Search For Tomorrow Discussion Thread

[TheyStartedOnSoaps]

These episodes Mitch S. is uploading. Numerous male actors performed their scenes without a shirt. While John Conboy started the trend, it seems that "Search" picked up where Conboy left off.

On another note, Louan Gideon seems to be on everyday in the episodes Mitch S. is uploading. It must have been a letdown when she had no storyline in the final months of "Search" after Jacquline Shultz became David Forsythe's new leading lady. Even Marcia McCabe had a storyline those final months. But Louan had nothing to do once Hogan was paired up with Patti.

[VelekaCarruthers]

The shirtless scenes increased under Nicholson as EP with Quinn, Hogan etc. They had focused on Steve Kendall under Joanna Lee in 1983 but not much bare skin on SFT overall.  Louanne was a terrible recast. And don't get me started on Pam Long's horrible final six months as head writer with the Ireland plot and the convoluted Judge Henderson plot. I watched it daily until the end and cannot summarize either plot.  

[DRW50]

The show seemed to burn through the Kendalls considering how many there were. How do you think the show handled them? Why did they tape off? Was it casting issues? How would you compare them to the McClearys? If the show had continued, would there have been a future for the family?

[Soaplovers]

From the episodes I've seen during the last few months of the shows run, the show wasn't in a perfect nor horrible place.  It was decent.

The highlight of the judge story was Ann Flood playing a completely 180 character from her Edge of Night days.  And Stu/Jo having good focus.

I think the Ireland story was an attempt to hop on the bandwagon of 80s location shoots.. and solidifying the McCleary's as the second major family outside the Stu/Jo combination family (though killing Suzi off was misguided.. especially considering Terri E had this likable everywoman element)

 

I also see that Tomlin came back to headwriting again in late September/early October 1985... and the first thing I noticed was the mask was off Sarah and the gloves were off with Wendy.  The two had good antagonistic chemistry.. and Tomlin was misguided killing her off and deep sixing the Sarah/Wendy/Quinn triangle.

The alternative for all three proposed by Tomlin didn't seem any better with Wendy being put in a Suzi/Warren redux situation except it was her mother Stephanie and her new boy toy Bela.  The move was plot driven and not character driven.

Meanwhile Sarah is killed off just as she figured out the weird Bela/Wendy vibe and threatening to go to Stephanie... and Quinn has this sudden fascination with working class Evie that made no sense.

 

As Marcia McCabe said during the Locher Room interview she had... she said each EP/headwriter would come in and remake the show and this done too often.   And seeing the episodes from 1983/1984/1985 posted... she's correct in that view.

For example, Wendy and Suzi's friendship was threatened by Warren and their mutual interest in him... but that seems to fall by the wayside due to the numerous Suzi recasts.

Then a random character Justine comes on.. and the show spends months building her up as the antagonist... establishing a potentially good rivalry with Wendy.  And in fact, Quinn/Justine are tested in the spring of 1985 before she leaves/is dropped.. and Sarah is introduced.  Sarah is a character with no history with Wendy... and the show spends weeks setting the foundation of a rivalry between former schemer Wendy and new schemer Sarah while fighting over Quinn.

Then just as the foundation has been laid down.. poof Sarah is killed off and Wendy is sleeping with the man her mother is seeing.

Typing all these whiplash changes makes me understand why viewers were confused/unattached the show.... and all I typed was Wendy's situation (we won't even go into the Liza and Sunny whiplashes during that same period of time).