 2021 wedding. It would have been history in reverse and lead to all sorts of complications, especially because 2021 Carly and Jason seemed to be falling in love. Amnesia Sonny with no mob connections, or Jason breaking up CarSon would have been the opening for a Brenda comeback, if written properly. It's crazy how much 96-00 Sonny, Jason & Carly still affects the plot directly today! Even moreso evident as Nelle was written as a parallel to Carly. I loved when Carly got her just desserts after being falsely accused of pushing Nelle down the stairs, in parallel to what happened with AJ.

I think SJB had more chemistry with MB as Claudia than Carly despite it being the same actress. If SJB ever came back as Carly I'd want her with Jason. I think the more interesting period of Sonny & Carly under JFP was 01-05. The panic room, Brenda's return, Kristina's paternity, Sonny's affair with Sam, AJ kidnapping the kids, Faith Roscoe. Faith now seems like a precursor to Ava.

@Liberty City what I meant to saw was Walters and Donnelly were superior in the role of Diane, rather than a commentary on who was a better overall actress. Awkward phrasing on my part. I would say 2012-2014, specifically the 50th anniversary year 2013 was Valentini's best year. The show felt fresh again with vets returning. Totally agree! As I've said before the Guza/JFP era despite all of it's faults had better production, better dialouge, better disaster plots, more suspenseful mob violence, and Sonny/Carly/Jason/Sam were more interesting under Guza/JFP than Frank V. Frank's GH could not pull off contagion, the train crash, PC Hotel fire, the Metro Court hostage crisis, Carly in the panic room, etc...

@Marquise The squareness of Ridge's face with the added costume make up was actually kind of scary, lol.

This is a fact.

Tony Geary as Bill Eckhart! (off topic: Wanye Northup as Alex on Days). I agree with the notion that SJB had the best story arcs. She had the umbrella plot of being Bobbie's secret daughter with the Tony & Jason affairs and Michael's paternity underneath, which then launched into Michael's paternity and keeping custody. Soaps do not have the ability to stretch a plot out for 4 years like this anymore. The Sonny Mike Nina stuff went on for 9 months and got boring and repetitive. Her character seemed to loose a bit of direction when Michael's paternity came out, even more so when she got custody from AJ. I like Laura Wright (especially from Guiding Light) and I struggle to think who else could have played Carly aside from SJB and TB. She was an improvement from Jennifer B. Her main problem is being in the shadow of the two actreses who were both better in the role than her, and had more chemistry with Sonny and Jason than her.

Had a feeling this might be a controversial statement, lol. I just cannot buy Jason Thompson as Billy. In his early work as GH's Patrick he was a suave player with charisma. Now he's all sad and serious (similar to current PTSD Dante before his much needed haircut). Miller, negatives aside, to had more life in his portrayal, IMO.

Billy needs Billy Miller back in the role!

I too actually didn't mind Maura as Diane. She had the look and the villain factor, perhaps it was just the writing. Donnelly and Walters however were were the superior actresses with Donnelly being the best. Yes, Jack always treated Nikki better and they looked good together. As much as I enjoy Victor and Nikki's drama it's played out now. Victor is a terrible husband and Nikki needed a life outside of walking around the ranch and raising kids. It was a great move making her involved in business from 2000 onwards. I liked how independent MAB made Nikki around 2009 except for the part where she left Paul because she still had feeling for Victor. I like having Victor around, I just hate how cruel and crusty they've made him. He used to be an anti hero but now he's just an all out nasty villain.

The explanation for why Irene Manning and the CIA did what they did was convoluted and confusing but the storyline was exciting. OLTL may have went downhill after the mid 90s and especially after 2002 but it was never boring. It was like GH junior, a lot of crime and action, and decent attempts at addressing social issues. I agree with the person who said OLTL was better than AMC. However I'm now getting an appreciation for All My Children because I started watching it growing up in the mid-2000s when the show was on its last leg. I like Viki, and I like the concept of multiple personalities despite the numerous confusing rewrites, but some of her scenes as the other alters were cringe. 'Nikki' in 2001 onwards especially! Some of her moments as 'Princess' as well. UNPOPULAR OPINION: 1. Jack is better husband to Nikki on Y&R 2.Billy Warlock was a good AJ on GH. 3 Overall, ABC soaps were greater than CBS Soaps 4. (maybe not that controversial) GH is the greatest daytime soap of all time. 5. OLTL was better than AMC

Same. I really wanted a Sonny/Carly reunion but I think boring wiring really killed all their steam after 2014. Laura Wright's Carly and Sean K's AJ really had some fire going there in 2013/2014. The same with SJB's Carly and Billy W.'s AJ in 2000 during the marriage storyline. There was real Quartermaine dysfunctional couple energy there. Missed opportunity! I'll sound like a broken record, lol, but totally. TB's Carly brought out the best version of Sonny and Carly. No doubt in my mind however that SJB is the best Carly. She was trashy, scrappy, vulnerable, sexy, annoying, and toxic all in one. TB played pampered petulant diva to a tee. They totally wasted her return with the Kim character. Claudia was done far better, shame she only lasted a year. Her short run was consequential especially for Michael. At the end of GH I'm opting for Sonny & Brenda — and I would say Jason and Carly. As we've seen with the Sonny amnesia story, the chemistry (or the execution) is lacking. Jason and Britt had far more fire.

With the news that DAYS may be revisiting the possession storyline in 2021, I wonder... I've read and researched that DAYS' ratings increased during the possession storyline in 1995. I find that remarkable given the OJ trial happened during that time period. Several other major storylines for soap heroines like Viki's multiple personalities and Erica Kane's drug addiction were going against what I imagine were frequent OJ trial interruptions.

IDK how everyone else feels but I dont like how much more modern SVU is getting into the detective's personal lives. SVU from the start was more personal than OG Law & Order but the stories seem to increasingly involve the detectives rather than them just investigating the case. For example Olivia being kidnapped or taken hostage etc.. I was really hoping for Stabler to come back to SVU but his new show is decent, and the frequent crossovers somewhat fill the void. Getting them romantically involved however may kill whatever tension between them and they should probably wait till the end of the show...then again it's been 22 years so we've been teased enough.

Why didn't Jason just clarify that his marriage was fake to Britt?

2012, the last year of classic scores I believe. If there was any good thing to come out of this time period, it was the reveal that Phyllis ran over Paul and Chris I '94. Phyliss confronts Daisy about raping Daniel and conceiving their child. Pot calling the kettle black here. Did the writers realize they basically copy and pasted Sheila and Scott into the early Phyliss/Danny/Cricket years, lol. Regardless I think early unhinged Phyliss were the characters best years, especially up until Susan Walters left as Diane. At what point did they decide to relatively normalize Phyllis? I suppose when Michelle Stafford returned in 2000?

Quin and Carter do the same thing every episode, try to "resist" each other then sleep together, wash rinse repeat. Meanwhile Y&R is utter boredom. CBS your days are numbered.

Anti climactic! They should have slept together which would have created months of drama and complications.