Mari Morrow as Rachel.

Shockingly bad, even 15 years later. And the destruction of one of the most fascinating characters OLTL ever had.

I think Mari and Sandra were both wrong for Rachel. The bookends were the best, though early Ellen was the bestest. She was the perfect blend of Nora and Hank.

ITA with Michael Dietz as Alan-Michael. That was the window of time in high scool when I watched GL. He, not unlike Ken Kenitzer, was an aggravating example of replacing a good actor with a very green, monotone one who couldn't even convincibly talk like a real person. It's like the air was totally taken out of the character. I seriously don't know what the hell some of these PTB are thinking when they make such poor decisions. Unless these guys REALLY audition well. And I doubt that.

I knew Marj's Alex first so it was really interesting to compare her to Beverlee's cool, understated delivery. Jay Hammer once described Marj as a muralist, Beverlee, a miniaturist. Marj probably would have been a better Iris than an Alex. And if they were going to go all famous, I think Faye Dunaway would have been a better stunt cast Alex than Joan Collins.

Christel Khalil as Lily on Y&R. When she first came on we were suppose to believe Dru was unable to handle her. Yet she was a complete ditz and please one couldn’t be raised by Dru, and be that much of a pain in the ass. Dru would’ve killed her.

Amen.

Also Tammin Sursok's Colleen.

To go from Lyndsey Fonseca & Adrianne Leon (both extremely believable Colleen's) to Sursok's useless, accent challenged Colleen? Ugh.

Also recasting Mackenzie after awesome AshBash first with vapid Kelly Kruger & then boring Rachel Kimsey, the horror that was Scott Seymour as Billy Abbott or the complete uselessness of Michael Graziadei's Daniel.

Then there are the disasters of Aldrich/Heinle as Victoria, Lazarre-White as Nathan, McCrary as Malcolm, Shattuck as Ashley, Haiduk as Patty, Chapman as Gloria, Nichols as Tucker & Riegel as Heather.

Then there are total miscasts like Raya Meddine as Sabrina & Vincent Irizarry as David.

Lenny Platt was all wrong for Nate. The youngest brother isn't supposed to look older than BOTH older brothers AND the mother.

Nic Robuck all wrong for James. Sweet guy but WAY too gay.

Speaking of which Jessica Leccia? All wrong for Inez.

Tracy Melchior was all wrong for Kelly.

Kyle Lowder's Rick was terrible.

As was Ashley Jones Bridget.

I think Mari and Sandra were both wrong for Rachel. The bookends were the best, though early Ellen was the bestest. She was the perfect blend of Nora and Hank

They were both wrong but I liked Sandra in some moments. I also thought she was stuck with what was left of Rachel. I hated seeing Rachel endlessly whining about what her parents made her, endlessly whining about how hard everything was. She became such a princess, and had no dignity.

Jennifer Gareis as Donna.

zHas Melody as Natalie on AMC been brought up already? Cuz it stands being brought up again. Not an awful actress, really, but just so completely not what Natalie was about.

I wish Daphnee Duplaix and Sherri Saum could have shared some screen time. They made for very believable first cousins.

zHas Melody as Natalie on AMC been brought up already? Cuz it stands being brought up again. Not an awful actress, really, but just so completely not what Natalie was about.

No, but totally, how could we have forgotten that one?? I actually think Melody would have been the perfect missing link between the first tall, blonde, glamorous Laurel and Felicity LaFortune.

Based on Genie Francis hambone work on Y&R I wonder if she was miscast as Caera on AMC. Based on what the soap magazines said at the time, I got the feeling they were not anywhere near as fond of her work in the role as she seems to be.

I didn't care for AMC's transformation of Joey into Jake. I really liked Joey but he would have suffered the same as OLTL's character of the same name.

She has never bothered me so I won't call her miscast, but Lee Meriwether was SUCH a departure from MF. That really can't be said enough.

Based on Genie Francis hambone work on Y&R I wonder if she was miscast as Caera on AMC. Based on what the soap magazines said at the time, I got the feeling they were not anywhere near as fond of her work in the role as she seems to be.

I was young, but I never found Ceara remotely remarkable. What I remember most was my mom talking about the rumblings that they were gearing to make her the "new" Erica because Susan was probably leaving for primetime.

Faye Dunaway as Alex - that would have been interesting...although Faye has been so OTT in the last few decades.

I wonder how someone like Suzanne Pleshette would have been.

Jennifer Gareis as Donna.

Jennifer Gareis as Grace too.

She would have been delicious in just about any soap role they handed to her. From a Myrna Clegg like Marj to an Emma Frame like Elizabeth Ashley.

I didn't care for AMC's transformation of Joey into Jake. I really liked Joey but he would have suffered the same as OLTL's character of the same name.

She has never bothered me so I won't call her miscast, but Lee Meriwether was SUCH a departure from MF. That really can't be said enough.

I was young, but I never found Ceara remotely remarkable. What I remember most was my mom talking about the rumblings that they were gearing to make her the "new" Erica because Susan was probably leaving for primetime.

I didn't know Joey except for his very brief bit during the 25th anniversary week. Andyes, I like lee, but it was a strange recast in many ways.

I remember really liking Ceara, but I only saw her last few months really--I think the end of the incest story? And her month on Loving in the Fall of 1991. But I don't remember her being much like Erica, but didn't she first come on as more feisty? She wasn't all that feisty when I remember her.

Not nearly on par with Erica, but there were sparks of a potential vixenish quality. One of her first scenes I remember was with Myrtle at what I guess was McKay's or The Goal Post. They were in a booth and the dialogue that I have long forgotten showed Ceara as sort of a wide-eyed and wondrous type who might get into trouble if left to her own devices. The Erica thing also had to do with the fact that Genie was such a big daytime star.

I think Mari and Sandra were both wrong for Rachel. The bookends were the best, though early Ellen was the bestest. She was the perfect blend of Nora and Hank.

ITA with Michael Dietz as Alan-Michael. That was the window of time in high scool when I watched GL. He, not unlike Ken Kenitzer, was an aggravating example of replacing a good actor with a very green, monotone one who couldn't even convincibly talk like a real person. It's like the air was totally taken out of the character. I seriously don't know what the hell some of these PTB are thinking when they make such poor decisions. Unless these guys REALLY audition well. And I doubt that.

I knew Marj's Alex first so it was really interesting to compare her to Beverlee's cool, understated delivery. Jay Hammer once described Marj as a muralist, Beverlee, a miniaturist. Marj probably would have been a better Iris than an Alex. And if they were going to go all famous, I think Faye Dunaway would have been a better stunt cast Alex than Joan Collins.

I remember when Dietz had his first scene or one of his first, and it was involving some nonsense at 5th Street with Alan once again trying to destroy the Diner and 5th street and you have RR huffing and puffing, you have Deas doing his over the top acting, you had Poser camping it up, Zimmer actually being the most understaded in the scene and then in walks Dietz who is supposed to have an emotional angry reaction to his father and he is just..uh, there, no expression on his face, no fire, no anger, no pulse. So he turns to talk to Amanda and Poser does her best to try to get some life out of him, but uh, nothing....it was so bad you can actually see Zimmer with a shocked, "WTF where did you dig this guy up" look on her face and she actually starts laughing just barely off camera.

And that is blasphemy to say that about Joan Collins!! : ) I loved her Alex...it brought back Bev's cool, in control, funny, and actually loving Alex..with an added twinkle in her eye that said, "Yea, Alan, I love dicking you around!" FD would have just been Dusay, shrieking, chewing up the scenery (imagine a scene with Dunaway, Zimmer and Deas....there go all the sets!)

But someone mentioned above that Marj played what was on the page, nothing more and nothing less, and its true. When she was first recast the writers were still writing Alex for Bev, and Marj was quite good. Later on when they replaced her when Collins left, they were once again writing for Joan's Alex and she was also quite good, in fact, in a couple of scenes she was intimidating. But then it was back to Alex as a schreiking conniving, ineffectual woman.

Edited August 26, 201114 yr by Mitch