Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

Someone who is better versed on that period day to day would probably know better. 

I think it may have just been the whole atmosphere of that era peaking even if the best moments had been months earlier, combined with GH falling.

[NothinButAttitude]

True. 

I do think that from watching clips around that time, GL had a stellar cast/characters. You had the Bauers still somewhat prominent. The Reardon were their counterparts, who were immensely popular. I think the arrival of BM as Alex probably brought tons of eyes. And Reva was compelling early on.

Does anyone feel that '84 was possibly the last year that the show felt like an ensemble until after KZ left in '90, thus breaking away from the show being the Reva hour? I mean '88 seemed to be the start of it going back to being an ensemble but Reva was still heavily shown. 

[kalbir]

 

GL did not finish at #1. It was proven in the 1980s ratings thread. GL won the time slot over General Hospital May 28-June 1, 4-8, 11-15, 1984. Y&R was #1 those three weeks.

[Khan]

I think so.  I've said once before that I think it was the writers who were there between Pam Long's two stints that made GL more Reva-centric than Long herself.  When Long returned, she just more-or-less continued the pattern, probably because that's what P&G or CBS (or both) wanted.

[vetsoapfan]

Gotta love John Beradino!

Edited June 27, 2024 by vetsoapfan

[vetsoapfan]

In the long run, TGL was significantly more crippled than helped by Gail Kobe.

Pamela Long eventually developed into a decent scribe, but her early years were a mixed bag at best, with a lot of weaknesses interspersed with some successes.

When left alone at the helm, Jeff Ryder's deficit as a writer was painfully apparent.

When GH lost Luke and Laura and sunk into sci-fi hell, sure, alienated viewers took a look-see at TGL. This produced a temporary, artificial bump in the ratings. But it did not last. The steady downward spiral in numbers experienced by TGL throughout the rest of the 1980s confirms that it was just not producing the kind of material its former audience wanted to see.

When GH was a stellar soap and a rating's powerhouse at the beginning of the decade, TGL was pulling in an impressive 8.2.

By 1989, even with GH in poor condition, it was much better rated than TGL, with its measly 5.4.

Despite Kobe's and Long's assertions and bragging, our show was healthier before they tampered with it.

Edited June 27, 2024 by vetsoapfan

[kalbir]

The cynic in me can't help but feel that GL being CBS highest-rated daytime drama in the Potter/Marland era was helped by Y&R being in their post-expansion slump. Remember pre-expansion Y&R was challenging General Hospital and All My Children for #1 but the expansion derailed all its momentum. Y&R rebounds in the second half of 1982 and that overlaps w/ GL post-Marland fall.

It disappoints me that there was a ratings drop during the Calhoun era and the ratings did not reflect the quality of the show (at least to me). 

[NothinButAttitude]

The sad thing is that the ratings were a pure indicator that the Reva hour was not working. When everyone had good content to work with, that's when it appeared that any of these soaps had boosts. 

[MichaelGL]

Or maybe it was the strength of the writing team from 83-84 that made GL. As soon as Richard Culliton departed, and Jeff Ryder became Long's co-hw that's when the wheels started to fall off. Richard and Carolyn may have not been good solo HW's, but when paired with a equally talented HW with a vision, the pair of them really help translate that vision onto the screen in a entertaining and intelligent way. Another prime example when Millee Taggart was paired with Carolyn Culliton to write the show in 2002. This was true yet again when in the late 80s Nancy Curlee and Trent Jones were given more say in terms of the writing late in Pam Long's second tenure. 

Edited June 27, 2024 by MichaelGL

[vetsoapfan]

Yes, if Y&R had not been having trouble, it might have had stronger ratings. My point is, however, that GH was a cultural phenomenon at the time, garnering endless publicity, buzz and huge ratings. Unlike Y&R, TGL was in DIRECT COMPETITION with this daytime powerhouse, and still held its own. Maybe as GH's direct time-slot competitor, Y&R would have done much worse, considering it was weaker than TGL then. Even under such challenging circumstances, pre-Kobe's TGL was still strong. After her diddling, not so much.

Soap fans are a hardy bunch, and hang on for a long time, but there comes a point when they've finally had enough.

After years of dreck on screen, I think viewers had just become disenchanted with the show, expecting it never to become "the real" TGL again. Ironically, they turned away from it just when its short-lived rejuvenation was underway.

I've seen that happen so many times to so many shows. They make marked improvements after years of being in the toilet, but viewers are so fed up and burned out by then, they don't come back.

[robbwolff]

There's so much talk about the show becoming Reva-centric, but I always felt that Guiding Light became Reva- and Beth-centric during those years. The never-ending focus on those two characters caused me to lose interest in the show and prompted me to give Santa Barbara a chance.

[vetsoapfan]

LOL, personally, I loathed both of those characters, so having them featured so much did not endear the show runners to me at all.

[DRW50]

Thanks. I always get confused over that. I'll add a note in the comments.

[Soapsuds]

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@Dan

Edited June 27, 2024 by Soapsuds

[DRW50]

@Soapsuds Thanks for the link. I'm glad I was able to make that interview. Maeve is as lovely and wonderful as ever. Her comments about Jordan Clarke and Jerry ver Dorn were moving. She also shares some funny stories about working with Kathleen Widdoes. 

Edited June 27, 2024 by DRW50