Poll: Top five most important characters from the history of each soap?

[teplin]

Another World: Steve, Alice, Rachel, Mac, Iris

[soapfan770]

For me and the soaps I watch/watched:

ATWT: Lisa, Bob, Lily, John, Carly

AW: Rachel, Mac, Iris, Cass, Felicia

B&B: Stephanie, Brooke, Sally, Taylor, Sheila

Days: Tom, Marlena, Julie, Stefano, Roman

GL: Bert, Roger, Reva, Alan, Ross

SFT: Jo, Stu, Travis, Liza, Stephanie

Y&R: Victor, Nikki, Katherine, Jill, Jack

Most of these characters are very important because they completely changed the dynamics of the show.

[Adam]

All My Children

1. Erica Kane

It's impossible for her not to top this list. I mean, whether you like her, hate her or are plain indifferent... Erica is AMC and is synonymous with it.

2. Phoebe Tyler Wallingford

Close 2nd to Erica Kane and its just too bad she wasn't kept prominent during her last 15 years on the show or she could be #1.

3. Adam Chandler

Every soap has that classic love to hate male lead that time and time again teeters on the brink of going past the point of no return only to be balanced out with a loving heart deep down that guides his every move. Being juxtaposed with his complete opposite twin Stuart helped too..

4. Joe Martin

I can't stand the Martins now, but I understand they will be forever linked with this show. They are what the Hughes are to ATWT, the Bauers to GL... the middle class family that deals with every issue EVERY family deals with at some point. Whether it be infertility, teen pregnancy, adoption, alcoholism, you name it.

5. Dr. Angie Hubbard

One part of the couple that broke barriers that no show had before, a prominent african american couple that got many years of intense storyline play. I don't think AMC is what it is without Angie and Jesse....

[AdelaideCate007]

GH: Sonny, Luke, Laura, Steve, Alan

Y&R: Nikki, Victor, Jack, Katherine, Jill

DAYS: Alice, Julie, Marlena, Hope, Stefano

AMC: Phoebe, Erica, Joe, Tad, Adam

B&B: Stephanie, Eric, Brooke, Ridge, Sally

GL: Holly, Roger, Ross, Phillip, Reva

ATWT: Lisa, Kim, Bob, Lily, Carly

OLTL: Viki, Dorian, Todd, Karen, Tina

[JoelMTL]

B&B: Brooke, Stephanie, Taylor, Sally, Sheila. Brooke and Taylor have been the show's leading ladies forever. Stephanie has been a powerhouse. Sally was just unforgettable. Sheila's arrival changed the course of the show by expanding the focus to more than just love stories/triangles.

DAYS: Tom, Marlena, Sammi, Kristen, Stefano.

[applcin]

Word. Double word. Triple word. He was the foundation the Buchanans were built upon. Oppressed Viki? The man was a saint for everything he had to put up with, esp. Niki Smith and Viki's amnesia.

Agree with Dion's GH list, for better or worse. Spot on.

[Eric83]

GL:

1. Roger Thorpe (MY FAVORITE SOAP CHARACTER OF ALL TIME)

2. Reva Shayne

3. Ross Marler

4. Bert Bauer

5. Philip Spaulding

Honorable mention: Alan, Holly, Ed

Y&R

1. Katherine

2. Jill

3. Victor

4. Nikki

5. Jack

Honorable mention: Drucilla

DAYS

1. Alice Horton

2. Marlena Evans

3. Julie Williams

4. Bo Brady

5. Stefano DiMera

B&B

1. Stephanie Forrestor

Everyone else can suck it!!!!

I honestly can't think off 5 from ATWT. I don't know about AMC, OLTL, and GH's history. And Passions really didn't run that long, so it always revolved around the same people for the most part.

[JtSmarts]

Very Difficult...

Days: Alice, Marlena, Bo, Stefano, Julie (HM: Hope, John, Tom, Laura, Maggie)

GL: Roger, Reva, Bert, Alan, Holly

PSSN: Luis, Sheridan, Teresa, Ethan, Alistair

AW: Rachel, Iris, Mac, Felicia, Jake

B&B: Stephanie, Ridge, Brooke, Taylor, Eric

[Quent]

ATWT:

Lisa: Soap's original bad girl, put ATWT on the map.

John Dixon: No one caused more problems than Johnny D.

Barbara: there through it all, from ingenue to victim to villain to survivor

Lily: heroine who we followed from childhood crush (Dusty) to real love (Holden) to romance (Damian).

Carly: The show came full circle with the Lisa of the present.

[P.J.]

IA, it's extremely hard to narrow down ATWT's list.

Penny, Lisa, Kim, Susan, John, Barbara, James, Lily, Carly, Luke and Gwen.

GL...Bert, Ed, Holly, Roger, Rita, Reva, Phillip, Jonathan.

[LoyaltoAMC]

I'm thinking along the lines of iconic characters, those best remembered and most beloved from the shows, and those who helped shape the shows' identities. Threw in as many shows I could remember. For me, AMC, AW, B&B, RH, Doctors, Y&R, and GL were the easiest picks.

All My Children: Erica Kane, Tad Martin, Phoebe Tyler, Adam Chandler, Palmer Cortlandt

As the World Turns: Bob Hughes, Lisa Grimaldi, John Dixon, Carly Tenney, Lucinda Walsh

Another World: Iris Carrington, Rachel Davis, Mac Cory, Felicia Gallant, Steve Frame

Bold & Beautiful: Stephanie Forrester, Eric Forrester, Ridge Forrester, Brooke Logan, Sally Spectra (the easiest of all)

Capitol: Myrna Clegg, Trey Clegg, Clarissa McCandless, Sloane Denning (can't think of more than four memorable characters)

Days: Alice Horton, Marlena Evans, Roman Brady, Laura Horton, Julie Williams (The toughest to choose, since the show had SO many memorable, iconic characters throughout the years)

Doctors: Matt Powers, Maggie Powers, Althea Davis, Steve Aldrich, Carolee Aldrich (another no-brainer)

Edge of Night: Mike Karr, Nancy Karr, Bill Marceau, Raven Alexander, Adam Drake

General Hospital: Steve Hardy, Luke Spencer, Sonny Corinthos, Robert Scorpio, Laura Webber

Generations: Doreen Jackson (that's all I can think of from this horrid show, whose intent was noble but whose execution was disastrous)

Guiding Light: Bert Bauer, Ed Bauer, Alan Spaulding, Reva Shayne, Roger Thorpe

Loving: Gwyneth Alden, Ava Rescott, Clay Alden (can't think of more than three, if any, who have any sort of iconic value in the soap nostalgia books)

One Life to Live: Viki Lord, Dorian Cramer, Todd Manning, Karen Wolek, Tina Lord (more difficult to choose than I thought it would be one for some reason, besides the obvious Viki and Dorian)

Ryan's Hope: Maeve Ryan, Johnny Ryan, Delia Ryan, Jill Coleridge, Jack Fenelli

Santa Barbara: Mason Capwell, Cruz Castillo, Augusta Lockridge, Julia Wainwright, Gina Capwell (this along with Days was the toughest, since the show had SO many memorable characters throughout its relatively short run)

Search for Tomorow: Joanne Tate, Stu Bergman, Liza Sentell, Stephanie Wyatt (thought this one would be easier, but besides Jo and Stu, not really sure. Probably too much time has passed since it's been off the air)

Texas: Rena Dekker, Justin Marshall, Paige Marshall, Lurlene Harper, Ruby Wright (loved this show as a kid when Pam Long took over, and these five seemed to best define her year with the show)

Young & Restless: Katherine Chancellor, Jill Foster, Victor Newman, Jack Abbott, Nikki Newman

[DaytimeFan]

Yep, the perfect list.

[Mr. Vixen]

General Hospital:

Audrey Hardey

Steve Hardey

Laura Webber

Luke Spencer

Robert Scorpio

[darraholic]

Days: Tom/Alice, Julie, Marlena, Laura & Stefano

HM: Mickey, Bill, Bo, Hope, Sami, John, Doug & Maggie

[Pine Charles]

ALL MY CHILDREN

Erica

Phoebe

Adam

Brooke

Janet