Unpopular opinions: cancelled soaps edition

[Soaplovers]

I think had AMC and OLTL continued, they were probably going to do 40 to 60 episode seasons.  2 episodes dropped once a week (which people could binge them easily.  My mom used to tape soaps and watch them all on the weekend).

And from what I could recall, the numbers were strong viewership wise.

[FrenchBug82]

Your entire post was super interesting for the record.

I wanted to nod vigorously in approval on that particular point.
It was fine that they imagined it to be the supercouple when they started but they should have quickly realized they weren't that compelling.
When we did the "Which actor dominated their show the most" conversation I was stunned that Clive Robertson was either the record-holder for all soaps or a close second. Good-looking as he was and not a horrible actor, he didn't have at all the shoulders to carry the show in that way.

[Liberty City]

Oh, thank you. I appreciate it!

The fact they wanted Ben & Meg as a supercouple, like you said, was fine. But the drag-on of the Dorothy-SB storyline was the killer of it all. Tease their closeness, yes, but to drag it out and constantly throw it in our faces was the death to it. I think, had Ben not been written the way he was, Clive Robertson really could've taken that role to the hills and back. But, again, Guza was not the person to be writing the soap.

[AMCOLTLLover]

i think Sunset Beach was a great show overall and the Terror Island Storyline will forever be one of my favorite storylines from the 90's.. 

 

Unpopular Opinion but i would rather watch Sunset Beach than Passions. Passions dragged way more than SB

[Jermsie]

I agree with you

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%!  I still watch the videos on YouTube sometimes and get caught up in them all over again.  I had read that since they did keep the knowledge of who the real Todd was under wraps for so long and continued to slowly build up the suspense, the shows numbers climbed up.  Of course,  my opinion is that when Head Writer Ron Carlivati was able to write the stories he wanted as opposed to the dribble Frons dictated to him, he showed what a masterful and creative writer he is.  Had he been able to write what he wanted all along, perhaps we would have had Viki, Todd, Tea, Jessica and Clint a while longer 

The reason that plot twist was concocted was due to Steven Kanaly becoming extremely bored with his part of the show ans threatened to leave.  Larry Hagman ☆ in order to keep his friend on the show -- approached TPTB with the suggestion to make Ray Jock's illegitimate child.  (Not sure if you knew that,  but was hoping to add a reason of WHY to your question)

[Frank2803]

Yea I kinda knew the backstory about Kanaly wanted a bigger role in the show.

Which is ironic because he role in the show didn't increase. It was about the same after that plot point was revealed.

I think a 4th Ewing son was a great idea for a storyline, but it should have been a new character 

Yea I kinda knew the backstory about Kanaly wanted a bigger role in the show.

Which is ironic because he role in the show didn't increase. It was about the same after that plot point was revealed.

I think a 4th Ewing son was a great idea for a storyline, but it should have been a new character 

Edited November 2, 2021 by Frank2803

[FrenchBug82]

Really? I had always heard the idea was from Jim Davis

[SteelCity]

That's why I always said telenovela style would work best. I wonder how Spyder Games, the Mtv soap from 2001, would fair now. I personally loved it.

AGREED! I'm of the opinion that PASSIONS killed modern soaps as a whole.

[DramatistDreamer]

People carping about music rights being the reason why soap production companies are not streaming these classic soaps are listening to whatever excuses they are being fed. Seeing B&B From The Beginning episodes using songs by Janet and Whitney proves that those that care about making their episodes available, will find a way to do so, it's simpler than most believe.

The rest who don't, simply don't care. That's it.

[koos]

They were on the verge of recovering from the possession when Passions came out like a wet fart. As if late '90s Days weren't cheap and trashy enough.

[SteelCity]

I still feel that DAYS has yet to recover from that horrible Salem Stalker denouement.

[koos]

I agree, it hasn't. That extreme level of cheap, campy trash has continued to persist in varying amounts over the years since then. It definitely ain't just Ron.

[SteelCity]

The sad thing is, Salem Stalker actually was really good until the Melaswen BS.

[Vee]

No, it wasn't. It was trashy, exploitative and very, very poorly written. Reilly wrote his entire return run like Passions, from dialogue to plotting. It slaughtered a slew of beloved characters and treated it all like a joke. Which is why it was overturned, despite a slew of fanboys insisting to me that Great God Reilly could never be forced to rewrite or change a story.

Edited November 2, 2021 by Vee

[Bright Eyes]

I'd say the only actual good parts were Suzanne Rogers' performances, after not being used for over a decade, and Kate's blood curdling scream in her wedding dress.