Storylines and periods in a show that made you STOP watching

[DynamiteKiddo]

This was a travesty.  In his defense, I don't think this was ever Hogan Sheffer's plan . . . but Dena Higley (who was the writer to finally do Lumi in 2003!) eventually discarded him and his place on the show has never been properly respected since.  Until Austin Peck returned, Reilly (Round II) had him as a lead and so did Sheffer . . . and I'm not sure he should've ever been portrayed as that kind of romantic lead, but he and Sami should be endgame.  But speaking of, Sami should've never been portrayed as a romantic lead, either.

[Contessa Donatella]

Yes, you've jogged my memory! This was one point where I had to step away from DAYS. Took a break. Sami & romance & rapist, just couldn't do it. And in general I agree about Bryan Datillo's Lucas. 

[NothinButAttitude]

I always felt he had romantic lead chemistry--at least with Ali, Nadia, and Ari. But again, Lucas was always second fiddle in all those pairings, so we never got to see him being the desired party. It was always Chloe, Nicole, or Sami yearning for another man. I wish that they would've brought on someone to pair Lucas with and allow him to have that one great love. Again, it just boggles my mind that any scion of Tom/Alice is not leading the show. At this stage, Lucas, Mike, Hope, and Jennifer should be the four pillars of the show with Sarah, Abigail (don't get me started on them stupidly killing her), JJ, Ciara, and Shawn D. driving story constantly. That's just me. The descendants of a legacy family should always be front and center. 

[Contessa Donatella]

This! 

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Personally, I am sorry about people quitting at the outset of Peapack. They had a big learning curve & they had to learn OJT all the way but they got so much better. And so many people came to see what they were doing because they were so excited by the possibilities of reinvention that were being broached. But, I also understand that comfort is an important part of the soap watching experience. 

Edited September 20, 2023 by Donna L. Bridges
combine 2 posts

[TEdgeofNight]

Easily the idiotic idea of Peapack! They should have just cancelled GL instead of making it suffer for another year and a half with Wheeler's inept production. It was embarrassing to the soap format to have characters just meet in a field and start talking. Worst idea EVER.

[AMCOLTLLover]

B&B for a bit between 2020-2022.. i just watched it sporadically.. But I just can’t with this show full time anymore.. I know Fans LOVE their vets but how long can u drag on a love triangle? I mean Brooke-Ridge-Taylor has been done for over THREE decades. Man.. Just give it up Bell… And the Hope-Liam-Stefy triangle was dragged on for a decade.. The Hope-Thomas thing kinda irritates me tbh considering their past storyline of crazy Thomas.

I was about to give up on B&B during 2007 when Stephanie helped that dude to get close to Brooke and then he raped her. This show was lucky enough to keep me coz I loved Phoebe-Rick and Phoebes EX who wasn’t good enough for Ridge and wanted to kill himself. They struggled with the gun and Shane died. Stephanie helped Ridge to cover it up and frame Nick. That got me hooked but Brooke’s rape was too heavy 

I took a break from Days during the time Jack left during the early 90’s episodes and the Alamains and stuff dominated the show. Wasn’t feeling it. And Fake Bo. Nothing against the recast but Peter is the only Bo. And that damn Roman-John mess. 

Passions during my childhood when it became too stupid. That weird rape year and that wird mask stalker thing threw me off as a child. Was it 2004 or 2005? Don’t know but it was too much.

 

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by AMCOLTLLover

[DynamiteKiddo]

Oh I think he has successfully proven himself to be a romantic lead . . . I guess I should have clarified that I don't agree that he ever should have or should be portrayed as a romantic hero.  Because that's simply not who the character is.  And Lucas is better for it--he's a much more interesting gray character.

I think that for a long time, Hope and Jennifer were not only two of the most important characters on the show, but they had one of the most important relationships on the show, too.  I hated the deification of Daniel Jonas by TomSell, but it firmly kept Jenn as a lead during that period and they wisely positioned her, Abby and JJ as the heart of the show.  When Dena returned, they really shifted the focus from them to Hope/Ciara, which wasn't as successful.  And even Ron C. really, really tried to make Sarah happen from late 2018-2020 . . . but the Hortons have been pretty unfocused, except a couple times when Abby was the show's leading young heroine and the family came together for her drama.  Anyway, I completely agree with you about how Hope and Jenn should be the pillars of the show, and Lucas and Mike should be included for sure.  Abby is the only long-term young female lead the show has enjoyed success with since probably Belle and killing her remains one of the worst decisions RC has made across his three soaps.  And I don't know why they got rid of Casey Moss' JJ--another really successful character.  And I definitely think Shawn should be the A story rn.

[Contessa Donatella]

If that were going to happen it might need more of the fans to accept Cady McClain's Jennifer Rose. As it is now many do but I'm not sure about the ones who do not. 

[Maxim]

I remember people in my country quitting Bold after the 2002 era ended (This was I think 2005 or 2006 in my country). It was the last period when the show was trending and people would talk about it on the benches on the streets.  People talked A LOT about Breacon and Sheila coming back... but then it all just ended. 2003 when I look back now is A COMPLETE fail compared to 2002. So it is sad that 2002 era USA was the last time the show was interesting to the mass public in my country.

[Soaplovers]

Bold and the beautiful:

When Ridge/Taylor/Brooke was basically the only focus starting in the late 90s/early 00s.  And also in the early 2000s, the show seemed to settle into a hamster wheel type of situation (big.events would happen..but no long term fall out.  It was as if the show became like the movie Groundhog Day).

[P.J.]

The first real time I just gave up a soap was Y&R, when they spent an entire episode recapping Nina's trial on a Monday, when they verdict had come in on Friday. I know I would at least watch now and then, but I never loved it again the way I had. I even tried going back after ATWT was cancelled, to see Maura. But they killed off her character, violently, in a way that seemed almost gleeful to be rid of her, and I have never turned it on again.

I can't even pinpoint when I gave up on GL. The last five years maybe? I still turned it on, but it was like watching someone die a slow painful death. The show became obsessed with Gus and Jonathan, and those "Inside the LIght" episodes quickly grew horrible. Peapak might have been underwhelming, but the soul had left the body long before that.

B&B---I stuck around much longer than I should have. Maybe the weird Brooke/Ridge tropical wedding, where Ridge was then presumed dead shortly after the ceremony so that Brooke could knock boots with Nick 10 seconds later? At some point I realized B&B was more invested in keeping them apart by any means necessary than writing for them as a couple.

[Antoyne]

DAYS

I’ve stopped watching multiple times through the years but the two most recent times were:

Abby as Gabby while Stefan was banging her knowing she was mentally ill. I already suffered through this with RC as the writer on OLTL. I had no interest in doing it again.

Also Abby’s murder. It was so short sighted just because they couldn’t lock down either actress. The dumbest reason ever to kill off legacy character when there are recasts walking around town.

[Beetle Bailey]

There have been several times when I stopped watching a soap due to either a storyline or time period.

GL - Killing Maureen Bauer and keeping weak and selfish Lillian Raines until the very end of the show.   Then later on Nadine getting killed off in a cheap stunt.  My guess is since Reva was back on the show, Nadine was not needed.

OLTL- Having Bo be in a clear case of police brutality with RJ and the show explaining it away as Bo having a "midlife crisis".  Since Antonio was an old enemy of RJ, it kind of made sense when he ignored Bo's treatment, but when Hank even took Bo's side over his own brother, that really turned me off the show.

AMC - I remember turning off AMC for good in 1984 when Jenny was killed off.  Her and Greg had been through so much agony to get together only to have cut short because of a fatal attraction.

Eastenders - After watching Tiffany being disrespected by Grant for almost all of 1998, she finally realized he was never going to change.  She was trying to leave Walford with her daughter only for Grant to catch her and snatch the baby away from her.  She begged for him to give her the child, he knocks her down in the snow.  Then she gets hit by a car, bangs her head on the sidewalk and dies in the first seconds of 1999.  What turned me off the show was that Tiffany never got justice and Grant was still there for another ten months after that.  He left the show with his child.  I could not look at the show until long after he was gone.

 

[althea-davis]

I have taken a break from GH many times. There have been some truly horrible storyline periods under various writers. DOD was one particularly bad era. The Shiloh stuff. My lord. I took another break during the summer of Carly/Jason's "romance". Yikes. I was so glad when he got buried under rubble that fall. And I hope he doesn't ever return to be honest.

For Days, I have also taken many breaks too and am considering taking another one now lol It's just not very good and I don't see it getting any better with Ron at the helm.

OLTL - The "Todd"/Marty rapemance. That was so awful. Ron and Frank at their worst. What the heck?

Guiding Light - I stopped watching permanently in I think 2007. It just wasn't one storyline that chased me away. It wasn't the same show anymore. Of course, the irony is now I'd give anything to have the show back.

Port Charles - I stopped watching once the supernatural completely took over and they killed off Eve. It wasn't my show anymore and I had loved it so much before.

[Contessa Donatella]

I, too, have taken many breaks from both GH & DAYS. I stuck 100% with AW & GL & PC even to the bitterest of bitter ends. AW the killing of Frankie was so hard. PC the killing of Eve was so hard. GL I've noted more than enough ConWest "like to kill me"!