I agree. I did think of her as kind of lead adjacent back in the day- more than Tiffany, less than Anna. She really saved their ass as the last popular lead left standing when Riche arrived though and they had Ryan and a slow burn with Mac, which all did hinge on KW. She still has a lot to offer and I am glad Felicia recovered from Guza.
She certainly helped, as did the show deciding to move on from science fiction and characters that were not working. Holly Sutton helped quite a lot, as did the influx of new characters in 1983 that worked better than the Templeton sisters.
I do think several things worked in the show’s favor. First Marland/PFS and Monty made Lesley a real focal point, and she was kind of a crossover between the OG cast and the new folks. Jessie had already been made supporting, and Diana was not Valerie Starrett anymore. The audience was primed for change.
The influx of great characters was also incredible. When fans complain about newbies being forced onscreen too much and fast, it’s often really about the story. GH in less than a year has a significant focus on the Quartermaines, Luke and Bobbie, Scotty, Laura, and a newly recast Rick Webber (and those Webbers and Monica were relatively new too). I can’t think of an influx of newbies that successful that quickly except for maybe the Bradys on DAYS and Snyder family on ATWT.
I am sure there were complaints. But the story and production were rocking and by the time 1982 rolls around and becomes a problem, they had a huge audience filled with people that were not there when Jessie cried in the medicine room and Steve and Audrey were so tortured. And most of the older viewers that stayed must have liked the new characters because the ratings didn’t completely collapse.
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titan1978 ·
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