kalbir

Yes, the breakout success of Roseanne changed the sitcom game. It was the first show to challenge The Cosby Show dominance and it basically killed off all the Reagan-era ideal family sitcoms. 1988/89: The Cosby Show #1. Roseanne first season 2nd. Growing Pains falls out of the Top 10. Family Ties below the Top 30 in its final season. 1989/90: The Cosby Show and Roseanne tie for #1. Who's the Boss falls out of the Top 10. 1990/91: Roseanne 3rd. The Cosby Show 5th. 1991/92: Roseanne 2nd. The Cosby Show 18th in its final season. Who's the Boss below the Top 30 in its final season. Growing Pains below the Top 30 in its final season.

Yes, the Potter/Marland era held its own against massive pop culture phenomenon General Hospital but it was also helped by Y&R being in their post-expansion slump. Remember pre-expansion Y&R was challenging General Hospital and All My Children for #1 but the expansion derailed all its momentum. Y&R rebounds in the second half of 1982 and that overlaps w/ the post-Marland fall. How the CBS soaps ranked ratings-wise in the 1980s. 1979/80: 3. Y&R, 5. Guiding Light, 6. As the World Turns, 7. Search for Tomorrow, 13. Love of Love (series finale February 1, 1980) 1980/81: 4. Guiding Light, 5. As the World Turns, 6. Y&R, 8. Search for Tomorrow 1981/82: 4. Guiding Light, 5. Y&R, 5. As the World Turns, 8. Search for Tomorrow (CBS finale March 26, 1982), 9. Capitol (debut March 29, 1982) 1982/83: 4. Y&R, 5. As the World Turns, 6. Guiding Light, 7. Capitol 1983/84: 3. Y&R, 5. Guiding Light, 6. As the World Turns, 8. Capitol 1984/85: 3. Y&R, 4. Guiding Light, 6. As the World Turns (tied w/ Days), 8. Capitol 1985/86: 2. Y&R, 6. Guiding Light, 7. As the World Turns, 8. Capitol (tied w/ Another World) 1986/87: 2. Y&R, 4. As the World Turns (tied w/ All My Children and Days), 7. Guiding Light, 8. B&B (debut March 23, 1987), 9. Capitol (series finale March 20, 1987) 1987/88: 1. Y&R (tied w/ General Hospital), 6. As the World Turns, 7. Guiding Light, 8. B&B 1988/89: 1. Y&R, 6. As the World Turns, 7. Guiding Light, 8. B&B 1989/90: 1. Y&R, 5. As the World Turns, 6. B&B, 7. Guiding Light (tied w/ Days)

Who's the Boss and Growing Pains were good until 1987/88. 1988/89 they felt off (after effects of the writer's strike and changing times), 1989/90 I started losing interest in them, and their final two seasons I didn't watch at all. Spring 1990 feels like their natural end point yet they both ended Spring 1992.

Not that I know of. IMO Dynasty got #1 in 1984/85 because Aaron Spelling pulled out all the stops to be bigger and better than Dallas. I broke down 1984/85 Dynasty in its thread.

@SoapDope MTS has said that Victor/Nikki were an accident pairing and it was Bill Bell that saw the connection between her and EB before they themselves did. The audience clearly saw the connection too, since the My Fair Lady storyline took off. Re: Victor/Lorie/Nikki, I have a feeling Bill Bell's original plans shifted due to JLB departure and MTS real-life pregnancy. We also know Y&R was in their post-expansion slump from February 1980 to June 1982 and alot of Bill Bell's original plans might have been derailed with the expansion and cast changes.

Miss Ellie may have been a wealthy matriarch but her original styling reflected her roots as a rancher's daughter. Remember too that Dallas got more corporate and glamorous in an attempt to compete w/ Dynasty.

OK, so this is like the Daytime Emmy version of Rookie of the Year.

ABC was a mess in 1984/85 despite Dynasty reaching #1. Too many one season and done shows. Also, the Aaron Spelling hit factory was showing of signs of weakening.

@Paul Raven Thanks for the TV Guide article. They were right on The Cosby Show; Murder, She Wrote; Miami Vice, Who's the Boss?, Hunter, but wrong on Paper Dolls, Finder of Lost Loves, Jessie.

@chrisml

Isn't Pamela Long herself from the southeast? You'd think she would know cultural differences between the southeast and southwest and midwest regions, but maybe she didn't.

Generations paved the way for soaps integrating their casts in the 1990s and the launch of Empire a decade ago.

Tamara Tunie is rocking the s--- out of her gray hair. She's serving up messy matriarch/grande dame fierceness.

@Taoboi Did Sean Dominic have a glow up that I somehow did not recognize?

Sounds about right. For me it was John Abbott death that marked the end of Y&R as we knew it. Are you checking for Nate now?

Recent talk in the Y&R Old Articles thread about Brenda Epperson run as Ashley has me thinking of a similar situation at B&B in that same era. Hunter Tylo pretty much replaced Joanna Johnson so I wonder if Ronn Moss had any issues working with HT around 1990 and 1991. Bill Bell saw that RM and HT connected on-screen so original Ridge/Taylor worked. AFAIK there was nothing in the soap press in the early 1990s re RM/HT working relationship.

There are some 1989 scenes of EB and BE that came across as a chemistry test but I felt there was no connection which is why I always wondered why Bill Bell revisited Victor/Ashley w/ BE in the role. BE was a serviceable recast but her main storylines (Ashley/Brad/Traci triangle, Victor marriage/divorce, Blade/Rick) didn't really work.

1986/87 was on the whole not a very memorable season. Amen, Matlock, L.A. Law, ALF were the main new shows I remember, but they weren't exactly breakout hits. NBC Thursday continued their domination from 1985/86. Other strong nights were CBS Sunday, NBC Saturday, ABC Tuesday. NBC had a historical night January 22, 1987 where The Cosby Show and Family Ties each had their series high and Cheers had their series high until the series finale. Pivotal events for CBS were Murder, She Wrote having their only #1 episode (Night of the Headless Horseman) and their series high (Simon Says, Color Me Dead), and Dallas falling out of the Top 10. It was a sign of things to come. ABC saw the further weakening of the Aaron Spelling hit factory (Dynasty fell out of the Top 10, Hotel fell out of the Top 30, The Colbys was cancelled) but Tuesday made a comeback with Who's the Boss, Growing Pains, Moonlighting all finishing in the Top 10.

July 10-14, 1989 also had other storylines. July 17, 1989 whole episode was the wedding.

Re: Noah, he was SORASed in 2008 or 2009 but he hasn't had any story of relevance since.

Thanks for the info.

Thanks @JAS0N47 for the 1980s specials. Will you be compiling specials in the 1990s thread?

Joshua Morrow birthdate February 8, 1974. Jason Thompson birthdate November 20, 1976.

No crossovers please. It's not the first half of the 1990s when Y&R/B&B both had Bill Bell at the helm.

Hahaha, dead. Funny thing is, Jason Thompson is 2 years younger than Joshua Morrow.