ALL: How to Break a Soap

[Gray Bunny]

I can see your point in that. DAYS definitely brought out a truck-load of camp during the latter half of 1997 when all the *hot* stories had reached their climaxes (John/Marlena/Kristen, Sami/Austin/Carrie). Not only with Kristen's many lookalikes, but then you had Vivian and Ivan (and later on Susan) in ridiculous costumes and silly hijinks that were stupid more than funny. Plus, with the recast of Jack Deveraux with a ken doll (Steve Wilder) and the renewed focus on nuJack/nuJenn on the run from the law, along with a recast Roman causing friction for John & Marlena, the momentum DAYS had in the mid-90's came to a screeching stop at the end of '97 and into early '98. Oh, and how can I forget the romance of Susan and Edmund? Of course, it's been said that James Reilly purposely sabotaged the show before he left his headwriting duties at the end of 1997. After all his masterful work in the mid-90's, he steered the next headwriter off on a slippery path and Sally Sussman Morina slipped and fell hard! (Swamp Girl, anyone?)

[Kylie]

It probably was just in general, but there's been so many people here (which is surprising, since i'm completely welcome at other boards) who have jumped my [!@#$%^&*] for not compromising something I believe in to watch, and I apologize if this is the case.

And while I agree with you in theory, then if what you're saying is right, then there's no reason to ever complain about a character, a couple or a show history being written and whitewashed. If the past doesn't matter. I don't know, but I think I have a right to still be angry that Erica, of all characters Erica, was treated with such disdain. And what was an solid, ground breaking storyline, and defining moment in her life, was turned into science fiction trash. I have the right to never see AMC the same again.

I'm actually more at peace with AMC and what happened then I've been in three years. And if I wanted to watch, I think I could and not be sucked back in. But as much as I want to, another part of me knows that I won't feel the same if I do, and doesn't really want to put myself through it. My life is just fine without AMC, and if I did cave and watch tomorrow ( and if you guys read spoilers, you'd know why I'd pick tomorrow of all days) I could not blink an eye. I just can't compromise my principles for something I don't feel any real love for anymore.

[Rhiannon]

I didn't like the Jordan Stark/Amalie/Lumnia/ stuff either even though it introduced me to David Andrew McDonald as an actor, they could have just brought him on as David Halliday and paired him with Amanda back then; DAM and Sandra Ferguson had good chemistry.

What killed AW for me in my heart was the awful brutal way they killed off Frankie, I still watched but the show was never the same for me after that.

As for Days while I enjoyed the Possession, Kristen/Susan, Killing Pool, and etc story lines in the 90's, looking back at them in clips and when they had that Possession story mini marathon on Soapnet last year it made me wonder why I liked it so much at the time. Of course I was barely a teenager back then so that probably had a lot to do with it, even though it was really entertaining the aftermath seemed to have caused Days to never find itself again. The show has been through numerous writers some who knew what they were doing and some who didn't, while I don't really love the way the show is going now it's nice that it seems a bit more realistic then it has in the past.

[miajere]

You said a mouthfull....She completely ruined romances, characters, and god knows what else---This woman made me soooo angry I was waking up in the morning b****ing to myself. I learned alot. LML taught me what it means to hate.LOL

But a year later I'm back, and enjoying Y&R on the regular, so I have to say there will always be something in my heart that wants to forgive and redeem a show that is at the mercy of some idiot.

OLTL had me at OPP...never have I felt racially offended by a television show, so props to OLTL for going out of their way to target the little diversity there was in Llanview and all of daytime...I found it hard to watch that show after DH left and characters were written off, left town, or completely backburnered, and couldn't help but turn on the television to one hour of being offended....It got to a point I didn't want to see any black or Latino characters because they reminded me of how "shady" the television industry can be when it comes to who "inspires" them to write and who doesn't. I felt like the things that are present in my everyday life had taken over my hour of escapism. I don't mind social stories, but that was not the social story for me.

ATWT- the day I found out Scott Bryce was fired, it hurt, because never have I rooted for a character so despicable and low, and make excuses for everything he did wrong. Scott Bryce renewed my faith in a show's ability to make me invest in character's happiness- something I don't always do for friends. These days I find it hard to get invested in television shows, and they have to come recommended or have been on for like a season in order for me to feel safe...."I've been hurt."

[P.J.]

GL...killing Maureen and bringing back Reva from the dead the first time. Sure, Reva vs. Annie was great...but other than that, Reva's stories have been nuclear waste. (Yes, I'm including everything Jonathan related). Amish Reva, blind Reva, picture-popping Reva...they just get worse and worse.

B&B...bringing back Taylor and Macy. Macy because she was killed off (or sent back into a coma a year later) and Taylor just because she's totally unnecessary.

Y&R...making Kay and Jill mother and daughter. Revisionist history always sucks.

ATWT...I'm having trouble recalling a story that impacted the show to the same level as my other examples. Sure, there have been abrupt exits (John, Ben, Kirk and Sam), unnecessary deaths with limited fallout (Bryant), and WTF were they thinking moments (Craig engineers Lucy's kidnapping, Em becomes a whore, Carly flucks Holden). But nothing on the level of Unabortions. Though I'm sure someone will come up with something.

[jimmyk311]

I can only answer this in ten ways.

To break a soap by:

1. hiring the same EP(s) and HW(s) and refusing to learn what they did wrong.

2. having the same performer(s) on everyday.

3. bringing characters back from the dead.

4. recasting characters that shouldn't be recast.

5. Too many flashback.

6. Lack of diversity.

7. Rewritting history to groundbreaking or award-winning storylines.

8. A character have to fall in love in triangles and staying there forever without doing a threesome.

9. Lack of character complexity and maturity.

And lately...

10. When the soap don't want to get with the times and better off in reruns on Soapnet.

[Pine Charles]

Out of all the soaps, AMC was always known as the more realistic/down-to-earth/character-driven show. Sure, you'd have over-the-top moments typical of all soaps, but these were always, for the most part, based on character. AMC was the perfect mix of social issue-drama and humor/camp. AMC never needed to resort to those silly action/sci-fi plots to gain attention and viewers, as the characters alone were all colorful and entertaining enough.

I think the big "break" moment for me was definitely Josh being revealed as Erica's back-from-the-dead abortion. This would have been bad enough if not for the fact that the 1973 abortion was a historical story and put Erica Kane on the national radar.

There have been some big blunders in the past, but NOTHING as disrespectful to the history of the show as this.

[brimike]

I don't know, PJ... I can't say this "broke my soap", but I do remember the moment I realized any faith I had in Goutman was dead and gone (and "broken") - when Adam became a date-rapist. That was exactly when I realized Goutman had lost his way, and nothing else he said or did would help the show from here on out.

[CassieFan]

AMC:

Josh - the walking abortion..

Tad burying a man alive...

Killing of beloved character with poisoned pancakes for no reason and then let the Piglet Babe live....

GH:

Killing of all the Quartermaine family.

Michael getting shot to the head. OK, I couldn't stand the Demon Child, but dear God...Shot to the head?????? A kid??? On soap????

[Kylie]

Thank you, I completely agree. I don't understand why the "eh" about what they did now. "Oh Josh is gone, lets move on and pretend it never happened." Lalala.

Yeah, well it did. And AMC has never quite recovered from it. Nor do I think they will.

The whole thing not only offended me as a women, (see the scene on You Tube where Erica has to beg Jack/Jeff to understand and you'll know what I mean) but offended me as an AMC fan. They broke something in me as an AMC fan, something that will never be fixed.

[rhinohide]

I disagree. It's a personal thing, and if it fundamentally changed your relationship with the show -- it's broken for you.

[brimike]

Fair enough. :-) I stand corrected. My only point was that I didn't think the original question meant you should list all the story decisions you didn't like. I've had plenty of negative reactions to characters on the soaps I watch, and plenty of negative reactions to storyline decisions, but it doesn't necessarily mean it broke something inside of me. But I shouldn't have judged what that was in others, and for that, I apologize. :-)

Sorry!!

[JackPeyton]

i think in order to break a soap a lpot of damage has to be done for a long amount of time with no hope or sight of it getting better. like days since the mid 90's and GL since the late 90's.

soaps are not like primetime shows. IMHO they dont have a jump the shark moments. storylines do, even chars do, but the entire soap? thats rare.

the only one i can think of that could fall into this is Days during the ssk/island storyline.

[ClassicsSoapFan]

P.J. and Brimke,I totally agree with what you said about ATWT.

Another thing that is killing/breaking this soap is the refusal of using the vets and honoring the history. The older characters are trotted out ocassionally to prop some one else's story, ie Kim at the studio,bob/Susan when a doctor is needed,Ssuan when a daughter needs correcting.

Lucinda seems to be getting a story.I hope they don't mess it up/

The Number One soap,Y&R seems to know what to do with their vets.

Goutman and Passanante doesn't.

[rhinohide]

LOL! Not that serious and certainly no apologies are required. I guess I was just thinking that any time any viewer flips the channel permanently, for whatever reason (no matter how silly I might think it is) there's a sound somewhere of glass shattering. Sort of the reverse of any time you hear the tinkle of a bell an angel gets their wings.

I agree JP. The damage to soaps is more about erosion than some catastrophic event. I'll be surprised