Khan

That lineup (Archie Bunker's Place/Alice/The Jeffersons/One Day at a Time) was probably CBS' best comedy lineup since the Saturday night one with All in the Family/MASH/The Mary Tyler Moore Show/The Bob Newhart Show/The Carol Burnett Show.

That's the thing: there WAS no pitch. At least, not according to Genie herself. DAYS signed Genie, then they gave her a "character" that was only supposed to last, like, an episode or two. At first, they tried pairing her with Michael T. Weiss (ex-Mike Horton), but when it was clear that wasn't going to work, they paired her up with Drake Hogestyn, which did work (much to many people's surprise, I imagine). Beyond that, however, DAYS never really knew what to do with Genie or Diana. But with Lloyd Bridges and Geraldine Page obviously not committed to working beyond the pilot, how was that gonna be possible? Either they should have cast both parts with actors willing to "slum it" on daytime, or just not bother with the characters at all. IIRC, too, when Emma Samms did leave the second time, she talked to one of the soap mags (SOD?) about how disappointed she was in how the show treated her; like she felt that coming back might've been a mistake (which I guess it was?). I wouldn't have minded Nikki Langton remaining in Port Charles and married to A.J., but they definitely needed to recast.

When did he start? Okay.

Let's put it this way: whenever I'm in the mood to watch MSW reruns, if I see I'm coming up on one set in Ireland or anywhere outside the U.S., I run for the proverbial hills. I think so. IIRC, too, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," also on Saturday nights, was one of CBS' few hit series at the time as well -- and even THAT show was aging fast. Reportedly, the network ordered the show's creator/EP/showrunner, Beth Sullivan, to make the show grittier in order to appeal to a younger demographic, which resulted in some really dark and depressing stories in its' last couple seasons. I think a big problem for CBS was that the era of allowing "prestige series" time to flourish and maybe attract an audience had passed, and now it was all about finding the next "Friends" or whatever so that they didn't lose more viewers to cable. That was especially true for "Picket Fences," a show that might have had a bigger impact, had it been on NBC during the previous decade. At its' best, MSW featured tightly constructed plots that reminded you of the best storytelling on soaps. Plus, former and current soap actors were frequently cast in guest roles.

I know they tried to justify her taking the child by saying Erica feared that Maddie would grow up feeling unworthy like she (Erica) did, but...it just wasn't something you could see Erica doing under any circumstances.

Honestly, casting Lloyd Bridges and Geraldine Page to play two characters that were never intended to last beyond the pilot felt like the worse kind of bait-and-switch. I mean, if you were a fan of either actor, you might have tuned in for the pilot, but there were no guarantees that those who did were going to stick with the show beyond that. Plus, you add the fact that the pilot was introduced by Dorothy Lyman in her Opal (AMC) persona, and you just get the feeling that ABC never had much faith in LOVING.

Trust me, the solution they came up with wasn't any better, lol.

I think then-EP Stephen Wyman was appealing (or attempting to appeal) to the Maury Povich/Jerry Springer crowd, as their shows often had similar visual effects.

By that point, the show liked to pretend that (aside from Dorian and Viki's history) nothing before 1979 ever happened.

Peter S. Fischer left after the seventh (1990-91) season. David Moessinger ("Quincy," "In the Heat of the Night," "Jake & the Fatman") replaced him for a year as EP/showrunner before Angela Lansbury and her brother, Bruce, took over. According to Fischer, those "bookend episodes," where Jessica would introduce and then wrap up the stories, were created after the fifth season, because Angela complained about the toll that the production schedule was taking on her. All she had to do for those episodes was show up, tape her bits that would, well, bookend the stories, and then go home. People worried that the ratings would suffer, but -- again, according to Fischer -- some episodes actually performed as well as or better than shows where Jessica/Angela was featured all the way through. Nevertheless, when Fischer left the series, they found a way to shorten the production schedule so that Angela could work more regularly, thereby eliminating the need for the "bookend episodes." Unfortunately, I think that happened often on MSW, especially after the Lansbury/Shaws assumed control. There are some episodes during the last four or so seasons that were/are just plain awful.

Ceara Connor? Now there's a character whose potential was wasted. If Agnes Nixon and her team had written to GF's strengths from the start and NOT introduced Ceara as this man-hungry schemer, then I think GF's stint might have been longer and had more impact. Instead, I think that decision, along with Genie's laughably bad performance during the climax of the incest story, pretty much guaranteed that Genie was never going to be a major player on that show. I'm sure AW's Bobby Reno/Shane Roberts also would have had more potential, had his backstory not been so damn convoluted. Honestly, why didn't Paul Rauch just recast Dorian with Sharon Gabet? Robin Strasser might be irreplaceable, but I think viewers would have had an easier time accepting SG as a recast than they did Elaine Princi.

Oh, no worries! Like I said, I can't see Tad and Erica hooking up under any circumstances, but I totally respect that you could. After all, anything's possible, if the writing is strong enough.

Until we figure out how to police social media without encroaching upon anyone's individual rights, we are all dead in the water.

I can only imagine what their date nights are like.

If he is, then his wife is the most forgiving wife ever in the history of mankind.

I'm not sure I'd stay in touch with someone who once tried to bite my lip off. (I certainly wouldn't let her follow me on social media.) Ah, Hollywood.

Yeah. Between the fans who still missed Angie Harmon, and the show's producers, who had their own agendas, the poor girl never stood a chance.

Has she? Has she?

Agree. On both counts.

Agree. And even if, by some miracle, VP had agreed to return, I guarantee the resulting story would have been disappointing, especially in the hands of Cynthia Cidre, who would have been among the LAST people I would have hired to run the revival series.

Frankly, you'd have an easier time convincing me that Erica should've hooked up with Trevor Dillon.

There must be some cartel with Orpheus, Ernesto Tuscano and Lawrence Alamain as members, and Stefano as president.

Say what you want about him, but Frank Valentini still looks pretty good.

Hollywood didn't "get" MSW, because they don't value anyone over the age of 28.

Not that I think Mary-Ellis Bunim was this visionary producer, but I'd love to know why ABCD hired her to EP LOVING, and why her tenure was so damn brief. I feel like she and the networks must have butted heads the minute she stepped onto the premises. Either that, or the cast and/or crew hated her on sight.