Greatest Time Period/Era for each soap

[Soapfan8]

Basically for all the daytime soaps you’ve watching, Bold, days, y&r, Gh, gl, otl, amc, passions etc.

 

[Spoon]

GL: 1980-85.  Marland thru 1st Long era.  In-between was a transitional period, but I'd include it.

AW: 1985-87. Gary Tomlin thru Margarette DePriest.

GH: 1981-1986.  Bid adventure, big romance.  Memorable characters and couples you wanted to root for.

 

 

[Planet Soap]

GH: 1981-87 Gloria Monty Years; 1993-1999 Wendy Riche Levinson/Labine/Guza years. 

Y&R: 1989-2001 solid storylines, directing, very character driven as well, great attempts at cast diversity.

OLTL 1992-1995: Michael Malone Years: Marty Rape, Viki DID, Hank Vietnam/FBI; Victor Lord murder Trial

ATWT: 1985-93 Doug Marland Years: large multi generational cast

DAYS: 1993-1999: Marlena possession, Sami/Lucas/Austin/Carrie, John & Marlena's affair; Bo & Hope; Stefano

B&B: 1989-93; 1997-2002

Edited February 1, 2022 by ironlion

[Soapfan8]

Why do you feel the 94-96 years weren’t  so strong personally and what did you like about the other years 

Edited February 1, 2022 by Soapfan8

[Planet Soap]

94-96 weren't terrible but they didn't have as much momentum as the eras that preceded and succeeded them. In watching old episodes I find my attention being held more by the years I listed.  The mid 90s is where we saw Taylor being "dead", Brooke going mad in Barbados etc.. Plus '93 is where we saw the transfer of head writer from Bill Bell to Brad Bell. 

Up to 93 Bold was strong with Sheila's introduction, the BeLief formula, Bridget's paternity and Brook & Eric's marriage. After 97, there was Sheila really going mad  with her exit story, and re introduction in 2002. We got Brook's bedroom, her marriage with Thorne vs Macy, crossovers with Y&R, as well as Rick/Amber/Kimberly and Deacon. 

Y&R also had a minor slump around this time. 

Edited February 1, 2022 by ironlion

[Soapfan8]

95 I liked the first half with Taylor’s return and Sheila, but 94 and 96 were meh.

[Sapounopera]

B&B: The very first year with the Forresters and the Logans. 
         The Rick/Amber/CJ/Bridget/Deacon era in the early 00s

[Faulkner]

I had saved this from @vetsoapfan, who had picked his favorite years of each soap:

[vetsoapfan]

People often ask me to specify my personal favorite soap opera of all time, or the single best daytime drama of all time, but those are tricky questions to answer. Daytime serials routinely have major ups and downs throughout their lifetimes, and all the long-running shows have had both stellar years and painfully-subpar years. My own favorites are whatever soaps are beautifully done at any given time. My favorite soap in, say, 1976 is not necessarily still my best-loved program in 1980. It all depends on the writing, producing, and actors/characters involved at the moment.

[Efulton]

I did not see Agnes Nixon's run or the first half of Harding Lemay's but there is no denying they were the greatest time periods / eras for Another World. 

I watched from 1977-96 and occasionally from 1996-99.  December 1982 - Summer 1985 is my favourite time period.  Dorothy Ann Purser & Robert Soderberg and then Richard Culliton & Gary Tomlin managed to successfully create new characters (Felicia, Cass, Wallingford, Carl, Catlin), families (Love, McKinnon), expand diversity (Lily, Carter, Grant, Abel), tell more modern stories and also keep the core families (Cory, Matthews, Ewing) front and centre. I recently rewatched the available episodes on Youtube and they hold up well. 

Edited February 6, 2022 by Efulton

[ClassicsSoapFan]

ATWT: Mid Seventies (Soderberg era), Early Eighties (Dobson Era), Late Eighties ,Early Nineties (Marland Era), 2000's (Broderick era).

 

[YRfan23]

Y&R: 1973-2005 
B&B: 1987-2002
(Though my personal favorite years for those two are probably 1989-1995) 

Days: 1993-2002
Passions: 1999-2003

[AlexGrimaldi]

GL 1980-1984, 1991-1992 

ATWT 1985-1993

YR 1973-2006

BB 1987-2001

SB 1985-1988

 

[DemetriKane]

AMC 1979-1987

Days 1966-1975 (From things i read and clips i seen, this era is A1 storytelling)

Y&R 1974-1980

[BigMAnOnDeck]

I don't understand why people say 1994 to 96 weak years

I loved the Matt Clark storyline, Nathan and keisha story....hell even the who shot victor story 

 

I admit 1998 to 05 to be an underrated era