As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[P.J.]

Aside from the fact I don't think Shannon would have been resurrected under Marland, I think Duncan and Jess would have reunited. IIRC, they ditched the story and fired Swan when they fired the writers.

[DRW50]

 

SOD gave Duncan and Shannon the worst exits of 1995, complaining that they didn't even leave together. 

 

At the time I was sad to see them go, but now I can understand it. Still, it was shoddily done. 

 

Looking back I can understand most of the firings, aside from Evan and Andy, but I thought a lot of the exits were poor. 

[NothinButAttitude]

@DRW50 I forgot Andy and Evan were booted in '95. Was that to make room for the influx of Kasnoffs popping up on the canvas at that time?

[amybrickwallace]

I have never understood why Scott DeFreitas wasn't used in the last year's of ATWT, especially after marrying Maura West. Does he even act anymore?

[NothinButAttitude]

 

I don't think he does. If I am not mistaken, I think I read somewhere he was getting into real estate at that time. 

 

He was desperately missed the show's last year. Wasn't he missing from Bob/Kim's anniversary episode too?

[DRW50]

 

Yes. 

 

Last I heard he was a sculptor. 

 

Probably, yes, along with the flop Paul recast. It's still dumb to me that they never had Paul and Andy interact again, but typical of ATWT's last 15 years. 

[victoria foxton]

I liked Andy he was a sweet guy who only wanted someone to love him. Just about every women he was with broke his heart.

[P.J.]

 

Yeah, honestly, I've forgotten how it ended. I just think Marland was rolling in his grave, after essentially all his work pissed on.

 

As much as I hated seeing Andy go, what they food to Greg Watkins was cold. (Watkins was fired shortly after being in a serious boating accident that nearly cost him his life, and took months of recovery, for those of you who don't know.  I don't recall the specifics,  other  than somehow he was sliced by a propeller on a boating trip, and nearly cost him his life and the ability to walk)

 

I've always been surprised Scott D wasn't a part of the end. My guess is, he just didn't want to be. I'm not even sure he has another acting appearance after ATWT, anywhere. 

[amybrickwallace]

Thanks, @Nothin'ButAttitude and @DRW50. 

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Well we must remember that Paul was practically a different character when Howarth took over the role. Scott Holroyd was the closest we'd get to Andy Kavovit's Paul. But I too find it odd Paul wouldn't even drop a line about Andy occasionally when their friendship was pivotal to both characters. 

 

I skimmed over some 95/96 episodes tonight and while I enjoyed them their original run, knowing what I know now, this show was a mess. The Kasnoff and Snyder clans ate the show up. The Hughes and Lisa got scraps most of the time.

 

You could really tell come about '95 that P&G didn't give a sh-t about any of their last shows. AW, GL, and ATWT were starting to flounder and stray from their themes about that time and it showed.

 

 

Wow. I didn't know that Greg Watkins was in a serious boating accident before they let him go. I always found it odd how they cast him aside and later did the same with Connor. 

[amybrickwallace]

Here are a couple of articles about it:

 

http://articles.latimes.com/1995-06-24/entertainment/ca-16551_1_christopher-reeve

 

https://www.google.com/amp/ew.com/article/1995/09/15/dismissal-crisis/amp/

Edited November 24, 2017 by amybrickwallace

[DRW50]

 

I think P&G still cared to a point, but they handled it in the wrong way. It was around the early '00s that I think they truly gave up. 

 

I think that ATWT was a "better" show in its last 15 years than GL, which could be a horrendous mess and deeply offended me many times over, but I think GL still had some scraps of its identity intact. Outside of the vets, ATWT didn't. They at times seemed incredibly, incredibly ashamed of their past, which demoralized me as a viewer and made the show feel very cold for many years. GL was that difficult but lively relative who sometimes gets better but can't quite do it. ATWT was that relative who sends you a card every so often and then you hear that they're dead and you feel sad but you struggle to remember the connection you once had.

[P.J.]

And for me, its precisely the opposite. GL died with the clone story, and limped around like a zombie for a decade.

 

And its an understatement to say Howarth was a different character. He was nearly a different species. I can appreciate Howarth more now than at the time, but that character was not Paul. Paul's tormented, unknown, and recently escaped from a mental ward twin....maybe. 

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Seeing as ATWT was on an upswing in the early 00s, that should've encouraged them to fight a bit more. 

 

I do agree with the point that you made that ATWT that the show seemed to be ashamed of their past, but I think that was more of a Goutman thing. All the time, I wish CBS/P&G would've stepped in and booted his behind after 2005. They should've did a massive clean up job and cleaned house again after Sheffer left. 

 

But you really think GL had scraps of his identity towards the end b/c I didn't. While I loved the show till it's bitter end, I felt it departed from its roots too. The Bauers not being front and center played a pivotal role in that. I always felt they wanted to move the show away from the Bauers much like ATWT wanted to do so with the Hughes. It was like both shows were embarrassed of the 2 families that fans loved and adored for 50+ years. 

 

 

I always felt Howarth was playing Todd-lite instead of Paul. Only time I enjoyed his Paul was when he was with Rosanna. Other than that, I didn't care for the character. Especially, during the PEG era. Pseudo-Paul and pseudo-Meg were the worst. 

 

[DRW50]

 

Yes. The anniversary episode, Josh wanting to be a minister, the returns for the final months, etc. It departed from its roots many years earlier, but at times it still went back. ATWT from that vile Sheffer on never did.