Recasts

[DRW50]

I think they should have just written Fallon out for good once Pamela left. They hadn't known what to do with Fallon in a while and it showed when they brought her back. I don't know why they thought centering a spinoff on a recast Fallon made sense. I would have cast Emma as some Carrington cousin - with the British accent - and just paired Jeff with her. Or paired Jeff with someone else. If they needed a Dynasty character to spin off they could have spun off someone like Dominique.

By the way, soapsuds, if you want to see it I have some Susan Scannell TV Guide interview - I'll post it in the canceled soap threads (it's from her early 80's daytime soap days).

[Soapsuds]

Oh thanks....I liked her on Dynasty. I thought she would have made a great Fallon recast but instead they went with dull Emma Samms.

[Gray Bunny]

I loved Fallon as the scheming sh!t-starter in the first season, but they watered the character down once the lovely Joan Collins came on board.

[You're Soaking in it]

Emma Samms isn't dull at all... it was the writing of her recast that was a total misfire. Admittedly, she was an unusal choice to succeed Pamela Sue Martin. But I thought, in terms of her being the daughter of Joan Collins' Alexis and John Forsythe's Blake, choosing her for Fallon made a lot of sense. Unfortunately, that potential wasn't fully realized until they reached the final season - and Samms was on fire, finally getting to play the deliciously naughty character traits that Fallon originated with. One thing Samms always brought to the table, even when The Colby's was mis-writing Fallon as a victimized sap, was a strong presence.

Scannel was good as Nicole Simpson (I know, the character name gets me, too) - and she might have actually been cast in that role as a by-product of their efforts to bring back Fallon (just as Sela Ward may have been courted for). But Scannel, who I watched on Ryan's Hope as well, always seemed so low-key on screen - as if larger-than-life characters didn't suit her. She was once considered as a recast for Andrea Evans as OLTL's Tina (she mentioned it in a long-ago SOD interview) - and again in that case, because Tina - like Fallon - is so larger than life, I think that would have ultimately petered out.

I thought Jack Coleman was a seamless recast for Steven. He had a very similar energy to Al Corley, and I thought it was ironic that they needed to stipulate that he was "plastic surgery altered" considering he actually had a somewhat similar appearance (not to mention, voice).

Karen Cellini was BY FAR the worst of the four Carrington children recasts. (Let's not forget Robin Sachs as Adam in the reunion mini-series, who wasn't bad for a pinch-hitter.)

I can't even imagine what they were thinking there. I felt sorry for Cellini, because I had never seen a case of miscasting on prime time that was so badly done. It actually made you uncomfortable to watch her in scenes... Even her shot in the opening credits looked like some little girl's fantasy about playing Catherine Oxenberg... and she just seemed, well, a bit rougher than her predecessor.

[Paul Raven]

[DRW50]

I never thought Jess and Brenda looked that much alike, even with hair and wardrobe.

[SFK]

I agree. Jess's husky voice and stature set her apart and her Jill is fabulous in her own way. Brenda, with her soft wet lips, starry eyes, BODY, and dubious acting ability had flashes of porn sar hotness which her replacements did not possess.

[ZoeTate]

Jess Walton cannot hold a candle to Brenda Dickson, sorry. I find Walton's acting shrill at best, manic at worst. Dickson had a take on Jill from the beginning and she held her own with Jeanne Cooper and Julianna McCarthy. If she was terrible Bell would have canned her before involving her in such a huge story. Imagine if Brenda were brought back now...wowza.

[Cheap21]

I actually thought the 2 Josies were the same person on AW. They looked so much alike

Jess Walton coming in right after Bredna Dickson must have been very jarring as she comes across so hard compared to Dickson's campy and overdramatic style. Jess has such a deep voice that if I were a fan back then, that would bother me more than anything

[SFK]

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=o1A8Yb2jPwU

Embedding still not working for me, but here are some of Jess's first scenes. I believe DeeeDee said that her performance did seem like a bit of a Brenda impression for a good while until she came into her own.

[Cheap21]

Oh you are so right. Jess is playing her comletely different than what Ive become accustomed to with her. She does seem very Brenda-like there

[Mr. Vixen]

You all probably already discusssed this, but I haven't read every page of this thread. I see Carl mentioned her at the top of the page, but...

Who was your favorite Marah on GL? The character was recast a lot over the years, but my favorite was always Kimberly J. Brown. Loved her first stint, loved her 2006 return.

[Cheap21]

Lindsay McKeon but I think alot of that was bc I loved her on Saved By the Bell

[Mr. Vixen]

You did't like KJB?

Lindsay was good, but I always associated Marah with KJB.

Love saved by the bell!

I always thought KJB would make a good Kristina on GH, if they ever decide to make the character a real adult.

[Cheap21]

I never saw KJB. I only know Lindsay and the Bundy girl and I couldnt stand her