Consistently best-written characters

[DRW50]

I know they are few and far between, especially on soaps today, but are there any soap characters, now or in the past, that you think have been or were well-written for a long, long period of time? Where you never really had to say, "This wouldn't happen," or where the character suddenly became a stranger?

[brimike]

I very rarely ever think that Carly Tenney is written out of character. Even if the storyline doesn't work, the script writers of ATWT, combined with Maura West's talent, always seem to have a solid handle on her minute-to-minute behavior. Sure, I don't always like the stories she's in, and the decisions CG has made in terms of her direction - but she never doesn't act like Carly.

I think the closest I ever came to thinking she wasn't acting like Carly was that silly Simon caper. But even then, the script writers somehow kept her dialogue sounding like Carly, even if CG and JP were bound and determined to do everything in their power to not have her act like Carly.

[ian]

I think Gina Tognoni is the same way. She can always make it work, Dinah is usually pretty good

[brimike]

I would totally agree with that. It's rare I ever think "Dinah would never do that!" or "Dinah would never say that!". Good call.

ETA: Great topic, Carl!

[JellicleCat]

I think Sally Spectra on The Bold and the Beautiful was fairly consistent during her run on the show. At least I can't remember a time when I thought she acted out of character.

[ian]

Sally

[R Sinclair]

Sonny Corinthos. Every time I watch GH, he's being a straight up, unlikeable dick and I go, "Yep! That's Sonny!"

[DRW50]

Thank you for the responses. Given daytime in recent years I wasn't sure there would be any. I agree with the choices (poor Sally -- I did miss her humor in later years). I couldn't come up with any, although most of the time I think Viki is generally written in character on OLTL, minus that stuff with Ben.

[ian]

LOL Carl, well they get to take some artistic licence with Viki because she's really SEVERAL different characters

[rhinohide]

What I'm reading has more to do with the performer's ownership of the character and the consistency of their portrayal than about the "consistently best written character."

Blair Cramer has been horribly written over the years as has Dorian Lord. I would say they have been the most consistent characters IN SPITE OF the writing.

[Ms. Chandler Quartermaine]

I think Erica Kane is consistently written as Erica Kane...whether its a positive or not, shes the same character she has been since the start of AMC. Although the character has grown, every writer seems to "get" who & what Erica is. Which may be a mixture of Susan Lucci and the fact that Erica's not that hard to write for imo, larger than life = Erica Kane.

Susan Lucci may be a daytime legend in he own right, but Erica Kane is a legend all her own as well.

[CSF]

Victor Newman has always been pretty much in character. Even Jack Abbott is in character, at least I think so.

[BadBoy93]

The Cassadines.Come on they are the most evil family in Soap History.

[DRW50]

That's true, but I didn't list them because I give the actresses more credit than the writing. I'm not sure what would have happened if, say, Jessica Morris was playing Blair at a time when OLTL decided Blair was an awful person for being upset that her cousin had killed her baby, and she went around making racist comments and golddigging the day away.