Paul Raven

For ABC to think that following the template of Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Hotel etc when those shows were from a different era was misguided. Thurs @9 was a tough timeslot. If the show had married the anthology stories to more realistic plots it might have worked better. By that stage viewers were no longer intrigued to see the likes of Ginger Rogers, soap stars and other familiar faces each week.

AW in the 80's was pretty much plot based. Most characters were never around long enough to evolve and involve viewers. They played out a particular story and then were gone. And characters that were recast often were completely different from previous incarnations Eg Richard Bekins as Jamie compared to Laurence Lau's Dr Jamie Frame. Did Kim Morgan Greene's Nicole resemble Anne Howard's character in any way?

ABC would have killed to have Glitter at #30 and Hawaiian Heat at #14 keep those ratings. I might compile a list of premiere episodes that scored big ratings pre season and then dropped like a stone. The network couldn't use the 'the show got lost in the schedule and never had a chance'. These shows got great ratings and were then soundly rejected.

Passions - described as a cross b/w Peyton Place and Twin Peaks. Sounded intriguing. Those hopes blown to bits by the end of the first episode... BTG has to hit the ground running. As I said before I hope they are given extra time to tape the first few weeks.

When you see how the current soaps are suffocated by choosing to rely on long-term characters and recycled plots, BTG looks so exciting. MVJ must feel the same having a fresh slate and not having to come up with plots for the likes of Sonny,Ridge etc - characters whose time has come and gone.

That was great. When was it made? Was Dick angling for a return? Had Bill kept Chris on the show a return from Karen/ Ron would have been a natural story to tell.

Did Amanda Ewing die? If not after a revolutionary new treatment she's released and Donna plays her!

@Khan always Sir!

April 1 comes early...

You get the feeling Hallmark comes up with the titles and then fashions the movie around them.

Agree. It's one thing to be sensitive to an actor's specific needs but to have them dictate story...

Thanks Michelle.

Family Ties and Cheers had been on the schedule for a couple of seasons to middling success. So yes it really was the Cosby flow on effect that catapulted them into Top 5 shows.

In light of the first 3 castmembers announced,looking forward to seeing the initial male casting announcements.

Would Mishael Morgan be interested/ available? So many experienced soap actors out there.

Wasn't Marlena around 45 for over a decade?

Wayne is 77 years old and looks it. Which is fine I guess, except that Deidre looks years younger and her on screen partners seem way older.

SFT should have been mentioned for Travis & Liza and Jo/Sam.

For a start, some of the bloated salaries on air talent is paid. I'm assuming at GH the likes of Valentini take a pay cut along with everyone else.

Emma is smart. Probably said - if you want me then give me a contract. That way she knows she's guaranteed to be paid and onscreen for a certain period of time.

How many short term stories did Malone/Gottlieb actually tell? I know there was the abuse story with Craig Wasson and something about Tina and 'The Daughters of Llanview'. How long did they actually last, who was involved and were there any others?

Mickey was not suffering from amnesia when presumed dead. He was being held captive by Stefano. The contrived Don/Maggie story was an outcome of this and was not convincing for a minute. Laura's breakdown was played by Rosemary Forsyth not Susan Flannery.

Just coincidence I'm sure. By that time Laura and Leslie's past were just footnotes. GH didn't have much interest in anything pre Monty.

Is this clampdown just about soaps or any Sony related series?

The Dobsons burned down the bookstore in an 80' s stunt. Look at how much time and money we spent on destroying a tradition! I think it was going to be rebuilt but not sure what happened. I think throughout the 60s and 70s there was hardly a customer except cast members. In just a few years bookstores/cafes became a big thing. Lisa running the fashion business was OK but the bookstore should have been kept.