Now I don't watch ABC soaps, never have been able to get into them and never will, but since I know that most of SON watch ABC soaps, I figure I'd post this old article which talked about crossovers on ABC soaps(especially OLTL) and also contains a blurb about Jill Farren Phelps and actress Sarah Brown:

The ABC “Super” Soap feel, and different characters.

Well on today’s ABC, that’s no more, because characters and storylines (as well as writers and producers) are interchangeable. On each soap there is a character or storyline that, by all rights, belongs on a different soap.

Look at what’s on ABC right now. Skye Chandler learns that Adam and Althea aren’t her parents. Do we see this play out on AMC? No, it’s on OLTL and soon to be on GH. Patrick Thornhart has a twin brother. Do we learn of this on OLTL? Nah, we were introduced to Ian on Port Charles. Anna Devane has a twin sister, Alex. And, wow, Anna is alive! That’s sure to shake up GH, right? Nope, that story is currently being played out in isolation on AMC.

The crossover of characters and storylines is nothing new, either in daytime or prime time shows. Prime time crossovers have become an all too common stunt to boost ratings during sweeps or to try and draw viewers to show with poor ratings. It now seems that Angela Shapiro and the Powers That Be at ABC/Disney are trying to use these ever-more frequent crossovers to goose their soaps’ declining ratings. The thought seems to be that if you only watch one ABC soap you’ll now have to watch them all in order to follow your favorite characters.

I’ve enjoyed some of the crossovers that occurred on some shows, assuming that the stories were well done and the characters fit with the current cast. For example, Richard Belzer’s character of Detective Munch has appeared on five different shows on three separate networks [Homicide (NBC), Law & Order (NBC), Law & Order: SVU (NBC), X-Files (FOX), and The Beat (UPN)] and has been entertaining in each instance. And I’d hope that Another World’s Cass Winthrop (Stephen Schnetzer) becomes a contract role on ATWT, where such a character would fill an obvious void.

Unfortunately, what has occurred on ABC seems more like a marketing ploy than any attempt to tell a good story. As much as I love Robin Christopher, I’ve always thought that Skye’s presence in Llanview was forced and arbitrary. I always felt that Skye would go a few miles away to Pine Valley and make another play for Edmund rather than waste a year-and-a-half on losers like Ben and Max. Likewise, having the brothers Marrick fight over the same woman (again) is alright (in theory if not in execution), but the whole GH/Devane/espionage plot just doesn’t feel right against the backdrop of Pine Valley, where many spy stories have flopped.

I'd have to say that Shapiro's "Super Soap" is, so far, a failure. If the message boards are any indication, viewers of single soaps are not being drawn to other shows and many are resentful of the intrusion of characters from other soaps as well as the effect these other soaps' stories are having on their show. The only ones who seem truly happy with the situation are the people who already watch more than one soap, but that doesn't seem to be the audience Shapiro and company want to reach.

The overabundance of crossovers has only intensified the homogenization of ABC's daytime lineup. The viewers are already being inundated with WASPish ex-models of dubious acting ability and recycled writers and producers that have lead to a sameness in the soaps when it was each shows uniqueness that created loyal viewers in the first place. Instead of making everyone love every soap, ABC is turning out a watered down product that pleases very few.

Phelps and Shapiro in the News

The rumored on-set fight between Jill Farren Phelps and Sarah Brown made the March 19, 2001 edition of The Hollywood Reporter. The article recounted the rumor, which originated on Gedstern’s GH site, the responses by ABC and Sarah, and the online petition to remove JFP, McTavish, and Angela Shapiro.

What I found most interesting were the following quotes from Ms. Shapiro:

"It is a disservice to the fans, however, when misinformation concerning the shows is believed as fact…The fact about Jill and Megan is that they were extremely successful at 'One Life to Live,' resulting in much critical acclaim and increased ratings[.] The decision was made to bring that team to 'General Hospital' in order to achieve the same goal for a show that was losing audience."

Excuse me, but the blatant hypocrisy and dishonesty of her statement would do a politician proud. While OLTL did rank number one in the 18-49 demos a few times during JFP’s reign, this was due more to the other soaps demos falling for a week rather than a sudden rise on the part of the show. Furthermore, OLTL often ranks toward the bottom in terms of household ratings. And critical acclaim?!? OLTL just received zero Emmy nominations in the major categories, and only last December Soap Opera Digest named OLTL as the Most Disappointing Show for the year 2000.

By the way, for an article about accuracy on the net, writer Chris Marlowe misidentified JFP as headwriter of GH with her writing partner, McTavish. Shapiro was misidentified as the executive producer. So much for fact checking at The Hollywood Reporter.

written by Stephen Wiss

Edited February 23, 201015 yr by soapfan770

Soap crossovers fascinate me, so I loved reading this. I admit, I like them on the ABC soaps within reason--particularly the three Agnes Nixon soaps where they seemed fairly natural. I've mentioned before that one such gimmick hooked me--as someone who only watched AMC as a kid, when I heard about the weeklong cross over with Loving for the Carter Jones storyline (in 1992 I think?) I made the switch and became hooked. I wish I could see the storyline now, but at the time I found it really well done. But the characters truly crossed between each show (Dinah Lee and Hannah were on AMC for some weeks before).

I agree with this that lots of these crossovers were dumb--why have Anna from GH come to AMC (even if I really liked the character) when GH fans who don't watch AMC wouldn't ever know about it, similar with having Patrick's brother on PC when he was never on OLTL first to let fans know he was making the move (I wish Marty would mention Cole has an uncle who turne dinto a vampire or whatever). I loved having Angie on Loving (I felt she fit The CIty better) but to not have her stop off for a week or so first on AMC to let fans know she was back seemed to completely miss the point...

A lot of the crossovers from the late 90s/early 00s were wastes of time. I still have no idea why Skye was on OLTL, other than JFP wanting to give her friend a job.

"Super Soap", yeesh. I keep thinking about that vainglorious "Year of the Soap" promo...

I wish AMC/OLTL did one more crossover before AMC moved to LA.

Belzer's Munch went on to appear on HBO's The Wire as well, so that makes six.

I love crossovers and think most people have enjoyed them since Frankenstein met The Wolfman in 1943. Crossovers are fun, they have no other merit except they are fun. Skye's crossover wasn't really a great one because it wasn't like all these characters were meeting up, she and Rae just traveled around shows. The Bianca crossover I enjoyed a lot, especially Asa wanting to smack JR. What is the downside to crossovers, they will lose ratings? At this point can anything stop that? I would love to see Erica come to Port Charles and have Sonny fall for her and Jason assigned to escort her around town. It would be funny.

I would love to see Victor Kiriakis meet Sonny Corinthos and be thoroughly unimpressed.

And remember cross overs and spin offs are as old as soaps--there were several spin off radio soaps (there were a couple but the most famous of course is Irna Phillips moving her very popular Rose Kransky from Guiding Light into her own radio soap, Right to Happiness which premiered in 1939 and actually became a more popular soap opera all in all till it ended in 1960--even though Irna only wrote it for five years. I've heard some episodes and it's one of the more compelling radio soaps, always wondered why it was never tried for a tv adaptation). Funny as there's never truly been a successful daytime soap spin off (though I suppose Somerset and PC come close). Bright Horizon was another hit soap spin off--spun from Big Sister.

As for crossovers--that's Irna again, her infamous mid 40s time when she joined three of her shows (followed by a non connected optimistic religious serial from the Hummert Mill) as the General Mills Hour (so in a way the first 45 min soap)-- Today's Children, Guiding Light and Woman in White aired back to back with Ned P from Guiding Light serving as narrator for all three, and characters from each interacting with one another. It was a huge success at the time. So yeah--for the most part I find them fun (especially when the soaps are complimentary--even the P&G crossovers with the Bell soaps have been a bit strange to me, but not within each)

Edited February 23, 201015 yr by EricMontreal22