As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

I know these people were probably too expensive to keep around, but there's no excuse for them not being cast in better roles while they were there. Compare how Kim Hunter was used on Edge (even her one-day stint on ATWT as David Allen's adoptive mother was of better use). 

Edited December 17, 2022 by DRW50

[soapfan770]

No doubt about that. It’s a shame the show brought it stars like John James, Robin Mattson, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Wally Kurth, Stuart Damon, Lynn Herring, Judi Evans, and Billy Warlock and then proceed to waste them by giving them the most absurd, campy short term roles ever. 

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Judi Evans was on ATWT the final stint? I am wracking my brain now trying to remember who she was. See... That's a problem. 

I didn't mind Lynn Herring as Henry's mom; however, tying her to James Stenbeck was stupid. James having another b*stard running amok was old and played out. We had already seen it be done twice with David and Jordan. Plus, I always hated that soaps in the modern era always felt they had to make everyone on the canvas related in some way. I think Henry's mother being a meddlesome, money hungry minx that hated Henry with Barbara but LOVED Barbara's fortune would've sufficed. 

I didn't mind Daniel Hugh Kelly as Noah's dad either but making him want to kill was Luke was too much. And the Ameera story was stupid too. If they were going to have him unravel over Noah being gay, that should've been something long, logical, and drawn out over years. 

 

[jcar03]

She played a character named Maeve Stone from August 2009 to October 2009.  I don't recall what the character's story was.

[Soapsuds]

ATWT had a lot of great actors from other soaps during its final years. Most of which I had forgotten until I read this thread. They were stunt casting and their roles sucked. Goutman just didn't give two sh!it's and wrote whatever for these stunt castings.

Edited December 17, 2022 by Soapsuds

[Kane]

I might be thinking of someone else, but wasn't her character the wife or girlfriend of the guy who held Holden prisoner when he was presumed dead (during the period when Lily remarried Damian after about a week and a half of widowhood)?

[P.J.]

I found using Kurth that way curious too. I wonder if he was only interested in a three month arc (I don't think he was on longer than that, I think he first appears around Thanksgiving, and he's dead by Valentine's Day or so).  And God knows I would've much rather sat through that than either Carly/Holden or Carly/Craig round 20.  Even though I stan CarJack, it was never fair that Jack continually got serious (if doomed) romances while Carly fell for liars and cheats.  I was much more intrigued by that short-term guy Neal (who was interested in Carly before she fell for Holden's BS) who seemed like a really NICE guy.

 

I'm not sure why ATWT would've recast Don almost twenty years after being written off the show. Yes, I know---but even as I knew the history, I sometimes forgot Bob had a brother. I always remembered Penny, as she was brought up. Maybe if Lisa had been a bigger presence on the show, they could've brought back Scott or the same with Duke if LB hadn't left.

How was Damon's health at that point? I don't remember him being very active on the show.

That's correct.

[Franko]

Geez, was it ATWT or was it summer stock for soap veterans?

[NothinButAttitude]

Yes, I agree that it always bothered me that Carly never really had a stellar romance outside of Jack. She always ended up being the one getting the short end of the stick. This is why in the later years, if they weren't going to have her happy with Jack or provide her with a stable relationship, immerse Carly in stories about her opening a fashion house with Lisa and Barbara (which would've provided tons of drama given the three women's history with each other) or stories about her kids or Rosanna. But I stand firm that they flopped hard with Wally Kurth. The man had 2 successful runs on 2 popular soaps (GH and DAYS) in 2 popular pairings(Lois/Ned and Adrienne/Justin). If I were on staff and we were so adamant about stunt casting, it would've been stunt casting done right. 

When it comes to Stuart Damon, he seemed fine at that point. He didn't even need to be Don, just an older male lead that was going to stick around a bit longer. I would've had him in the orbits of Lucinda and Lisa--both women vying for his attention. 

Just all this talk about what could've been aggravates me b/c I feel out of all the soaps that were canceled in the last decade, I feel like ATWT had the components to be saved (along with P&G/Televest selling the show to CBS like they asked) if TIIC actually used the show's rich history.  I will never understand how these people make it so hard to compile a compelling story for a 50+ year old show. 

[P.J.]

 

Well, to be fair, if they're going back to Carl T Evens, that's nearly a decade of ticking off soap vets. He played Nick Scudder in like 2001-ish. I think ATWT really started hitting the cycle hard post AW in '99, when they tried luring AW viewers and then got stuck with Tom Eplin. The soaps all did this---B&B used to drive me crazy bringing in soap vets, hyping them, and cutting them loose in six months, mostly because they wouldn't be a part of the endless Brooke/Ridge/Taylor triangle from hell.  

 

 

I agree---ATWT was in the best shape of the P&G shows at the time of cancellation. (I can't comment on the ABC or NBC ones)  GL just made me sad the last three or four years when I tried watching it.

Re Carly: it just seems short-sighted. I'm not sure how Exec's make decisions like that---imagine how different Kim's history would have been if they'd just jockeyed her back and forth from Bob to John, and there was no Dan. (I now Nick Andropolous was problematic and unpopular with fans, but still---he wasn't a total creep.)  Poor Carly---she couldn't pick a nice guy, (I guess I'm excluding Hal, or at least putting him in a special category. She was never a passionately in love with him ) OR get ahead in business. 

Edited December 18, 2022 by P.J.

[NothinButAttitude]

I just think with Carly, they always made her zero focus on the fact that Jack was the only man for her. Meanwhile, Jack, who I do love, was able to have many loves as you pointed out. It just would've been refreshing to see Carly have that as well. She got pigeonholed at times. 

And don't get me started about Carly and fashion line. Again, I just think the show did a huge disservice to her--all the characters when it came to their careers. I think that soaps steering away from workplace drama and dynamics ruined all these shows. If we look back at ATWT's 2nd "Golden Age," Marland having ALL the characters being career driven and ambitious is what provided so much drama throughout the canvas. Hell, early to mid 90s, workplace stories is what made the CBS (and Another World on NBC) HOT! I miss boardroom drama where we had either rivaling companies trying to get their product to the top, OR the inner workings of employees trying claw their way to the top. It was a concept that we all understand whether we worked for corporate America or simply worked at Kmart. 

[Paul Raven]

The only reason to forget Bob had a brother was the show's choice to ignore it. Don didn't have to be a main character, but some mentions, an occasional visit or even a short arc story would have been appreciated.

Don had previous involvement with Lisa, that could have been explored. He and Mary had a daughter Christina Hughes, who could have been a new young character with ties to the vets.

This ridiculous notion that the history and legacy had to be downplayed if not ignored altogether was ridiculous.

Are viewers really going to change channels if there is a scene b/w 2 over 50 characters?

Edited December 19, 2022 by Paul Raven

[NothinButAttitude]

I would've welcomed Don returning for the simple fact it would've given Lisa something to do other than popping up at the front counter at the Lakeview to check people in, which is all she was reduced to the final years of the show. 

They could've easily killed Mary offscreen and had Don, the grieving widower, return to Oakdale to be around family again. Lisa would be a shoulder for him to cry on, but Bob would be bothered by the union as he'd feel it would've been too soon for Don to get involved with someone (better yet Lisa) so soon. And Don could've been the legal sage that Chris was decades before. He could've reopened the Hughes law firm with Tom and Bonnie. Casey could've eventually been an intern. Christina and Ryder could've been brought back in capacity to beef up the Hughes clan yet again. So much potential lost forever. 

[Paul Raven]

That all sounds good to me and easily achieved.

Don would not even have to be contract, just used when needed and around enough to have a presence on the canvas. The Don/Lisa/Bob story would only have to play a few episodes here and there if they wanted to focus on the young'uns.

But the Hughes and Stewarts were basically of no interest to TPTB.

[NothinButAttitude]

Especially not Goutman's ATWT. If you weren't a Snyder, you were nonexistent. I grew to hate the Snyder farm set.