Soap Heroes/Heroines who would've made better villains (and vice versa)?

[P.J.]

Lily never owned her bitchdom. They occasionally let others point out her self-absorption and complete lack of humility, but not very often.

That was Julie Camaletti, Mallet's sister. AKA the last time Frank was interesting.

On ATWT,I never understood either Lucy Montgomery or Alison Stewart being "good". OMG, if there were ever any two characters whose histories BEGGED for them to be little bitches in training, it was those two.

Oh, and Gwen's switcheroo from edgy/screwed up/anti-heroine to poor misunderstood waif was TRAGIC. I cry thinking how epic it would have been for Carly to be out-Carlyed by her own sister.

[QueenOfHearts]

Glad others pointed out that NL's Emily owns this topic. I actually thought her Rebecca was entertaining away from Nik and in spiteful bitch mode.

[Antoyne]

God, all of my hatred for that character and her portrayer just came flooding back. It's the only Quartermaine I was totally fine with being dead.

[YRBB]

Didn't Marland's first story projection/bible for ATWT suggest just that... that Lily would evolve into a bitch? I think that made total sense.

[ellabelle]

I agree with Cheap21 and DRW50 - Greenlee and Babe were far more interesting and likeable characters as the 'bad' girls, and neither one made a very likeable heroine.

[MichaelGL]

On Guiding Light that would be Cassie Layne. The show would have had lots of mileage if Reva's long lost sister was a social climbing vixen who would stop at nothing to provide the best life for her and her daughter rather than a heroine.

[Mathewson]

Could never buy Ryan Lavery (AMC) or Ethan (PSSNS) as heroes or leading men. Their actors were too smarmy and unlikable onscreen (seem like nice guys offscreen though), and both characters never knew how to treat the women in their lives. Also way too arrogant and holier than thou.

AMC's Babe was easily a horrible heroine. Alexa Havins was good but Babe was one of the worst character creations I've ever seen.

Jared on OLTL would have been more believable as a villain. I hated that Schuyler was sacrificed for godawful Rex/Gigi but he would have been fun to watch as a villain who snapped from everything he's been through.

OLTL's Dorian should have been a heroine. I didn't like when the show tried to make it seem Viki = saint and Dorian = bitch. I like when they're friends or at least civil and are fighting for the greater good.

[soapsnstuds]

On All My Children back in 1998 Ryan Lavery was introduced as a troublemaker and Cameron Mathison did it well. Unfortunately, after the Adam/Liza/Ryan sperm debacle, they phased him into Pine Valley's super hero and literally became my number one least favorite soap character ever ... on any soap!!!

Michael Graziadei of Young and the Restless is the runner-up for most miscast actor. Daniel back in 2004/2005 was a douchey playboy-in-training and I liked him that way. After the aftermath of Cassie's death, he became boring and was one of the most unnecessary characters in Genoa City for a good seven or eight years. Thank God the actor was always moonlighting and found success outside of soaps.

[Soaplovers]

I had hopes when Cassie was first introduced. She was very hard, rough around the edges, and had lived a hard life as a stripper trying to get her daughter back. The first several weeks of her stint seemed to paint her as a social climber in training, but then once it came out that she and Reva were half-sisters then she became a saint/heroine. Yet, the actress played her with a hard edge that would have worked if the character had stayed as an anti-heroine.

[NothinButAttitude]

ATWT:

Meg. From watching Jennifer Ashe's Meg on YouTube, the character came off as a vixen and schemer with good intentions--a character I'd gravitate towards. But I hated Marie Wilson's saccharine heroine version of Meg. I was glad when she became NutMeg towards the show's end.

Dusty. Again, Dusty was that loveable, good guy when Brian Bloom played him but I hated Grayson McCouch's Dusty. I'm all for gray characters but I loathed him being some shady, self-righteous businessman.

Craig. Watching old stop episodes of SB's Craig, I loved his transformation. I hated how Sheffer made him a pariah and destroyed all his relationships (i.e. Lily, Lucinda). Craig is better as a hero with streaks of gray.

[DaytimeFan]

AW:

Not that I didn't love Felicia Gallant as the heroine that she was...but could you imagine if Linda Dano had been able to play her as a villainess? She would have rocked it.

Y&R:

2003-2013 Katherine Chancellor never should have been a heroine, she always should have remained a vodka soaked, on the edge, bitch. DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN that's the Kay I loved.

[NothinButAttitude]

GL:

Olivia. I felt they declawed her in later years. This was a character that should've remained a bitch and formidable rival to Reva till the very end.

Mindy. KT & KS' version were similar--spunky, scheming, and a bit bitchy. They strattled the line between heroine & vixen. The last two Mindy's were spineless and perpetual victims. Hated it.

YR

Victoria. Loved her as mini-Victor/Nikki. Business savvy, strong, bitchy. Now she's a drip and a "woe is me character."

BB

Brooke. I loved BELIEF saga Brooke. She took no prisoners and didn't give a damn. Brooke nowadays is a damn bore. I'm over her washed up slore-like antics when they're quickly swept under the rug. I like my Brooke sloppy, trashy, easy, and scheming.

AW

Vicky & Paulina. I know my show was infamous for bad girl gone good but damn I would've loved in later years for them to continue to be screw ups. I loved the show till its very end but I hated 95/96-when these two great vixens became declawed and domesticated. Damn you Joe Carlino! And damn them making Vicky a "goody two shoes."

[Mathewson]

Josie on "Another World" should have been more of a bitch. I remember Alexandra Wilson said she wanted Josie to be more of a gold digger. She would have been more interesting and entertaining that way. Wilson would have been great at that! After she left the role, the character bored and irritated me.

[amybrickwallace]

Over at DAYS, the outgoing Alison Sweeney (Sami) just didn't have the range to play a heroine. I remember watching her in Sami's heyday of mayhem in the mid/late 90s, and no one could touch her. In fact, I was lying on the living room couch with cotton in my mouth and Vicodin in my system after having all four wisdom teeth taken out earlier that morning (this was back when our NBC affiliate in Cleveland aired DAYS at 11 AM) and watching Sami's house of lies crash down and her wedding to Austin busted up in August 1997. That whole story, which I believe began at the very end of 1996/very beginning of 1997, was executed perfectly and the payoff was brilliant. So was AS, and that story was one of Sami's last brilliant turns as a villainess. The de-fanging process really began in 1998 with her involvement with Franco.

I think what they were going for was changing Sami into the show's heart, much like AW did with Rachel many moons ago. Sami is just not a believable heroine, and while Sweeney can certainly act, playing the good girl is just not her forte. Things were so much more fun in Salem with Sami wreaking havoc and raining on everyone's parade.

[Mathewson]

I think Sami works better as a heroine whose her own worst enemy, which from what I've seen, was usually how she was written. She's too impulsive and too much of a dreamer to work as an all out villain. And I find Alison Sweeney pretty likable as an actress. I'm not too surprised AS is leaving. I don't really love or hate Sami but it's weird to think about DAYS without Sami Brady. And I can't imagine them recasting but you never know.

I saw AS and Greg Vaughan in a Hallmark movie today! I think the name of it was "Second Chances" or something like that. It was weird seeing them as lovers in the movie given that they play siblings (actually, twins!) on DAYS!