kalbir

Y&R's action/adventure storylines during the H. Wesley Kenney years (1982-1986). The police corruption/mob angles were tame in comparison to General Hospital and Days in that same era but action/adventure never really suited Y&R. I've often thought that adding action/adventure to Y&R was a CBS mandate to compete w/ General Hospital and Days.

1973-1975 Bill Bell was writing both Y&R and Days. Bill Bell wrote both Y&R and B&B from 1987-1993.

Correction: Y&R and All My Children were head-to-head at 1 pm ET from February 4, 1980 to June 5, 1981. CBS moved Y&R to 12:30 pm ET on June 8, 1981, so Y&R was now head-to-head w/ Ryan's Hope and the first half of All My Children.

Bill Bell himself said that CBS first approached him in 1977 for a second show but for whatever reason he wasn't ready for a second show then. If Bill Bell had a second show ready in 1977, then I think GL doesn't expand to 1 hour that year. IMO CBS wanted a second Bill Bell show to replace Search for Tomorrow in 1982 but Y&R was still a mess during the first half of that year so Bill Bell had to fix Y&R before he could even think about a second show.

With the 1980s ratings now fully posted, lets see how each network stacked up. CBS was shaken at the beginning of the 1980s with the huge rise of ABC, thus the rearrangements of the schedule and changes to the shows themselves, but ends the decade with Y&R killing it, B&B showing growth, As the World Turns performing strongly, and Guiding Light middle of the pack. Prior to its expansion to 1 hour, Y&R was a Top 3 show but the expansion derailed all its momentum and Y&R doesn't fully recover until the second half of 1982. Y&R would become CBS's highest rated show by 1983 and #1 overall by 1989. As the World Turns remained middle of the pack until it started showing growth in Fall 1986 thanks to Douglas Marland writing. Guiding Light was able to hold its own in the early 1980s against General Hospital and was CBS's highest rated show but with Douglas Marland departure, Gail Kobe/Pamela Long chasing all the 1980s trends, and the writer turnover during the first half of Joe Willmore run, the ratings dropped and Guiding Light ends the 1980s as CBS's lowest rated show. Search for Tomorrow was middle of the pack but P&G was not happy with the time change and CBS had enough of P&G complaining so Search for Tomorrow CBS run came to an end. Capitol was a placeholder/time filler until Bill Bell had another show ready. ABC started the 1980s with its big three General Hospital, All My Children, One Life to Live killing it and ends the decade with its big three still performing strongly but not as dominant as it was in the beginning of the decade. ABC's weakness was its shows outside the big three. Ryan's Hope was effectively over in 1983 when Y&R blew up, The Edge of Night suffered from lack of clearances, and Loving only made it on the air because of Agnes Nixon clout with ABC. NBC started the 1980s at the bottom and ended the decade at the bottom. The only bright spots were supercouple Days but even that collapsed by the end of the decade, and Santa Barbara Emmy/SOD awards run at the end of the decade but that didn't translate into ratings. Another World never recovered from its late 1970s ratings drop.

Y&R December 22, 1989 was rebroadcast in 2008 to give background on Katherine/Marge. This episode had a scene where Marge was watching television and you could hear the B&B theme song. I guess Bill Bell forgot when he began the crossovers that Y&R/B&B were in separate universes. As the World Turns December 22, 1989 was rebroadcast as a holiday classic in the early 2000s I think. This week in real life US troops invade Panama and communism is coming to an end in Romania. Y&R December 29, 1989 was rebroadcast in 1999. Scott and Lauren wedding. B&B December 28, 1989 Ridge proposes to Caroline. The 1980s are now over. What a ride it's been. Thank you so much @JAS0N47 for your hard work in bringing this part of daytime history to us. You should be knighted 🤗

Location shooting/far-off remotes I'd say were a side effect of action/adventure and supercouples.

Y&R November 27, 1989 Peter Bergman debut. This week in real life communism was coming to an end in Czechoslovakia. @Soapsuds I think December 1989 was a big cast change month for As the World Turns w/ Hillary Bailey Smith departure and debuts of Mary Ellen Stuart, Ellen Dolan, and Heather Rattray.

Bill Bell's second worst nepotism. SS did not work as Ashley at all. When Y&R was off track (Fall 1994 through the first half of 1997), it seemed Bill Bell had lost interest in the Abbotts. I would have had Ashley off the canvas from BE departure in December 1995 until ED return in March 1999. I think with Ashley's return in March 1996, Bill Bell was planning a Victor/Nikki/Brad/Ashley quad but SS not passing the chemistry tests w/ EB and Don Diamont derailed that storyline.

@GL Oldtimer @Mitch64 Your observations on Roger/Holly are totally spot on. Even though Roger/Holly should not have been together romantically, there were always hints of something brewing between them. That's why it was so wrong yet so right to root for them. I remember someone on this board once described them as the anti-supercouple and that description fits them perfectly. MG herself said that she and MZ connected right away as actors. Clearly the writers and the audience saw that connection too. It's too bad that none of the Roger/Holly storylines of 1976-1978 have surfaced AFAIK. Whenever any 1979 and 1980 episodes featuring Roger/Holly surface, those episodes are a treat to watch because they set everything in motion for what we saw a decade later.

This week in real life San Francisco earthquake, Galileo launch, communism was coming to an end in Hungary, Erich Honecker resigned as leader of East Germany. @Soapsuds I think around this time was As the World Turns Martha Byrne departure. This week in real life fall of the Berlin Wall.

Guiding Light this week Beth Chamberlin debut. B&B this week start of Queen Mary fashion show.

Dynasty time slot competition 1980/81 Monday 9 pm. CBS 9 pm M*A*S*H and 9:30 pm House Calls. NBC Monday movie. 1981/82 Wednesday 10 pm. CBS Shannon, Wednesday movie. NBC Quincy, M.E. 1982/83 Wednesday 10 pm. CBS Tucker's Witch, Wednesday movie. NBC Quincy, M.E. 1983/84 Wednesday 9 pm. CBS Wednesday movie. NBC 9 pm The Facts of Life and 9:30 pm Family Ties, Night Court, Double Trouble. 1984/85 Wednesday 9 pm. CBS Wednesday movie. NBC 9 pm The Facts of Life and 9:30 pm It's Your Move, Sara. 1985/86 Wednesday 9 pm. CBS 9 pm Charlie & Co. and 9:30 pm George Burns Comedy Week; Crazy Like a Fox; Wednesday movie. NBC Hell Town, Blacke's Magic. 1986/87 Wednesday 9 pm. CBS Magnum, P.I. NBC 9 pm Gimme a Break!, Night Court and 9:30 pm You Again?, The Tortellis, Easy Street. 1987/88 Wednesday 10 pm. CBS The Equalizer. NBC St. Elsewhere, A Year in the Life. 1988/89 Thursday 9 pm. CBS Paradise, The Equalizer. NBC 9 pm Cheers and 9:30 pm Dear John. If we don't count the first season and the final season, Dynasty was very fortunate compared to the rest of the primetime soaps in that it didn't have much in the way of time slot competition.

I hope not.

I'm sure you've seen the SOD write up for One Life to Life as Most Disappointing Show in 1989. We know Andrea Evans departs in early 1990 due to unfortunate real-life circumstances. I haven't dived into 1990 ratings yet to see the impact of her departure.

The In Memoriam segment is going to hit so hard this year

The impact of Iran-Contra pre-emptions, Nielsen people meters, writer's strike over the previous two years. Y&R became a killer show destroying everything in its path and B&B started showing growth. I haven't dived into 1990s ratings yet to see if Days got any boost with the spring 1990 returns of Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso, and summer 1991 return of Deidre Hall. With writing being an issue resulting in the 1988/89 ratings drop, I'd say James Reilly cannot get there fast enough.

Also probably why GL avoided cancel territory despite ending the 1980s as CBS's lowest rated soap.

Yes it was. The write up is here.

Y&R September 1, 1989 Terry Lester (RIP) departure. B&B this week Thorne and Macy first meeting. B&B this week Clayton Norcross departure and Jeff Trachta debut. We're also at three years Oprah, two years Geraldo, one year Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. Loving clearance no change from September 1988.

Since the 1980s ratings are nearing the end, a spinoff of sorts of from that topic. We know the big 1980s trends on the soaps: Dallas influence, Dynasty influence, action/adventure, supercouples. Which soaps got the 1980s trends right and which soaps got the 1980s trends wrong? General Hospital started the whole action/adventure and supercouple trends but Days took them to a whole other level. Y&R got Dallas influence and Dynasty influence right w/ Victor, the Abbotts, Jabot, Dina but the action/adventure storylines during the H. Wesley Kenney era didn't work for me. Bill Bell wasn't big on supercouples despite the popularity of accident pairing Victor and Nikki. Guiding Light chased all the 1980s trends but in the long term it wasn't sustainable. As the World Turns also chased the 1980s trends but not to the degree that GL did. By the time B&B started, the big 1980s trends were wearing thin plus 1980s B&B was mostly dust offs of 1970s and 1980s Y&R storylines. Texas was a dollar store Dallas. Santa Barbara was a dollar store Dynasty. I'd love to know others thoughts on the 1980s trends.

Oh good, I'm not alone I would go as far as to say that Robert Calhoun was GL's best EP in its final 25 years. Yes, Gail Kobe era from Spring 1983 to Summer 1984 set in motion characters/storylines that carried GL through its final 25 years but it was too much chasing 1980s trends to be sustainable in the long term and the ratings from Fall 1984 onward reflected that.

It seems like I'm the only person here that liked Robert Calhoun era GL.

So writing was an issue too. Thanks for the info. Is that why Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso returned the following spring (I think April or May 1990 was their return) for the tail end of the supercouple era? The shipwreck in June and July was the last big action/adventure storyline of the supercouple era and the supercouple era came to end with Stephen Nichols departure in October I think.

Guiding Light this week Sherry Stringfield debut. What is happening w/ supercouple Days? A year earlier they were challenging Y&R and General Hospital for #1 and now its middle of the pack. There's the factors of its new lead in Generations being weak plus time slot rivals Y&R being a killer show destroying everything in its path and B&B showing growth. Was there something else behind the scenes or were viewers getting tired of the supercouple craze? I know there's only a little over a year left of supercouple Days.