Which Longtime Soap Had The Most Difficult '70s Modernization?

[Soaplovers]

SFT did a successful modernization in the 70s by becoming more balanced with a mix of veterans and younger characters.  It even hit the top 4 in the mid 70s with a mini revival in the late 70s.

For some reason, GL seemed to have more energy in the 70s than ATWT, even if the sets and lighting weren't Y & R quality.

Edge's darker lighting worked for the crime and mystery vibe...it's 40s vibe worked.

[Broderick]

Edge always looked fine to me, too.  As long as they had a courtroom, a police station, a diner, and a phone booth, they could make their show work.  

[soapfan770]

I know Mary Ellis Bunim gets a bad rep at SFT for trying to make the show more than Jo and Eunice show but she did really modernize the show and yes the ratings went up enough to the point it quickly killed NBC’s Lovers & Friends, kept Ryan’s Hope at bay and during the Corrington years even rumored to expand to one hour. Perhaps if Bunim had more of stable head writer during those years it would have been better and at least there would be a strong middle person for whenever Bunim and Stuart clashed. 
 

Love of Life had success when Labine was writing followed by DePriest, but then after DePriest left somehow the show absurdly hired Jean Holloway, who once created the soaps The Egg and I and First Hundred Years almost 30 years earlier. Holloway’s 1979 tenure I’ve read had simplistic soap stories not seen since the early 50’s or the days of radio soaps. Yikes. It nailed the coffin shut. 
 

ATWT definitely stagnated in the late 70’s and it definitely shows from the synopsis I have read. Lisa’s son Chuckie is killed, Lisa barely grieves and tries to get back with Bob briefly? Yikes. 

[All My Shadows]

It's always seemed to me that ATWT going to the hour is really what knocked it off its pedestal. It was quintessential 70s soap before the expansion - old-fashioned but still juicy and watched by virtually everyone. Kim's introduction, Bob/Jennifer, the climax of the Dan/Liz/Paul/Susan quad, and Lisa/Grant/Joyce kept the pot boiling for a few years. Judging from the 1978 episode that's been around for a while now, the show expanded and new characters were added alongside so many who had already been on the show but never really established as significant to the canvas. I'm thinking of the likes of Natalie, Valerie, Jay, Carol, etc. Carol and Jay were on for, what, nearly ten years? And by the time he was killed off and she left, it was like they had never been on the show at all. Neither really had any family developed around them, they had no children who were poised to be major players in the future, etc.

If not for Emily and their connection to the Stewarts, Susan really would have fit in the same category after her 1979 exit.

[Paul Raven]

In one of the synopses maybe 76/77 it read like a romantic merry go round.

Sandy was interested in Bob, who showed some interest in Valerie who was possibly interested in Dan etc

They just seemed to be teasing all these relationships but nothing concrete was being set up.

[Planet Soap]

Yes! I've had trouble sitting straight through late 70s early 80s ATWT episode. The pace was really slow and it really felt like you were watching a play on tv. GH had a swifter pacing.

Y& R looked really good even though it was before the glamour era really set in.