kalbir

@Donna B It was posted in the "They Almost Became" thread that Terry Lester was offered Buzz but turned it down to take Royce on ATWT. I think I remember Terry himself saying this in an interview around 1992 or 1993; maybe someone has the Soap Opera Digest/Soap Opera Weekly/TV Guide w/ this interview.

@VanessaReardon 1986 will see Y&R getting closer to #1. That year was so good, except for the permanent arrival of Cricket who proceeded to eat the show for the remainder of the decade.

From your keyboard to CBS/Sony. I would love to watch 1980-1990.

To think that Justin Deas might not have been the original choice for Buzz yet JFP got him hired and he earned a supporting actor Daytime Emmy in his first year, a lead actor win his second year, and a second lead actor win two years later. Maybe JFP tried to get one of her friends cast as Alan but CBS/P&G overrode her.

CBS kept the 10 am ET slot until September 1993; Family Feud Challenge was the last game show in that slot. I remember Bob Goen's Wheel of Fortune. CBS really cheaped out on WoF; $50 and $75 spaces on the wheel LOL. Like Family Feud and Now You See It earlier in 1989, WoF also had a CBS soap week but unfortunately those episodes haven't surfaced online anywhere (I remember they aired sometime during Fall 1989).

That's because Bill Bell was a genius and Bradley Bell did not inherit his father's talent. The first three years you can see the elements from 1970s Y&R, but once the Spectra gang becomes a bigger part of the story and Bill Bell writes off the characters that weren't working, it's full steam ahead to the end of the 1990s.

The GOAT wedding was April 1984, and not long after the seeds were planted for the eternal feud and eternal triangle. If Bill Bell didn't get the post-Y&R timeslot for B&B, do you think he would've taken both shows to another network? Apparently during the 1985/1986 season, Mark Goodson demanded that CBS give Bob Eubanks's Card Sharks the pre-The Price is Right timeslot then occupied by Press Your Luck otherwise he'd take both TPiR and Card Sharks to another network so CBS caved as they didn't want to lose their #1 game show (I think TPiR was also CBS's top rated daytime program but I could be wrong). As we all know, Press Your Luck was sent to the 4 pm ET death slot in January 1986 where it remained until it was cancelled that September, thus CBS being the last network to program the 4 pm ET slot. So during the 1980s CBS caved to Mark Goodson and Bill Bell but not to P&G. Imagine if CBS lost TPiR in 1986 and Y&R/B&B in 1987. I would guess their daytime division wouldn't survive past the 1990s. That 11 am-130 pm ET lineup of TPiR/local news/Y&R/B&B played a big part in CBS being the #1 daytime network.

I'm surprised Alan wasn't recast with a Friend of Jill. I figured a pivotal role would've gone to a well-known soap name. Wasn't Ron Raines a musical theater actor before GL?

Bill Bell also used that same element with Liz/Jill and Beth/Brooke.

Marcy Walker arrives in November 1993, correct? So the YT channel that has Fall 1993 should have her episodes soon. It was posted in the "They Almost Became" thread that Marcy Walker turned down B&B and joined GL instead, but I have no idea how she would've fit on B&B in 1993 as their cast then was quite full of females around her age. Which 1993 Friend of Jill incident is the most egregious, Justin Deas, Marj Dusay, or Marcy Walker?

If Days is on the air as of Monday April 27, 2020, it will move past As the World Turns and become the third longest running daytime drama on US network television.

I'm watching the Fall 1993 episodes and I can see signs of the worst elements of JFP that have been discussed numerous times in various threads. Even though it's a bit of a chore to get through the episodes, I'll continue until Nancy Curlee leaves the writing team, which is sometime in the beginning of 1994. I know the rest of 1994 and onward isn't very good, despite JFP leaving in May 1995.

I've always wondered if Robert Calhoun left by his own choice and now I know. Thanks Khan

Jennifer, Katherine, Vanessa, Stephanie were all similar in character. Bill Bell certainly liked the messy matriarchs.

I remember a Bill Bell interview where he mentioned CBS approached him around 1977 about having a second show on the network's daytime lineup. If a second Bell show was ready to air in 1977 instead of 1987, I wonder where it would've gone on the lineup. I don't think Search for Tomorrow was in cancel territory in 1977 and I read elsewhere that Love of Life made a bit of a comeback ratings wise during the mid 1970s. I know CBS expanded Guiding Light to one hour in 1977 so the half hour that went to GL may have gone to a second Bell show instead. What are your thoughts on Capitol? In my mind B&B was the intended replacement for Search for Tomorrow, Capitol was a placeholder/time filler until B&B was ready. It's hard to believe that B&B has had a longer run on CBS than Search for Tomorrow did.

I suspect CBS wanted something more glamorous to compete w/ ABC. If Y&R wasn't in transition mode during the early 1980s, maybe Bill Bell would have had a second show ready for CBS by 1982.

Nancy Curlee leaves the writing team at end of 1993 or beginning of 1994, correct? I know JFP remains as EP until May 1995.

I'm up to the end of Summer 1993 on YT and not sure whether to watch the rest of the year and go on to 1994. I know end of 1993 and into 1994 was where things got really bad, and there were some big cast changes, ie. more Friends of Jill being hired.

@BoldRestless Thank you for the 1986 episodes! Some pivotal moments in those episodes. I'm really hoping the John/Jack confrontation surfaces soon.

Even if CBS kept Search for Tomorrow in the 1980s, my feeling is it would've ended the moment Bill Bell had a second show ready for CBS's daytime lineup. Capitol to me was more of a placeholder/time filler until Bill Bell's second show was good to go.

We have a new #1 on the Hot 100 https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8527829/billie-eilish-bad-guy-number-one-five-burning-questions

Looking at these ratings, the 1 hour expansion and time slot change in February 1980 might have caused Y&R to drop a bit. All My Children must have been killing it back then. I'm guessing Y&R ratings picked up again with the June 1981 time slot change.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8527171/lil-nas-x-old-town-road-number-one-hot-100-19-weeks

18 weeks

Maitland Ward hasn't been recognizable since White Chicks. She must be in her early 40s now.