kalbir

Of the EP's GL had in it's final 25 years, Paul Rauch had the longest run (6 years).

If March 1997 saw one hour B&B and a new 30 minute Bell show, how would the schedule have been arranged? Remember 1997 was the height of Reilly's Days so CBS would not want the new Bell show head-to-head w/ Reilly's Days. I'm thinking for Eastern time 11 am The Price is Right Noon Local programming 12:30 pm Y&R 1:30 pm B&B 2:30 pm new Bell show 3 pm As the World Turns Then for Central, Mountain, and Pacific time 10 am The Price is Right 11 am Y&R Noon Local programming 12:30 pm B&B 1:30 pm new Bell show 2 pm As the World Turns

It's summer. Kids are off school. Numbers are going to be inflated.

ED's acting style doesn't lend itself to Ashley being a heroine/romantic lead female. That's why Bill Bell struggled to write a viable love interest for Ashley. Recall the pairings with Brian, Eric, Marc all tanked, and I found the pairing with Steven didn't really work. Bill Bell saw that EB was a match for ED's acting style, that's why Victor/Ashley worked during ED's original run. With Ashley/Brad, Bill Bell knew that 1985-1988 Don Diamont was no match acting-wise for ED so he didn't put Ashley/Brad in each other's orbit romantically until Brenda Epperson was in the role. I didn't like that Ashley and Traci became romantic rivals especially since Bill Bell introduced the Abbott daughters as having a good relationship and initially kept them in separate orbits as far as their romances and romantic rivals go.

1980-1982 was Y&R's surviving period. 1980 and 1981 just seem like a mess overall and 1982 was the big cast change. 1983 was putting the finishing touches on the transition and 1984 was when Y&R really became Y&R as we know it today. In the ratings we saw Y&R become CBS's highest-rated soap by 1983 and #1 overall by 1989. Y&R's rise to #1 was a combination of owning its time slot, having strong lead ins with The Price is Right and local news, and maintaining its audience during and after the 1988 Writer's Strike.

Guiding Light entered cancel territory around 1995 or 1996. 1996 it looked like Bradley was preparing B&B to expand to one hour in time for the 10th anniversary in March 1997 but as we all know that didn't happen. Also notice B&B had a bit of a cast purge not long after the 10th anniversary. Bill Bell Jr. and Maria Arena Bell had a soap bible Coming of Age that they attempted to sell to NBC in 1992 or 1993. I wonder if CBS would have used that for a new 30 minute soap in March 1997.

CBS new schedule is paying off for Y&R and Search for Tomorrow.

@Soapsuds Justin Bieber was so little and cute then. I like this remix of Somebody to Love What do you think of this DeBarge song? This song was sampled in a 1990s Hip Hop classic and a 1990s R&B classic.

My favorite CBS Daytime era was 1989-1992. All four soaps were hitting their stride plus the game show block. The Price is Right and Family Feud were my favorites of the game show block in those years. I liked Card Sharks, Now You See It was all right, but I wasn't really down for budget mode Wheel of Fortune (when the wheel has $50 and $75 spaces, yeah that's budget mode). I'd say CBS Daytime was really shaken up in the early 1980s with ABC's huge rise. That's why so many changes to the line up and the shows themselves. Another shakeup was in the mid-1990s with Reilly's Days huge rise and the aftermath of OJ. Y&R went off track for a few years. B&B hit a lull then rebounded a bit, but eventually starting tanking. As the World Turns and Guiding Light were already in trouble before OJ but never really recovered after OJ. I think the best eras for each of the soaps were Y&R: 1983-1998 but really thrived 1984 through first half of 1986, 1990 through first half of 1994, second half of 1997 to end of 1998. B&B: Bill Bell years but really thrived 1989 to 1993. As the World Turns: Douglas Marland years 1985-1993 but really thrived 1986 and 1987. Guiding Light: Robert Calhoun/Pamela Long/Nancy Curlee era 1989-1991.

May 13, 1981 special report must have been attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II. The next ratings will have the new CBS schedule.

Agree. RIP Sharon Farrell.

So which new family addition/expansion did more long-term damage, Lewis or Cooper? The Lewis family was introduced in the Allen Potter/Douglas Marland era and they were clearly influenced by Dallas but it was in the Gail Kobe/Pamela Long era that they were expanded and elevated to a main family. The Cooper family was introduced in the Joe Willmore/Pamela Long era but expanded in the Robert Calhoun/Nancy Curlee era and elevated to a main family in the JFP/Nancy Curlee era. Both families remained until the end but I find whenever there is any discussion about GL losing its way during the final 25 years its almost always pinpointed back to storylines involving one of these two families.

@JoeCool Thank you for the additional info.

This is the first I've read that ABC was in the running for Y&R. I've read before that NBC passed on Y&R but Bill Bell disproved that by saying he always intended for Y&R to go to CBS.

Y&R expanded to one hour on February 4, 1980. The February 4, 1980 to June 5, 1981 schedule was Search for Tomorrow 12:30 pm ET, Y&R 1 pm ET, As the World Turns 2 pm ET, Guiding Light 3 pm ET. The June 8, 1981 schedule change was Y&R 12:30 pm ET, As the World Turns 1:30 pm ET, Search for Tomorrow 2:30 pm ET, Guiding Light 3 pm ET. Y&R would be head-to-head w/ Ryan's Hope, The Doctors, first half of All My Children, first half of Days. As the World Turns would be head-to-head w/ second half of All My Children, second half of Days, first half of One Life to Live, first half of Another World. Search for Tomorrow would be head-to-head w/ second half of One Life to Live and second half of Another World. Guiding Light remained head-to-head w/ General Hospital and Texas.

@Liberty City Queen Stephanie and her bitch slaps are everything. It's a shame that the classics did not give us a week of the best of Queen Stephanie.

We're getting close to the CBS schedule change June 8, 1981.

1979 Y&R had so much momentum heading into 1980 but the expansion derailed it. 1977 will be interesting to see the lead up to GL expansion in November that year.

Let's hope Josh Griffith doesn't bungle the execution.

35 years since this New Jack Swing classic album dropped

The article even pointed out they were only hits because they were hammocked between Friends/Seinfeld/ER. Fall 1995 until end of 1999 the only show I'd consider a breakout hit was Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

Miami Vice was a repeat on February 7, 1986, episode Buddies. Original broadcast November 1, 1985 had rating 20.6, 11th for the week. 1985/86 Miami Vice new episodes clean swept Falcon Crest.

1995/96, ER reaches #1 and Friends blows up. The rest of the broadcast network primetime lineups that weren't NBC Thursday, not looking so good. Who Lives and Who Dies on TV - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

You're still early in the series. Angela has some good emotional scenes in seasons 3 and 4.

I wonder if Ryan's Hope being ahead of Search for Tomorrow was CBS's motivation for rearranging the soap schedule on June 8, 1981. Ryan's Hope head-to-head w/ the first half of Y&R from June 8, 1981 to October 5, 1984. It will be interesting to see Y&R rise and Ryan's Hope fall during that period.