Khan

I forgot to mention this before: in the entire 20 years that the original "Law & Order" was on the air, there was only one female detective on the show: Nina Cassady, played by Milena Govich. I wouldn't swear to it, but how Cassady gets transferred to the 27th precinct and becomes Ed Green's latest partner (she participates in a shootout at a beauty salon) sounds an awful lot like the first time we see Katy Mahoney in action on "Lady Blue." Were the show's producers making a sly comment on LB and what might've been a directive from NBC to introduce a female detective on their show? I think so, lol.

Whenever I think about Aunt Fran - which isn't all that often, lol - the first thing that springs to my mind is her constant bitching and moaning about Sonja getting the room that once was her writing office (or was her writing office, I can't recall which atm). If having "a room of one's own" is so damned important to you, Frannie, then just move the [!@#$%^&*] out!

Thanks for that link, @DRW50 ! Honestly, I never know WHAT to think about Fran Drescher. It seems as if most of the projects that she and her ex have created and produced come from their own personal experiences - which is good, I guess, because the more authentic something is, and the more personal, the more it will connect with the audience. Yet, you really have to wonder if their personal lives are soooooooooooo colorful that they inspire not one, not two, but THREE shows? Like, who else has a life THAT interesting, lol?

https://tenor.com/becfh.gif

Why was she right, lol? Speaking of Fran Drescher, have we covered her career or track record, both pre- and post-"Nanny"?

Oops! Sorry, @Franko , lol! Same here. IMO, Suzanne Martin was just using crap that she didn't get to use on her last series, ABC's "Hot Properties," which the network canned after 13 episodes, I think. Ironically, I'm starting to wonder whether people are growing weary of all the procedural shows that are out there now on all the networks and streaming platforms, lol. Also, I should clarify: I thought John Hillerman and Georgia Engel worked great with Betty on TBWS, but the rest of the supporting cast...? Oof. Thanks, @soapfan770 , for reminding us about "Orleans"! Did anyone watch the show? If so, what do you think? (Truth be told, I think I might have missed out on that one intentionally, lol). ICAM!! As a matter of fact, I'm sure I've read somewhere that Buzz and Sonja were created only because NBC wanted characters on the show that (they thought) would appeal to younger audiences.

I see where you're coming from, @Paul Raven , but I'm also inclined to agree with @All My Shadows . I think a spin off centered around Sue Ann (with Phyllis popping in occasionally, since I think Betty and Cloris always worked so well together) would've had a better chance at success post-MTMS. The biggest issue I had with "The Betty White Show" - apart from the underwhelming supporting cast* and the videotape look that made the entire production look cheap and muddy - was that the BTS satire of '70's cop shows was so toothless, like a really bad "Carol Burnett Show" sketch. IMO, if you're going to do a satire of something, you've got to be razor sharp, or you'll look skittish, which will KILL the comedy but good. (*If we ever compile an official "Actors They Tried SO Hard to Make Happen" list, I'm adding Caren Kaye's name to the top of that list).

In my version, he died in a mysterious rock-climbing accident.

ICAM with everything you've said here, @All My Shadows!

In her Television Academy interview, Rue talks about her time on "Mama's Family." Initially, she says, she looked forward to working with Vicki Lawrence and Ken Berry (whom she had had a crush on), because Aunt Fran, as originally written, was supposed to be this force of nature who could go toe-to-toe with Thelma. By the time production began, however, the plan had changed, with Dorothy Lyman (or, "this actress on 'All My Children'," as Rue refers to her) added as Thelma's chief antagonist, and Aunt Fran being reduced to "this mousy little thing with the Peter Pan collars and the ringlets." So, yeah, Rue wasn't happy about that experience, because Fran was no longer the character she had envisioned portraying.

Good question! I've always assumed all three Bell siblings, along with maybe their mom, installed MAB as a way of maintaining some control over Y&R after Lynn Marie Latham turned out to be such a disaster.

He wasn't wrong, lol. It's one thing for Greg to resist pursuing a relationship with Paige for any number of reasons (the age difference, his devotion to Laura, his inability to be emotionally present for anyone) but there comes a point when Paige and Greg start to look like Sam and Diane without the physical comedy.

I've said in the past that Lauralee Bell has a better understanding of what makes soaps work than even her brother, Bradley, does; and I still believe that to be true.

I'm glad Kelly Ripa is willing to admit how awful she was when she began on AMC. (Let me tell you: I still get shivers whenever I think about the first time I saw her as Hayley, in all her Jersey Goth glory, lol).

Ironically, Paige doesn't bother me as much as she does others here. Was she ever among my favorite characters? No; and while I'm sure someone BTS loved her on-again/off-again relationship with Greg, I felt it made them both look foolish and juvenile. (Oh, how I wish Constance McCashin would've returned, if only as Laura's ghost, so she could slap Greg upside the head and ask him WTF was he doing with her, lol). But I'm never annoyed with Paige (or with NS) to the point of wishing she'd just disappear. If anything, I'd take more of her over Felicity Waterman or even Stacy Galina any day, lol.

I agree.

Was Hillary B. Smith quickly accepted by ATWT fans when she succeeded Margaret Colin as Margo? Or was there backlash?

IIRC, Jean Smart was supposed to return to DW from time to time. For whatever reason, though, that never happened. (Of course, that could've been just the "party line" to placate viewers who'd be upset by the loss of one-half of the show's original cast). I think Betty White said it best in her Emmy acceptance speech: she, Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty and Rue McClanahan (or "McCallahan," as Howie Mandel still pronounces it) were a matching set, you couldn't split 'em up. Even if they had replaced Bea/Dorothy with another actress with similar energy, it would not have been the same as having those four ladies sitting around in that kitchen, discussing their romantic and other dilemmas over a cheesecake.

Frankly, I doubt that that was just a coincidence.

When you compare S9 to the five or six seasons that came before, I would agree. There's a sense of purpose in the storytelling that those previous years woefully lacked. On the other hand, as good as S9 was overall, I still feel it falls short, due to budget cuts and the toll that years of bad or non-existent storytelling have taken on the characters. But I definitely agree with you about Matthew and Lindsay Blaisdel. Once again, as I've said in the past, it really comes down to the casting of those two roles. If they had hired better actors, I feel like that component would've lasted much longer on the show and maintained the "rich vs. poor" element (with Krystle caught in the middle) that DYNASTY was built upon.

It was bad enough that the entire storyline hinged on no one suspecting what Joel, Rita or Sammy Jo were up to. To make matters worse, though, it dragged on much too long, and it had no long-term ramifications on the show whatsoever. At the very least, they could have had Blake wrestle with the knowledge that Rita was more exciting in bed than Krystle, lol.

Sounds like somebody missed that Very Special "Golden Girls". ;)

Then things get REALLY interesting when the people of Walnut Grove learn Mr. Edwards has also been seeing Hester Sue!

My bad! I got the characters' names mixed up. Still, it's a pretty wild image to have inside one's head. ("Tonight, on a very special LHOTP," lol.)

Yet, when they DO attempt to tell a story, it's something so incredibly stupid - like that Krystle/Rita bullshit - that you hate they even bothered, lol.