LondonScribe

I could have this completely wrong, but I wonder if the writers are trying to create a genuine question over Sasha’s motivation in connecting with Brando. The ‘clever’ writing being that she said what she said to Gladys, so it can be taken as Sasha just winding her up.

I’m going to jokingly suggest that the issue is less to do with Kelly Monaco and maybe more to do with Billy Miller. Remember how much Amelia Heinle threw her toys out the pram when Billy Miller left Y&R and basically sandbagged David Tom? 🤣🤣🤣

On May 30th, I said this: ’With Tara, it’s almost a certainty she’ll end up a different character. They didn’t have Ashland warn Jack about her for no reason’ At this rate, any of us could write a more compelling, less predictable version of Y&R … Well, maybe not me (because I got the potential scenario wrong 🤣) but many on here could.

Well that was a bit of a thrill ride. As much as you can get on daytime. Could do with something to help me sleep later…. when’s Y&R on? 🤣

At this rate, Godot will arrive before 👆🏿happens. Plus, having just watched tomorrow’s episode, it’ll be ‘fun’ to play a game of ‘which one was sacrificed to make way’? Cryptic now, but I’ll make sense. And finally, superficially, I’m nearly always taken aback by Imani’s beauty. Casting-wise, she and Hilamanda fit as siblings as well.

I’d be curious to know what criteria they went for when they cast Elizabeth Leiner. I wonder if it is an ability to act terrified and meek with a view to shaking that off down the line, and settle on more confident, etc Re: Summer and Sally. If Mal Young and then Josh Griffith hadn’t made the decision to have Summer employ some of Phyllis’ insecure and impulsive characteristics as recently as last year (essentially becoming her mini-me) this conflict with Sally may have worked if developed organically. Hear me out… I think I remember a brief time when Summer was a mix of her mum and Nick when the occasion required. If that version of Summer had remained and Sally arrived, displaying her [Summer’s] mother’s naked ambition and ruthless scheming that she does, teasing a reaction out of her, that might have worked. As it could have had the subtext of Summer engaging in an organic (and new) battle with a version of her mother and being grown up enough to deal with it properly in a way she couldn’t with Phyllis when she was a teen. Instead, we have the characteristics of one person spread across two people engaged in a rivalry with each other. I pulled that out of my ear, so pardon me if it’s a little wonky 🤣 Because whether by coincidence or by choice, Sally is almost an embodiment of a younger Phyllis: red headed, tall, athletic, attractive (subjective to each, I acknowledge), the characteristics described above.

With Tara, it’s almost a certainty she’ll end up a different character. They didn’t have Ashland warn Jack about her for no reason. At a guess, once Ashland is out of the picture, she’ll turn to Jack, thus making it awkward for Kyle and Summer (again 🙄), especially if she ends up keeping Harrison. Phyllis’ protective instincts will kick in and this ‘new’ Tara will probably then go after Sally for the role she has played in all of this mess. And not a second of it would move outside of ‘first gear’, writing, directing or production-wise.

You could find episodes on most video sharing/upload sites by typing the name of the show and the date of broadcast.

Sorry to be that guy, but with this (undoubtedly good) news, how long before Ken Corday suddenly decides the show needs a new lick of paint and Ron Carlivati is shown the door?

So, I watched today’s episode. Not appalling, not amazing, but for those yet to see it… Jordan and Portia had an (episode-long) exchange that touched on Cameron’s fate in the stand off, and expanded to other themes. All I kept thinking was ‘yeah, I can see this going down badly with some of the viewers’ for a variety of reasons. It spills into another conversation as well.

Ah, Roger Thorpe. They don’t conceive characters as layered and complex as that anymore. And yes, I know Michael Zaslow was a huge part of that. Current soaps write shallow ‘types’ for what I think they feel is a dumber, less engaged viewer.

Given Kate Oates’ role and portfolio, she may be able to skate this. Jon Sen, I suspect, may need to look over his shoulder professionally.

Every show has a moment, a storyline, an episode, an axing that makes the viewers revolt to such an extent the senior executives take note, then take action. This appears to be that moment. I suspect Jon Sen is not long for his position. Given everything that has happened on the show since the 35th anniversary, this moment seems to have caused the biggest backlash.

At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if the producers and Wes Ramsey himself are just trolling everyone. They can’t be completely oblivious to a lot of the viewer pushback that isn’t based on the character construction, writing etc

That’s an interfering frame of reference. May I ask you to expand of what (else) you have seen this go around under Josh Griffith that you like? The general consensus here is that he's not got it right (including the writing for Adam) so I’m open to any perspectives that allow me to think about things more ☺️

I'm not the ‘target demo’ for that casting but even I can appreciate that Alison Sweeney is probably thanking whoever she worships 🤣 Height-wise, he appears to be my height (6’1) and James Scott is 6’5, but I doubt people will care too much.

Counting down to his loosely-Amanda-involved-or-in-the-room death in 3-2-1.... Seriously, I suspect through him, we’ll find out where Imani gets her personality from.

It’s widely known that, save for the loyal U.K. audience and the financial investment by Channel 5, Neighbours would have been axed years ago. The ratings in Australia haven’t been good for a long time, hence it being moved from Network 10 to their digital platform. And no, I can’t assist with numbers, I’m afraid. I think Home and Away stands a little more on its own and remains on Network 7 in Australia. Which is interesting because I personally found the efforts of producers and senior writers Louise Bowes and Lucy Addario uninspiring, to the extent I stopped watching. I hear the show has found its groove but I’m too far removed to get back into it.

Watch everything. Even the most seemingly inconspicuous thread or utterance matters.

I was surprised by this as I genuinely thought the TV networks were done with new soaps. The BBC has Eastenders, Doctors and 2 continuing medical dramas, Casualty and Holby City. As well as River City in Scotland. ITV with Coronation Street and Emmerdale, having stripped back on their output over the last 20 years, ditching Crossroads, Heartbeat, The Royal, The Royal Today, Night And Day and The Bill. Channel 4 only has Hollyoaks, after cancelling Brookside. Channel 5 with no homegrown soap, instead showing the 2 main Australian soaps, Home And Away and Neighbours. If this new project is as it seems, it’s success will depend on who is chosen to develop it and produce it. Like America, I don’t have a huge amount of confidence in the current crop of producers and showrunners. Diederick Santer (Eastenders), early Kate Oates (Emmerdale) galvanising after Stuart Blackburn decimated that show, Bryan Kirkwood in Hollyoaks the 1st time round, and Myar Craig-Brown (Holby City) being the last ‘emerging’ producers of any consequence in the last 15 years.

Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t the drunken car crash Devon was in 4 years ago originally conceived as him being stopped by the police and something happening to put him in hospital? But that Sally Sussman and Kay Alden were prevented from doing it? As was said before, that for now, primetime programming seems to be where the harder hitting storytelling is and daytime soaps appears to conducting a Formula 1 race: What gets to the finish line first? The audience being primarily catered to, as they cease to be over the next few years (you know what I mean 🙁) or the genre in its entirety? In a hypothetical situation, if I wrote for an American soap, especially if I were a head writer, I’d be sacked pretty darn quickly, as my sensibilities are a tad dark, gothic even. And I’d definitely want to touch on issues.

I personally agree that it would be good to tell some real world stories in soaps (heck, I live in a country where you’d catch hell for not tackling issues) but I think I read of some viewers online taking umbrage with Days Of Our Lives having new character Paulina calling the people of Salem out for their relative lack of diversity. I genuinely think there is contingent of remaining viewers who don’t want stories that deal with race or other (Conservative) ‘hot topics’.

You won’t regret it. It’s action packed, tense, intelligent, unforgiving and almost completely devoid of sentimentality. It’s glorious 🤣

I tried to locate an existing thread for this but no luck. About to broadcast its 6th Series, Line Of Duty follows police anti-corruption unit AC12 as they track the dodgiest of police officers of all ranks while attempting to uncover a wide-ranging conspiracy. It is broadcast every 1-2 years and has made stars of of the 3 main characters, especially AC12 head, Superintendent Ted Hastings. (Don’t watch the video if you have not caught up to Series 5 or intend to watch it from the start)