Why you never got into the Bell soaps

[Sylph]

I often ask my friends and acquaintances about this, but more often than not the replies are mingled, unspecific and vague. Y&R must be one of the most idiosyncratic soaps and one very difficult to get into if you weren't a fan from the very beginning. (Even though it has been the most watched for ages by now...)

What are some of your reasons? The deadeningly slow pace, unsympathetic, uninteresting characters, the horrible dialogue...? Especially if you've tried to watch it several times, but always fail to become a regular viewer.

[CSF]

I don't think you needed to watch Y&R from the beginning to get into it. Remember, all of the Brook's are gone and were written out by 1983. All of the Foster's are gone. Jill isn't even a Foster anymore. I found it easy to get into Y&R because it's stories move rather slowly, which can get boring at times, but also, they always revolve around the Newman's and Abbott's and several other characters. I think it's easy to identify who is connected with who.

B&B on the other hand, if it hadn't been created by the creator and head writer of Y&R at the peak of Y&R's success, it wouldn't have lasted past 1989.

[jfung79]

Richard Culliton never worked on them, so I never had a reason to sample them for an extended period of time.

It seems like there are a lot of shouting men on Y&R (Victor Newman especially), which always gets on my nerves.

I had a mild interest in B&B when Justin Torkildsen was on as Rick Forrester. Cute and he seemed nice. Surest way to my heart without Richard Culliton is a good-hearted young leading man character played by a good actor. I liked Stephanie too. But I still wasn't addicted or anything.

I don't think B&B has enough characters.

[rangethatrover]

HAHAHAH Sylph, this thread will probably have 4 people responding, if that.

I used to be a huge fan of both shows, they were an interesting pairing with OLTL.

B&B I started watching because of Sally and Stephanie, and later I really got into it because of the Sheila/Lauren crossover.

Post 2002 or so B&B has sucked. And I honestly believe B&B would have been in the 2.0 rating area by now if the Sheila crossover would not have happened in 93/94..

Y&R I have not -loved- since 03 or so. Relentlessly slow. Storylines that don't have an ounce of imagination really.(Katherine/Marge was the exception this year but it went far too long and the Cliff Radison stuff was horrible). The show has lost alot of glamour. And so many boring characters or off putting characters that I could care less about. It really bores me, I can barely get through an episode. Its the one show too where I am always let down as far as the commercials or whatever. The show never lives up to the- whatever they were called- the parking garage collapse and then David Chow/Sabrina- the events are always like "That's it??"

[Sylph]

I think so but for different reasons that those you presume. I mean — I seriously sense that a sizable number of the audience tried but could never get into these shows fully. That there is something very off-putting about them. Whereas, if you look at Agnes's shows, people find it easier to tune in and love them.

I'm hoping R Sinclair will reply. He tried multiple times, but Y&R fell short of his expectations. And Sinclair has a very good literary and TV taste, from what I've seen. And I find that sort of taste essential. Which is why I'm in "conflict" all the time around here. And not by my choice.

[rangethatrover]

I live in Boston and have known one person in my entire life who watched the Bell soaps. And I grew up in New York- and it was AMC/OLTL/GH. My grandparents watched every ABC soap but Ryans Hope and Loving. My mother was a huge AMC fan until she returned to her career in 1984. My aunts- all ABC. When I moved to Boston when I was 13- it was the same exact block of shows. At this point I know 3 people who watch soaps, all female, all 3 DVR AMC and that is it. For some reason, OLTL was very popular during the summer of 94- when we went back to school, girls and guys were talking about the rape/court stuff with Marty.

I thought it was sad that no one I knew (except Stacey! thank god) watched Y&R in the 93/94/95 years because Sheila was AMAZING and so much fun to talk about!

[Delia]

Personally, I always thought it was easier to get into Y&R than other soaps, especially nowadays, when most soaps have horribly convoluted stories and messy family trees. Y&R, even though their stories often move at a slow pace, at least has stories that flow well. I have been watching AMC for over a decade now, and only within the last 5 years have started watching Y&R on a regular basis, but it really only took a few weeks to get invested in the show and understand it's characters. Y&R definitely has it's own look and persona that has largely been unchanged since its debut, with the exception of the LML era, and I think that really works in it's favor. Sure the dialogue can be stilted at times and the characters can be rather uptight and of course the stories move slowly, but at least at Y&R the stories always build up to a fairly decent resolution, unlike say those at AMC and ATWT.

B&B, however, has far more unlikeable characters and the stories are very repetitive, so not much ever happens. On one hand, B&B is easy to get into because it has a small cast and a fairly compact family tree, but, on the other hand, the stories, unlikeable characters, and the repetitive romantic drivel drive new viewers away.

[quartermainefan]

Y&R? Has to be the worst, most boring soap ever created. I would rather watch 1952 episodes of Love of Life.

For 25 years whenever I see this show in passing while flipping the channels all I see is someone staring, someone making a dramatic pause and then staring, someone whispering or talking too low because they think this translates to realism, a perpetual self-satisfied smirk from Peter Bergman, Eric Braden mumbling, and the queen of Y&R with her over processed hair and a voice that is like nails on chalk. Then there is the old yenta who I can't take. I defy anyone to find a single segment of the show from the last 30 years when someone isn't staring and pausing.

[Marc]

They're stuffy, stiff and the lighting is too dark. I tried several times to get into Y&R. Thinking that since it's the #1 soap, there must be something about it worth watching. But I just can't get into - at all. The actors seem good, but the stories are so convoluted and foggy.

[Kubla Khan]

Y&R is really good to watch when there's a big event going on. They do well executing those, for the most part (the LML era notwithstanding, Out of the Ashes or whatever that was called was one of daytime's biggest jokes).

But, overall, I think R Sinclair said it best recently...the show is stuffy and pretentious. The show at times feels like a big dark hole of humorlessness (is that a word?). The dialogue is often stiff and unnatural. The show seems a little too impressed with itself.

[Khan]

To me, Y&R was, is, and always will be a show that takes itself entirely too seriously. Lord knows, I take myself too seriously, but I don't need my entertainment to do the same.

Oh, and the actors on the show are too fey, too.

You had it right, although "Into the Ash Heap" is probably more appropriate.

[Sylph]

And in Y&R's best vein: humorless.

[sheilaforever]

I have a friend who used to be a die-hard GH fan who couldn't get into Y&R for many years. In the 80s he totally hated it, in the 90s he warmed up to it during the Alden year and now it's bascially the only soap he's still watching...

A huge turn-off for him was the slow pacing and the different style what he was used to from GH and Days. Now he loves Y&R exactly for that reason. I often wondered whether it is an age question for some people? At least those who like serialized drama. First you like the escapist fast-paced fun and then you want to fully invest and therefore fall in love with the harder to grasp and more realist likes of Y&R?

[alphanguy74]

I've always been the opposite, I never could get into Agnes' shows... although I have trememdous respect for her. For me, I'll be brutally honest.... it's the production style. Y&R is virtually the only soap that to me, looked like HIGH QUALITY, almost good enough to be a prime time show. I'll admit about the "staring" and "pausing", but that's also precisely what I like about it. I think it depends on the kind of viewer you are. If you are a more intense TV viewer, then Y&R suits you better. If your'e more of a "spectator" type viewer, and don't lose youself in shows... then I think Y&R might seem slow or boring. My best friend happens to watch Y&R, AMC, and OLTL, so that rule isn't hard and fast. When I was young, the slow pace bothered me alot, but the payoff was always so incredibly sweet that it made it all worth it....I'll admit, Y&R could easily be like having a case of blue balls for 6 months. The background music also makes the show really good for me. I'm an odd duck, and background score can make or break a show for me... and Y&R's is always one that I LOVED, and the others never were memorable to me, except the themes that I loved... like SFT and DOOL. When it comes to B&B, I can tell you one thing, Susan Flannery CARRIES that whole show.... their BG music makes seem like Y&R's cheaper stepchild, though... and although the rest of the production is similar, the music is not as good. Y&R's darkness is another thing I love... I know that is Conboy's handiwork, but I'km glad they kept it. I like a feeling of intimacy, and he's right, it DOES focus the viewer's attention more on the actor's facial expressions and emotions.

[jfung79]

GL is realist and that's why I love it. Y&R seems to be all corporate -- I wouldn't call that realist.

Oh, I forgot to mention, whenever I saw clips, I was interested in Shemar Moore (?) and Victoria Rowell but I don't think they are on anymore?