AMCHistory

The funny part for me as a longtime AMC watcher, was how the scenes went from Anna's home (the former Chandler Mansion set) to the new eatery set. It was a missed opportunity not to use an existing AMC restaurant set since its so clear that the GH crew has access to them. Maybe Krystal's? The Valley Inn? It would be so funny if Anna could come visit Pine Valley, and catch Lucy/Felicia in their scheme. Only, to get Jack to help them based on their longtime friendship versus their scheming. God, Finola and Walt had so much chemistry together. I forget if on AMC 2.0, did they explain where Jackson was? I know we had Bianca, Kendall, Miranda, did either of them mention what Uncle Jackson was up to? Also - Felicia and Lucy are comedic gold. The actresses really found their groove again! I remember when RC did the retread of the the Aztec Jewels they were paired up again, but the chemistry was off. This was 100% 90's fun for me. Never has a SINGLE player revitalized a show as much as Jane Eliot with this return. She is such a familiar flavor, in the role of Tracy Q. I never quite realized HOW MUCH I missed her. It is also lifting Amanda Setton's game as Brooklyn. I am finally liking her, moreso than the unique Adrienne Leone who had owned this role in my eyes. ...lastly, can we finally get rid of Maxie. This role is NOT WORKING. I hate to say it, but even Sasha is growing on me in comparison.

My mum always called Nick's version of Phil, the "sexy Phillip." And he was, he really was. In real life, I think I read he became a Minister? He was barely recognizable when Oprah did the Erica Husband reunion a decade ago. I hope Susan releases a statement.

It was around Fall/Holidays 2006. They demoted a bunch of vets to recurring like Jill Larson and Tanya Pinkins. Then they basically paired up the “old folks.” It was the beginning of the decline of McTavish’s third HW run:

Isn’t this an unexpected commentary about our current world in the US..

An unexpected and pleasant surprise for me is how Mac and Felicia have turned into the town's matriarch/patriarch/stable couple. And boy is it welcomed. They have shades of peak Ed/Maureen on Guiding Light for me. Mac is an all around good guy, willing to make sacrifices like raising other people's kids. Felicia is an easy talk-to, and problem solver. With or without Maxie onscreen, I hope this couple continues to play the stable and foundational role for Port Charles. I think it would be awesome if Mac retires with a good police pension, and he and Felicia buy Kelly's. They can move above the shop, and act as the inn keepers for the younger crowd moving in-and-out of Port Charles (ala Myrtle on AMC). Imagine Felicia pouring coffee and commiserating about her broken heart and family tragedies to the town newbies. She can impart history lessons like Elaine on SuBe. Then, when duty calls, she can slip away and continue to play super spy with Scorpio and Anna. She can become a surrogate mum to the newbies of Port Charles, giving her connections and storylines with younger leads beyond Maxie. Mac can be content to stay in Port Charles. Cover shifts for his wife, so he can watch his grand kids. Anytime he gets dragged back into a police or spy shenanigans, he can play-up the "I'm too old for this" humor. It can make Kelly's a fun and happening place. Lots of young co-eds looking to find their place. Felicia and Mac imparting advice and breaking-up fights. And every now and then a fun spy caper. On the topic of thinning out the cast, here are my leading contenders... Willow, Sasha: There is no need to explain these. They are low hanging fruit Nina, Obrecht: Let this side of the family tree die-out too. Finn, Chase, Gregory: Time to cut this family loose. These characters are so interchangeable. They have HAD years to make a mark, and have not. Let's bring in some new characters who are actually interesting. Drew, Austin: As much as I love a Quartermaine, these players are not IT. Let's cut our losses on the Monica/Alan side of the family, especially with no signs of Monica returning. Let's focus on building out Ned's side of the house: Dillon, Lois Molly: TJ is such a find and can be set-up as the next doctor romantic lead. With Haley off book for a while, and the temp not working out, let's rest this character and revisit it when there is a meaningful purpose and actress in the role. Maxie: WHY are we not giving Kirsten a chance to recover from whatever issues she is having. She is clearly struggling in this role. This role has too much potential to become comic relief. Heather/Jeff/Carolyn: None of these actors, or their storylines, are living-up to the legacy of the characters. Cut them loose until Robin Mattson and a better Jeff can be found. Spencer: Let's face it, Nicholas is going to jump ship soon, so factor in a slot for a new younger leading man. Maybe age and find a capable actor to take over as one of Liz's kids? Aidan and our much awaiting LGBTQ teen story? I know that these are a lot of players, but I think its necessary to give some of the more interesting recurring characters (Martin, Lucy, Brad) a chance for airtime and meaningful stories. It frees up the space to bring other vets back that have a greater storyline potential (Serena, Lulu, Dillon). And, will give them budget to test new, non-related characters. I think three years for some of these players acting as wallpaper (Willow) is more than enough.

I HOPE the writers are smart enough to use Anna Devane to anchor Jackson to this cameo. They were a highlight in the dark Culliton/ Raysfield/Cascio years. Anna was Chief of Police, and Jack was the DA. They definitely were chemistry testing Jack and Anna. Remember at Jack/Erica's aborted wedding, Brooke and Anna cornered Jack and told him he still had a chance to escape? Unlike OLTL Nora's appearance which was pretty random, Jack and Anna are actual friends and had a real relationship. I'd rather play this up, than a "blink and you miss it" insider joke opposite Genie, James, or MEK.

❤️❤️❤️ Larry was such a “Agnes Nixon” character in Genoa City. A little rough looking. A little comedic. He added added so much colour to the “perfect” looking and acting Bell cast. Was the Cameron story Larry’s last in Genoa City. I remember him disappearing around that time YR purged their long-time recurring/background players: Lynne, Gina, Sierra, Mary, Silva… you know, all the guys at the back of the annual cast photo that had smaller, but beloved roles.

This is so true. Greenlee’s premier in Pine Valley was rough. I thought she was a summer spoiler for Becca/Scott, and would be gone by the holidays Remember Becca, Abigail Spencer, was getting all the teen story press on AMC at that time. Between the Kathie Lee Gifford connection, her unique creation/casting, they were leaning heavily on her as the young lead. She was the “focus” of the story: - In Becca/Scott/Greenlee, she was the one we were supposed to root for, the underdog Tom Boy set to win over Prince Charming - In Virgin Victor Scott/Becca/Leo/Greenlee, she was the victim who was going to reclaim her agency Greenlee came out of nowhere, namely due to Budig’a chemistry with Duhamel, and stole the show. By 2001, she has a full family on canvas (Woody, Milli, Roger, Mary) and Becca had a fade away scene at Ryan/Gillian’s wedding.

Noah has to be one of the most wasted characters in Y&R history. SORASED way too soon and treated poorly ever since. Meanwhile, after waiting decades for a revisit to the Keemo story,Allie is tossed aside. This is such a bummer. Both characters had so much potential. I also enjoyed both actors in the role. I am Asian American, and we have such little representation on soaps. I was just hoping YR would be different: a good actress, connected to a major family, limitless storyline potential

Did Jackie Templeton get written off?

I love that Willow was on the brink of death a MONTH ago when Obrecht was missing. Now we have her bone marrow, and she’s still on the edge of death. Someone just let her die. The writers cannot think that anyone likes this character right?

Drew sucks. He is spoiling this Quartermaine story. Not even the great Jane Eliot could save him today. It is Ryan Lavery whining 2.0. It suck Pine Valley. I hope it does not sink Port Charles. The costuming on Wally Kurth has been so bad. Wally has filled in, and his current costuming does not fit. It’s not hard to make a man look good onscreen. Get a good tailor. Especially for someone like Ned, who is supposed to be wealthy and should have a closet to reflect that. There is nothing worst than ill fitted tailored clothing.

Is Kate not contract? That makes this recast even more baffling.

Who is actually living at Chancellor mansion these days? Is it only the help: Esther, Kevin, Chloe? What a waste of a set. I think all soaps need to have a good balance of haves/ have nots. It makes no sense to have all the have nots living on a grand estate. Chance should come home and evict them all!

I loved Lexi, especially in her first run when she was given great meaty material, but Mansi is already doing a fine job slipping into the role. The writers were smart to have her first few days be Davis women centric, so viewers can see her slip into Kristina’s core relationships. I like her sister chemistry with Sam. I like the story they are giving her. Could it have been Lexi doing this? Yes. But we are not getting a dud actress here. I think Holiday is doing fine, especially for getting such heavy and emotional material on her first day. I see a resemblance to Haley, I think it is the fuller, making this recast less shocking. I say they find a way to get Molly off canvas for a bit until they figure out their recast plan on this one. I think Alexis will be fine with only 2/3 daughters on canvas for a while. Ava and Nina are a fun friendship that I never thought we would see happen. Weren’t they introduced as rivals? Didn’t Ava sleep with Nina’s husband? TJ is almost assuredly going to [!@#$%^&*] up, sleep with someone, and get them pregnant. That’s the only way this infertility story can go. Who do you think it will be? I’m not even sure if there are other ladies in his age band on the canvas right now. Did Holly bow out of town? I know I missed a few episodes. It’s not the Wildwind that we all know and love. It was the refreshed set used as Caleb’s “Cortland Mansion” and had little resemblance to the original. Talk about throwing out a beloved set!

You have to give Frank credit that the AMC sets are still in heavy rotation in Port Charles: - The Wildwind Chapel is now a general church set - Chandler Mansion is now Anna's home - Wildwind is now Portia's home - Erica's penthouse is now Laura's apartment I think these are the "better" sets in rotation. They seem less "flat" to me. There are interesting angels and hallways. It does not look like a theatre stage.

Worst: When they flirted with a romance between Palmer and Myrtle. Why would Myrtle ever be with that old crow? Notwithstanding he was her best friend, Opal’s, ex husband and Opal’s feelings for Palmer were no secret. It broke girl code. It was also a dumb, “we have two old folks on canvas, let’s pair them together.”

I don’t remember Mia or Simone ever mentioned by Frankie in the last run. It would have been a fun story to dive into with Liza still on the canvas and Frankie/Randi moving into “happy couple” phase of their relationship. A long lost son only sucks when there is no basis for it (eg Damon). The only mention of that era of Frankie in the last run I could remember was at Myrtle’s funeral. Angie made the mention that she was hesitant of Frankie moving to PV, but was resolved when Myrtle told her he could live with her at the Boarding house. That 2002 Boarding House crew had so much potential: Frankie, Simone, Maggie, Bianca. I wish we had more of a chance to dive into that setting. The boarding house was such a vital part of Pine Valley’a mythos.

Louis has so many red flags, and they are already boiling to the surface. Is this another LuAnn/Tom moment? Grand wedding and even grander divorce? I think Theresa is a bad judge of character. Her “best friend” Jennifer is a soldier using her for air time. She has exiled her entire family, whose only concerns was the first husband’s shady actions that put her in prison. …and now she has drummed up her daughters as her soldiers. This story can only end badly.

I know there was a reason as to why ABCD didn't hire Rao to write for GH, but I just can't qwhite put my finger on it. I remember all the positive critical and fan response to NS2. I believe ratings were very good for SoapNet too. It was such a contrast to have hospital-centric drama with Scorpio on the edge of death and Jagger looking for treatment for his son, when GH was all mob all the time at this point. The island of characters in NS2 was so good, I wish more characters graduates to the mother ship. It also made me like some of the GH characters more in this more intimate and character driven setting. Sri’s vision of GH was clearly not was JFP had in mind (hospitals? veteran performers? a woman lead? Sacreligous!) I’m very happy with the current GH writers, but it sure took a long time for the show to get to this place.

This home is not my taste, but completely in line with Bill and Maria. Maria is huge in the LA contemporary art world. It’s so sad to see that the kids sold all of Lee’s properties. They stood-in for show settings for decades. I am surprised no one wanted to keep it out of those memories.

Is there a definitive contract cast list for this show? Why don’t they ever write a a character off? They always just fade away. Some of the best drama is around a character’s exit and return. It seems like a missed opportunity.

This is a great one. She was a recurring support player to Jen and Joey, and started to outshine, and outlast, her peer group on the show. Am I misremembering that she was the University’s radio host? This was one of the clear cases where the portrayer made a role bigger than it was written. Devon on Y&R was a surprising rise to prominence. I swear that for the first 5 years he was just Dru/Lily’s talk-to character and he has that offscreen romance with Roxanne (Tatiana Ali). Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought he would evolve into one of the big business leaders in Genoa City, or a romantic lead in one of the hottest love triangles (with his own Father!): Devon/ Hillary/ Neil Cornelius Smith as AMC’s Frankie was a surprise. He clearly was not initially cast as Frankie. He was a throwaway character in that weird Greenlee poisoning story. Once Darnell/Debbi were locked in to return, and after the internet clamoured about his resemblance to Jesse, he was now Frankie. All the characters that met him before, had to pretend they were “keeping his identity secret”: Joe, Opal, Greenlee. All these characters would have recognised Frankie off the bat.

This is the most unexpected super couple in the making. TSJ has been a hot in the arm on this canvas. I love his lassaiz faire attitude in the full Abbott house. He reminds of when Leo moved in with Erica on AMC, disrupting her very proper home. TSJ is also great opposite Bryton. I want to see Tucker and Devon build a father/son relationship, something I could care less about with SN. He is not coming on too strong. He is letting Devon open up to him. I hope Tucker and Diane get more scheming time together too. They are an interesting pair of in-laws. The comedic opportunities are endless here.

It breaks my heart watching Molly. Finally, the actress is getting some meaty material. The storyline is pulling at my heart strings, partially because I literally watched Molly grow up in front of my eyes. So much wasted potential here with Haley off canvas indefinitely. I hope the recast closes-out the story and Molly leaves town. Seeing her character just breaks my heart with all the real world tragedies associated with it. This TJ is a real find. I think he has soap leading man potential. Who would have thought we would get so many of the Q Mansion rooms in active rotation again: - Foyer/ Living Room - Kitchen - Carriage House - Solarium - Drawing Room The Drawing Room was always my favourite. It was perfect for action/reaction scenes since there are entrances on both sides. What I would do to have Monica and Alan plopped on the couch while their kids dude it out with Edward or Tracy. This wood panelled/ chinoiserie look is much more to my liking. This is what an upstate estate should look like. The mix of classic architecture with modern touches. I hope this means the Q’s getting more front burner time is not just a temporary thing. I know there is so much talk on this board about Olivia/ Lois being the same character. I think they are very different and can each have their own role in PC. Olivia is like the traditional Italian Mama Bear, who loves being in the kitchen and having big Sunday dinners. Lois rebelled from those traditional concepts. Where Olivia has stepped into a more traditional wife role, Lois is a free spirit, an entrepreneur, a boss. I hope Lois comes back, and stirs the pot. Brooklyn, Tracy, Olivia will all be on edge with Lois back in town.