All: What If................

[Khan]

Several actors have praised PFS's work over the years, including Bill and Susan Seaforth Hayes. Unfortunately, for every show she got (DAYS, GH), there seemed to be a show she didn't (GUIDING LIGHT, RYAN'S HOPE).

Here's another: what if Richard Culliton and Pamela K. Long had not joined GL's writing staff after TEXAS's cancellation?

[Bright Eyes]

If what happened to PFS happened now, people would probably be labeling her a 'hack.'

[Khan]

Be honest: just about every HW in this business, dead and alive, gets labelled a 'hack' these days, lol.

[MichaelGL]

GL probably would not have existed past the 80s if they didn't get either writer. While Long had her faults, her first few years at GL were a ratings winner and resulted in the show reaching #1 for a brief moment.

If not cancellation, GL probably would have gotten Gary Tomlin, who was in the shuffle between PGP soaps at that time, or who knows, maybe even the Dobsomes would have returned.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

There seemed to be two Pat Falken Smith's, the one pre-Gloria Monty, and the one post-Gloria Monty.

Notice how different her writing tenures at DAYS were before and after her successful GH stint, she stated recycling a lot of the same bag of tricks Monty and her pioneered at GH.

[Khan]

Normally, the thought of Gary Tomlin taking over any soap as HW might give me reason to pause. Yet, not only do I think he did a good job writing SEARCH FOR TOMORROW (the first time, if not the second), he, along w/ the Cullitons, actually helped GUIDING LIGHT get back on-track after Pat Falken Smith and L. Virginia Browne & Gene Palumbo made a terrible mess of things. (For instance, the denoument of the convoluted Mona Enright saga? That was all Gary, Richard and Carolyn.)

Would he have been as good as Pam Long? Probably not. If what he (again, in tandem w/ the Cullitons) wrote for ANOTHER WORLD is any indication, it would've been good-but-not-great soap opera. Enough to sustain the show for the rest of the decade, but probably not for much longer (not w/o a stronger Co-HW anyway).

Speaking of the Dobsons, lol, what if New World Television and NBC Daytime had never removed those two from their own show? Would SANTA BARBARA continue to grow (and even be around today)? Or was that show doomed to extinction no matter what?

[Bright Eyes]

Gary Tomlin also helped steer Days of our Lives in the right direction after the mess Ruth Brooks Flippen & Nina Laemmle inflicted upon us. Of course, he had help from Michelle Poteet-Lisanti.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I think it was doomed no matter what. I don't think many in middle America got or understood that show, whereas the Europeans especially got its quirky traits and it thrived there, and continues to thrive in certain parts of Europe to this day.

[Khan]

Frankly, Tomlin confuses me. How can someone who can do good work when called upon it also do something jaw-droppingly bad, like turn OLTL into something out of "The Big Gay Sketch Show" on LOGO?

[Soapsuds]

I was one of those who didnt get Santa Barbara at all.

[Bright Eyes]

I couldn't tell you. Mid-life career crisis that unfortunately stuck?

[DRW50]

What if Bob Guza had not returned to GH in 2002?

[Khan]

On the one hand, I see your point(s), and agree with you completely. SaBa was just too "different" for audiences used to more traditional soap opera. (Also, as the Paul Rauch/Pam Long era proved, stripping it of its' uniqueness just to make it more competitive didn't work, either.) However, in contrast to my thoughts upthread on LOVING, I think a change in its' timeslot would have made a major difference. As it was, SaBa always stood in the shadows of GH and GUIDING LIGHT, two powerhouse soaps with extremely loyal fans. Also, SaBa tried to be The Soap Opera For People Who Don't Like Soap Operas. Fine, but if you're not watching soap operas, how will you know to watch this one? And at that time of day? Huh-uh. IMO, SaBa was better off airing at 4 pm (EDGE OF NIGHT's old timeslot) where it would've had more exposure to non-traditional viewers.

[Soapsuds]

What if the Victoria Rowell/Debbi Morgan thread on SON didnt exist????

[Khan]

My opinion? GH had slipped so badly after Labine and Guza I, if Guza had decided to stick with SUNSET BEACH, ABC would have begged Claire Labine to come back.

Well, you know, there's a way a certain administrator or two could find out. ;-)