ONE LIFE TO LIVE and lack of 'recognition'

Whereas, I agree OLTL has always been the red-headed stepchild of the ABCD lineup, and I agree the identity of the soap is somewhat lacking, even I, who has really never watched OLTL is familiar with the brand.

I'm not as well-read and informed on soap lore as you all are, but wasn't it started as being about diversity and class issues? And doesn't that somewhat persist to this day? At least I get that somewhat when OLTL conversation overlaps into other threads I read.

In the end, though, I feel like this brand thing is just a guise for fans who exist on soap boards. There may have been a brand initially, and some soaps may be better at sticking to it than others, but honestly, aren't they all about baby switches, daddy issues, evil twins, corporate takeovers, multiple marriages and star-crossed lovers? Really?

Interesting post. First of all, with all due respect and I don't mean this to sound as bitchy as it does--you're ON a soap forum. Of course you're familiar with OLTL as a brand! I'd be shocked if you weren't.

(Back in the day my second soap, after AMC and before I got hooked on One Life was Loving--now there was a soap NOBODY who didn't fervently watch soaps seemed to be aware of)

Except for much of the 80s, sure OLTl has always had some of that element. But yeah of course most soaps basically deal with the same kind of stories, etc. I do feel there are different feels (ie no matter who's been writing and producing, the West Coast Days has always had a very different feel to me than the East coast AMC--but would a non soap viewer pick up on that? Probably not... When OLTL started I'm sure it did feel much more brave though (for 1968 Agnes was writing One Life, and Another World simultaneously--while she was having the famous Carla passing for white story on One Life, Proctor and Gamble refused to let her have two best friends, one white and one black, move in as roomates on AW!)

Reba.

OMG! I'm agreeing with you a lot, lately!

Quick! Bring up that damn book, again!

HAHA Damn Reba indeed.

And yeah, it must be the sign of the apocalypse