As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Markjeh]

I've been watching episodes from the early 2000s and wow Molly and Jake are SUCH A DULL COUPLE. I know they were really popular for some reason. It doesn't help that they always seemed to get the short end of the storyline stick. That baby twin storyline with the visions makes me want to throw something at the TV. I don't care about Vicky or her family. The Nick storyline was so lame and contrived, the Mary storyline that resulted in Jake's killing? Boring but at least it ended this dreaded couple for good.

 

Other than that I must say I really enjoy the cast. They should've never got rid of Denise, Marshall Travers and Isaac, and I wish Annie Parisse never left. She was so much fun. On the other hand, I wouldn't have minded if Carly drove off a cliff with Jack by her side. I wish Julia would've made it happen. The guy who played Chris in 2000 is obviously really handsome but in the most generic and faceless kind of way. I think Bailey Chase made a better Chris.

 

I think 2002-2003 really was a turning point. They reintroduced a lot of characters with new actors and I'm not sure they did justice to the characters. New Rosanna (good casting though), new Mike (I had a huge crush on him as a child but what a boring miscast in hindsight), new Paul (worst casting decision of the last 10 years in ATWT. Did they really sack Scott Holroyd for this mess?), new Dusty (not the best casting), new Chris and new Jennifer. They also introduced Lucy, Aaron, Alison as adults (all of them great casting though).  I think the cast changed too much here in a relatively short period of time.

Edited July 23, 2019 by Markjeh

[DramatistDreamer]

 

IMO, one reason why Molly and Jake had become so popular was because the show's standards had dropped and frankly, so did the viewers' standards.

 

The late '90s was mostly a dull as dishwater period for the show, so when the HW introduced some storytelling that seemingly breathed some life into the show, desperate viewers held onto it with both hands, so eager were they to watch something of interest. 

Another aspect, I think, was the popularity of the actors and to some extent, their characters. AW had just been cancelled and disaffected viewers of that show were likely happy just to see one of their own on another P&G soap--there were viewers who watched both shows and no doubt, those were the happiest viewers.  Also, I think some viewers were relieved to see Molly get her own man, and not taking somebody else's, LOL.  

 

When I try to watch ATWT in its last decade, I can barely watch.  I can watch episodes from other decades and enjoy the show (sometimes immensely) but that period from the late 90s to the series end, I find myself FF through A LOT of material. 

There were also some very unfortunate casting choices during that period too-  Craig, Paul, Dusty (sorry but McCouch was miscast), Adam (too many times), Casey had two good actors toward the end but some of the storylines were terrible, not to mention that ending...ugh!  I won't even get into how badly the writing screwed up some very promising storylines (I've done it in the past).

 

I knew the final years were bad but when you get some distance and you're watching the 1980s and early 90s on YouTube and you get to compare it to the late 90s/early 00s, you realize how big a drop off the quality truly was but forcefed on a steady diet of supercouples since the mid-1980s, viewers were probably super eager for a couple that hadn't been over-written with ridiculous storylines and with Molly and Jake viewers could almost start fresh with a new couple--they had no idea what was to follow.

Edited July 23, 2019 by DramatistDreamer

[Brolden]

 

I couldn't agree less. Jake and Molly were one of the highlights of these years for me. I'm not even sure what it was exactly, but I just think Tom and Lesli played off of each other well for some reason. 

 

I DO agree about RH's casting being the worst casting decision of the last 10 years.

[Soaplovers]

I do recall the show tested jake and Julia for several months..and during that time..he had one scene with Molly..and people were hooked.

 

Within a matter of months, Julia was put back into the Jack/Carly orbit... and Jake/molly were explored

[Paul Raven]

Stephen Mines, who played Paul Stewart in the mid 60's died  May 21 aged 80

He also had roles on Days and Paradise Bay.

 

https://obits.mlive.com/obituaries/muskegon/obituary.aspx?n=stephen-d-mines&pid=193072915

[vetsoapfan]

Soap opera history buffs who wish to read the complete histories of their favorite series may want to check out "Vetsoapfan's Treasure Trove," here in SON's Cancelled Soaps section.

 

So far, I have shared extensive articles on:

 

All My Children

 

Another World

 

As the World Turns

 

Days of Our Lives

 

The Edge of Night

 

General Hospital

 

The Guiding Light

 

How to Survive a Marriage

 

Love of Life

 

One Live to Live

 

Ryan's Hope

 

Search for Tomorrow

 

The Young and the Restless

[antmunoz]

Karina Arroyave (Bianca) is recurring on the final season of ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK as Karla, a Salvadoran detainee. 

[RavenWhitney]

There's one reason 1999 to 2010 sucked (basically) and his name is Chris Goutman, Executive Producer, who P&G loved and refused to hold accountable for the slide in ratings and quality. From Spring 2000 to Spring 2005, Hogan Sheffer controlled the writer's room until his nervous breakdown.  Hogan had some bright spots but didn't know what he was doing either. Before and after Hogan, Goutman recycled the same P&G writers that had failed on other (Passanante/Laiman/Culliton). At least with Hogan, they went outside the box and tried to cultivate new talent.  Goutman should have left Broderick in place in 1999 and worked on long term stories and good casting.  Instead, he installed Laiman and Passanante whose final stories on AW were pretty horrid. 

[DRW50]

I didn't see this posted. I don't remember seeing this (partial) episode before, although maybe I'm wrong. 

 

I certainly don't think I would have forgotten the very, very of-the-era moment of ludicrousness at around 25 minutes. You have to see it for yourself. 

 

@Vee @Khan @vetsoapfan @Mitch

 

 

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[Vee]

WTF!!!!! Who the hell were they??

[DRW50]

 

That was Frannie (Terri Vandenbosch) and her main love interest at the time, Jay. Kirk, even though he mostly flames through the screen, was in love with Frannie, but Frannie had eyes for Jay. Marcy (Marisa Tomei) had eyes for Kirk. After this viewers learned Jay and Kirk were half-brothers, which was supposed to be very dramatic, presumably, but the incoming production regime phased out the characters. I don't know if Vandenbosch chose to leave or was let go, but she was replaced by Julianne Moore. 

 

I've seen the Lujack video, and I've seen soap couples of this era run around set to music, but I've never seen a character fantasize their own music video this way. And it is so so fixed to this one point in time (I kept waiting to see that lady who sings "The Warrior" pop up).

 

The closest probably comes near the end of the decade when Rena Sofer was on Loving and had a fantasy about having a dance floor threesome with her two love interests. 

Edited July 28, 2019 by DRW50

[~bl~]

That was insane, who/what was that. I wonder what the old ladies watching thought of that. 

[Vee]

Oh, I know a bit about the Kirk, etc. plotline. I hadn't realized that was Frannie. I assume this was all Susan Bedsow Horgan. I won't lie and say it doesn't give me slight flashbacks to the youth focus on OLTL 2013, but I think that was much more successful and organic in terms of longtime characters as opposed to ATWT's teen scene being mostly made up of randos. (I know people like Marcy - I remember Marisa Tomei quit bc she said she couldn't handle the grind of daily scripts)

Edited July 28, 2019 by Vee

[DramatistDreamer]

Bill Smitrovich in that Scope commercial.

 

I was about to say, I feel as if I'd seen this episode years ago until we got to 25:45!  LMAO.

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I really am an 80s kid because as soon as the opening notes began, I had a joke in my head that this looked like the opening scene of a mashup of an MTV video, meets Kids Incorporated (was Frannie Fergie's stand-in?) meets Lionel Richie's "Running With the Night"-- turns out it was Lionel Richie's "Running With The Night"!  What a rip-off! 

 

Every time I see Terri Vandenbosch, I can't help but feel badly about her personal story IRL.  It's sad.

 

I bet Julianne Moore was relieved to have missed that mess! 

[Vee]

What is her story?