Chris 2

Agreed. I remember someone suggesting that Bobby should have stayed dead and the second half of the series should have focused on JR’s redemption arc. I think that would have been better than what we got (the show’s credibility shot so we could have a lone decent season when Bobby came back). JR wouldn’t have had to be a pushover but he could have come to appreciate his family and business partners more and treat them better. And perhaps team up with partner Pam against a new villain on the show.

I understand the feeling about the characters not changing. But it’s hard to dispute that the Sue Ellen of the later seasons (a successful business woman) isn’t radically different than the one we met at the beginning, when she was an abused, social climbing alcoholic. JR also is no longer coming out on top by the end, and kind of becomes a loser who is beaten frequently and becomes more and more desperate with increasingly ridiculous schemes. And has regrets; check out the scene where he decides not to bother his estranged wife Cally, pregnant with his child, when she’s happy in her new life. That never would have happened earlier.

Daniel Hugh Kelly is a leading man types which is what was needed for Frank Ryan. Andrew Robinson isn’t, and I knew as soon as he showed up that he wouldn’t work as Frank. Interesting observation about Catherine Hicks and Randall Edwards. I agree - they wouldn’t have worked together.

I don’t get why she went through the glass. They could also use some thicker glass lol. Also, Peter Simon was a handsome man when he was younger.

Would Ellie have really said “Oh my stars”? I don’t see her writing a book either. Remember how pissed off she got at Donna when she wrote her book?

I recall that Hillary Bailey Smith was considered a successful recast as Margo on ATWT pretty much immediately.

Humiliating your employees, particularly in front of each other, is awful.

Agreed that cutting the Nazi treasure storyline short ultimately wrecked it. Yeah it was farfetched but it was fun and better than the stuff that came after.

I wouldn’t call her a regular. She wasn’t listed in the opening credits or even after the episode title at the beginning of the episode. She was listed with the guest stars in the closing credits.

Go watch Beck’s episode of “Fantasy Island” when they were testing it out as a Sunday show aimed at younger viewers, airing in an earlier time period. Beck played Cindy, Rourke’s assistant. She was so artificial it was painful to watch her scenes. And she didn’t appear in the second Sunday special, not surprisingly.

It was a big deal for WCVB to air the show at 11:30. This was after Loving took the 1230 slot and ABC moved RH to noon. WCVB hadn’t cleared any ABC daytime program during the 11-noon slot for years. And WCVB did not air it on a one-day tape delay as was standard at the time. Instead, ABC fed RH to WCVB 30 minutes ahead of the rest of the affiliates.

Interesting that the unaired pilot dove right into the action, rather than setting up the series with the Giobertis coming to the valley. And Clu Gulager is somehow as unlikeable as Chase as Robert Foxworth was.

Agreed on Tina Louise. She’s actual a fine character actor and they could have used Julie on a recurring basis. Marc Singer (Matt) was definitely a dud. Bobby’s old friend, properly cast, could have been a love interest for Pam. But they didn’t want her to be single for more than 30 second - hence the return of The Pornstache. Barbara Eden would have made a greater impact in an earlier season.

Uncle Lenny helped conceive the Angelica Nero arc because he was still consulting with the show. But he said later he only wanted it to be 8 episodes long. And there was talk in the trades at the time that they offered the part to Diana Ross (“Call me Miss Nero!”)

Hamner loved the concept of a family escaping the big bad city to return to their small town roots. Before he passed away, he pitched a show called “Foundations” where a man moves his family from the city back to his hometown to take over the family apple orchard business. Sound familiar?