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The whole discourse about relevance's made me realize that you're culturally relevant if you push the envelope - thematically. The ABC soaps have always been progressive in that sense and historically that's paid off. Even with DAYS' possession you could tell there was a cultural knowledge and appreciation of gothic themes, Catholic religion and so on, and that sustained the fun and camp. Y&R has pushed the envelope in the past so maybe it has a place on the list of culturally relevant shows. B&B not at one bit in the US, but definitely in Europe - which is ironic and hard to explain.

I like @Broderick 's insightful interpretation of the story as an arc to bring Nicole and Ted together and give Naomi's her firstborn. I was about to say - the opening credits are ENDLESS. Too many chickens on the top roost. They should cut down on them. I don't understand their purpose and they all seem vanity credits from the joint venture. Guys, it's 2026 - you have new means. You can hit up some of the writers/producers on LinkedIn. Heck, you can film a scene yourselves or create it through AI. I wish the aspiring writers over here would ACT on their aspirations as opposed to constantly posting fanfiction. No offense, but it's just a waste of talent. I am pretty sure that in the first instance Shanice was hiding under the desk for some reason. Nicole didn't see her. Random comments: I've officially downgraded BTG to background noise while I'm cooking and cleaning; I'm officially FFing through Joey & Nessa's scenes. They offend my intelligence. Izaiaha and Darlene've been sitting at Orphey's for 2 episodes straight. That's ridiculous.

All the recent talk made me realize how the ABC soaps and the NBC soaps (even Passions!) have been culturally relevant whereas the Bell soaps… not that much really!

Same. He was trying so hard to turn it into a joke but Ryan just wanted to discuss this.

Hey @Maxim! It's interesting you reminded us of the 'headline of the week' style they had going a few months back. That was equally problematic in my view. We went from one extreme to the other. While the show is still wholesome and watchable, certainly not offensive, it's not must-watch TV. You piling up 10 episodes to catch up says a lot in that sense.

It's not like this soap likes to dare that much... I'm tired of Leslie. She's a completely different character than she was initially. And that's because they decided not to reign in Trisha's acting choices. I'm sorry but it's too much. She's the show's Phyllis. Naughty Nicole is pathetic, been saying that from he start - glad it's dawning on most. She's right to enjoy the moment until it lasts, give her 10 years and unfortunately men will find women that age invisible. Judging by next week's preview, there's still a lot of conversations and talking... nothing happens. Oh Jacob and Smitty have a heated phone call. Interesting.

IA. She explicitly said that she sees Joey as BTG's Sonny Corinthos. And we know how long Sonny has unfortunately lasted.

I’m sorry, but a new random set won’t fix this show’s problems. We already saw that with the addition of the ugly Caffeine Fix set. People were complaining they were tired of seeing Orphey Gene’s, the Country Club, and Uptown. So the solution was to add another café. Well, not only is it ugly, it also makes no sense for characters to keep bouncing from one eatery to another. What this show really needs is a major retooling. There should be a central location that naturally brings most of the characters together with a clear purpose. I thought the clinic might have been moving in that direction, until I realized there isn’t even a set for it yet, which is honestly baffling. Another possible “hub” could be the ChelseaKat headquarters. Maybe Andre could work there regularly. Maybe it could function as a coworking space shared with Vanessa. Maybe Dani’s agency could rent a desk there too. I don’t know, something along those lines. It’s crazy that a plot point these days is where Kat will live when we don’t even know where Tomas lives and her father’s been renting a hotel room for 1 year. As for people comparing the show’s vibe to pre-Dynasty storytelling and supposing it’s deliberately moving away from the classic heightened melodrama of soaps, I actually appreciate that perspective. I hadn’t thought about it that way. The problem is that tension, conflict, and forward movement aren’t elements that belong only to post-Dynasty storytelling. They’re fundamental to all storytelling and have only been refined and intensified over time. We can’t pretend that Bert Bauer chatting in her living room would still attract millions of viewers today.

? Maybe I missed something but the message supposedly comes from the Caffeine Fix official number. Which the recipient has not saved which is why it says 'Maybe' first.

Precisely. Lots of talking and coffee sipping, but there's no energy in the writing, no momentum, no tension. No stakes. Stories go on so long they lose any importance: if Hayley's fake pregnancy was revealed now, it would be hard to believe, hard to remember, hard to prove -- and therefore inconsequential. Moreover, it's the umpteenth week where I have had trouble going through Mon-Tue. Then Wednesday things pick up and get a bit better. But the first couple of shows every week feel like a chore. And that brick wall is an upgrade, considering things could have taken place at Uptown (think of Hayley and Randy's constant meetings). Of course hey had o give him an ALIAS. I swear this show can't go one week without coming up with an alias for one of their characters. Is anyone keeping track of all the aliases? I've lost count! Also - Jacob lying to Greyson that he's not undercover is the type of convoluted plot point that this show does all the time. He's been living in that hotel room fo nearly 1 year. Keith Richardson hasn't known Ted outside that room since he's taken over the role. It's so unrealistic because a person could never stand living in a hotel room for that long, as hotel rooms become too alienating. But hey, at least beefcake Joey has an apartment with a fancy fireplace! She's always been a hypocrite and a class traitor, not to mention there was a reason she was Leslie's BFF. How dare she wack a person in the head like that. Finally showing her true colors. Did you eventually respond to GLATWT88's question? If so, I was curious too but missed the response. Also, could you please consider consolidating your replies into a single post instead of making several posts in a row? The forum has a multi-quote feature that makes it easy to respond to multiple messages in one reply, and using it would help keep the thread a lot easier to follow. One more small thing: it seems that when you press Enter, it creates a double line break instead of just one. That ends up adding a lot of extra spacing in your posts. If you could adjust that to a single line break, it would make your messages much cleaner and easier to read. Thanks! I agree. She makes things watchable. Random comments: Deanna is giving me life. I was SHOCKED they did not have a clinic set ready for the launch. This is abysmal. Characters talking to no end about what happened off-screen, and the constant addition of never seen before characters (now we have Heather, Olek the photographer - and Anthony, which I can live with-) are bringing me to stop watching. I guess I can still keep the show as background noise if anything. I'm overdosing on Joey and his grand love story. But I guess I'm happy that his extra chair is not facing the wall anymore. It's not standing in the corner anymore! finally: another typo with their phone graphics. It's so amateurish.

I have two major problems with the show lately. First: the lack of stakes. I know the soap format very well, and in 2026 it’s simply unacceptable to have multiple consecutive episodes where characters are just talking and updating each other about life with no real conflict whatsoever (aside from the usual Leslie quips). It’s borderline unwatchable. I’ve noticed that in the past few weeks, Mondays and Tuesdays have especially felt like that—and they’ve been a chore to sit through. Second: I don’t necessarily mind the execution of the Anita storyline, aside from the occasional deification of Anita and the Dupraise. My bigger issue is how they’re framing the discourse around Anita. The whole “battle against cancer,” “beating it,” “being strong” narrative -while I’m sure it’s common in hospitals and among patients- has been criticized by many organizations and charities. It places too much emphasis, or even culpability, on the patient’s willpower, as if attitude alone determines the outcome. While I absolutely believe that maintaining a positive mindset can help, we need to reframe how we talk about these experiences. Fiction would actually be a great place to start leading by example. As for Deanna, she sounds like a breath of fresh air. I genuinely can’t wait to see her call her mom out. I agree with whoever said there’s a risk of her becoming a Kat copycat (no pun intended). We already have that archetype on the canvas (not to mention Kat too has a “wiser” brother with occasional bad temperament) but at the same time, we don’t. Writers tend to defang their “bad girls” the longer they stick around, and Kat—and Eva, for that matter—are unfortunately far more docile now than they were at the beginning.

I like your story suggestion. I'm confused by you 'not willing to write for free'. Did they ever reach out and ask you to? Also regarding you being able to write some 'fantastic' jailhouse scenes... This level of confidence is refreshing! All the good writers I've met lowkey despised their own work and would never stop refining it if given the chance. Have you tried to submit your work or a spec to the show's producers in Atlanta? I bet they'd be open to new blood. This is your chance, you should really, really take it. Especially considering that writing your suggestions on here kind of is writing for free. I disagree. His whole life he's been surrounded by women - wife, ex wife, daughters. His beloved mother's died and he had a complex relationship with his father. What's so bad about him wanting a son? Was this the episode with the Henry VIII/Anne Boleyn mention? Coming from Hayley and Bill of all people! That was an insane level of stupid. I was like 'Okay, scriptwriter, you've read a book - we get it'. Big agree. They fumbled the bag with Leslie. Thing is: it wasn't a whodunnit. Forcing the audience for an entire weekend to guess who was dropping the samples would've been lame: there's not that many male suspects wearing sneakers and a uniform. It could only be Greyson.

Random thought but I think it’s a shame they named a random character Daphne. The way they pronounce it, it sounds a lot like Stephanie IMO and it would have been a great name to give to one of Stephanie’s great-grandchildren, in a portmanteau, ‘Bridget’-kinda way.

Unfortunately you also need good sets (and settings) to make it all grand. Otherwise you'll have clumsy scenes like Nicole and Carlton arranging a picnic in front of her fireplace (!) or couples like Tomas and Kat which all they do is bounce from a cafe place to a country club and they'll occasionally rent a hotel room to make it all spicy (!). I agree! Kat is my favorite. Such a well-rounded character. She has so many facets to her and I've grown fond of the actress. Random comments: nobody in the world would publicly minimize cancer like Anastasia or Leslie did with Anita. Not even the worst criminals. They are such caricatures. Is it me or this show views octuagenerian© mobster/chef Joey as the voice of reason? I love Donnell. He's also stopped doing that weird tongue thing. Love him. Oh and I also love Laura. She's so beautiful and earnest. I'm all for them going the DID route with Nicole. The Leslie propping is overkill. The scenes with 'the good characters' chasing her away from their homes were repetitive and somehow always rub me the wrong way. They need to retool Leslie because everything they did with her was everything they should not have done. Smitty asking Vanessa to have a talk with Donnell before the cotillion. Ted asking Izaiaha to have a 1:1. For a 'feminist' show, these fathers have a lot of oppressing energy. I would feel suffocated by them. the Haley story has so many plot-holes I've decided for my mental well-being it's pure camp. Finally... I know I'll be alone in this, but I have to say it. Yes, he's hot. Yes, he's well cast in his role. But let's admit that Jibre Hordges is a very, very limited actor. The only thing that separates him from Tomas is that he (Jacob) doesn't look like Dracula and he's also believable as a cop. But his constant whispery tone and delivery drives me insane. I also wanted to say that contrary to some, I'm happy that BTG is casting a spotlight on local talent. I couldn't care less about washed up soap talents, especially if they are based in fake-ass LA. Getting to know new, local talent - like that SledgeHammer guy for example - is refreshing.

I was wondering about this: did they take their own cameras to the CBS Morning set? Cause the video quality was the same as the rest of the show. The characters have so many aliases it's maddening. And then you have Dana, Dani, Deanna. It's ridiculous, it goes against basic rules in screenwriting and it makes things difficult for new viewers. Sorry I'm not looking forward to soap pregnancies and forced marriages on this show! As for long-term romance, it must be hard to develop a romance when you just have a bunch of sets and you can't do remotes (for whatever reason). There's only so much you can do with that. You're forgetting Kial conveniently has two children somewhere. No info on their age range so far. Everyone on the show has two children, except Leslie and Jan. Huh? I don't see any signs. On the contrary, Joey seems weirdly put off by a black woman. I dread the thought of another medical setting, turning this show into GH#2. I'm hoping Leslie will be outed before she can launch the clinic or whatever. Also, what's teenage Samantha's role in all of this? The other day her dads told her she shouldn't juggle too many things at once and they mentioned the clinic. What's her role supposed to be exactly? Besides coming up with a basic idea that in most of the world is considered a fundamental human right lol

I’m no expert in script breakdown, but I was thrilled to see Natalie Minardi Slater’s name on the episodes. I remember her from my favorite Y&R era (1999–2001), and every time she reminds me what a good breakdown looks like. I’ll try to explain what I mean: Every scene needs to end on a high note—call it a mini-cliffhanger. And it should flow organically into the next scene whenever possible. If you have two separate groups of characters involved in the same storyline (for example, Hayley and Randy at that hideous mall café, and Bill and Tomas at Bill’s office), their scenes should be paired and structured as part of a compound sequence. Soaps operate like a chessboard—scenes are theoretically happening simultaneously. But sometimes too much happens in Scene A for Scene B to convincingly feel like it’s occurring at the same time and it’s a continuation of their earlier scene. Or maybe there’s a commercial break in between scene A and scene B. In that case, Scene B can’t just pick up exactly where it left off—you need to signal that time has passed. A strong breakdown writer would insert a phone call or another device to subtly indicate that a bit of time has elapsed since we last saw those characters. Further random thoughts: I thought Dani mentioning that Shanice was gifted a dress worth more than her monthly salary was incredibly crass. Shanice’s contribution to society is far greater than that of socialite and former model Dani, yet here we are—living in a world where a nurse working in a wealthy gated community is probably struggling to make ends meet. The Valentine’s episode was a chore. It took me three days to finish it. And Vanessa in that wig? Obscenely vulgar. The hottest couple on this show is the town’s white ho and a white octogenarian mobster. Gag me. Derek’s date looked exactly like Ashley. The man clearly has a type. Based on next week’s preview, there are still zero stakes in sight. I’m curious where Ted will have lunch next. Happy to see Donnell again. And as over-the-top as Anastasia and Chessy can be (I hate that nickname), I actually enjoy their presence. Mona is insufferable, and her religious preaching is deeply problematic.

Exactly. Thank you fo taking the time to explain that. I would've just said Nicole looks tacky as hell and she's acting pathetic. Random comments: This show does have a sets problem. However there's a bigger issue here that an extra living room for Vanessa wouldn't solve. It's a conceptual problem. The characters need a place that gives them purpose. The hospital fulfills that function for the characters who work at the hospital (although all they do is gossip and hang out). But this is not a hospital show and I don't want it to be. So the writers need to find a place that gives most characters a purpose (ChelseaKat's headquarters? Dani's agency? Berkley University?). Otherwise the characters will keep wander aimlessly from one bar to the other. Really enjoying the Hospital's COS. Finally someone to monitor those heated rabbits. Next in line on her checklist should be neurology legend Dr. Madison. I'm not bothered by the racial optics of this COS being white. I agree with others that Joey is a far more problematic character. Loving Lynette. She has the looks and the charm. That scene in the hotel room with Hayley and Bill, looking all Old Hollywood, was giving me Hitchcock vibes. The set-up reminded me of his movies. However the writing is camp and the writers could never pull off anything Hitchcock-like, if not by mistake of course. This latest antic, with the fake mugging, is so OTT and so easy to solve even for FC's Police. Yeah in order for the Impaler story to be even remotely interesting, the writers should have read some articles or books on plasma rings. I'm afraid that's not the case and it will all be very sugar-coated. It's unnerving they can't respect that girl's aversion to the cotillion. It's not like she's refusing to get vaxxed against COVID lmao. However insisting, I still enjoyed how welcoming Anita was to her. When I was young I was always impressed with families who came across as compact unis. It was easy for me to feel left out and ignored by them, that's why in life I try to be as welcoming as possible with those who are in a marginalized position. I can't with Joey's office deco. First we have a random chair, reminiscent of those hideous, useless 'staircase chairs' from the Duprees' mansion. Who in the world would sit on that chair, facing the wall?? lmao And next week we'll have a traditional MOKA POT appear. Even if there's no stove in sight. That small room is going to smell like espresso like there's no tomorrow.

The Colonade Room. It was so classy and iconic. I miss it.

Also, I reeeeally can't remember this 'salad bar'. Does anyone have any pictures of it?

She's always been insufferable (and a class traitor). Never quite understood what you guys were seeing in her. It still drives me insane how they wasted money on that set only to fuel Ashley's 'Paris dream' plot point. Insane. The whole thing with the club patrons staring at Anita was OTT. Overall the whole set-up and execution felt forced. He has a penthouse! He seems like the most important character on the show next to the big four. The new set annoys me because: A) who's going to visit Joey apart from Vanessa? Certainly not Randy. B) it further cements Joey's place on the canvas. I now believe less and less that he has an expiration date. C) This show needs offices. Enough with the cafes and enough with the living rooms. I thought it was vile. Any hint at violence and physical menace is vile. Random comments: - there's still zero stakes in this show. - I can't see Shanice as leading lady material, sorry. I liked her better as the hospital's gossip. - I'm glad you're liking Ashley more and more, yet I don't see what's changed really. Maybe she's whining less than before, I'll give you that. - Ted is a non-entity. - Eva, Izaiah, Tomas and a bunch of other characters feel direction-less.

I'm only now catching up with the thread. It's crazy two new soaps came and went. I'm sorry they had a short life but still: the sheer quality of French soaps, visually, is mind-blowing! How do they pull it off!!

God, Nicole looks tacky. She almost always has (IMHO) but now I see why she's Vanessa's best friend. Oh and we have ANOTHER set for Nicole (her bedroom). Will there ever be enough sets for her? Is it me or are they toying with the idea of Jacob and Smitty again? With their initial conversation at the club it seemed the writers knew what they were doing. The show is wholesome, it gels better than before but it lacks STAKES. I've caught myself yawning or looking at my phone multiple times. There's no reason for me to tune in besides being fond of the characters/actors/genre.

In what world is that supposed to be a good thing?

Well, that's a first.

I don’t get the outrage. Tate and Holly are so bland and vanilla. Carson sleepwalks through scenes. Now Chanel on the other hand is a character I’ll miss. I agree with other that Stephanie and Alex should go. Same could be said for Emily O’Brian’s character. Not only is the cast bloated, the characters themselves seem like they’re very scattered. I don’t see strong family units. Also, SORASing like crazy has compromised the future of the show.