Spoon

Considering Rauch, its a miracle they didn't give Reva D.I.D. to really chew the scenery.

I'd argue that Conboy might have been the worst thing to happen to GL. Taggart/Culliton's breif HW stint in 2002 showed that the show still had potential to be really good again. Cowboy just tore that all down. The show was in much worse shape when Ellen Wheeler took over. I mean I actively dislike Wheeler's run too, but she had even less of a budget to work with than Conboy did. Wheeler had some really terrible ideas like the inside the light wednesdsy bottle episodes and the Community service episodes. Peapeck might have been a necessity due to the miniscule budget, but it was executed in about the worst way possible. Especially the first month or so where they had really shaky camera work to be "edgy," probably made all the grannys still watching sick.

@DRW50 thanks for the tag.

Calling Timms (the first Paulina on another world) would be my fan casting for Beth in the 90s. CT was replaced by Judi Evans on AW. She'd also be a good Mindy but I'd bring her in as Beth. I didn't care for BC's Beth during her first go in 89. Her second stint in the role was better and out of the shadow of BE's portrayal of Beth.

More musings while the thread is dead... GL Pay or Play contracts. After Edge ends, move over Ann Flood to GL as Trudy in 1985 to compensate for the loss of Charita Bauer. My dream re-casting for Mindy in the late 90s would be Karen Witter. Been watching her as Tina on OLTL and I think she's just terrific- can play sexy works well in comic subplots as well as more serious soap fare. She took over from fan favorite Andrea Evans and held her own, physically stunning and can act- the perfect combination. I still would bring over Marcia McCabe as either Hope Bauer or Trish Lewis in 1987, after SFT ended. If Ann Flood doesn't work as Trudy, bring in Mary Stuart in early as Meta. Just thinking about the fake Bauers. Maybe if they cast Mary Stuart as Johnny and Lanie's grandmother it would be easier to accept the Bauer expansion pack-- given the goodwill MS had with longtime soap viewers (or soap geeks) as Jo on SFT. Barbara Crampton (as Mindy) seemed out-of-place on a NYC soap, she should've stayed with Bell. She'd probably fit okay on Santa Barbara as a new character.

TBF, she's playing Paulina pretty similar to her Lily Mason stint on AW.

They namedropped Lucy a couple times. I thought it was late Rauch era, they called her up to do some snooping from her end.

@DRW50 Marvel Comics Superhero, The Guiding Light.

GL should've snapped up Carl Tye Evans to reprise the role of A-M, after his Nick Scudder stint on sibling soap ATWT.

fan casting: Nichiolas Coster (SB) or Jed Allan (SB) as Alan in the 90s.

I wondered if John Conboy thought he was at the Edge of Night. Serial killers, crime stories centered around dayplayers. I think this was discussed before, but I don't think GL had any contract cops until Rusty in the mid 80s. If Tony stuck around, I would have him be a cop, or introduce Sean Reardon as a cop. It's a big, traditional Irish-American family, how did they not have a cop in it! Re: Craig. When I started atwt in the 90s Craig seemed benign, I guess he was a scoundrel back in the day. I remember Scott Bryce came back and played a more Hunt block-tinged Craig. I thought he was pretty good in updating his portrayal. Goutman must not have cared for him as he replaced him with Jeffrey meek. Yuck. I eventually warmed up to Jon Lindstrom's Craig, but it took a bit of time.

I forgot about her 2005 appearance. Was that for [Spoiler's] funeral?

For some inexplicable reason I hated Ben Warren but loved HB as Craig on ATWT. It was exactly the same character. Maybe having Maura West and Cady McClain as primary scene partners.

I hated RR's Alan so much, the only way he would work is to lean into humor. His Alan was a joke. RR and SS were both so hammy, couldn't stand either one. Dusty was a fine Alex, for her first two runs, but that 2002 run stunk. She was so hammy and different, of course the writing was poor but I wonder if her acting choices were largely influenced by her AMC run just prior? I got the vibe that AMC's Vanessa was a way OTT villain.

Also, how did they NOT pair Alan with Carmen. I mean, I hated them both, but they were both despicable characters played as over the top, mustache twirling, one-dimensional cartoon villains.

how about this for laughs.. bring on Ellen Parker as Jeffrey O'Neil's mother who is a doppelganger for Maureen. She's the opposite of Maureen of course and chain smokes and is a former prostitute who Buzz had a fling with, thus fathering Jeffrey. Ava and Marina would both be recast and be in a triangle with a returning Dr. Peter Reardon. I remember there was speculation/fear that they were going to force Jeffrey onto the Bauer family tree. TPTB were so desperate to make the audience accept him. They should've just cut their losses. Bradley Cole was way better as Jeffrey, possibly even good but there was just WAY too much propping.

Best recasts Gina Tognoni/Dinah Marler Daniel Cosgrove/Bill Lewis Joie Lenz/Michelle Bauer Santos Jeff Branson/Shayne Lewis Sherry Stringfield/C. Blake Lindsay Ellen Parker/Maureen Reardon Worst Recast Ron Raines/Alan Spaulding Nancy St. Alban/Michelle Bauer Santos Brian Gaskill/Dylan Lewis Mandy Bruno/Marina Cooper Josh Taylor/Quint Chamberlain Ann Hamilton & Barbara Crampton as Melinda Sue Lewis Dennis Parlato(?) as Roger Thorpe

Hawk and Sarah owned Company? I wondered if they owned it or if they just managed it? Only relatively sporadic episodes of that era on YT. So Company ownership Tony Reardon as Wired For Sound Bea Reardon/Reardon Family Hawk and Sarah Shayne Reardon Family Buzz Cooper Lizzie Spaulding (Lizzie and Company) Then I think it gets sold or given back to the Coopers?

Least favorite characters by decade 00s Alan, Ashley Wolfe, Joey Lupo, Daisy, Cyrus, Grady, , VCarmen Santos, Catalina 80s/90s Daniel St. John, Neil Everest, Rae Rooney, AC Mallet, Vivian Grant, Jackson Freemont, Dana

WIred for Sound was a cool hangout-- I still remember when the B-52's performed there. 80s. Quint and Nola-- among my earliest GL memories. Beth and Lujack-- Lujack was like "The Fonz" with his coolness. Jesse and Simon-- /jk Harley/Josh did have chemistry together. I don't know where they would've gone with the pairing if RN didn't leave in 1991. 90s Lucy and Alan-Michael. Lucy seemed like a consolation prize to A-M for not getting Harley lol, but they were a good pair together. Phillip and Harley. At the time I was rooting for Phillip/Beth because of history but Pharley had a sense of fun that Phillip/Beth never really had. Ross and Blake. Despite Blake's flaws, the couples baffling longevity became a cornerstone to the show much like Ed/Maureen in the past. Blake would be unfaithful but after Tori, Ross had no agency to shame Blake. Their relationship was more even-level after that. 00s Harley and Gus. Gus was basically a replacement for A-M, like Lucy replaced Harley. Gus was like a blend of A-M and Nick McHenry. he was Alan's bio son like A-M, but like Nick he tried to maintain a "blue-collar" lifestyle the best he could. Lizzie and Bill. This was the silver lining to Bill/Michelle being torpedoed by ConJob in 2003. The B/M pairing was never going to reach its legacy potential as long as that sap NSA was in the role of Michelle. Hot takes: I enjoyed Cassie/Edmund and Tammy/Jonathan. I liked Tammy/Jonathan because the two actors did have chemistry together and that it was kinda taboo and naughty. The plot was similar to Ross/Blake, where Blake seduced Ross to get at her mom, Holly. Jonathan thought he'd seduce his cousin to stick it to his mom. Characters 80s: Nola, Quint, Bert, Henry, India, Vanessa, Bert, Beth, Ross, Lujack 90s: Harley, Lucy, Blake, Roger, Holly, Phillip, A-M, Michelle, David, Bridget 00s: Gus, Lizzie, Jonathan, Bill, Dinah, Cassie

Favorite characters/couples by decade?

@alwaysAMC also, the way Pilar was introduced was similar to how David Grant was introduced. Kat spotted Gilly hugging another man, hoping she busted Gilly for cheating on Hamp but David was revealed as her troubled brother. Also, When Maureen's brother Dr. Jim Reardon came to town, he used an alias and only Maureen knew his real identity-- Ed thought she was having an affair.

The show had the idea of the three pillars- Reva, Harley and Cassie. But eventually Harley and Cassie were gone and it was all on Reva. Didn't help that Marina was wasted with a subpar actor in the role and Michelle was gone as well. In the later years, I'd say Lizzie was the no. 2 female star on the show.

@alwaysAMC I just realized the reason Abby is rarely seen. (Vague spolier ahead.....) I'm betting this was the period where the actress took a leave to have a particular medical procedure done which will be written into the show eventually.

Dec. 1991. Luna's so annoying-- hate her. I'm guessing she doesn't improve any. The mini arc with the circus musical was cute, even if it was just time-filler. Blair is very likeable, going to hate to see when she's "whitewashed," as she stands out more this way. Cassie's so dull that I see they're making her a little cray cray to make things interesting. Bo sure knows how to pick 'em.