Soap Opera Digest Best & Worst of 1989

[soapfan770]

From the 01/09/1990 issue of SOD, these were their picks for the daytime and primetime soap world for 1989. Sorry if its been posted before, hope you all enjoy!

 

Most Shocking Twist (Daytime) - Billy Is Dylan's Father - Guiding Light

Most Shocking Twist (Prime Time) - Greg Marries Abby - Knots Landing

Best Wedding -Josh and Reva on Guiding Light
Best Breakup - Vicky and Jamie on Another World

Best Reconciliation - Phillip & Rick on Guiding Light
Worst Reconciliation - Cliff and Nina on All My Children

Best Casting (Daytime) - Susan Marie Snyder on As The World Turns
Best Casting (Prime Time) - Cathy Podewell on Dallas

Best Opening Credits - Generations
Worst Opening Credits - Loving

Most Intriguing Couple - Roger & Holly on Guiding Light
Most Boring Couple - David & Melanie on All My Children

Best Death Scene - James Stenbeck on ATWT
Worst Death Scene - Hugh Gardner on Generation

Best Love Story - Katherine & Robert Scorpio on General Hospital
Most Tortured Love Story - Trisha & Trucker on Loving

Best Enemies (Daytime) - Jill and Nina on The Young & The Restless
Best Enemies (Prime Time) - Sable and Alexis on Dynasty

Best New Character - Sally Spectra on The Bold & The Beautiful
Most Ruined Character - Kirk Anderson on As The World Turns

Best Amnesiac - Felicia Jones on General Hospital
Best Imposters - Alex on Loving and Angela on B&B

Most Creative Story Line - The Daisy Awards on One Life To Live
Biggest Letdown - Another World's Valentine's Day Special

Best Mystery - George Rawlin's Murder on Y&R
Worst Action Sequences - All My Children

Best Recasting - Judith Chapman as Anjelica Curtis on Days Of Our Lives
Best Comeback - Jane Elliot on General Hospital

Best Love Triangle - Robert/Eden/Cruz on Santa Barbara
Worst Love Triangle - Ethan/Laura/Michael on Santa Barbara

Best Fantasy - Mason Goes To Heaven on Santa Barbara
Best Tease - Leanna Randolph on The Young & The Restless

Biggest Waste Of Talent (Daytime) - Sharon Gabet on OLTL
Biggest Waste Of Talent (Prime Time) - Ana-Alicia on Falcon Crest

Best Bickering - John and Lucinda on As The World Turns
Most Entertaining Couple - Ruby & Marco on One Life To Live

Gimme A Break - The Virgin Katherine on General Hospital
Gimme A Break - The De-Patching and Re-Patching of Steve on DAYS

Most Entertaining Rogue - Jack Deveraux on Days Of Our Lives
Most Over-Exposed Heroine - Cricket on Y&R

Most Improved Show - Guiding Light
Most Intriguing Story - Adam, Brooke & Dixie on All My Children

Most Ruined Show - Falcon Crest
Best Show (Prime Time) - Knots Landing

Most Disappointing Show - One Life To Live
Best Show - All My Children

 

[Faulkner]

Now this seems like a good year. I wasn’t old enough to appreciate it at the time, but I remember a lot of it.

 

Why was Kirk the most ruined character?

[soapfan770]

 

It was the revelation that Kirk was once married to Iva's biological cousin(or was it her bio sister?) and had simply abandoned her and and their two children together to go be with Adelaide Frtizgibbons, interestingly played by Beverly Penberthy of AW fame. 

[titan1978]

Katherine and Robert on GH as best love story is shocking to me.

 

Cricket as over exposed was so true.  Also love best enemies Jill and Nina.  It was a fantastic time for the show and I loved Nina back then.

[BetterForgotten]

GL got most improved show largely thanks to Robert Calhoun coming in as EP and focusing Pam Long's sometimes messy as hell work. 

[AMCer]

"Most Overexposed Heroine - Cricket on Y&R"

 

Somewhere Terry Lester nods his head.

[All My Shadows]

How did AMC get Best Show when all but one of its mentions in the other captions were under "worst?" I'm about to embark upon watching 1989, so I'm curious as to see if their thoughts match my own. I already know Brooke/Adam/Dixie will be the highlight.

[AMCer]

 

I wonder about that too. That year was a transition period of the show. So many characters were written out between 1989-90. 1989 was also the first time AMC was written by someone other than Nixon or one of her protegees. Margaret DePriest appeared to arrive to help clean up the show and then she disappeared after 6 months or so. The show up to that point had around 8 major stories rolling along of various quality at the same time.

 

The Eric Kane clown story was a major miss that year too and David/Melanie was just boring. The "who fathered Dixie's baby?" on the other hand, was one of the greatest stories in the history of the show. Barr, McClain and Canary all won Emmys and submitted the same tape. I don't think that was ever done again.

[YRfan23]

LOL I was just thinking of posting this!

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 You read my mind! Thank You my friend!   

[soapfan770]

 

You're welcome!!!! Haha I have another late 80's one, three 90's ones and one early '00s up my sleeve! 

[titan1978]

That’s incredible!

[Franko]

Agreed. I'm up to August 1989 in my summary-reading and even the teased Monica and Ashton affair* sounded more interesting than Katherine and Robert.

*Tracy dispatched him to distract/manipulate her, and by extension, Alan.

[kalbir]

It was so wrong yet so right to root for Roger and Holly. Even though they weren't together, there were always signs of something brewing between them. They really were the anti-supercouple.

 

Sally's arrival was the turning point for B&B. There was nobody else like her on daytime. She breathed new life into that show.

 

Oh hells yes this got called out. Cricket really ate Y&R in the late 1980s. When I've watched late 1980s Y&R episodes online, I skip all the Cricket scenes 

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I'm planning to do the same when the 1987 episode airs Tuesday.

[Soaplovers]

Nina vs Jill was supreme.

Josh and Reva had a great wedding.

GL fired on all cylinders in 1989..and I agree with @BetterForgotten..Calhoun helped focus Long.  Sometimes you can be too creative and need someone to structure you.

 

I was surprised at 1989 being best show..but I do think Depriest helped refocus the show..and she did create Tad/Dixie...start Erica and Jack.. etc.