What stories didn't work(ratings wise/creative wise) in soaps?

[Gray Bunny]

I think Brooke Logan Forrester has Reva Shayne Lewis beat in the ick factor of keeping it in the family. And she lives in LA, the 2nd most populated city in the U.S.... no excuses, Brooke!

[antmunoz]

Selena on GL also had two long-losts: Drew, who she was searching for, and a son, who she never mentioned until Gus came to town...and was rewritten to NOT be her son, whose whereabouts she'd suddenly always known.

Any story that rewrites history and makes current characters "old friends." The Annabelle mystery on GL which linked the Spauldings, Bauers, Lewises and Chamberlains decades prior, and it's poor retelling, the Maryanne Carruthers mystery.

[DRW50]

The weird part with Reva was that it all went so fast. She was married to Billy (in name only by that time), then reunited with Josh, then went to HB, then got with Kyle, who was thought to be HB's son at that time. This was in two years or less.

[VirginiaHamilton]

I wouldn't go as far as to say they sucked, but I honestly think that they, like Bianca's other (half-assed) pairings, lacked the energy that would prompt me to invest in them beyond a surface level.

[Khan]

Yeah, especially when there's the 405 Freeway to consider.

[antmunoz]

Now, now...Brooke lost one non-Forrester man to nut cancer, did she not?

[Gray Bunny]

Actually, Grant died of nut cancer when he was romancing Macy. I liked that short-lived pairing.

[DRW50]

That was a few years after their divorce.

No matter how much B&B calls Brooke a slut, I just never see her that way. Taylor slept with Thorne and almost slept with Eric, and she slept with three generations (Brooke's father, Brooke's son, Ridge). Yet no one ever calls her a slut.

[Gray Bunny]

You are so right. Wasn't she engaged to Rick (Kyle Lowder's version)? I can't recall all the romantic entanglements of the past 5 years, with different Ricks, Phoebes & Steffies, etc.

[Khan]

Past five years? When it comes to B&B, I have a hard time keeping track of what happened in the past five episodes.

[Mitch]

LOL.. on "nut," cancer.. Trying to imaging Douglas Marland writing a story about that and all we would hear is people constantly referring to it as "testicular cancer," and making it a PSA. As in Margo: " Ever since Tom found out that he had "Testicular Cancer, our sexual relationship has slowed down, however, I am in therapy to help em see that this is the natural progression of the disease and has nothing to do with my sexual attractiveness as a woman. As you know, 1 our of 5 marriages end when their partner developes "Testicular Cancer." or Bob, "Son since you developed "Testicular Cancer," I hope you realize that your virility will not disappear entirely. If you have problems having sexual relations with Margo, you can always use Viagra to counter act the effects of "Testicular Cancer," which effects one out of 8 males over 40. However, as we can see from your treatment, 95 percent of men survive "Testicular Cancer," when detected early." Or everyone else in town, "How does Lily feel about Tom's "Testicular Cancer,"???" LOL on him reading one of his script writers call it "nut cancer."

Sigh, I miss my dumb shows!

[Gray Bunny]

Haha... that reminds me of an old MadTV (I think it was that show) sketch where they they used the word "ass" a lot but a voiceover announcer would dub in the word "buttocks" every time someone said "ass". Funny, silly stuff

[juniorz1]

Now that sounds like a compelling rape story.

And you mean you never watched a Bill Bell show while he was still writing it, Khan? I had no idea, though now that I think about it, I see u mostly posting about OLTL, GL, and DAYS (as a fan).

I thought they were tied, but...

So actually, Reva is far, far worse. And points to Brooke (and KKL) for having chemistry with every one of those three men (four if you're counting Thomas).

Heh, heh. Nut cancer.

I'm actually grateful for the Grant/Brooke romance though because that was the one that made Ridge wake up and finally fight for Brooke the way she'd always deserved. Brooke actually put up a pretty good fight, too.

[Khan]

Oh, no, I watched B&B and Y&R while Papa Bell still was alive and involved with his creations. It's just that I used to make of B&B and Y&R, which were more Mama Khan's shows than mine, on account of the glacial plotting and vapid acting. It wasn't until he was gone and I saw what had become of the two in his absence that I realized how very, very wrong I was in my assessment. Especially when you realize how B&B and Y&R appeared to be the last bastions of traditional soap storytelling.

[Khan]

Yes, except I found Reva more empathetic than Brooke, who was just a cheap, wanton slut in my eyes. I mean, even Reva would've known it wasn't Ridge under that mask at Hope's graduation party, know what I'm saying?