Khan

You aren't alone. John Pleshette told knotslanding.net pretty much the same thing years ago: that it isn't realistic for neighbors to become so involved in each others' lives. That's why, for example, they had Gary (and later, Abby) work with Sid at Knots Landing Motors, so that they would have more ways for the residents to interact.

It is. Her costar is the one I can't exactly place, though. I know I've seen him before - maybe on one of the soaps? - but I'm not sure.

I think I've said this before, but in the series finale, I wanted Claudia to meet on her flight to Paris (or whatever) a handsome stranger played by Kathleen Noone's former AMC co-star, Mark LaMura (ex-Mark). If I were to reboot/revive KL today, I think I would start fresh, with 3-4 new families living on Seaview Circle that reflected more of America in 2024. There might be shout-outs to the old show and cast, but, otherwise, it'd be its' own animal.

Thank you for reminding me, @kalbir, I totally had forgotten that, lol. ICAM. Like you said, @SoapDope, Larry Hagman had his onscreen sparring partner back, but I think the audience was pissed off at the suggestion that they had wasted an entire season of their lives watching that show.

I think the majority of voters in this country feel the same way that Kate Mulgrew does about abortion. Most aren't necessarily "pro-abortion," but they do believe that that is a choice that each individual woman has to make for herself without fear of retribution from the government. It's only those "moral majority" types on the right who believe they have to intrude in and regulate every aspect of people's lives, including whether a woman has the right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, because "Jesus told them to;" when, in fact, Jesus would be the first one to tell them to mind their own [!@#$%^&*] business.

Of course, I'm only speculating, but I suspect the original plan was for Teri Austin to return as a Jill lookalike, much like when Lisa Hartman returned as Cathy after being killed off as Ciji. Why else shroud "Sally's Friend" in so much mystery at the beginning? But, either Austin and Ted Shackelford were breaking up IRL, or the producers decided that since they'd told that story already with Ciji/Cathy, they didn't want to repeat themselves.

I agree!

On paper, Amanda was so...wimpy, so you needed a very strong actress who could play against that. Otherwise, Amanda could have been downright insufferable - which was what she was, IMO, since it seemed like Peyser chose to play what was written and nothing else.

It seems like H. Ross Perot opened the proverbial floodgates for every kook and weirdo in our lifetimes to run for president.

Poor Jane Elliot.

Basically, Gary and Pat were supposed to have an affair, but when the producers became skittish (for obvious reasons), Lynne Moody complained, so they decided she had to go. You know, when it came to casting, the Lechowicks were funny people. More often than not, good or great actors they hired were wasted in bad roles and storylines, while some of the most bland actors I've ever come across in all my years of TV watching got the comparatively juicier parts.* Even Kathleen Noone floundered as Claudia until the last season, when Ann Marcus figured out what to do with her. (*I'm convinced that the ONLY reason why they hired Sam Behrens to play Danny was because Behrens, like Douglas Sheehan before him, was a GH veteran. And the less I say about Penny Peyser as Amanda, the better.) Frankly, I think they wasted her in that role, and I definitely understand why she turned down their offer to return, too. That was probably the worst role she'd had since she played Christina Karras Martin on AMC.

To me, it was pretty remarkable how MKA could return as India in 1990 or so, play out scenes with Grant Aleksander's Phillip, and share a certain chemistry with him as if she'd always played opposite his Phillip. In fact, I'd venture to say that their chemistry was miles ahead of the chemistry she had shared previously with John Bolger.

"Rich Man, Poor Man Book II" gets a bum rap for being too soapy when compared to the first miniseries, but it's not as if Irwin Shaw's original novel was the stuff of great literature. IIRC, "Second Chances" premiered on CBS the same year ABC had cancelled "Homefront," so it was nice to see the Lechowicks' work back on TV after such a short period. SC also was different from most other primetime soaps by being a sort of soap opera/crime drama hybrid, with the first storyline centered around the murder of Connie Sellecca's character's husband. SC was rough in places - from what I can recall, there was another mystery involving police corruption that wasn't as solid; and as usual, some of the Lechowicks' casting choices left much to be desired - but I thought they did a good job integrating Jennifer Lopez's character and her family with the rest of the show. It's just unfortunate that the Northridge earthquake, which destroyed many of the show's sets, forced CBS to cancel it rather than give it the full season. On the other hand, "Hotel Malibu," which spun off Lopez's character from SC, screams "contractual obligation," due mostly to the fact that it was burned off during the summer, lol. This time, the Stanleys have joined the Lechowicks in producing the show; and it's soapier and more lighthearted than SC - there's even a shout-out to KNOTS in one scene, lol! - but as hard as they worked to get you to tune in every week, I kinda knew there would be no point in waiting for a second season (summer, or any other time of the year).

They've got to stop doing those "let's ask these 'undecided' voters what they think" panels. They're hardly scientific, and just about all of 'em are rigged as hell, too.

Little Bobby has brought shame to the name of "Kennedy" - and with a family that includes a virtual murderer's row of family embarrassments, that's saying something!

What, if any, effect will RFK's exit have on the race?

It won't, lol. I tried watching one or two GAC Christmas movies last season, but it was clear to me that they were written and produced for people who still believed in a white Christmas, if you know what I mean.

For me, the question would be: if someone were to revive KL today, which KL would we get? Would we get the KL of seasons 1-3, with self-contained episodes about the ups and downs of married life in the suburbs; the KL of seasons 4-14, with sudsier, less middle-class storylines that rivalled the other primetime soaps of the day; or a hybrid of the two?

A sure sign that the revival is in trouble.

Well, part of the problem, I think, was that the Lechowicks didn't understand that Abby was not a villain the way J.R. Ewing and Alexis Colby were villains. Alexis and J.R. would have had no problem at all with planting drugs on their daughter's new boyfriend, or being in cahoots with a known killer (like Ted Melcher). Abby, however, had lines that she wouldn't have crossed. I look at the scene where Abby shows Ted the photos that incriminate him in Rick Hawkins' and Maeda's murders and I think, "The Abby Fairgate Cunningham Ewing Sumner of the past wouldn't have cavalierly shown him those photos or held them over his head as some form of leverage. She would've been appalled by the lengths her partner-in-crime had gone to in order to secure Lotus Point, and she would've worked double-time to expose him to the authorities while still keeping herself out of trouble." When it comes to the casting of Lucy Ewing, I'm more on Katzman's side than I am Jacobs'. I think Stepfanie Kramer would have been all wrong. Lucy NEEDED to be your typical Texas blonde, with big hair, big boobs and big attitude. But she also needed to be played by someone who could ACT, and who could give her emotional layers (because, after all, Lucy was a girl who starved for her parents' affections) that CT simply could not. And if not her, then the OTHER Heather (Thomas), whose sultriness definitely would have fit in well with the rest of the cast, if nothing else.

I agree. After all, KNOTS had CT cross over for one episode during S1 and look how well that turned out, lol. Mary Crosby's post-"Who Shot J.R.?" crossover episode was marginally better, but still proof that KNOTS and DALLAS operated in two entirely different worlds. As crazy as it sounds, I would've had Ana-Alicia join the cast after FC, either as the not-so-dead-after-all Melissa Agretti, or as a new troublemaker on the scene to go toe-to-toe with Nicollette Sheridan/Paige and help ease Donna Mills/Abby out the door. The producers probably would've needed to trim some dead weight to pay for her, but I think it would've been worth it in the end. I can't say that I blame Julie Harris for turning down that offer, although I *wish* KNOTS had had enough dough to bring her back in S14 after Val's "death." To me, it would have made sense for Lilimae to come back for Gary and the twins' sake, while side-eying his blossoming relationship with Kate, lol.

"Nancy? You in danger, girl!"

To this day, I RME at the idea of Josh Lewis becoming a minister. Again, a tremendous leap for your average GL fan to have to make in order for it to make sense, lol.

Won't argue with you there, lol. Meanwhile, I think his story - disgraced politician goes into business/private practice with his daughter - has the seeds for a really good, one-hour dramedy.