SORASing: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

[Vee]

Nicky was the worst. Victor Webster was a hot piece of ass, but no.

 

The Nicholas that showed up a few years ago for Carly's exit storyline was properly SORASed, cute and a good actor. It was a mistake not keeping him.

[Forever8]

Let's not forget EJ DiMera, Boy was sucking on a pacifier when Will was in preschool. Years later EJ is a thirty something racecar driver whilst, Will was going through puberty. 

 

I don't mind SORAsing on soaps, but I think it does have to make logical sense and to have at least a purpose and story for a teenage character. I mean look at Charlie, Reed and Maddie on YR, they age them and are play arguably by decent actors with little to no purpose at all. They had painful dialogue sounding like a bad 80's Teen B Movie made by MGM or Miramax. 

[Broderick]

 

I did the hand wave on Billy Abbott too.   But it still kinda bothered me that Jill's older son, Phillip Chancellor III, grew up (thanks to SORASing), developed a drinking problem, and allegedly died from a car crash years and years before Billy Abbott was ever born.  And then when Phillip was magically resurrected, he appeared to be about 10 years older than Billy, which begged the hypothetical question, "Did the two boys now KNOW each other when they were younger, since their ages suddenly overlapped."  That was never explored, since Mrs. Bell shipped Phillip away as soon as she dragged him from the crypt. 

[John]

Then he was deaged to his correct age in 2011 when Cody Longo had a short term run in the role. I wish they would have kept him.

[Dr Neil Curtis]

And what was the purpose of bringing back Phillip and he never return to the show. 

[Khan]

All I can say is, I love the fact that RYAN'S HOPE resisted SORASing any of their kids for a very long time.  Otherwise, Ryan Fenelli would have been a grandmother by the time she was cancelled.

 

 

I don't think anyone at Y&R counted on Thom Bierdz being such a bad actor.  Otherwise, he might've stuck around.  As it is, though, I'd be happy to see Phillip back, but with a new (and better) actor in the role.

[j swift]

Johnno Ryan is a good example of SORASing.  He had attributes of both of his parents (which after multiple recasts was a clever way of resetting the family).  He had been off screen for a sufficient amount of time for any backstory to be credible.  And coming back from an out-of-state college was a good excuse that made more sense than Delia sending a kid off to boarding school.

[dragonflies]

What about De-SORASing? Jamie Luner as Liza on AMC, what, was Liza like 5 when she had Colby and clearly she could NOT have gone to high school with Tad, Jesse/Angie, etc... they were pushing 50 + and she clearly wasn't

 

GH doesn't do too well with SORASing either. Josslyn is an example, as are Liz's kids

[Khan]

 

Between the age difference and almost total personality change, it was as if she was an entirely new and different character who just happened to share the name "Liza Colby."  They would have been better off hiring Luner to play an older (and less crazy) Emily Ann Sago, or a now-adult Bonnie McFadden.

[j swift]

What is the word for soap characters that stayed the same age forever?

 

SORASed characters Rick Bauer (GL) and Kevin Buchanan (OLTL) stayed (storywise) in their 30s for way more than a decade.    

[All My Shadows]

I used to hear it referred to as Soap Opera Stunted Aging Syndrome.

[Darn]

Tom Hughes stayed in his 30s for 2 decades. Didn’t one of the Hortons do the same? I wanna say Mike.

[Dr Neil Curtis]

I always wondered why she was their choice for a recast. I would have taken Mary Beth Evans as Liza 

[Khan]

 

Pretty much.  Mike Horton grew up hella fast with Wesley Eure in the role -- from conception to sleeping with his father's past mistress in about seven years.  (He was also the only Mike Horton thus far to get married -- onscreen, to terminally ill Margo).  Then, Michael T. Weiss assumed the role; and either Mike remained the same age or was de-aged.  (I say the latter, but others might disagree).  Then, you had Roark Critchlow, who came across as younger than Weiss AND Eure.  So, at this rate, the next time Mike shows up in Salem, he'll be getting ready for the prom.

[Dr Neil Curtis]

Didn’t B&B de-age the Logan Sisters, Katie & Donna?