AMCHistory

Is there someone at ABC Steve is sleeping with that he gets this kind of press? It’s not like Steve took off in film or Primetime, or that he created a Marcil-like ratings spike in his full time returns in 2001 or 2017. In fact, the best material we get is when he leaves! I still remember when Carly visited Sam after Jason’s first death. The acting by both woman was the best work they did all year! I don’t understand how this c-list actor keeps a job when he is impossible to work with, tried to pyramid scheme his fans, and doesn’t bring in the ratings! When you watch the 35th anniversary Primetime special on this, you see just how glaringly bad the 60th special is. A big bummer because the show actually has a critical mass of actors from the “big” storylines still healthy and active on canvas: Luke/Laura Wedding, BJ’s Heart, AIDS, Breast Cancer, heck even the Port Charles hotel fire! Even the AMC faux-documentary by fictional Hayley Santos was better than this mess by real life Producer Frank Valentini. I’m not sold on Nicole Paagi as Maxie either. She reminds me more of Kate! Maybe this role really just needs a long break…

The brutal and unnecessary murder of young children has made my stomach turn. Delia on Y&R was one. The characters involved had so many other stories, why did the death of this little girl need to happen? Spencer on GH too. Especially with Luke involved. Jonathan Jackson was already crying everyday. This plot added nothing to the canvas but darkness.

There is good camp and bad camp. CZ in her latest scenes has been bad camp. With the poor production values, calling Lifetime is an undeserved compliment. They better have a good plan for Claire, or this baby Eve story is a lot of waste storyline potential. It reminds me of the introduction of Ronan. A storyline and character so deeply rooted in history, but a fumbled post-intro storyline execution. What should have been a major moment and character is now a footnote.

Julia bringing a son in the 20-something crowd to work at Deception would be awesome. I want a really bitchy and conniving gay Barrett. Like Brian Kinney on Queer Ass Folk. Sharp, shrewd, good in bed and the boardroom. Someone who can go head-to-head with a Tracy Quartermaine type. I want him to be almost dangerously cocky. Lovestory wise, they can bring back Lucas and test the waters with someone who is more grounded and zen. Or, he can bed Cody and the two can be troublemakers, always with their hands in a scheme and at the edge of decency.

She basically walked into Paul's office, threw some papers down on his desk, and said, "Please sign these, Boss. And by the way, although I've never mentioned her before in my entire life, I have an old sick aunt who lives a million miles away, and I need to leave Genoa City forever to care for her. Oh, and my plane leaves in five minutes. Bye!" Miguel got the same treatment. He randomly told Nikki, "Senora, I've finished the dusting. Oh! I must leave town forever if it is agreeable with you." She snatched an old clock off the mantel, thrust it into his hands, and said, "Here, take this with you as a gift for your decades of loyal service. And don't forget to close the door when you leave. Bye!" All those types of characters were dumped with no warning in the first round of budget cuts, and if you blinked you missed their exits. Thanks for this clarity. These really were blinked and you missed them moments. I was a pretty regular watcher at this time thanks to being at uni. The crew of “recurring extras” really brought a lot to the depth and diversity of the Genoa City canvas. It was not just the Lynn, Miguel, and Sharks of the world, it was the secretary’s and baristas that Y&R was able to keep consistent for a decade at a time. It felt like a real community you were peaking into.

What was Lynn’s send off?

Agreed! They had great chemistry. How did Roark do in his recent cameo? What was the explanation as to why he was back in Salem?

This is a great one. The need to raise Robin was clear, but Max also adopted all of Scorpio’s close friends like Sean, Tiffany, Holly, and Felicia. Mac was in a different character orbit when he first came on, more a scoundrel than a law enforcement officer. …and boy was he handsome. I loved all the gratuitous shirtless scenes. Kind of reminds me of Cody these days. Another GH example has to be new Amy and Amy Vinnings. I mean, they basically said it on screen. Amy V. was the talkative and gossipy nurse. New Amy plays the same role, to a lesser degree of success if you ask me.

It was such a “chicken or the egg” comment. On GL, he was a bright spot in its final days, a welcomed and unexpected return since he had left for Primetime after his first GL stint. Let’s face it, the cancellation writing was on the wall. Same with ATWT. With AMC, I admit that abrupt ending was a shocker. The move to LA was supposed to extend the show’s life not end it. The writer made a concerted effort to attract back familiar faces like Budig, Cosgrove, and Reigel (who passes for YR). He played such a small supporting role in his AMC return, there is no way he could be blamed for cancellation. …and when it comes to the Ted McGinely comparison, the two men are very easy on the eyes. What a flash in the pan moment of Michelle. She won an Emmy and the world was her oyster! Too bad that Spelling vehicle had no legs. A super bloated cast, with a vague premise. It was like they were running out of Westside towns to name shows after… This a great one. Jack and films and primetime, I was for sure that we would never see him in an extended run in daytime again! And there he was on B&B! He had quite the run too, many successful pairings. He’s back to Primetime now on Hallmark.

Mansi and Molly recast #1 first aired one day after each other. Mansi’s change was clearly in flight, Haley getting is trouble was unexpected and bad timing. You had to get used to many new faces at the Davis home all at once.

I kept wondering the same. Where is Zach Tinker's Fen? Instead we got awful Gloria, Kevin and Chloe. Hate those three!! We definetly don’t need a recast Fen. Zach Tinker is a strong actor, and an asset to any soap.

Sounds like it accurately reflects the fact that Frank had story for Kristina this year. Lexi’s recasting was a HARD pill to swallow. It felt like they were finally giving Lexi a front burner storyline and an opportunity to shine. It reminded me of the situation where they let go of Robyn Richards, only for KS as Maxie to revisit the heart storyline. But boy is Kate Mansi bringing some life the role. She has strong chemistry with her love interest. She is a strong enough actress to act opposite her family. Recasts are always hard to swallow, especially of long time players. I have to give kudos to Frank on this call though.

I think the character of Maxie just needs a rest. She’s blown through suitors. She’s strapped down with kids. Give her a good finale scheme and a need to leave town to clear her head. It will give the writers a chance to rethink the character and the casting.

On AMC, there was parade of young women to take the place of Nina Cortlandt at the Cortlandt estate after Taylor Miller took leave. They needed to give Palmer someone he can obsess about and over protect. Julie Chandler first, then Lanie and Dixie. They became immediate infatuations for Palmer, despite being new kin. On AMC, Sean Montgomery basically replaced the much more memorable Reggie Montgomery. Sean got the teen summer story. Sean became Jackson’s son figure. Sean became Lily and Bianca’s talk-to character. The worst part was that Reggie was still on contact and was allowed to fade into the background without any real goodbye scene. I think Michael J had the last laugh.

I wish Braden would exit gracefully. Victor is already a shell of his former self. Retire on top. Give Victor a grand send-off. That move alone frees up so many characters for good storylines. Victoria and Adam struggling for Newman. Nikki finding love again (maybe Paul waiting in the wings). Nick finally getting over his daddy issues. Y&R’s vets don’t need to be rested. They just need better storylines. Stafford and Case still bring it. They are still trying. The material is what is lacking.

I think this one is a stretch. Hayley and Greenlee not only overlapped tenures significantly, they overlapped storylines. Greenlee was just the next bad girl ingenue of the bunch (from Hayley, to Kendall, to Julia, to Kelsey, to Gillian, to Greenlee). We got a new one every year! I think that the Sam McCall/Brenda Barrett archetype (where the players fill void with the same love interests/ part of the canvas) is the best example.

Danny Cosgrove was one of the actors marked as going places early in his AMC run. He was part of the hunk invasion all over the soap mags (Tanner, Jake, and new Scotty). Though his character was basically a side player on AMC, it’s positioned him to get a few teen movie roles and the 90210 gig, back when an Aaron Spelling placement still meant something! Of course, he bounced back to Guiding Light, and had consistent daytime work. I think his days run was so underrated, except for the dumb move of making him a villain when he really had great long term appeal with Hope

I think this is a sign of the pacing issues before we had the strike. I feel like we’ve had this Nina/Carly interaction 100 times. It not building tension, it’s building boredom. Especially in the current model of super short, minute long scenes…

This. I just hope the writers know we mean newbies like Willow and Sasha and Drew, and some characters that just need a break like Michael, Spinelli, Alexis, and Maxie (especially Maxie). The recurring group of 80’s/90’s vets (Scorpio, Scotty, Felicia, Mac, Lucy, Kevin) are what make Port Charles, Port Charles. They are the secret sauce for a storyline, moving in and out as needed. I hope these players continue to have a reason and storyline to be on our screen as more than background players. Heck, the Holly story just shined with all these players working together onscreen again. Even the wedding and funeral episodes are fun purely because they are carried by these vets.

He was OLTL leading man when I started watching. Every scene he had with Andy, and Carlotta, and Christian had me spellbound. He provided a diverse face to daytime, when Hispanic characters looks more like Cord Roberts than Antonio Vega. Smouldering, dark, romantic, when he was good he was good. His deep dimples and sly smiles were hypnotising. And when danced, I loved those scenes. Kamar brought so much of himself to the screen, to his character, to the industry. I cannot wait to read what Sherri has to say when she is ready. A stunning Hollywood relationship that has stood the test of time.

I hope if Jess comes back full time, the costume and hair department will get serious about her styling. She was looking stunning before COVID in her cameos, and now she looks like she came off the ranch and put on a dress from the 80’s. This is not Jill, and it is not Jess’s fault. Of all characters, her look needs to be sharp and to the point. She is not an off the rack person and never has been. She can still pull off glamour, we saw that in the last cast photo (not the recent one) where she was looking full Jill Abbott in a slinky dress and with her hair half up. J. Eddie as Cole really slipped rih J. Eddie as Cole just slipped right back in. His chemistry with Amelia as Victoria is effortless, just like their days in AMC (one of the only bright spots from her run there). But gosh, he still looks and feels like the classic soap leading man. Is it his sharp cheekbones? Or those deep set eyes that you only saw in the best of the daytime hunks (see Don Diamont)

I don’t know if it’s the writer strike team, or just all in all good planning, but I have to give GH a solid score for the year. This was definitely an upswing year and fitting for the 60th year. We had memorable veteran return stories that we’re actually well thought out and on-character: Holly, Tracy, Lois. I mean Holly’s shirt fun has been better than her last 15 years of cameos. I even fell so hard for temp Ethan. What do we have to do have that sexy man return (his fun would he be as sexually fluid playboy. It’s kind of what Luke Spencer would have been if he premiered in the 00’s and not the 70’s). We have a solid younger cast that I would hate to loose: Spencer, Trina, Dex. I think Spencer is one foot out the door. Dex is leading man material, and makes Michael look like a whimp. Chad Duell is in the “lazy acting” mode which I hate to see in daytime. He gets good material, and phones it in. We have some supporting characters that finally got a chance to shine, and are doing it so brightly: TJ (seriously, what took them so long!), Kristina, Cody. Cody and TJ bring so much sexiness to the show. We have not had a hunk that could act in the roster since the early days of Tyler Christopher in his first run. …and all in all, the Vets are well served. 15 years ago, I never thought I would see Felicia, Lucy, Kevin, (and Max until he was sidelined) in consistent storylines again. Heck, even Robert is moving in and out of character’s orbits with ease. No one is being villanized for the sake the sake of a story. But no one is window dressing either. I love the juxtaposition of Anna, the sleek traditional spy, and Felicia, the home spun PI. Best friends with diverse approaches to the same job. They are a joy onscreen, and gosh did we get many moments this year!

Yes, they have. It's such a shame it's a short-term return and not something long-term, which it should be. I’m okay with Rena’s return being short term. It reminds me of how they used Tracy and her extended runs in the 1990s and now. She comes in when the storyline and the moment needs it, and makes a truly memorable moment. She can then leave so she doesn’t get dragged down into B-stories. Lois is an iconic character. On the same playing field as Tracy IMO. Keep the fire hot. Leave us begging for more

That was one scene almost 10 years ago. I am sure it could have been reset to Krystal's easily. I do not remember them making substantive changes when the writers wanted us to believe we were back in Ryan's Hope's New York.

I've been out of the loop on this show. Did JT ever make a return to Genoa City, or did we only get that stilted ZOOM call, clearly shot on Thad's iPhone in his new bachelor pad? It's good to know that JT is actually still alive. I would love to know what relationship, if any, he has with Mac and his kids.