Jump to content

Greatest Soap of All Time?


Recommended Posts

  • Members

ATWT, Y&R, GH, AMC, GL, and DAYS feel like the right top six, in any order, with AW and/or OLTL right there behind. If we were doing a top 10, the other two spots would be harder choices, with TEON, SFT, and maybe even B&B vying for spots. I get a sense that RH and SaBa had amazing peaks but couldn’t sustain them over time.

 

I dunno: the ‘90s were rough for almost everyone, but it feels like it’s a toss-up between Y&R, GH, and DAYS in terms of either impact or sustained acclaim. I almost think their ability to navigate the ‘90s would make them a solid top three (or top four with ATWT). For me, there just isn’t much to consider at all post-1999, save for a few good stretches here and there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 69
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

 

Definitely agree. If we focus by decade, DAYS' buzz and shaking up of the genre (for better of worse, long term) cannot be ignored. 

 

Interesting you said Y&R for 70's. I wasn't around during that time but I can see your point. It seems by the 70's, the distinction for "most influential and/or popular" is up for grabs, as you had ATWT as No. 1, but Another World and Days tying them a couple years, but the late-70's upswing of AMC and GH

 

Indeed they were. Ratings were up nearly across the board in '93 and '94 (before June of 1994....) versus their 91-92 numbers, save for AMC which enjoyed numbers in the 7's during 91-92. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I thought OLTL declined *very* sharply after around ‘94, and McTavish’s first HW stint at AMC was wildly uneven (that’s just IMO - I know many disagree). Not that GH didn’t have major ups and downs, but I thought it had a stronger overall decade than the other ABC soaps. But everyone became mortally wounded in some way around 95-97 and ‘98 was really bad for everyone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I agree that things got real rough around 1998.

 

 GH did have a strong decade in the 1990’s compared to the rest of ABC.  

I even think the stuff with Riche as EP but before Labine was pretty good.  I was all in on Karen/Jagger/Brenda/Jason as a teen, and the original Ryan story.  Once Labine arrived the show just became even better, and the first round of Guza was great too.  Only when he came back after Sunset Beach did I start to think it was just too dark all the time, and it got even worse once he came back without Riche.  That period he was gone though, after Culliton’s first six months and the team after him was pretty bad.

 

I think AMC lost some of its footing once Behr was gone, and OLTL had the strangest decade. GH went realistic (for the most part) and dark and was a critical darling and took back the top spot of ABC’s ratings.  AMC went kind of all over the place but felt like AMC for the most part.  But the 1990’s on OLTL were wild.  We had the end of the Rauch era, then Gottlieb/Malone, then JFP, all within less than 10 years.  That’s three wildly different eras of storytelling and as a viewer it really wore me down on that show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
  • Members

Hey there!

 

i started watching in 1984 but I have seen a lot of episodes prior to that and am completely familiar with the story from its beginning. I think ATWT was excellent from 1956-1980 and ok from 1981-1984. However, during the years 1985-1993, which were obviously the Marland years, I felt like the show was at its best-written. One of the reasons was because it richly incorporated its past into the current storyline better than any soap ever has. So, those years were the best in my opinion because it used all the great writing that had gone before while still having great current  characters, dialogue and storylines. To me, what makes a great soap is not not just good writing. Any show from any genre can have that. But only daytime soaps can have great writing that incorporates (and doesn’t ignore) decades of backstory. ATWT simply needed to be on for decades to get to that point, its zenith, in those Marland years. None of the writers after Marland could do that or wanted to do that. Although I find the story excellent in prior years, especially years 1956-1961 and 1969-1976, I didn’t list those years because I found ATWT a bit dry compared to the other soaps/time periods I listed. 1985-1993, however, is when it all came together and was daytime drama at its finest. Yes, ATWT’s heyday was in the years prior ratings-wise but I never consider ratings when deciding on what’s best. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Many of the TV soaps that had a period where they became a phenomenon with viewers and broader media attention. No one soap was the greatest IMHO.

 

Edge of Night in late 60s esp. under Henry Slesar (had a huge male audience)

Dark Shadows from Barnabas reveal through about a year before cancellation.

GH under Gloria Monty/Pat Faulken Smith

Days (James Reilly's first head writing stint around Marlena's possession) and earlier when Marlena was murdered but it was her twin.

ATWT for decades at number 1 from the early years till 70s

GL for longevity and under Marland, then later Pam Long had a huge resurgence despite being up against GH

AMC and YR for consistency of vision and top ratings under Nixon and Bell, respectively. through 80s

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • And here I thought I'd never think about Lauren Tewes again after her brief appearance in Twin Peaks Season 3.
    • I may be the single person who does not mind Transatlantic Campy Pamela. I think it perfectly suits this sort of Absolutely Fabulous-esque supporting character she's playing much more than it did when Cady tried weird and often broad stuff at AMC* or Y&R, or later stints at ATWT. She's not Dixie and she's not trying to be. I will freely admit some of the other chances she took at other shows often came off stiff, hammy or downright mortifying (Kelly Andrews, come on down). (* - and I say that as one of the few who was somewhat into Cady trying to make Dixie more cosmopolitan in the Rosanna Cabot mold in mid-2000s AMC, just to liven the character up again)
    • There’s absolutely nothing exciting happening storyline wise but I’m always happy to see the vets on my screen so I’ll take what I can get. It’s also just nice to see them all dressed up in the same room, it always gives classic Y&R vibes. The best part? No Phyllis. 
    • Please register in order to view this content

       
    • Well now we had Ashley's reaction-and weren't we all gasping when she appeared to hate it-but she was just joking!! She loved it. Now we have to see Abby's reaction, and maybe Mamie could come back to say she loves it. How about Jill via Zoom giving her opinion (she'll love it) and bring in a day player to play Mrs Martinez to say she loves it also... I feel bad to keep dumping on this show (not really) but when the choices they make are so inane, it's the only entertainment value the show has. Let's unpack the Nikki birthday story. So Claire wants to throw her Nana a birthday bash as away of endearing Kyle to Victor. Don't quite get the logic there,but OK. She hires a party planner who makes ridiculous suggestions. Slightly annoyed that Y&R are hiring someone for this role for 5 episodes when we never see doctors, co- workers etc. But OK to that to. With all the talk we are expecting something special. What we get is the Jazz Lounge hideously decorated with some ugly tablecloths and a few tacky decorations. They needed a planner for this? Then the guest list consists of family members (no grandchildren)and a few others. Hardly a party. As usual the costuming is pretty awful. A red and black theme ? And our guest of honor is sporting a do that looks like a cross between Cameron Diaz in Something about Mary and Marie from Roxette. They should have had an intimate dinner and ditched all the fanfare. Would have been way more believable.
    • Please register in order to view this content

    • Her accent sounds horrible and doesn't fit in line with the character or the dialogue. I was just messing around on YouTube and perusing early Tad and Dixie videos. Notably, Dixie, a resident of Pigeon Hollow, West Virginia, has no discernible accent. i have no idea why she would add a defunct accent to this character now. I want to do an honest survey here. I watch BTG every day and I love it. It's not perfect, but I find it 99% entertaining. For those that find fault with it - what is actually bothering you? I'm not going to argue at all, or disagree with you. I just want to know what others are seeing that I'm not.
    • It's a choice and today, she made it more British than ever before. It's almost like she's making Pamela act like how she thinks she should be acting.
    • I cannot believe there is a whole storyline about the Abbott house renovation. They really are grasping over at Y&R. I don’t see a big difference in the set. It is refreshed. Why make a storyline out of it? 
    • Cady is using what sounds like a transatlantic accent which is so odd these days. Sharon's hostility is entertaining already. That look she gave Anita when she opened the door was pure attitude.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy