kalbir

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.

ABC was the rapemance network in the 1980s. Luke/Laura in the daytime. Dynasty had Blake/Krystle marital rape and Adam/Kirby date rape.

Do you mean the second episode of season 6? That was the first time Dynasty got beat by Murder, She Wrote.

As the World Turns had two big departures in Fall 1989, Martha Byrne and Hillary Bailey Smith. Also that fall Frannie was recast with Mary Ellen Stuart. What did the most damage to GL in the 1980s, Douglas Marland departure, Gail Kobe/Pamela Long era chasing all the 1980s trends, or the writer turnover during the first half of Joe Willmore run as EP? As I pointed out before, GL avoided cancel territory in the 1980s because Capitol showed no growth and B&B wasn't a hit right away. Even though GL ends the 1980s as CBS's lowest rated soap, it doesn't enter cancel territory until 1995.

Y&R this week was the start of summer social issue storyline Cricket date rape. Guiding Light this week Kimberley Simms debut.

You're welcome @Toups

Among solo artists, Taylor Swift has moved past Stevie Wonder and Janet Jackson and is now tied with Whitney Houston. The next solo artists in line for her to tie with are Madonna (12), Michael Jackson (13), Drake (13), and Rihanna (14). Among all artists, Taylor Swift is the 9th artist to reach 11 #1s on the Billboard Hot 100, joining The Beatles (20), Mariah Carey (19), Rihanna (14), Michael Jackson (13), Drake (13), The Supremes (12), Madonna (12), Whitney Houston (11). Comparing Taylor Swift to the other female solo artists w/ 11+ #1s to see where she ranks in terms of length between first #1 and 11th #1. The dates are when each song reached #1. Rihanna: 5 years 183 days, between SOS (May 13, 2006) and We Found Love (November 12, 2011). Mariah Carey: 5 years 274 days, between Vision of Love (August 4, 1990) and Always be My Baby (May 4, 1996). Whitney Houston: 10 years 30 days, between Saving All My Love for You (October 26, 1985) and Exhale (Shoop Shoop) (November 25, 1995). Madonna: 10 years 65 days, between Like a Virgin (December 22, 1984) and Take a Bow (February 25, 1995). Taylor Swift: 11 years 71 days, between We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (September 1, 2012) and Is it Over Now (November 11, 2023).

I don't know. I was fairly new to watching GL at this time. Maybe those that watched longer than I did have better insights. Kids off school for the summer.

Not to derail the thread, but Magnum, P.I. was effectively over Spring 1986 when it was killed by The Cosby Show. Even though Dynasty was still a Top 10 show heading into Fall 1986, it was tanking like all the other primetime soaps were at that time. Maybe CBS thought Magnum, P.I. could maintain the audience it had left better at Wednesday 9 pm than at Thursday 8 pm.

Yes, that's right. The addition of the Spectra gang is paying off, plus I think we will be seeing clearances increase during the rest of 1989 and into 1990. I really enjoyed Guiding Light during Robert Calhoun's run and it disappoints me that the ratings didn't reflect the quality of the show. From the annual ratings, GL remains in 7th place in 1989/90 and 1990/91 but the actual ratings drop. It's so funny that during the second half of 1989 CBS daytime is hitting its stride w/ all four soaps plus the game show block and CBS primetime is in the midst of its third place mess era.

Fall 1988 ABC moved Dynasty to Thursday 9 pm head-to-head w/ Cheers where it was DOA. Brandon Stoddard knew exactly what he was doing when he moved Dynasty to a time slot that had been a dead zone for ABC since Fall 1982. Candy Spelling pretty much confirmed that Brandon Stoddard wanted Aaron Spelling shows gone from ABC. I'd say that final season move was sabotage moreso than tank job.

Another top 5 week for Guiding Light. May 30 Springfield learns Roger survived the fall off the cliff in Santo Domingo. June was the EP change from Joe Willmore to Robert Calhoun but we're seeing another ratings drop.

Of all the EPs As the World Turns had in its final 25 years, go figure that Chris Goutman is the one that had the longest run (11 years).

Y&R this week was Phillip III car accident. May 26 Thom Bierdz departure. Also Y&R in May 1989 was Victor taking over Jabot. Guiding Light in the top 5 for the first time since late 1985. The Friday cliffhanger was a masked Roger crashing Phillip and Blake's wedding and the following Tuesday Springfield learned that Roger survived the fall off the cliff in Santo Domingo.

This was when Victor gave Ryan a blank check to stay away from Victoria and Ryan filled it out for $1M. Later Victoria visits Ryan and when the police are taking Ryan away Victoria blurts out that she and Ryan are married.

@JAS0N47 I believe for 1991 you are missing March 14 and 15, NCAA Men's Basketball.

1979 Another World was head-to-head w/ General Hospital and as we all know, General Hospital blew up that year and would dominate for the better part of 1979-1986, therefore Another World effectively over.

Y&R is destroying everything in its path, time slot wise and overall. It's the combination of owing its time slot, having strong lead ins, and maintaining its audience during the writer's strike that got Y&R to #1. 1989 had the pivotal storylines of Victor taking over Jabot and Phillip III's car accident that set everything in motion for the 1990s but the rest of the big storylines Brad in a cage, George Rawlins murder, Kay/Marge I didn't think were very good plus Cricket was still eating the show. Y&R also had their third big cast departure in as many years when Terry Lester (RIP) left in September 1989. Yet Another World managed to stay on the air another decade. If NBC hadn't been such a mess on the whole in the late 1970s, Another World probably would have ended in 1979. Changing times and changing tastes. The big 1980s trends were probably wearing thin at this point.

As I've pointed out before, Ryan's Hope was effectively over in 1983 when Y&R blew up. If we're keeping it real here, Agnes Nixon clout w/ ABC got Loving on the air in the first place. It was DOA head-to-head w/ The Price is Right and stood no chance when it was moved head-to-head w/ Y&R.