GH: ABC nixes character return (c/o Daytime Confidential)

[titan1978]

Yeah, I don’t know anyone here that cares for Michael Easton’s constant employment and multiple characters.  If I had a choice, they would both be gone.  Because we are too far gone for McBain (his strongest character), same for Todd (not taking into account his problematic past), and their current roles are not worth the constant struggle to make them relevant and part of the canvas.  Franco has been tied to every corner of the canvas except the Spencer’s , and it’s been a huge waste of airtime.

 

I watched OLTL- I thought Todd’s initial storylines were quite harrowing.  And I did enjoy the character.  I have always felt uncomfortable with him as a romantic leading man.  And Franco was a mistake from jump.  These choices are just not going to fly as audiences and their networks have a reckoning with questionable material, casting, and choices for storyline.

[Vee]

 

Several of us have already suspected it has to do with a) changing management above FV and b) the advent of MeToo.

[Skin]

 

I honestly couldn't careless about Howarth, Todd, Franco or the like but I also have to laugh at ABC putting their foot down nearly a decade after having this character suck up airtime endlessly and now they are having a crisis of faith saying "we don't feel good with this character leading story any more." I say this as someone who thought Howarth as Franco was hilaribad acting. 

 

The idea of ABC daytime being squeamish on anti-heroes and problematic leading men, when that's pretty much what they built ABC Daytime on in the aughts is a rib buster if there ever was one. The idea of them drawing a line in the sand now and saying "we care too much to let this happen!" is closing barn doors after they've been willingly torn down. This isn't crying over spilled milk, this is spilling milk, hoping it becomes cheese, and then crying when it produces mold. 

 

 

To be fair to the character of "Todd", he did have a storyline where he was wrongly accused of raping Blair and Marty Saybrooke sort of forgave him, without actually saying those words.

 

That said, all of that "good work" was undermined when he raped Marty Saybrooke again when she had Amnesia, and then of course when it was revealed that Todd wasn't really Todd but a brainwashed twin who was designed to pick up where the old one left off.

 

I honestly don't know what OLTL wanted us to feel about either Todd in the end, nor do I know what they want us to feel for Todd in the context of GH, but it's hard to say he doesn't fit in when we have to regularly watch Sonny, Jason, Peter, Julian, Jerry Jacks, and whoever else actively terrorize characters, and then watch them come home to milk, cookies and pie and say they feel really bad about it, so don't remind them of the pain and lets move on. All the while the writers pair these men up with female leads, and write them romantic stories like this is Bridgeton. 

 

That said it wouldn't be surprising to have Todd come in as apart of a larger business story for GH. Again not saying that I want Todd back by any stretch of imagination, but it wouldn't be a stretch to fit him in the screen or narrative. Birds of a feather and all that. It's honestly likely that Sonny, Jason, or whoever horrible person of the week who actively kills people would encounter a fellow shark like Todd. 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Skin

[Vee]

They already did encounter Todd. And Todd did well on the show in a lot of ways, IMO. But the fact is there is a TV landscape pre-MeToo and one after it, and Todd no longer fits.

[dragonflies]

I hope this applies to Sonny and Jason, and the misogynistic writing they get, they'd be better off cutting their losses with both. Yeah I know it will never happen, but if they really cared, both would be gone. 

[AlexElizabeth]

 

Yes. People on this board have been complaining about ME's million characters for years. Go read the GH discussion thread.

[vetsoapfan]

 

I am only one of the many disgruntled fans who has voiced my displeasure and distaste over ME's ridiculous multiple characters and the plethora of morally-repugnant degenerates who have permeated Port Charles for far too long.

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[Taoboi]

Yeah, I've been around long enough to vouch for everyone who has roasted Michael Easton and the multiple characters he has played since coming to GH. 

[John]

What is ABC Gonna say when Nina sleeps with Sonny who has no idea who he is but Nina knows. IMHO that is Rape too because Sonny cannot give consent. So  this story point is ok but we cant use Todd Manning because he was a rapist 30 years ago. Its hypocritical

 

ABC/DISNEY gives too shytes about Me.Too. its all PR spin

Edited April 5, 2021 by John

[Vee]

Of course what Nina does is a form of rape. And nobody is thrilled with Sonny or Jason either, John. But while those choices are bad and we'd all like to make major changes to the larger fabric of the show that doesn't change the facts with Todd, a rapist from another TV show. Many of us may want to get Sonny and Jason out of the frontburner star positions too, but the fact is the two mobsters who have been on the show for almost 30 years are not going to be as immediate a concern for the network as frontburnering a serial rapist or a serial killer, both recent characters, one from an entirely different soap opera (and Todd's history as a rapist was always a central part of his character constantly invoked in story).

 

You can say you want Todd back. Just admit it. But it's just not appropriate or realistic in this day and age to bring him onto a soap opera, let alone one he has no business starring on.

Edited April 5, 2021 by Vee

[John]

 But Nina having sex with Sonny who has no memory of his life which is Rape is ok, because she is not a character who raped before. Its all BS

 

We can be awaken to the Me Too movement and still tell stories just use a different lens and sorry this BS that they got rid of Franco because of his rapist past. OK, but it took ya 8 years to do it. Not buying it. The audience is not that naive or stupid to buy that, But ABC thinks we are

 

This has nothing to do with Todd. I would be saying this if GH was bringing back Luke or Days dropped Jack deveraux because he raped Kayla

 

Jut rings false to me

[Vee]

 

Nobody is saying it's okay. That storyline doesn't change the fact that a serial rapist is no longer welcome to be added to the show as a leading man, let alone from another show. And the reason Franco was killed now is because FV lost protection from the network because of executive turnover recently as well as the changing sociopolitical climate over the last decade, particularly in recent years long after Howarth was cast as Franco. You can complain and call it hypocrisy but the fact is those things are real world events that have created this result, and they are valid reasons.

Edited April 5, 2021 by Vee

[titan1978]

This entire exchange just illustrates how badly these shows needed new blood behind the scenes, modern storytelling and sensibilities long ago.  Because redeeming a man that participated in a gang rape, and also then tries to kill people seems incredibly ridiculous now.  Even before MeToo, it’s just laughably bad.  And I watched this as it was airing, and liked Todd as an antagonist.  Him becoming a Lord was crazy, and by the time Trevor was there he was a full romantic lead which was not great.  At least Roger used to annoy tptb by fighting romantic storylines and scenes.

 

When you compare Todd’s storylines to Luke and Roger Thorpe from GL- Todd’s past was much more downplayed over the years.  Luke had both of his children have a reckoning about his rape of Laura and he was forced to confront his actions more than once, and Roger was always an antagonist on GL.

 

Franco has not worked as a character from day one.  They have spent years trying to tie him to history, major families, brain tumors, romances...who knows why ABC has officially had enough.  But if deciding to not play Todd has anything to do with his past as a rapist- well I’m more than okay with that.

 

And if Nina does have sex with Sonny, they absolutely should treat it as a violation. If  Nina is going to go full Annie then she’s not going to be here more than another year or two at best.  And there is a huge difference between a nothing character like Nina and Luke Spencer or Todd Manning.

[AdelaideCate007]

The issue has always been that he never should have been Franco in the first place. I don't care what kind of chemistry he had with people. It was absurd from day one, and it got even worse when they tried to hand wave away everything he had done. I'll admit he was great with Becky chemistry wise but they never should have gone there. There were literally 7 or 8 different characters they could have had Roger play, but they insisted on him playing. Even all these years later, they did the right thing by finally getting rid of him. Roger should have just been Tom Hardy or some new Quartermaine from the jump.

 

As for Todd, Vee is right. It's impossible to have a character like that on the show right now and as a leading man. It was problematic back then too. However, at the end of the day, Todd raped Marty (and was going to rape her again), assaulted Luna, punched Tea, tormented and stalked Nora, and did all kinds of heinous stuff to Blair. It's all on YouTube. You just can't have someone with that kind of history as a leading mean now. It would never fly.

 

And no, no one is pleased with the parade of Michael Easton characters either.

[John]

And whomever Roger plays next will be problematic. If Rumor's true its Drew and why? 

I also Heard Tom Hardy and Steven Lars Webber

But its probably a new role that will be an epic failure

 

Or his LOVING Character, Kent Winslow

My biggest issue is not that Todd isnt coming back, its that ABC makes a big procolmation that they cant have characters that are problematic because of Me Too/Times Up and that I can get behind IF GH wasnt currently playing a story when Sonny who has Amnesia is found by Nina who doesnt tell him who he is and more than likely will sleep together. That action since Sonny cant give consent with Amnesia is also Rape and is very problematic.  So Thats why I call this hypicritical.