CBS vs ABC vs NBC Soaps

[Eric83]

CBS

[VirginiaHamilton]

ABC has always been my default, as that was the channel that was the clearest on my rabbit-eared TV when I was growing up. Once in a while, I'd struck gold with NBC, but they came dead last because the reception was shitty. CBS was less spotty, but had its days as well.

[Wales2004]

It was primarily ABC for me since that was my first intro to soaps.

CBS next and I know next to nothing about NBC soaps but I did see bits here and there whenever there was a preemption. I did watch whatever DirecTV aired of Passions.

I don't know if this a Brian Frons era thing but I do know that he and company have made a habit of pitting shipping fan bases against each other to the detriment of the corresponding soaps. Maybe OLTL wasn't the greatest soap when Malone (first name escapes me) left but I enjoyed OLTL much better than when Dena Higley took over. With GH the argument is over different types of bad writing because bad is ultimately bad but in either a less or more tolerable way. After defrosted Stavros showed up, Gh's rate of decline increased and I don't know if it's gotten any better in spurts but I do know that it's gotten progressively worse whether it's Mob City or OLTL Lite.

[allmc2008]

When did that Happen? What fan bases?

[Cat]

NBC was my default when I first started watching soaps -- Santa Barbara and Days were my babies. The Boston affiliate didn't have AW but having caught some of this truly amazing show (1991 onwards) on YouTube, I regret that I missed seeing it "live." Later there was Sunset Beach and I watched from start to finish. But I could never get into Passions.

Got into CBS when B&B started (it was the most Dynasty-esque show on the dial at the time, and I *loved* Dynasty), and from B&B I got into Y&R.

Later, after Santa Barbara got cancelled, I discovered GH and fell in love with that. I was so attached to GH that even during the Guza years, I thought this was the show I would see through to its dying day. I was wrong.

I have also dipped into ATWT, GL, AMC and OLTL but my heart was already occupied elsewhere.

CBS is currently where it's at for me, but I can't forget what NBC once meant to me, and it's why I always keep an eye on Days no matter what.

[teplin]

It was always NBC for me, though the network never really had a "house style" for it soaps in the way ABC and CBS did. Days, AW and Santa Barbara, for example, were as different as could be. While I loved AW, I didn't have much patience for ATWT, which many consider its closest stylistic cousin. I liked GL better, but really couldn't get into Y&R at all. I always liked what I saw of OLTL and got swept up into Luke & Laura-era GH (though I didn't like them at all). AMC never did it for me, though I loved some of their oddball characters -- Phoebe, Benny, Billy Clyde, Estelle, Opal.

[allmc2008]

I would have liked that for ABC (my choice) because I like variety. I was not interested in NBC serials mainly because I started watching soaps in 2008 and the only one was Days but I have an idea of what the soaps where like. Was Search for Tomorrow kind of like AW??

[allmc2008]

I forgot, Search was on CBS originally!

[Wales2004]

I don't know if AMC got a taste of it because I can only think of possibly something with either Ryan, Leo or both being in the middle but I barely watched that show in the latter years so I can only guess.

OLTL circa 2003 the Evangeline/John versus Natalie/John madness became really ugly. I think there are people who are probably still highly irrational about this. My perspective goes this way: Michael Easton was brought onto OLTL to be some sort of sexy lead character. Some decision maker apparently thought they could generate the same sort of reaction to his being paired with Melissa Archer as was the case with him and Kelly Monaco. I don't think Melissa Arched worked as sultry or sexy and he seemed too old for her in terms of adult and bratty college freshman type. They subsequently brought some other woman on but that didn't work and then they apparently thew REG at him as an interim solution while they found the one. Then it seemed as if to satisfy the John/Natalie fans, the writers had to create this illusion of a triangle where John remained oblivious and for the most part didn't show any romantic interest in Natalie except everyone in town could see it and made a point of saying so on a regular basis. It started with Natalie looking delusional and always needing to be saved to keep John around her and ended with Evangeline looking pathetic because she suddenly could not be at peace if McScruffy didn't say he loved her. Michael Easton sleep walks through his scenes but I think he perked up as much as he is capable of doing during his scenes with REG and during the ridiculous goodbye scene with Natalie. Lamest triangle ever but the mileage they got out of it came from inciting the dueling fan bases.

I don't know if this ever reached the same level but the Jason/Sam fans were pitted against the Jason/Elizabeth fans because when writing a good story fails, just write dribble and let the emotional fan bases have at it.

[aMLCproduction]

NBC I started right attheend whenSB was axxed. I watched Days,AW, SuBe, and Pssns first 6 years.

Then I found Y&R , then very brielfy AMC and esp OLTL sucked me in at the end

[JtSmarts]

Overall

1. NBC

2. ABC

3. CBS