Soaps Blandest Marginally Acceptable Leading Men

[j swift]

Totally agree, in my opinion the worst type of bore is a guy who inexplicably is attractive to the most interesting women in town and psychiatrists who marry their patients. I think both men were stalked because their psycho-ex-clients where just sick of waiting for an interesting response from these guys.

 

Even two decades ago the most interesting things about him were that he joined a cult and posed nude, but it turns out he didn't even do those things by choice, he was lured into it by the love of a woman.  Mary Williams' other kids had much more personality.

 

From GH to Y&R (Nina's gardener boyfriend) to Falcon Crest (Chase Gioberti), I think there is an unwritten rule that all characters named Chase are dull.

 

 

Edited July 24, 2020 by j swift

[namkcuR]

 

I'll disagree with this.  I thought Marston had much more presence than Stack.  Also, that scene when Michael has to identify his brother John's body with Bo after John's "death", and Michael just breaks down sobbing in Bo's arms, has stayed with me ever since.

[SamandWillowFan]

I don't agree with the choice of Tad. I always thought he had a distinct personality, even if only due to Michael E. Knight. 

I agree with you

[Paul Raven]

Steve? Todd hardly counts and Patty had a complete personality change...

[SamandWillowFan]

Greg Vaughan's Lucky felt like he was only there to be played for a fool.

I agree with whoever said John McBain. I don't know why all these women fought over him. 

Edited July 24, 2020 by SamandWillowFan

[j swift]

I would contend that the fact that a detective like Paul could never solve the mystery of his disappearing father and brother proves how ineffective he is as a character(lol).

Edited July 24, 2020 by j swift

[Franko]

Michael Hudson, Jamie Frame (Lau edition) and Zane Lindquist all prick up their ears

[prefab1]

Sadly, more often that not, black male romantic leads on soaps (e.g. Eli on Days or Ben on ATWT) are written very blandly, and only the best actors would be able to inject some personality into them. And even then, they still require good writers and producers who see their potential. When Lawrence Saint-Victor started playing the much-recast Remy on GL, he was pretty bland, but the writers played to his strengths and worked with him to craft a very specific, memorable character (one who had great chemistry with both Michelle Ray Smith's Ava and Karla Mosley's Christina). 

[sheilaforever]

 

Slight correction: Liam is Mr. Goodie Two Shoes. 3-4 years ago Liam - a veggie - wanted to start his own foundation and talked a lot about his charitable ideas. It was suuuuuper boring, but the witing has always cemented these altruisctic traits as his character. Plus, he used to be techie. I agree with you to th extent - that ever sicne the show dropped Liam's apsirations for the throne of Newman Enterprises ahem Spencer Publications - he has been nothing but the magic penis. And this storyline has been going on for three + years now. Time for sth. else!

 

Still, he's not the blandest lead out there. That honor belongs to Y&R's Nick Newman and/or John Black on DAYS, IMO.

[ChitHappens]

Liam Spencer!!!!  It never made sense for 2 women to be fighting over him.  He's a wimp and Scott can't convince us otherwise.  

 

I would say Ethan Crane but...see above.  

 

GV was wasted.  Liz never loved adult Lucky and Guza used GV to make his Steve Burton boner more exciting!  

Edited July 24, 2020 by ChitHappens

[YRBB]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Cane Ashby yet. There MAY have been some hope early on (or when he cheated) but mostly he was an empty canvas to be thrown into whatever and d!ck Lily down.

[kalbir]

Add to that list Dr. Scott Grainger, Ryan McNeil, Blade, Dr. Kurt Costner. Y&R had alot of bland leading men in the 1990s.

 

Y&R's Chase was an executive at Jabot. I can't remember if he got an exit story or just disappeared without an explanation. Bill Bell essentially replaced Chase with Ryan.

[Gray Bunny]

 

For sure. In fact, he was so marginally acceptable that he had next to nothing to do for the last 15 years he was on aside from being the top cop of Springfield. 

[Skin]

 

Collateral damage from Rebecca Budig's Greenlee. He sparked with Gillian and Kendell, and was workable with Annie. 

 

 

Ouch! But too true. Pretty much Mac was forgotten about post Felicia. 

 

 

I disagree with Greg Vaughan. He had tremendous sexual chemistry with Kelly Monaco. Had anyone but Guza been in control of the show Lucky could have worked and been a meaningful character. However Guza had a fetish where he had to make all of the men in GH cuckold's to Jason and Sonny. All the women in Port Charles needed to want them, and the rest of the men in PC were poor slobs who should have held their wives purses and thanked Sonny and Jason for giving their women a night of passion with a "real man". You could swap any script previously written with AJ in mind and replace him with Lucky during that time period, it was just that bad. Jason was just that much better than them that any woman would prefer him. 

 

The character of Lucky got some vengeance once JJ resumed the role, which I am thankful of - GV's Lucky under Guza's tenure was such a sad character. 

Edited July 24, 2020 by Skin

[titan1978]

Mac on GH is a good example.  When he first arrived, he did have a personality and was sexy.  But there was a period when he broke up with Felicia (during the BJ’s heart storyline), and then was so against Stone that I lost interest in him.  He became bland, had one bad pairing after another, and then became a cop in Sonny’s PC, so we knew how that was going to turn out.  They gave him plenty of stories for a long time, most of them pretty meh past 1994 or so.

 

Now that I have had a chance to watch some older GL, Frank is my pick for longest lasting bland soap lead-male (although Cane on Y&R is a very close second).  I liked him before and during Eleni.  But after the recast through the end of the show he is dullsville.

 

Now longest lasting bland soap lead- female goes to Rachel Ames as Audrey.  I love Steve Hardy, Jessie, Lesley, Diana (both versions), Gail Baldwin.  All of them her contemporaries and all infinitely more interesting and entertaining to me.  I don’t hate her, I even enjoy rarely seeing her once every few years.  But she has be never been a character I cared to follow.

Edited July 24, 2020 by titan1978