Faulkner

I’m glad they have 3+ months to actually promote the damn thing. I suppose it’s smart to use Black History Month in part to build broader awareness (and celebrate this milestone on daytime) instead of starting in early February. The Grammys are on February 2. Morris Chestnut’s Watson premieres Sunday, January 26, on CBS after the AFC Championship Game, a month-out promotional opportunity (a primetime premiere with a Black lead after one of the biggest NFL games of the season).

I’m glad that they can walk on the show and not automatically know they’ll be subordinate characters. Almost all Black actors on these legacy soaps throughout history have known there was a ceiling on what they could accomplish. It’ll be curious how the Mike Manning “Smitty” character fits into the broader canvas. Part of me wishes they cast that role as Black and linked him to another family to open up more story opportunities. (There are potentially lots of interesting dynamics for Black gay man with a white partner.) But MM is very talented.

I promise I won’t spam but I do like to make sure there’s a balance of thirst traps of Black men on these boards, being a Black man who is primarily attracted to other Black men and POCs. It can get very blond on SON. And BTG has a very attractive male cast (and let’s be real: hunks are a big part of the pleasure of soap viewership and this show is NOT lacking).

Just watched the Nov 4 episode. The show looks richer and more elegant than it has in years. No blinding JFP-style “let’s see everything we paid for” lighting. The dull Kyle/Claire “love scene” at least didn’t have the awful shadows I saw in a recent Audra/Nate bangdown. Billy and Sally have zero chemistry, but how could they with that dumb dialogue? Amanda Beall had her fingerprints all over that stupidity. Hopefully, the writing fix will follow some of the production improvements.

He’s got Jonathan Jackson (Lucky, GH) on today:

Epic majesty and drama.

Wertheim’s apology:

Such a great song: