SheenaSoaper

Hope that Jess is well. Glad that Lauren Koslow could step in. What could have been a real barn burner is if the original portrayer could have reprised the role. 😂

I started watching ATWT in the mid 1990s. I didn’t see Marland-era ATWT other than when CBS would air classics. So, like others, my choices will be from when I was viewing in real time. I loved the beginning of Hogan Sheffer. For me, he totally revived the show. In the first few years, many big moments had me at the edge of my seat, but #1 is always: Barbara and the boathouse explosion. I was utterly riveted and could not miss a single day that summer in 2001. I was barely online and basically spoiler-free, so I had no idea who the culprit would be or that Barbara would be the victim in the first place. When I did venture online once in a blue moon, I did see rumors that CZ was in contract negotiations, so there was a question for me if Barbara would survive. CZ later revealed in an interview that there was never a question if Babs would live. I loved every minute of this and how it touched virtually every character on the show and had an impact that would carry for years. There were other moments that had me on the edge of my seat during that era like David Stenbeck’s funeral, the Endicott Awards and Katie’s comeuppnace, Vicky’s ghost, the Malta adventure, and Julia’s descent into madness, and later, the saga surrounding Rose’s murder. I realize these may not be for other ATWT fans, but I look back on this period of the show (and my life) so fondly.

Anyone know if JFP is still around in her uncredited producer role?

Thanks @P.J. and @DRW50 . Interesting that Dolores was essentially erased with Peck’s Brad. Not the most egregious historical amnesia from this show in its final 3 or 4 years, but notable nonetheless. Dolores could have been reworked similar to Brad, though I’m not sure her presence would have served a purpose on the canvas beyond popping in and out. Emma essentially took on the mothering role, and like you mentioned, Iris fulfilled the trashy selfish mother quota for another set of characters. If I recall, letting go of Perrine was among the first casualties of the transition from Behr to Goutman.

Valerie Perrine’s passing has made me think about how ATWT never brought back her character, Dolores, Jack and Brad’s mother. The character wasn’t particularly well-conceived, but it seems like she was glossed over in the 2000s. Maybe she could have been “remixed” like Brad with his return. Does anyone recall if she is mentioned again after her 1999 exit?

Some actors like Maura West (probably others too who I cannot remember off the top of my head) have managed to avoid Mo’s show entirely. Good for her maintaining her privacy. She always seems above the fray.

Is that why Top of the Tower returned looking like upright popsicles during JFP’s first run? It looked so cheap!

Yes, that’s it! I think the GCAC bar has some similar pieces. Yes, me too! I think we last saw it at the beginning of MAB.

There was another upscale restaurant set ca. 2003 that disappeared with Gina’s. You can see vestiges of it in the GCAC, esp the bar. I can’t remember the name!

MAB’s stories at least had high emotional stakes. And she did it with a massive budget cut (compared to what they had before) around 2009. I was interested in her show until around spring 2012.

Full names and all!!

Yes! The lack of sets is so sad, though the quality of sets is much better than the Morina years. We all have opinions about Phyllis and her portrayers, but how does a consistent lead not have a home?!? (Even if it is the cramped apartments she had in past years lol)

There was a noticeable shift in fall 2001 when JP joined as co-HW. The show was not necessarily bad, but it wasn’t the same quality (for me) as the first year and a half of Hogan’s run. I thought the show regained some spark with the umbrella story around Rose’s death, but if I recall correctly, network interference in early 2004 halted the momentum and led to awfulness like Doc Reese and Keys to the Kingdom. I enjoyed the first couple years of JP’s solo run. The show had renewed energy compared to 2004 into early 2005. Not everything was great, but the show held my interest everyday until around late 2007. Then the wheels fell off entirely and the show didn’t feel like itself again until it was too late around Maura West’s return after her final maternity leave. So much lost potential in the last year especially.

Interesting comments from Phillips about Ted Shackelford!

I love the ATWT logo, especially how it incorporates a more recent font with the older elements. Love AW and GH too!