I wonder if the demands Dorothy Lyman allegedly made explains why she wasn't even asked to reprise Opal when the character was brought back in 1989 - despite winning two Emmys (the first in the supporting category, the second in the lead category).

No idea. It may be that they did offer it to her but she was working elsewhere and declined. Or maybe they wanted to take the role in another direction? From the clips I've seen of DL's Opal, it's a much harsher, tackier Opal than Jill Larson's version.

Jill's Opal was also very harsh the first year or so.

I can't remember when Opal first came back, but Dorothy was on Mama's Family up to late 1989.

Jill Larson's Opal made her debut Thanksgiving (late November) of '89. Didn't Susan Lucci host SNL once and they did a whole skit on the emmy thing?

I thought Mama's Family ran until 1990, but you're right - it could have very well come down to an issue of whether or not Dorothy Lyman was available. If she had been and returned to AMC, I wonder how she would have worked with Palmer.

Didn't Susan Lucci host SNL once and they did a whole skit on the emmy thing?

Yes, I believe it was in 1990? She was the first daytime actor or actress to host the show. The opening skit was all about the Emmy and how EVERYONE at SNL had Emmys, and they had so many of them that they used them for free weights, door stops, etc. There was a lot of soap spoofing in that episode too. Phil Hartman played a character who I guess was supposed to be sort of Jack Montgomery in a very melodramatic skit about lost luggage.

I read that a quotation from Dorothy Lyman that she was never invited back to play Opal and that the show's decision to recast the role was not known to her. She also said that she had no idea why she was not considered for the role when it returned to the show.

According to stuff online, Mama's Family ended in February 1990.

I thought Mama's Family ran until 1990, but you're right - it could have very well come down to an issue of whether or not Dorothy Lyman was available. If she had been and returned to AMC, I wonder how she would have worked with Palmer.

According to stuff online, Mama's Family ended in February 1990.

Right, but what about filming.

No clue. I'm just pointing out when the show actually ended.

Right, but what about filming.

Susan hosted SNL in fall 1990, I think.

By 1983, she had only been nominated four times so it really wasn't a huge deal that she hadn't won. (Susan Seaforth Hayes had been nominated four times in the 70s and never won.) I don't recall the media paying much attention till the late 80s or early 90s.

To me, it shows that Susan Lucci is much like the rest of us in personality traits. Would YOU want the press/fans constantly reminding you of the fact that you haven't won that elusive statue? I think her famous losing streak was already garnering attention by 1983 and had to be an absolute nightmare by the time it finally ended in 1999.

Apparently this is from a Feburary or March 1990 issue of TVGuide. Found it in the old google groups archive. I don't know how true it is.

"Late last year, ABC's All My Children hired Dorothy Lyman lookalike
Jill Larson to play Opal Gardner, a part that won Lyman 2 emmys and a ticket to prime time on NBC's Mama's Family in the early 80s. But did AMC know it could
have had the real McCoy? "I absolutely would have considered
it, but nobody asked," says Lyman, whose series, having
gone from NBC to first run syndications was ending production right
around the time AMC was recasting....[Lyman quote deleted]"

Thanks for clarifying that - I was sure that Dorothy Lyman had not been asked back in 1989. I wonder what things would have been like had Dorothy Lyman reprised Opal instead of Jill Larson being cast.

Susan hosted SNL in fall 1990, I think.

October 6, 1990, my 23rd birthday

Thanks for clarifying that - I was sure that Dorothy Lyman had not been asked back in 1989. I wonder what things would have been like had Dorothy Lyman reprised Opal instead of Jill Larson being cast.

I have to wonder if they would've paired her with Palmer; I just can't picture them together.