I'm a 21 year old guy who has been watching soaps since I was very, very young. I watched GH, AMC, OLTL and EastEnders with my mom throughout my childhood and adolescence, and I cannot BELIEVE how far the mighty have fallen. With my interests in soaps growing as a teen, I started watching all the other soaps occasionally, and I now see why the ratings are so low.

The first episode of General Hospital I remember watching was when Stone died and all of Port Charles mourned the loss of a bright, wonderful young man. His death had a ripple effect on the show for years. Fast forward to this year, when a young boy is shot in the head (!) basically as punishment for shooting someone else. The ramifications of this horrific event? Grief sex. Where are Michael's grandparents? His countless cousins? It's trash, plain and simple.

The first story I remember on All My Children was when the school teacher came out of the closet. That was a topical, intelligent story that resonated with audiences, something that the show used to excel at. I tuned in a few days ago to see longtime vet Julia shot as Angie was held at gunpoint in her wedding dress. It would be fun and adventurous if Julia wasn't going to gargle blood and die.

I'm not a longtime fan of Guiding Light, but I tuned in today to see some kid shoot the district attorney, then run into a closet space with a bunch of boxes. Cut to his girlfriend finding him and "comforting" him. That show does nothing right. It's completely broken. Direction, production values, acting, and most importantly writing. It's sad to see television's oldest drama, once a treasured gem, completely destroyed.

I tune into Days of our Lives occasionally. Today, I watched Lucas tell Sami that she didn't HAVE to sleep with EJ when she had sex with him to save Lucas' life. Are you kidding me? How can we ever consider Lucas a man again? He RAPED her.

I watch Young and Restless VERY rarely, when I can't sleep at night and it's on Soap Net. I was actually just watching today and Gloria and Kevin were kidding around about Gloria having to work at his coffee shop if she loses her money. She asks, "Will I have to wear one of those, uh.." and Kevin goes "aprons?" I think that Gloria would know what an apron is, having been penniless until two years ago. Did the writers forget that Joan Van Ark originated the role?

Then I tune into One Life to Live to watch romance, scheming, mystery, intrigue, comedy and adventure. At least one's getting it right...

I've been watching Guiding Light recently as well (judging by the ratings, I think we're the only ones). Why? I don't know. But I've always been intrigued by the new production model (I don't LIKE it, mind you, but it's more like a 'Look at that trainwreck!' kind of intrigue). GL is interesting because it's a show that has completely lost its soul...and we're watching, frame by frame, the deconstruction of the longest running show on air, and it's sad. It completely lacks anything that resembles a soap opera.

Take for instance today's episode. The show starts off with Harley happily taking pictures of Daisy in her cap and gown. Rafe is holding a gun at Jeffrey. By the end of the episode, Jeffrey's been shot, and Harley and Rafe have skipped town together.

How do you go from point A to point Z like that? In the course of ONE episode?

It was just plain ridiculous.

Beth Ehlers deserves better. The writing for Harley has been terrible, but her "sendoff" today was just...unreal. 20 year veteran character with loads of history, and she skips town, leaves behind her children and her family, to protect who? Her dead ex-husband's bastard son who, for all she knows, just murdered someone? And she makes the decision in the course of a minute, if that.

Edited May 27, 200817 yr by Kubla Khan

Are we surprised of course Lucas is gonna be thrown under the EJami bus, Sami was thrown under and it backed over her again and again

Guiding Light needs everything new, but the first thing it needs is a new head writer. The production values can wait for a little while, but the show is virtually unwatchable. It's like putting a scratched DVD in the player and watching a jumpy movie for two hours.

Don't forget ATWT. It was once a staple of most soap-watching American homes. Now, two lovers are seperated by a homophobic father and an Iraqi refugge. Almost laughable. Emily's sleeping with her former lover's youngest son. And a newbie that's been shoved down our throats (Sofie) seeks love and affection and cries wolf when he countless advances towards the object of her obsession are turned down.

The state of soaps as a whole is in jeopardy, and I think we've known this alot longer than we try to convice ourselves we have.

ATWT is basically unwatchable for me. I love me some Maura West, but even she can't get me to watch

I only watch ATWT through Luke and Noah clips on YouTube and I can say it's borderline offensive. As a gay man, it's laughable to watch two buffoons get into all these misadventures with the homophobic colonel as the cartoon villain. And bringing in an Iraqi girl to complicate things? Ridiculous. How about having Kevin return, out of the closet, giving Noah a run for his money?

It's sad to think that 99% of soaps aren't getting it right 99% of the time.