As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[adrnyc]

 

It's a good one to have as your #1, that's for sure!

[DramatistDreamer]

It was particularly funny how the rebooted U/D cast tried to suggest that their show was superior to Downton Abbey.

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I guess we know who had the last laugh there.

[adrnyc]

@DramatistDreamer  Good point! They couldn't even last 2 seasons!!

 

To get the topic back on track to ATWT....I thought I'd ask people's opinions of Susan Stewart.

 

I only watched in the aughts so she was certainly a shadow of her former self, but I always enjoyed both the character and the actress.  Even though she got saddled with some silly storylines, I was always happy to see her front and center.  I know I missed her heyday in the 70's and have read the Soaps & Serials books which have given me some insight into her.  She's just recently returned to the Oakdale canvas in my watch of the 80s and I'm hoping there's still some juicy stuff to come from her. Right now, she's really only there as a sounding board for Emily.

[Soaplovers]

 

Susan has some good stuff coming up in the late 80s into the mid to late 90s.  You will not be disappointed...and it might answer any brief references/tensions between her and kim...and her and Lucinda.  You will not be disappointed, but Susan in the late 60s and all of the 70s was her at her peak (I w asnt born yet).

[DramatistDreamer]

A year or so ago, someone posted an episode from the 70s featuring Susan and Dan Stewart and it was pretty progressive as it seemed to highlight a discussion between the couple concerning whether to have an 'open marriage'. 

You don't even see such a thoughtful examination about a taboo topic being done with today's daytime soaps.

[adrnyc]

 

Great to hear!!!

 

 I'm pretty sure I've seen that episode, probably from when it was posted here. Agree with you - although I'd go further and say that a thoughtful examination of any topic wouldn't be done on soaps today.  

[DramatistDreamer]

 

I was trying to be generous in my assessment of today's remaining daytime soaps but you're right.  The stories are borderline superficial and lack depth.

 

ATWT once explored the effects of a police shooting of a Black man by examining its aftermath on the relationships in his family.

Thirty years later, there is no story like this.  In the time of BLM, none of today's writers could be entrusted with writing a story that even mildly touches on a relevant issue.  

 

One of today's remaining soaps has a Black billionaire character who was known to drive a fancy sports-car but never got stopped once by the police or the highway patrol?  In the Midwest?  Whet??!

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Edited February 28, 2018 by DramatistDreamer

[adrnyc]

@DramatistDreamer   Great points. Soaps absolutely used to deal with so many topical issues.  I'm writing a soap opera right now and am thinking of all of these things. I've already had a bit of social commentary in there and am about to start a major story that will touch on BLM.  Am nervous about being able to do the story justice....we'll see.

 

I must admit that I don't watch any current soaps (B&B, occasionally, but from '14 via the CBS app) but I still follow the news and I don't hear of any socially relevant issues being made into storylines.  A) It's different times, I suppose and B - there very well could be and I haven't heard of them. If I did hear of one, it might actually cause me to check the soap out. 

 

I hear that the foreign soaps still do a fair amount of this though?

[Faulkner]

I think soaps don’t want to rock the boat anymore. They are in their twilight phase and have shed almost all of their viewers under 50, so they are pandering to an older, more conservative base. Even taking into account that Y&R is the most conservative soap, it’s crazy that there would be all of this trepidation about a lesbian storyline years after Bianca, Otalia, Zarf, NUKE, Will/Sonny, Fish/Kyle, and Brad/Lucas. But then you think, Oh it makes sense. They don’t have any room to offend a small portion of their aging audience, and they look back at those LGBT stories I mentioned and say, “Most of those soaps are gone.” I think it also applies to other social issues. They look at the risk and realize they have very little to gain from a swing and an almost guaranteed miss given the hostile climate we’re in for all of television, not just daytime.

[DeeeDee]

 

And is constantly TOLD how to spend HIS money by everyone else in town!

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Bryton has shown he has the chops to be an adult character.  Although his character has a bit more agency now, Devon could have so many more aspects to who he is.  The same could be said for the Hilary character. 

 

Y&R holds back with them and it's very unfortunate, especially in an age where Black Panther and Get Out have proven that you can have Black characters driving story and people will gravitate toward it, if the writing is good.  I don't know if soaps will ever figure this out.

Edited February 28, 2018 by DramatistDreamer

[Faulkner]

I was making the same point about Sterling K. Brown leading This Is Us, the biggest drama on broadcast while GH backburners Donnell Turner, easily the best male performer on that show.

 

Daytime soaps are so done. There are no lessons to be learned because they are just filling time until the inevitable. 

[Mitch]

I don't know why they don't create a daytime soap aimed at a black audience, when they see how successful nightime "soaps" aimed at a black audience are. I know soaps are expensive to create but with the success in movies and prime time and shows aimed at that audience its seems to have a chance. I mean, most of Tyler Perry's stuff have soap elements..multigenerational family run by a strong willed, matriarch. The young screw up, the middle generation frets and dithers, and the "old folks" have to step in and kick ass. I mean, I do think of Madea as a later day, if more foul mouthed and unconventional, Nancy Hughes!

[Soaplovers]

Takes money and patiences...which networks don't have anymore.

Edited February 28, 2018 by Soaplovers

[adrnyc]

TPTB are just shooting themselves in the foot by forgoing the socially relevant storylines, imo.  Soaps dealt with divorce when nighttime didn't. Soaps dealt with abortion when nighttime didn't. Soaps brought on HIV and gay storylines when nighttime didn't (or at least, didn't do it well - Jodie from Soap, Steven from Dynasty - although I always thought of him as bisexual, not gay, but I digress.) Losing that over the past few decades is exactly why they're fading away. So frustrating.....