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@yrfan1983 Judging from Danny's first air date, he must have been brought on for a summer teen storyline and then Bill Bell decided to keep him past the initial storyline.

@victoria foxton I was only throwing around a prediction of CBS's next entry in the NCIS franchise. AFAIK there isn't another NCIS franchise entry in the works.

The next 10 episodes to me were the peak of the series. Looking forward to your recaps.

Hahaha. NCIS: Miami premiering Fall 2023, just watch.

On school breaks I'd watch the CBS game show block and if my parents weren't near the TV I'd leave the TV on to sneak watch the rest of the CBS soaps. Sometimes it worked and other times I got caught. When they weren't home I got away w/ soap watching of course Not related to soap watching, but I learned to use the microfilm readers at the public library for the purpose of reading old newspaper soap columns.

Since the NCIS: Los Angeles thread is archived, posting this here. ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ To End With Season 14 On CBS; Series Finale Date – Deadline In CBS drama history, NCIS: Los Angeles 14 season run ties it w/ Dallas and Knots Landing. Five CBS drama series have had longer runs: Gunsmoke (20 seasons), NCIS (currently in its 20th season), Lassie (17 seasons), CSI (15 seasons), Criminal Minds (15 seasons).

@Paul Raven That's inconsistent SORASing at work.

@ltm1997 Sheryl Underwood is going to be all squealing fangirl, just watch.

I think that's because ratings dropped during Robert Calhoun's run and JFP first year got the ratings up, but as we know the momentum didn't last and JFP did long-term damage that GL never recovered from.

Bill Bell seemed to have dusted off some of the 1984, 1985 Victor/Ashley storyline when he alluded to Victor/Christine in 1996. Ashley/Christine both were placed in Victor's orbit in a professional capacity (Mergeron takeover/Nick's trial). Victor recognized Ashley's business skills/Christine's legal skills thus the job offer at Mergeron/Christine joining the legal team at Newman Enterprises. Victor supported Ashley/Christine when they were at turning points in their lives (Ashley's emotional breakdown in the aftermath of her learning about her parentage/Christine's broken engagement to Paul). Victor/Ashley connected over their parental issues. Christine also had parental issues (growing up without a father and being estranged from her mother for many years) but I don't believe that it was ever brought up again after Jessica died and Jim left. Big difference is that Victor became involved with Ashley while he kept himself in the friend zone with Christine (that I think had to do with Christine's past as a survivor of both date rape and sexual harassment, plus Victor knew Christine still loved Paul and Christine knew Victor still loved Nikki so they weren't going to be each other's rebounds). Of course Nikki had epic confrontations with both Ashley (at the ranch) and Christine (at Legal Aid and at the hospital). I think of all the rivals Nikki had for Victor, Ashley and Christine threatened her the most and brought out all her insecurities. Nikki the OG ho turned housewife that hadn't really accomplished much in her life whereas Ashley/Christine both are intelligent, educated, and have successful careers. With Ashley there was the added element of class differences (Nikki from a working class background and Ashley from a wealthy family) and with Christine there were the added elements of age and attitude differences (Nikki older snooty lady of the manor and Christine younger and kind-hearted).

Thanks @Broderick Found it, 7/2/1985.

The counter programming theory is interesting. The short-term impact of that storyline resulted in long-term damage that GL never really recovered from. The aftermath of Maureen's death to Nancy Curlee departing the writing team was a chore to get through. At least that era saw Michael Zaslow (RIP) earn his long-awaited for Lead Actor Emmy.

You're welcome @Vee and glad you liked the articles

Y&R has a good number of 25+ year veterans in their cast, so I imagine salaries eat up a good chunk of the budget.

Victor/Ashley worked during ED's original run because Bill Bell saw EB was a match for ED's acting style. Victor entered the Abbott orbit during the Mergeron takeover storyline. There are a couple of Victor/Ashley scenes during that storyline I read about in recaps but haven't surfaced in clips/full episodes. Does anyone remember these scenes: Fall 1984 - Victor relates his experience with Cora to Ashley, who begins to think that perhaps she hasn't given Dina a fair chance. Summer 1985 - Feeling Ashley's talents are wasted in the Jabot lab, Victor offers her an executive position at Mergeron. Victor and Ashley connected over their parental issues, then Victor supported Ashley through the recovery from her emotional breakdown in the aftermath of learning that she was the result of an affair between Dina and alcoholic Brent Davis, and Victor recognized Ashley's business skills. Then Fall 1985 the eternal triangle began when Victor and Ashley became involved in Corsica. Did anyone else get a pro-life slant from Ashley's emotional breakdown in the aftermath of ending her pregnancy? I think it was reported in the soap press that Bill Bell got alot of flack for that storyline. I don't know how religious Bill Bell was in his personal life so his personal beliefs may have clouded his storytelling or maybe somebody high up at CBS in 1986, 1987 was pro-life. While I think Ashley cared for Steven, I didn't sense it was a genuine love. Steven supported Ashley through a difficult time, but I feel the marriage was her trying to move on from Victor. BE was a serviceable recast but in hindsight her main storylines (Brad/Ashley/Traci triangle, Victor marriage/divorce, Blade/Rick) didn't work. BE had no connection w/ EB at all. Making Ashley and Traci romantic rivals didn't fit the characters as Bill Bell originally wrote them. Blade/Rick was awful. The less said about SS the better. I think Bill Bell was planning a Victor/Nikki/Brad/Ashley quad in 1996, but since SS had no connection at all w/ EB and DD, Bill Bell pretty much put Christine in the Ashley role.

@Sapounopera Mishael Morgan moved on to bigger and better things. Her talent was being wasted on Y&R.

@Vee I changed the link. It should work w/o a paywall.

I am loving @Vee recaps. We are five episodes away from Ava Gardner. Her arc was a highlight for me. Between Lana Turner, Dorothy McGuire, and Ava Gardner, CBS soaps loved casting Golden Age Hollywood actresses as mothers to their villains. Ava Gardner was keeping it real when she admitted taking the part on Knots Landing for money. Ava Gardner still a star - UPI Archives A couple of cast interviews that mention Ava's arc. It seems she was well-liked and didn't throw any diva demands. A Conversation with Constance McCashin from Knots Landing Jan 2023 The Dallas Decoder Interview: Joan Van Ark – Dallas Decoder

I think all shows that weren't the ABC big three suffered. NBC on the whole was a giant mess in the late 1970s/early 1980s. CBS daytime was shaken up to the point that they made numerous scheduling changes in the early 1980s.

Victor/Nikki the accident supercouple but 1981-1984 they didn't get the same degree of attention in the soap press that General Hospital Luke/Laura and Days Bo/Hope did. There was also really no Y&R couple 1985-1989 that got the same degree of attention in the soap press that Santa Barbara Cruz/Eden and Days Steve/Kayla did.

@divinemotion Bradley realized B&B was tanking during summer 1995, that's why in the fall Sheila returned and Lauren relocated from Y&R. Funny thing is that 1996-1998 Sheila/Lauren were hardly in each other's orbits.

That's right, one full contract (spring 1985 to spring 1988). Her departure was during the writer's strike and before Robert Calhoun was replaced as EP by Laurence Caso.

Julianne Moore also had the good fortune of being on As the World Turns during the Robert Calhoun/Douglas Marland era when it was at its peak.

@soapfan770 Yeah, early 1996 it looked like there was going to be a Jill/Ryan hookup but it didn't happen. Instead we got that awful Nina/Ryan/Victoria/Cole quad. For whatever reason Bill Bell put teenage Victoria in the orbit of college-aged adults instead of building a teen group around her like he would w/ Nick a few years later.