With summer just around the corner and our remaining shows beefing up their younger sets, I wanted to start a thread on teen storylines. What were your favorite stories and sets of teens? Feel free to post clips or rant about how much you hate teens on soaps.

My Favorites

1. GH- Lucky/Liz/Emily/Nik- 4 strong actors with solid friendship chemisty. Beyond the L&L2 sweet romance and Emily's crush on Nik, you had the brothers dynamic, Liz & Emily as close girlfriends and Lucky & Emily as longtime friends played by actors who had been in the parts for years. They were tied to and interacted with famiilies and characters outside the teen storyline. Teen scenes don't get much better.

2. Will/Gwen- ATWT- Before they became all about serial killers and infertility at 20 and other crises, this was a strong couple played by two solid actors. I loved the early days and the build from friendship to romance. I'm a sucker for us against the world couples and for the first year, they were fantastic. Its a shame Jen Landon isn't a bigger star.

3. Last Blast crew on days- Yes they ate the show and yes it was campy and silly but I loved this crew. Probably because I was right around their age. Unlike my first two, this one doesn't hold up as well but I remember being obsessed and waiting all year for summer when I knew they would be on pretty much everyday.

Honorable mention- the Glow by Jabot crew on Y&R (Billy, Mac, Raul, Brittany);

Dishonorable mentions- every AMC teen set post Jenny & Greg. Also I could never get into Starr/Cole.

I have heard it on quite a few different message boards that the Billy before Miller ruined the character.

I have heard it on quite a few different message boards that the Billy before Miller ruined the character.

How? I cant see how he stayed long enough to ruin the character as not much significant was done with him. I can see people not liking him, but ruined the character? More damage has been done under Miller's run to cement him as a destroyed character

How? I cant see how he stayed long enough to ruin the character as not much significant was done with him. I can see people not liking him, but ruined the character? More damage has been done under Miller's run to cement him as a destroyed character

I wasn't watching much then so I don't know but supposedly it was painful to watch him in scenes

Jill was mostly written at that time as needing to break them up

Actually she wasn't.

Jill had a TON of things going on (Katherine, John, business, her own relationships) in addition to trying to break them up.

And how was her reaction to Billy/Mac any different than Philip/Nina?

The Phillip/Nina story had a lot more layering. Nina had broken up Phillip and a girl Jill liked; Katherine also hated Nina at that time. Jill's role in this story was basically terrorizing noble, innocent Mac, and getting clobbered over the head by grandma Kay.

Edited April 19, 201213 yr by CarlD2

I hardly see how he ruined the character.

Despite being around only 4 or 5 months his acting was HORRIBLE (worse than Zima).

And because of him the character pretty much treated as an extra (when he wasn't being thrown under the bus for Daniel & Kevin) until he was fired.

I think they should have just written Billy out when Tom left. Ryan Brown was a huge void on GL and I'm not sure how he was cast in another role, unless they needed some type of Aryan extra.

The Phillip/Nina story had a lot more layering.

No it didn't.

Jill had the exact same issues with Mackenzie that she did with Nina (except for the way Nina got pregnant) & she treated Nina WAY worse than she EVER did Mac.

Nina had broken up Phillip and a girl Jill liked;

And Jill was happy to push Brittany on Billy even though Billy at the time was clearly self destructive & miserable

Katherine also hated Nina at that time.

And Katherine didn't consider Billy a saint.

She was very critical of him (especially when Jill would go off on her Mackenzie rants) to both Jill & Mac until they (he & Mackenzie) finally got together.

Jill's role in this story was basically terrorizing noble, innocent Mac, and getting clobbered over the head by grandma Kay.

That's simply not true.

From the time Billy was SORASED Jill was treated as a concerned (if often misguided) parent to Billy (just like she was with Philip) & when he was disrespectful to her (especially in the beginning) in John's presence he was punished.

Jill mainly bullied Mackenzie not because she was some defenseless innocent victim (even though she was) but because she HATED Katherine, she couldn't control BILLY & because she was a SNOB which is the same way she treated Philip once Philip decided he wanted to be with Nina & the baby.

Edited April 19, 201213 yr by DeeeDee

I think they should have just written Billy out when Tom left. Ryan Brown was a huge void on GL and I'm not sure how he was cast in another role, unless they needed some type of Aryan extra.

Ryan Brown wasn't a bad choice for Billy.

The main problem was the show was clearly just using him to finish the story they started (the inane twist).

Had they actually wrote for him he could have been (like Brenda Epperson) a solid recast.

And Jill was happy to push Brittany on Billy even though Billy at the time was clearly self destructive & miserable

I had a tough time buying that. Brittany was toxic and it just felt like Jill was looking for someone who supposedly had better breeding than Mackenzie. At least when she pushed for Cricket/Phillip, she knew, and viewers knew, Cricket was a good choice for Phillip, and was a decent person. That seemed to go out the window with Jill and Billy, in order to have her creating more tension.

To me that was always one of the problems with Billy/Mac. Their stories were created by other people. Once that ended, and the two of them actually had to exist as a couple, they floundered.

I had a tough time buying that.

I didn't.

Jill had been a snob for a LONG time.

It's the same reason she treated Nina (as well as Nikki & Drucilla) the way she did long before Nina got pregnant.

Brittany was toxic and it just felt like Jill was looking for someone who supposedly had better breeding than Mackenzie.

Brittany was a brat who didn't belong with Billy but she wasn't toxic (though their relationship was) as much as selfish.

At least when she pushed for Cricket/Phillip, she knew, and viewers knew, Cricket was a good choice for Phillip, and was a decent person.

Viewers didn't know that though.

They knew Cricket was a good person & that Philip was in love with her but they also knew Cricket was in love with DANNY (especially since it was Danny who pushed HER away) making Philip her SECOND choice.

That seemed to go out the window with Jill and Billy, in order to have her creating more tension.

Jill actually really liked Brittany for a long time (especially because she didn't know half the stuff Brittany was doing to keep Billy).

But she didn't think Brittany was some innocent angel after they broke up & she told her as much.

Their stories were created by other people.

No they weren't.

Their stories were realistic & based on existing character histories.

Unlike now where Billy & Victoria have annual baby stories, fights with Victor & near divorces.

Once that ended, and the two of them actually had to exist as a couple, they floundered.

They actually were very happy as a couple until Ashley left & Kelly was cast.

It was THEN that they broke up though they eventually reconciled (again) & stayed together until David left.

Edited April 19, 201213 yr by DeeeDee

He must have been crappy this is all I found via a google search