Khan

I agree. I thought FC's cliffhangers always came up short. They wanted them to be as explosive as DALLAS's or DYNASTY's, but they didn't know how to make them happen.

That's almost exactly how I felt about "Desperate Housewives." You could tell that Marc Cherry had NO idea where to take the show past the first season.

I agree. I think I watched the first three episodes of "Lost" before I gave up. What wasn't a retread of "deserted island" tropes was just plain incomprehensible.

Really? Well, good for her, lol!

Yes, it WAS ridiculous, lol. Even Melissa Agretti would have put aside her self-centeredness in that moment to make sure Richard's son was safe. The "best" part, though, was during the next season's premiere, when Terry's death was confirmed with a shot of her stunt double lying on the floor, with her head turned strategically away from the camera. Anything not to have to pay Laura Johnson for another episode, right, FC, lol?

I agree. In his defense, however, he was pretty strung out on drugs at the time.

I thought Susan Lucci made for a great addition to the cast in the final season. I just wish they had given her a better storyline.

Sorry for going off-topic again, but Pamela Bellwood's exit from DYNASTY was just as dumb as Victoria Principal's, if not dumber, lol. Why does Claudia just stand there and cry as the fallen candle sets the curtains on fire? She's standing close enough to the door to make a run for it!

I agree. I agree here, too.

Folks, this is just the beginning of DAYS' 2023 Salute to Black Sitcom Actresses! Expect to see in the coming weeks and months... - Tichina Arnold ("Martin")! - Charnele Brown ("A Different World")! - Anna Maria Horsford ("Amen")! - Keshia Knight Pulliam ("The Cosby Show")! - Bern Nadette Stanis ("Good Times")! - Berlinda Tolbert ("The Jeffersons")! - and Terri J. Vaughn ("The Steve Harvey Show")!

Wow, Linden Ashby really needs to stay out of the sun.

Frankly, I'm more interested in seeing Deacon and Ridge hook up. (Come on, Bradley! 'RiDe' 4 Evah!)

That's true, @Vee. I hadn't looked at it that way. On the other hand, it wasn't as if Bobby's return brought DALLAS back to the top of the ratings, or to the top three or top five. If anything, I think his return - or, more appropriately, the enormous liberties with realism taken to make his return possible - might have hastened the show's (unfortunate, but inevitable) decline.

Part of that was during LML's run, I think, when she hit upon the notion of Nikki doing something other than sitting all day at the Newman ranch and waiting for Victor to come home.

Victoria Principal's exit had to be one of the stupidest ever. Pam had enough time to apply the brakes or swerve to avoid hitting the side of that tanker. But what does she do? What women always do in these situations on TV and in the movies: she screams, she takes her hands off the wheel and then she covers her eyes. I agree. I also agree that Lorimar should have told Patrick Duffy and Larry Hagman that Duffy returning to the show as Bobby was impossible. Obviously, they were concerned about the ratings, but as @kalbir and @Paul Raven have pointed out in this thread and elsewhere, ratings for all the primetime soaps were declining due to changing tastes.

Weren't we imagining several years ago how Jasmine Guy would have made a great addition to DAYS? I think we were like, "Oooh, she'd be SUCH a great villainess (maybe as another, long-lost DiMera)!"

Wow, was it THAT long ago? I remember so well when I and others on this board were campaigning for "Chill" to happen. (Some campaigned for it harder than others, lol.)

Is Kyle Lowder in the new "Barbie" movie? If he isn't, then he should be, lol.

Unfortunately, Y&R doesn't believe in the "slow burn" anymore, lol.

I don't think that take is controversial at all, @kalbir. As a matter of fact, it makes PERFECT sense to me. David Jacobs was very competitive whenever it came to ratings. If his show couldn't win any awards, he must've figured, then it could beat the competition on the other networks. That could be true. On the other hand, judging from the Lechowicks' other shows, I tend to think they were lousy at casting for their own characters, lol. I agree.

Those were just two of several returns that I had in mind for the "alternate" fourteenth season. KL knew going in that season 14 would be last, so why not mark the show's passing with return visits from former cast members? Of course, getting Constance McCashin to return was still out of the question, but for example, you could've had Don Murray return as Sid's "ghost" to counsel Karen during a crisis point in her and Mack's marriage. Or Julie Harris could've returned for Val's funeral (and seen that Kate has feelings for Gary). Or Lisa Hartman could've returned (with the excuse that Cathy was passing through California while on her latest tour) and helped Gary see he had to move on from Val. Or - and this is just me being Ron Carlivati - Alec Baldwin could've returned in the last episode as a prospective buyer for one of the houses in the cul-de-sac. KL's budget and episode order might have been slashed for the last season, but I would rather they had spent the money on getting some ex-cast members to return for an episode apiece than on more airtime for characters like Nick Schillace and Vanessa Hunt. One other thing I would have done in season 14: for sure, I would have had Treadwell's men kill off that walking stereotype Nick; Anne would have left town with Richard; and on her flight to wherever she was going, Claudia meets a man who looks a lot like Mark LaMura.

I agree. It didn't work for me either, @DRW50. First of all, the circumstances that brought Anne and "Benita Appleman," as I call him, together reeked. Anne is broke and homeless? I don't think so, lol. Second, I think Stuart Pankin was too boorish-acting as Benny. Why would Anne - even an Anne who was penniless - want anything at all to do with someone like him? Someone needed to tell Pankin to pull back a bit.

I agree. At the very least, the show should have tried finding a new love interest for Frank and mother figure for Julie after an appropriate period of mourning had passed (and no, Halle Berry was not it, lol). Unfortunately, I don't think anyone at the show was committed anymore to writing for Larry Riley or for Kent Masters-King. If Riley hadn't have died of AIDS, he probably would've been written out anyway. I like your suggestion of casting Amanda with Ana-Alicia instead of with Penny Peyser, @SoapDope. Even if the writing had not changed, at least Ana-Alicia would have been more interesting to watch - and she would have been more Ted Shackelford/Gary's type, too.

I've never thought about that, @DRW50, but that is an excellent point! I wish Doug Sheehan had returned in the final season when Gary was searching for Val in Florida. Ben and Gary could have crossed paths; Ben could have learned that Val was in trouble; and he and Gary could have teamed up to rescue her, burying the hatchet in the process. I also wish John Pleshette had returned when Mack was arrested for Mary Robeson's murder and needed an attorney. It might sound strange, but I think he and Michelle Phillips could have made an interesting pair, too.

It's really great to see Linden Ashby again.