What Do You Consider The Glory Years Of Your Favorite Soaps ?

[OldGHFan]

GH - 1978-1987 - the Gloria Monty years. Gloria gave us four supercouples (Luke & Laura, Robert & Holly, Frisco & Felicia and Duke & Anna). She gave us love, romance, adventure and the Quartermaines. I didn't like the Wes Kenney and Joe Hardy eras very much. Those eras paled in comparison to the GM era. However, I loved the Wendy Riche era. She respected the Gloria Monty era but made the show her own with a show you could be proud of watching. I've basically hated GH ever since Wendy Riche left. It's a shadow of it's former self.

[GMac]

Guiding Light 1977 - 1985, 1989 - 1993

Home sick from school one day in 1977 (or it could have been the day it snowed in FL that they closed the schools), I was immensely interested in following the lives of these people. Rita, Roger, Alan, Amanda and Diane are the ones that first piqued my interest. The show was really on fire for me from about 1978 through 1982 or so.

Y&R was consistently good throughout the 80s and (most of) the 90s.

[Khan]

I realize it wasn't always perfect (they call the mid-'80's "the Johnny Bauer Cancer Years" for a reason) but I'd say GL had a pretty good run between 1975 and 1995 despite massive changes both onscreen and off. The acting, directing and production values were fairly top-notch; and it seemed as if everyone, including the network and the sponsors, were invested in making a show that didn't pander to teenagers or obnoxious fan bases.

AMC: 1981-84. It didn't get much better than Greg & Jenny, Jesse & Angie, Tad the Cad, and Opal. And of course, Erica was pretty awesome back then as well.

[OldGHFan]

I think the early 80s for AMC, OLTL and GH were the best of the best. I watched way too much television back then. 3 soaps in a row. But between Cliff and Nina on AMC, Karen Wolek on OLTL and Luke & Laura on GH, ABC Daytime was unfire.

[Pine Charles]

I love early '80s AMC (thanks to YouTube).....

-Erica in Manhattan

-SIlver Kane storyline

-Opal's shenanigans

-Palmer's shenanigans

-Snobby drunk Phoebe (and Langley)

- Jenny & Greg; Angie & Jesse

-Tad the Cad; Liza and Marian Colby

[mikelyons]

I started watching soaps in 1990 (born in '83), so for me AMC's golden period was 90-94. Kendall; Who Killed Will?; Natalie down the well; The Maricks; Natalie & Trevor; Mona's death; Erica "growing up" after Mona's death; and the '94 tornado (and its aftermath) were a high watermark for AMC.

After Disney purchased ABC, AMC, GH, and OLTL went into the gutter and never recovered.

I loved the last year of LOVING.

I've seen many Y&R episodes from the 70s and 80s, so I'll say it's glory years were 1973-2006. I know people like Nikki/Victor/Jack, but Kay & Jill were the main reason I watched Y&R. When they fought over the house in 1997, I was freaking hooked! After Kay Alden was shown the door, LML took over, followed by Maria, Hogan, Josh, Jean, Shelley, Tracy, Chuck, and Jill Farren Phelps, Y&R hasn't recovered. I will give Y&R Kay's "death" and Phillip's return as a mini-renaissance, but that's the last time I watched the show.

[RestlessDuncan]

B&B 1992-1995 (The best period of Brooke-Ridge-Taylor, plus Sheila Carter at her best), 1998-2000 (Amber-Rick-Kimberly rocked)

Y&R 1973-2006 (The most consistent soap until LML took over)

GL I was only few years old when those episodes aired in Italy, but I loved Douglas Marland's GL and characters like Nola, Quinton, Alan, Jennifer, Amanda, Lucille... I liked Pam Long's GL, too.

[zanereed]

I completely agree with you on GL. I loved both the writing and the characters that the Dobsons created, immersed with established characters. Marland's era was a bit hit-or-miss with me, but by 1983 I thought GL was back on track, especially once Pam Long took over the writing. However, by the end of 1984, I didn't recognize the show any longer.

I started watching again when Maureen Garrett and Michael Zaslow came back in 1988 and 1989, until about 1992, when Bev McKinsey left. I occasionally watched it through its end, but never as much as those time frames.

[Soaplovers]

Based on my years of soap watching....

GL..1983 to 1986.. 1988 to 1993.. 1997 1999 2002 to 2003

AW 1988 to 1993

Santa Barbara 1988 to 1990

Port Charles 1997 to 2000

Days of our lives 1987 to 1991 (Shane/Kim/eve era plus jack/Jennifer/Emilio..Isabella/john ) 1993 to 1998.. 2008 to 2010, 2013