What do you think was the last good year of each soap?

[SamandWillowFan]

This can include canceled soaps and the 4 still on. 

[AMCOLTLLover]

GH: depends… I think the show itself ain’t even that bad like people make it out to be and can’t say what’s the last good one

y&r: 2016… and 2018… 

B&B: 2013/14-ish

Days: 2016…. It got better again until 2020/21

Tripp Being accused of rape even though his half brother was it could’ve led to years of some great material for the brothers. We had Charlie with mommy issues with Ava, we have his rape victim Allie and THEIR child AND we have his brother Tripp… I don’t know why Ron and his team didn’t saw the material right in front of them to built up something bigger than a stupid “who killed Charlie”-plot no one asked or cared for. Such wasted potential and that ruined it for me for good and when they did the Devil 2.0 story back I gave up on it entirely. 

AMC: Don’t know why people were so hard on AMC’s last year

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 I mean 2008 was rough and I kinda hated it but 2009 recovered it and 2010-11 was a great last year. I have soft spot for my men David Hayward!

OLTL: Tough coz even though it started to have some silly Ron story’s going on it wasn’t really bad and looked as fresh as ever tbh. I don’t think OLTL had a last good year coz it at least had something good going on til the end.

Guiding Light.. 2008-09… The new camera thingy was rough… I only cared for Bizzie. I mean I still use my YouTube account with the GL Bizzie name… They are in my top 4 ultimate super couples and got me going with GL til the end but the final year was really really rough..

Another World: 1996.. But I’ll admit that I did enjoy 1998-99.. But hey. I was a young boy when it aired. Maybe if I would rewatch it now I would think differently lol

Passions: 2004/05-ish… When all those weird rape story’s happened it was unwatchable. It did recover a bit but not by much. And the final year? Hell nah.

Atwt: 2010… I don’t think the show’s final years were as bad as people make It out to be lol  Maybe I started too late but I do prefer the 00’s of Atwt over the 90’s

[Mona Kane Croft]

In my opinion:

Another World - 1979

Days of Our Lives - 1983

All My Children - 1983

General Hospital - 1980

Search for Tomorrow - 1980 (or whenever the Corringtons left as head writers)

I don't have strong opinions about the others

[kalbir]

Of all the soaps I've watched

Y&R: 1998

B&B: 1993

As the World Turns: 1993

Guiding Light: 1992

I take it you weren't a fan of the supercouple era or Reilly era.

[SamandWillowFan]

So you stopped enjoying soaps by the early 80s? I think most people consider the early to mid 90s to be the best of GH.

[Maxim]

Bold

2005 is the last somewhat good year 5/10

1993 is the last QUALITY year where everything is 10/10

[Mona Kane Croft]

No, I didn't stop enjoying soaps at all. But I thought soaps were much better when they took themselves seriously.  When they stopped being believable and some became campy or comedic, I think the quality of the drama suffered.

And the question didn't ask what most people think.   

Bill and Laura, and Doug and Julie were the first two super-couples on DOOL.  So I do enjoy believable super-couples.   There is no need to include spies, espionage, or saving the world.  All a super-couple needs is a long-running compelling love story.   

I did not enjoy the Reilly era on DOOL.  He seemed to be making fun of the entire genre and using DOOL to do it.   

[Khan]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: JER hated writing for DAYS, and it showed.

IMO...

AMC: 1992.

ATWT: 1993.

CAPITOL: 1986.

DAYS: 1989.

THE DOCTORS: whenever Rita Lakin and Rick Edelstein stopped writing for the show.

EON: 1983.

GH: 1996.

GL: 1994.

LOVING: 1985 (and even that's being generous).

OLTL: 1990.

RH: had some rough years, but ended in '89 on a good note.

SaBa: 1987.

Y&R: 2004.

 

Edited January 7, 2024 by Khan

[kalbir]

@Khan I take it you were never a fan of B&B.

[Khan]

Even when Bill Bell still was head writer, B&B was a show I never could tolerate for more than a couple of months at a time.  I loved watching Susan Flannery, of course, and Darlene Conley always was a hoot, lol.  But the rest of that cast, I could take-or-leave.

[kalbir]

Thanks for the reply.

It's the same for me re Days and the ABC big three. I tried to watch them but I wasn't drawn to them at all.

[Soapsuds]

My mother didn't care for B&B either. She couldn't get into it  like the rest of the CBS lineup. She said it was all about sex.

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There was no story beyond that. She didn't care for the premise of fashion and she hated the theme music and opening.

Edited January 7, 2024 by Soapsuds

[kalbir]

Your mother didn't find 1970s Y&R scandalous and shocking?

[Soapsuds]

I don't recall. I was too young to remember but she loved Y&R. She loved all of them except B&B. The earliest I can remember watching a soap with my mother was ATWT during the Craig/Betsy/Steve story in 1982. She loved that storyline. I did too.

[kalbir]

Thank you for the reply. Your mother was loyal to the CBS line up.