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Despite several detractors on here, since 12/26/07, unquestionably Y&R has improved immeasureably. It is once again recognizable, with many assets.

The question is whether it will continue to improve? For now, though, compared to where it was a year ago (post-Pheila, Senate election starting, Nick dead, Dru over a cliff), it is like night and day.

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My vote goes to ONE LIFE...it has become daily viewing again for me and actually feels like a real soap in the traditional sense. For instance with this past Friday's episode....I was on the edge of my seat at the final cliffhanger, anxiously and excitedly rooting for Gigi and Rex to finally kiss, and now anxiously awaiting Monday. That's good soap opera!

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Depends on the time line. In the last year, I would definitely go with the majority and say OLTL. Ron Carlivati, more than any other hw today, really seems to get soap writing. Under him, the show had a great deal of balance (particularly for an ABC show), and the writing really was everything it should have been. I do think it lost some definite steam because of the strike, though.

Though they can't touch what OLTL was in the second half of 2007, I do think that DOOL and AMC have made some strides since the strike.

DH may have destroyed One Life, but I really think she "gets" Days. The show seems a lot more like its old self, and has been much more consistent in recent months than it was last year. It's certainly not without faults: the writing has been pretty slow, and some of the romances have been downright creepy, but DH is doing a great way of writing for the vets, who are extremely vital to Days. Anna and Tony have been a delight, John (whom I used to abhor) is now the funniest character in daytime, and Bope have actually had stories.

I also think that AMC has improved (though probably to a lesser extent). Lately we've seen more of the vets: Erica has made a grand return, the Hubbards have had one of the best returns I've seen, and Adam is seeming more like his old self and getting more airtime.

The thing that has most impressed me about AMC in the last year, though, is that they have really committed to expanding diversity on the show. They've brought on five (and Cassandra will make six!) extremely talented African American actors since the beginning of the year, which I'm guessing is the largest influx of diversity any soap has had in a very, very long time, if not ever. This was a very important step for the previously lily-white Pine Valley.

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