As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[lucaslesann23]

oh idk if i would have wanted a GL ATWT during those final years when they decided To turn the show into a psuedo reality show with no music and handheld cameras. I don't blame GL because the budget was trash by the end but still.

[P.J.]

Well, I meant the years both shows were taping in Manhattan ("later" being after the Mike Bauer GL/AW crossover in the '60's).

[DramatistDreamer]

 

It was quite telling to me that Alison was the only one who did porn.  It was implied that both Amber and Alison had done some meth but only Alison was the one who developed an insatiable appetite for it and was doing porn to support her habit.  From what I remember, Amber was the one who ended up contacting Emily (against Alison's wishes) to rescue Emily and oddly, Emily engaged Dusty for help with the rescue effort.  The show was just so random at that point.  As unpopular as Amber could sometimes be on Y&R, I found it fascinating that the show still wanted to "protect" the character by restricting her to a little drug use but not the full-blown dark underbelly of drugs & porn.  I just think that the two shows were in completely different places and it showed.

 

I vaguely recall an online component, so you're probably correct on that.  I know that ATWT was trying to develop more of an interactive feel and engage viewers with an online technological component. 

Had the show hung on a few more years, those interactive seeds that were planted may have borne some fruit but as it was, most ATWT viewers (who skewed older and were not exactly tech savvy) weren't quite ready for it and ATWT really didn't fully invest and implement it properly anyway. 

I was on and off with the show in the last decade but I do remember the InTurn contest as yet another attempt to engage viewers in an interactive way. 

 

I would have love a cross-over during the 1980s or even early 1990s when both shows still resembled themselves and were at a high in terms of critical success.

To see a power conference of corporate leaders in the region with Lucinda Walsh and Alexandra Spaulding would have been lit!

Or to see a medical convention with the likes of Dr. Bob Hughes, Dr. Ed Bauer, Dr. Susan Stewart, Dr. Rick Bauer, Dr. John Dixon! 

Or to see some big lawsuit over water contamination that is affecting Springfield and Oakdale's water pipes and have Ross Marler, Tom Hughes, Jessica Griffin all consulting on the suit! 

Or to see one of those natural disasters that hit several mid-Western towns and cities affect either Springfield or Oakdale, or parts of both and have the towns/cities pre-eminent families come together to raise funds to aid in the recovery.

 

So. many. ideas! 

[lucaslesann23]

Sucks those cant happen now.

 

Maybe if abcs soap reboots are sucessful cbs may try but idk 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

The perfect time to have begun to do these types of cross-overs would have been early-mid 1990s, come to think of it when both shows were kind of searching for their identities, especially at the beginning of the whole OJ Simpson saga and trial when soaps were truly trying to cling to their viewers to compete with the circus of the arrest, trial and aftermath. 

I don't believe the soaps really launched a serious fight for ratings with some compelling stories.  The mid 1990s, starting in '94  were sort of a drab time for both shows, artistically and creatively.  The talented cast were still there but the writing just wasn't. 

 

Procter & Gamble is the obstacle and it's a significant one since they, not CBS own the rights to those shows.  How I wish that the mother of soaps Irna Phillips had an estate that had retained control of those shows, things might have been different then. 

Edited September 8, 2019 by DramatistDreamer

[lucaslesann23]

Now soaps just are fighting to stay alive.

 

I am impressed with days i would never have thought that one would have made it to thr final four

[Khan]

 

Not necessarily.  I mean, I agree wholeheartedly with what you're saying here, don't get me wrong.  However, someone else would argue that the list of actors who have appeared on a given soap in separate, unrelated roles is lengthy.

 

Again, though, ICAM.  It was odd -- VERY odd -- to see Christian J. LeBlanc on ATWT as someone other than Kirk.  (Thank God Ron Carlivati wasn't the HW, though, or else someone would have made some 'Gee, you look sooooo familiar' type of remark.)

 

 

God only knows why.  It's not as if the DAYS of 2019 is recognizable to anyone who's watched the show for more than a few years.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Khan

[DramatistDreamer]

 

I admit to not knowing much about Days since the only experience I have as a viewer is briefly when I had roommates that used to watch when I was in college but I think that Days hanging in there may also have something to do with it being the last remaining soap on that network. 

I think so few are left that if one goes away now, it would be highly noticeable and I don't think that any of these networks want the type of backlash that ABC got after dumping AMC and OLTL where the two replacement shows "The Chew" and "The Revolution" met with a lot of resistance.  "The Revolution" in particular, flopped spectacularly. 

Any show that might replace Days could conceivably go the way of "The Revolution".  I'm not sure that's a risk the network is willing to take, at least, not right now.

[lucaslesann23]

Right. You ask someone years ago what the final four be and most say YR BB GH and one life. Not days. 

My thoughts exactly. Some seem to think days will not get renewed next year but i think it will be fine for atleast this year.  

Edited September 8, 2019 by AdamNewmanFan

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Maybe for actors who qualify as "Show Hoppers" but CLJ was no "Show Hopper", he's only ever done two roles in soaps that I can think of, Michael Baldwin and Kirk McColl and he's remembered quite well for both roles.  One role, he's still in and the other, where he acted opposite two Oscar winners (Marisa Tomei and Julianne Moore).  To exorcise that from people's, particularly soap fans' (who remember everything! LOL) memories could be quite challenging.  It was bizarre enough to see him alongside Eileen Fulton as Michael Baldwin.  People talked about it a lot when it happened and it was distracting. 

[lucaslesann23]

Reminds me of michael eason doing a million new roles on GH

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[Khan]

IA, DD.  The truth is, I think we'd be down maybe to one or two soaps by now, if not for the fact that the networks can't find anything to replace them.

[P.J.]

I guess I understand why it never happened while the shows were positioned better---the shows actually cared about continuity, the scheduling, and PITA-ness of it all....and the "crossover event" wasn't a thing yet. But YEAH, it would've been LIT to have any sort of interaction between the shows. 

[lucaslesann23]

Its hard to belive we had 13 about 10 years ago. 

[Khan]

 

No, I always figured the final four would be B&B and Y&R on CBS, and GH and AMC on ABC, with NBC out of the soap race entirely.  (Remember, this was back when Jeff Zucker was still in charge at the Peacock network, and he seemed DETERMINED to make NBC Daytime one long "Today" block).  OLTL was never in anyone's "final four."  Even when that show had its' highest ratings during the late '70's and early '80's, it still was seen as ABCD's red-headed stepchild, a placeholder between AMC and GH.  Which is why AMC's cancellation, rather than OLTL's, took literally everyone by surprise.