What does that have to do, then, with what I've said upthread about GUIDING LIGHT and TEXAS?

I'm so confused.

Thanks, frequentsoapfan.

Edited August 28, 201213 yr by Khan

The reasoning about combining fans of both shows to make a stronger rated show (i.e. Texas and GL and OLTL and GH).

Ohhhhh, I see. I "get" what you're saying, then, R. It just went over my head.

Thanks, Y&RWorldTurner.

When you think about it, it was odd that P&G let her introduce a southern family on GL given the commercial failure of Texas. I guess because Dallas was still extremely popular in 1982/1983, they decided to go with it at GL and chalk up Texas's failure to its airing on a failing NBC, bad time slots, low clearance, no boomerang viewers, etc.

Why do you have banners turned off, Khan?

When you think about it, it was odd that P&G let her introduce a southern family on GL given the commercial failure of Texas. I guess because Dallas was still extremely popular in 1982/1983, they decided to go with it at GL and chalk up Texas's failure to its airing on a failing NBC, bad time slots, low clearance, no boomerang viewers, etc.

The Buchanans had also been very popular on OLTL (although the ratings still weren't great on OLTL at that time).

Beginning to veer OT, but artistically, even commercially, the way daytime bit off Dallas just skeeves me out. So cheap and obvious. Not that I didn't love the Buchanans and the Lewises, but... How about a glamorous family of diamond rich South Africans with a less played out copycat concept and a less familiar accent to our American ears? In this day and age, I might do a family of nouveau riche Russians. Just more thinking outside the box. Anyway...

I have a feeling a year from now Jill will have done as much damage to Y&R as MAB did that they'll be wanting MAB or LML back

I can tell you right now that I won't. I didn't want Jack Smith back when the LML suckage was really setting in and I certainly didn't want LML back when MAB came aboard. The only place for Y&R to go is forward and I have hope for this new regime.

I'd like Kay Alden to be brought back as a co-head or at least a consultant, I won't deny that. But we're getting a solid team IMO and I'm just happy to know that somebody out there cared enough to make a change at all. Hell, many were resigned to MAB being with Y&R until the end!!

I am so glad to hear that JFP spoke to Jess Walton, though I am dismayed that Jess isn't up to returning full-time and will only appear if a good storyline comes together...but that's selfish of me as a fan of Walton's...she was treated horrendously for the last 8 or so years, she's 63, is a new grandmother, has her mansion in Oregon, sold her house in LA for way more than she paid for it...if she only wants to act if the storyline is good, then dammit, good for her for having the independence and personal power to say so.

I do hope Josh Griffith and JFP can give Jill Abbott something great to do. And I am just horrified that MAB's exit for JILL FOSTER ABBOTT, of all characters, was to take an extended holiday in Australia. What a bad joke and how utterly disrespectful to the character, Bill Bell and Walton herself, a 25 year veteran of this show.

Amen. Jill has been my favorite character pretty much since I started watching in '92 so I'm relieved that JFP spoke to Jess and wants to use her. I'm not sure whether the spin we got during Jess's exit from she and MAB was true, true at the time, or total BS, as it seems JFP is alluding to. Whatever the case may be, she took the time to call her already and that's a positive.

I think Jess will return full-time, if Jill and company are still interested.

I think she's just basking in the glow of being a new grandmother and starting her life in Oregon at the moment. I'm sure they can arrange a schedule for her where she'll appear regularly (or semi-regularly), but still get to commute in a realistic and economical fashion between LA and Oregon.

I'm glad that JFP seemingly cares about Jill/Jess Walton, because if she didn't, she would not have reached out to her to establish contact.

I sure hope so!

Maybe she could have a Tracey Bregman-style 'heavily recurring' arrangement.

I could deal with that.

Absolutely. JFP wouldn't be wasting her time if she didn't want Walton back in a meaningful way, it would have been so easy to just leave Jill off canvas and let MAB be the bad guy (which she is)...but JFP hasn't done that and I think that's terrific.

Exactly.

LOL at people thinking JFP will have JW return full time and give her a decent story. She's there to cut costs, hence vets going buh bye

They didn't hire Frank Valentini, they hired Jill Farren Phelps! GH was never known for sticking to it's budget and I don't feel that's why she was brought in at all. Have you actually followed JFP's career or just read about it on the internet? Jill Foster Abbott is the kind of character JFP gravitates toward and Walton the kind of vet that JFP returns to the forefront on her shows.

If they want Neil in a hot love story (which surprises me considering the way KSJ badmouthed JFP on Twitter) and can't bring Victoria Rowell back, I suggest they bring Lesli Kay on as Felicia on a permanent basis. She's so close to Drucilla in personality it's not even funny and lord knows B&B won't be using her. She'd be a fantastic addition.

Ok, just, no.

To be very frank, Jill Abbott is right up there in terms of types for JFP surrogate heroines. She has certain stories and tropes she loves, including the woman of a certain age swept off her feet by a new, often younger man. Often the women will be styled to resemble JFP, though this may be sheer coincidence. Jess Walton already has the shorter hair.

^^^See what I mean ZendallFan dragonflies?

Bottom line: KSJ needs someone 'sassy' to bring him to life and I don't care whether that person is black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Filipino or a drag queen. Of course Rowell is the ideal choice but in the event that they're unable to get her back, Felicia is the next best thing. The character is well established and the actress has an enormous fan following who have wanted to see more of her for years. She'd fit in perfectly at Y&R.

***does a spit take all over DeeeDee***

Point me to this enormous fan following of people that want to "see more of Lesli Kay" that you speak of. I've never cared for her work and always got the feeling she became sort of a diva on the ATWT set at the end of her original run.

That's if they cared at all.

I remember the great Ed Trach always reaping praise on ATWT and GL in interviews, while poor AW barely got a mention.

Post-Lemay, what AW really needed was a Douglas Marland/Nancy Curlee-type writer, which it never got. Instead you had people like Margaret DePriest, Thom Racina, Leah Laiman, Jean Passanante, et al getting their hands in that mess.

I can see why some fans liked Donna Swajeski's tenure (I did not), as it was the last time the show had a consistent and long-running regime.

I liked Donna's tenure more probably because I wasn't alive or at least able to watch Y&R during Rauch/Lemay. When I started, it was the show that came on after DAYS. I liked it but was more attached to DAYS's characters. Then when I got into SB, AW really started to seem like chopped liver.

But during Donna's years, 88-92, I was truly and genuinely hooked on AW and thought it was the best writing I'd ever seen on the show. The long-term plotting was phenomenal, the stories well-told, and the fallout amazing. There were stories, like Steven's Paternity for example, that could have gone numerous ways and any of them would have been fruitful, yet Donna always seemed to make a surprising choice AND get the mileage of it. I liked it.

She used the AW ensemble like other writers before her hadn't (and nobody who came after would ever do again). The sense of community was re-established and everyone was integrated. I can't think of anybody that was in a storyline island during her time there.

Did she do anything groundbreaking or earth shattering? No. But she produced a solid soap, gave the show the stability it needed to continue on, and had an invaluable sense of who the characters on the show were. For me, that's why her AW tenure is so highly regarded- it's just an unfortunate coincidence that it happened while first ATWT then GL experienced major creative renaissances that AW was judged against (both at the time and now). But neither of those shows were nearly in the shape that AW was in when Swajeski got it. Who knows what she'd have done on AW if she inherited a show that was in the shape either of those two were in.

Oh, and I almost forgot......

I LOVE YOU COURTNEY PHELPS!!!

Edited August 29, 201213 yr by juniorz1

Someone seemed to care at some point to bring Lemay back, but he was quickly forced out after the '88 strike, when Donna, who was a known scab writer and NBC exec usurped power.

I really wonder what would've or could've happened had Lemay remained. I know some accuse Donna of using story projections he left behind, but who knows?

Swajeski's AW was just safe generic soap to me that didn't hold up very well in the SoapNet re-runs I watched, IMO. I think what saved AW through some pressing times was a strong cast of actors and strong friendship dynamics between characters.

AW always seemed like PGP's bastard child from the 80's on. Which is unfortunate, as it was once one of their proudest joys in the 70's.

Edited August 29, 201213 yr by Y&RWorldTurner

Point me to this enormous fan following of people that want to "see more of Lesli Kay" that you speak of. I've never cared for her work and always got the feeling she became sort of a diva on the ATWT set at the end of her original run.

I know nothing of Kay's ATWT work but B&B fans have been wanting to see more of Felicia for years. Personally I've never thought there was a need for the character on B&B but she'd fit right in at Y&R and already has ties to some Y&R characters.

I guess because Dallas was still extremely popular in 1982/1983, they decided to go with it at GL and chalk up Texas's failure to its airing on a failing NBC, bad time slots, low clearance, no boomerang viewers, etc.

I think so, too. Plus, it's no secret how much PGP wanted to ditch, or at least de-emphasize, characters and families from previous eras.

Why do you have banners turned off, Khan?

Because it makes scrolling through and reading these threads a much easier job. Some people don't realize how difficult that can be when you have all these humongous banners that take seemingly forever to upload. It's also why I'm in favor of no animated avatars or gifs.

Personally I've never thought there was a need for the character on B&B but she'd fit right in at Y&R and already has ties to some Y&R characters.

Fine. Just don't suggest again that she could take Drucilla's (or Victoria Rowell's) place. Because that's insulting on a number of levels.

I think so, too. Plus, it's no secret how much PGP wanted to ditch, or at least de-emphasize, characters and families from previous eras.

The ABC soaps (esp. the big 3) were on fire from the late 70s through about 1984, so I'm sure there were mandates EPs/HWs of the other networks' shows to ABC-ify their shows, meaning more youthful romance, super couples, faster plots, some gothic touches, action/adventure, and of course Tony Geary lookalikes. Suddenly the P&G shows, which had mostly been very traditional and family-oriented, started doing all these outrageous plots that went againt their grains. GL, at least under Marland, probably fared the best during this transitional period. SFT probably stumbled the most. I don't think AW during this period was as terrible as other have made it out to be, and I think its being on NBC, which was in such turmoil from sign-on to sign-off, really kept the ratings low.

...and of course Tony Geary lookalikes.

Who were some examples?