For P&G Soaps Fans: How would YOU bring 'em back?

[Khan]

Now I don't want this to get ugly (too late), but suppose there WAS interest (even from P&G!) in reviving a defunct, P&G-produced series. Which one would YOU want it to be, and how would you do it?

(And for Agnes' sake, BE NICE. Please.)

[DRW50]

If I don't reply to this quickly it's not because I have a problem with the topic, just that I have a lot of ideas in my head (at least for GL) that will seem like a mess on paper so I don't know how to put them down.

[allmc2008]

Speaking of Agnes, since she was there at the beginning I think having her consult GL/AW would be a good idea. If she can't do story projections/scripts I think she would be good with pacing and structuring the shows the way AMC/OLTL are (once they figure out how they want to do it). Agnes is the original Marland so if she did write a projection to get the shows off the ground she may use her own "How not to wreck a show" since she knows as well as we know that shows change in 30 years plus!

I think on-line is the way to do it. Instead of doing promoting them the way PP promoted AMC/OLTL they should promote AW/ATWT/GL in a more adult instead of focusing on a teen scene. I know some people are like "ATWT/GL/AW are what old people watch and have no footing in Pop Culture". They may not have pop culture footing but they are household names plus ATWT was number one for 20 years so why not try to research what made those years special and research Marlands style mesh both together and add a current spin. To a much larger extent ATWT. Since they have the name recognition they could easily get people interested.

Yes, I know AW has been gone for a long time but I think it can come back.

Too be frank I never watched P&G soaps except anniversaries and past clips. I highly respect them and like the rest of the genre I think if given to the right hands they will shine. Sorry for not picking just one soap!! If any came back I would watch them religiously!!

[Mitch]

Both shows would be easy to revive by focusing the new generation of the shows core families. ATWT is easy as the Hughes were intact, if ignored during the last few years. Bob and Kim can make special appearances but a recast Tom and Margo can take over their role...(Bring Hillary B. Smith back as Margo and I don't know who for Tom.) On GL I would focus on the Bauers and the Spauldings..with Rick (maybe a recast) and Mindy having adopted kids and taking care of Ricks and Phillip and Beth and their kids. The real focus would be on Rick and Phillips soras sons..(say late high school) and their intense love and conflct with each other (both sharing the same mom.) I would have to think more of plot lines but I do know this NO COOPERS!!!

[ChitHappens]

I would first make four calls to:

Victoria Wyndam

Linda Dano

Elizabeth Hubbard

Carmen Duncan

...Outside of this, everything else should fall into place!!!!!

[P.J.]

I don't know why it would be hard to revive either show (assuming the issues with P&G were already cleared). Contrary to popular belief, I think people are hungry for original content. Cut it down to thirty minutes, rerun twice a day on some appropriate niche station.

[Khan]

So, you're saying you WOULDN'T bring back any P&G soaps except as reruns? (I'm not saying you're "wrong," or that I disagree. I just want to make sure.)

[NothinButAttitude]

First of all for all the shows, I'd strike a deal with whoever to do 2-3/1hr shows a week from the start then when the audience builds, the episodes counts build.

For EON, I'd just do a modern spin on it as we've said numerous times. Either redo all the stories with Mike Karr but in current time and make it a current procedural soap OR pick up the story with Mike's grandson's (and Laurie's son) OR Timmy (Nancy & Mike's soon forgotten adopted son) as a young man beginning as an attorney and center the show around a Mike/Sara (eventually Nancy)/Martha/Bill-type foursome as the show did in early days. Have Raven's children Jamey & Charlotte be on the show too with Jamey being a rival to the young Karr male as another hotshot lawyer, and Charlotte can be scheming, social climbing vixen like her mother, who wants her trust fund but can't get it until she's either married or reaches a certain age. This causes Charlotte to become a ruckus within Monticello, connecting herself to corrupt people and being in many get rich quick antics like her mother.

For SEARCH, I'd call Lisa Peluso to revive her role as Wendy, Matthew Ashford as Cagney McClearly, get Marcia McCabe to revive her role as Sunny, and cast a woman in her 50s to play Patti, who'd be the central matriarch alongside David Forsythe's Hogan McClearly. Then I'd cast some young adults with Jonah Carter (Suzi's son) being lead of the young adults.

For Another World, I'd reach out to Vicky Wyndham, Charles Keating, Stephen Schnetzer, & Linda Dano. Those four will be numero uno for who I want back. Then I'd woo back Anna Stuart, Jake Eplin, Judi Evans, Jensen Buchanan (if she wants to reprise the role), and Paul Michael Valley. The three of them that I've just listed that characters died, their deaths will be undone. After that, I'd just cast a bunch of young adult characters playing the roles of Elizabeth, Cory, Bridget, Michelle, Kirkland, etc.

For Guiding Light & As the World Turns, I'd do them like I've done my blog on here but with less people. But the first people from each show that I'd reach out too Peter Simon/Maureen Garrett on GL & Don Hastings/Kathryn Hays and pray they all agree to sign on. If so, they'd be my central matriarchal/patriarchal couples. Joie B. Lenz & Paul A. Stewart would be at the top of my list too b/c GOD knows I love my Manny. I'd bring back Bill & Lizzie too (recast as my Emme is on GH and I don't want Cosgrove anywhere near these shows as he has a curse on him ). On ATWT, I'd see if Eileen wants to come back & get her a male lead for herself (Lisa needs love too). Tom and Margo would return too, and then center the show around perils Casey, Allison, Aaron, Luke, Noah, and some more young adults tied to the cast.

[Mitch]

Can you imagine the filthy advice Lisa could give to the young ones if the show was on the intenet/cable?? I would tune in just to see Fulton toss off a line like, "blow job, though back in the day a lady called it felatio, either way, you got the man wrapped around your finger when you do it right!"

[P.J.]

No...that's not what I said or meant. The new episodes would be one-half-hour each, and would be shown twice a day.

[DramatistDreamer]

I have some ideas about ATWT specifically but I'm not sure people would like them

I do like the idea of focusing on the 'grown folk' set. ATWT has quite a few characters that are aged 80+ and I think they are important to the show but using them would be dependent on how much they'd want to work at this point with the show being off the air for at least 2, going on three years now. The soaps can be a grind but if they were up to it, I'd sometimes like to see scenes with:

Bob & Kim Hughes, Lisa, Lucinda and John Dixon. I could see Ellen Stewart dropping in every now and then.

I'd love to see Hilary B. Smith or Margaret Colin (long shot, I know) for Margo and Greg Marx for Tom Hughes. Tom and Margo got a bit...frumpy toward the end of the series and Tom and Margo were best as a sexy and intelligent couple.

Barbara but would she be married to Henry? I always liked Barbara when she was free to roam and wreak havoc. I don't expect her to be the ingenue or the young vixen but something of a sharp, manipulative denizen of Oakdale who is not afraid to use whatever tools are at her disposal to keep and get what she wants. I'd bring a re-casted Paul (or the guy before RH) and have him help run BRO, where the two would, of course, clash on financial success vs. creativity and brand integrity.

I think I'd bring back a newly single Dusty (Janet and Liberty moved South). I'd prefer Brian Bloom, honestly but if he couldn't do it, I guess McCouch would do. I might have Martha Byrne do a guest here and there as I might have Jon Hensley pop in occasionally and have this trio mix it up.

Although I generally dislike back from the dead storylines, I'd bring back Bryant Montgomery (he wasn't dead, he was in Montega, kidnapped by Tonio Reyes ).

Steve Andropolous should be out of prison by now, so I'd have a brief arc having him emerge to rebuild his construction company and have his daughter Dani take it over. I'd have Melanie Smith as Emily manage the client relations for the company, so she would work with her niece.Then I'd have Bryant and Dani build a romance, drawing in Scott Bryce's Craig (sorry to whomever the last five guys were who played Craig were ) and Finn Carter's Sierra into the intrigue.

I'd love for Hope and Faith to find each other at Oakdale University. Perhaps Hope is Pre-Med and aspiring to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather Dr. John Dixon, while Faith is studying Ecology or Civic Engineering. I'd create a new character, Khalil Harris, Bonnie & Isaacs' son, who is Pre-Med, looking to become a surgeon like his Uncle Ben Harris but somewhat cocky like his father Isaac. I'd have Chris Hughes serving as a mentor to Hope Dixon, causing tension and drama between Chris Hughes and John Dixon as well as John and Bob Hughes. I'd have Khalil Harris seek out John Dixon to mentor him. Andy and even Dusty might warn Khalil to learn all the good things from John while avoiding his mistakes.

Susan Stewart would be the Chief of Staff of Oakdale Memorial.

Jessica and Tom might work together at a private practice or one might be D.A.

In terms of the Snyders- some will be over in Luther's Corner and we really won't see most. Parker will be in College/Grad School at Northwestern. Natalie, who wants to be a writer like her uncle Seth is studying in London and staying with her uncle and a reunited Sabrina. Sage, in boarding school.

We might see Faith on the farm, occasionally with Emma where Faith is helping her Grandmother with lowering the carbon footprint of Emma's organic farm while fighting off an agribusiness (or which Lucina owns a portion of) that has tried to buy Emma's farm.

I have other ideas but those are just a few...Don't want to bore anyone with the others.

[Khan]

Ah, okay. Thanks for clarifying for me. I have NO idea why I didn't understand you before, lol.

[All My Shadows]

I did a thread similar to this one a few months back, so I'll copy and paste my comments on ATWT:

I, of course, would love to see ATWT come back. My characters:

1. Bob Hughes

2. Kim Hughes

3. Chris Hughes

4. Christina Hughes (Don Hughes's daughter)

5. Casey Hughes

6. Lisa Grimaldi

7. Susan Stewart

8. Emily Stewart

9. Alison Stewart

10. Greg Ward (Annie Stewart's son)

11. Bonnie McKechnie

12. Isaac Jenkins

13. Holden Snyder

14. Lily Snyder

15. Lucinda Walsh

16. Aaron Snyder

17. Jade Taylor

18. John Dixon

19. Barbara Ryan

20. Luke Snyder

21. Emma Snyder **recurring

22. Jessica Griffin **recurring

24. Ethan Snyder **recurring (approx. 15-16 years old)

The series would pick up in the present day, approximately two and a half years since we last visited Oakdale. We'd learn what's happened to characters who won't be on the new show. Jack and Carly have taken their kids and moved to Montana; Lily and Holden's daughters have gone away to college; Tom and Margo are traveling around the world; Katie has gone to live with Lyla; Craig and Sierra have reconciled and live together out of town; Paul cheated on Emily with Meg, and they left town together; and Dusty has left Oakdale with Janet and Liberty to raise their children.

For the characters left over, the major storylines would be the genesis of a love quad between Aaron, Jade, Allison, and Casey; a budding relationship between Greg Ward and Luke Snyder, who's just returned from California after finding Noah in bed with a woman; a power struggle at the hospital between doctors Chris and Christina Hughes; and John Dixon's inability to adjust to being retired. Meanwhile, Christina and Holden are a couple, much to Lily's chagrin, whilst Isaac and Bonnie attempt to reconcile their failed marriage.

[Khan]

You did? I apologize.

[allmc2008]

It would be interesting to see GL redo some storylines from the radio years like Meta shooting Ted but with current cast members as some "Starter Storylines".