Characters: The Aborted & The Wasted

[Joseph]

Ever Thought about a character that at first seemed pretty amazing or full of Potential yet nothing came out of it? Or when it seems like someone will appear or even reappear and nothing either? Well let's discuss such occasions, 

[Joseph]

This is What Began My Idea Patty was a Great Character, pity they didn't bring her back before

And Kelly Began as a very interesting Character but Boy did they lost her way

[danfling]

I know that Mel Cobb Ben Everett) and Joanie Collier (Eileen Finley) were two characters during the last years of Henry Slesar's run on The Edge of Night who were introduced and then suddenly dropped.    

[Soaplovers]

Cynthia Watros leaving doomed  Kelly....Cady was all wrong for the part.

I know on OLTL, that Nora's sister came on as a therapist..and she seemed so calm and serene..complete opposite of Nora's more sarcastic vibe.  There were hints they were estranged..but after awhile she vanished.

 

[j swift]

I'm going with another OLTL character, (I would bet there are dozens from that show given that each new writing regime tended to phase out the characters of the previous regime immediately upon arrival).  Dorothy Hayes played by the very charismatic Elizabeth Rohm.  She was the daughter of Mel Hayes, which many would consider the love of Dorian's life, and a girlfriend to Joey Buchanan for four months from August 1997 to January of 1998.

There was the regular criticism from the soap press that any new family was taking over the show.  However, Dorothy was such a grounded contrast to Kelly that it made for an intriguing triangle.  It would also have been interesting to see her impact on Dorian.  Later writers bent over backward to create other "Cramer women" like "Bitchy Bangs" and Paul, but Dorothy had a logical connection to Dorian that went unexplored.

[John]

Yep JFP Fired Rohm and stopped using Helen Gallagher as Her Grandma, Mary Maude Boylan when Claire Labine was let go as HW. Im shocked Mel lasted another year before being killed off. 

[slick jones]

Dorothy was zero loss to the show. All she did was bitch at her father. No one was out there begging for her return.   Outside of her role in Angel, Rohm always comes off as hostile.  If they wanted to take over the show, they also would have cast her brothers. Mel, his mother the occasional recurring sex therapist, and anger girl were hardly "taking over "any show.  Having a strong male character that held his own with Dorian was refreshing, and the character's death was a big waste.

 

[carolineg]

100%.  Rohm seems so unlikable in all roles.  I am sure the actress is lovely in real life, but I am surprised she's had such a solid career.

Are we talking about good characters in idea or good actors in bad roles?  Or both?

I think characters like Miranda and Gina Cates on GH were characters that had ton of potential, but were played by bad actresses and never revisited.

But then I think of Lindsay Hartley or Sarah Brown on Days and they were bad characters with good actresses.  Actually Sarah Brown just probably owns this thread in all roles outside of Carly.

[j swift]

Allow me to clarify. 

After Cassie, it seemed unlikely that Dorian had another daughter like Adriana who was conveniently raised out of town and harbored no ill will toward her mother's neglect. And, after Blair and Kelly, it would have been an indictment of the American system of psychiatric hospitalization that one of Dorian's sisters would have had another child while institutionalized. So, structurally Dorothy provided material for maternal stories for Dorian, without the convoluted origins of other Cramer characters. 

Regardless of Ms. Rohm's acting prowess, I see the character of Dorothy as a missed opportunity both as a younger resident of La Boule and a nemesis for Kelly.  Especially after the many failed attempted to make Cassie into a viable heroine. Which is why I nominated her in the "aborted & wasted" category because she was only given four months to make an impression.

Edited February 11, 2022 by j swift

[slick jones]

She left quite an impression. Cold fish and anger. I doubt Mel even noticed once she was gone.

[Wendy]

As was said, I'm sure Elisabeth Rohm is a lovely woman, but when even the Law & Order fandom refers to you as Rohmbot, you know you're not exactly popular. (The way the character was disposed of, however, was just head scratchingly WTF! But her replacement, fellow soap vet, Annie Parisse, had it even worse.)

I was stunned to read somewhere - forget where - that Rohm was David Boreanaz's first choice for Temperance Brennan on Bones.

Then, of course, Emily Deschanel got the role, she and DB got on well, and the show was a hit. So...

[Khan]

Has she?

Has she?

[Vee]

Failed? Cassie was a beloved character for decades over several actors (I still know some people who talk up Ava Haddad), Laura Bonarrigo was on the show for the better part of a decade herself and fans were not happy when she was fired. She had a lot of support, particularly with the Kevin pairing.

I liked Rohm on Angel. But I'd love to know just what happened BTS, because they were pushing her hard as a potential love interest for Angel and then wrote her out in some weird ways. I know the fans weren't big on her at the time at all.

I still feel bad for Annie Parisse re: L&O.

Edited February 11, 2022 by Vee

[Khan]

Yeah.  Between the fans who still missed Angie Harmon, and the show's producers, who had their own agendas, the poor girl never stood a chance.

[j swift]

I feel guilty that my nomination of the character of Dorothy as an example of an aborted & wasted opportunity for OLTL has turned into an Elizabeth Rohm career retrospective.  Sorry @Joseph for creating a tangent to your intriguing topic of discussion.