Tragic deaths are a part of soaps, but in the last decades that plot twist has lost its potency through way too many characters being killed off for short term dramatic effect and often to accommodate a popular actor departing.

Hence the regular back from the dead trope used to undo previous mistakes.

Who are some characters that you feel didn't need to die?

Y&R

Colleen Carlton obviously. All that came out of it was the loss of a next generation core character and the horrible Victor heart transplant story that isn't even mentioned these days.

Dina- Marla Adams could still bring it and she could have taken Katherine's role as a kick ass older town matriarch.

Cameron-if they only had Linden for a short time, why not have him escape, cause havoc and maybe disappear, thus leaving the door open for another return.

Hilary-she could have easily left town and returned when Mishael came back, rather than the dull and covoluted Amanda story.

Over to you guys..

Abigail Deveraux Dimera - killed off pretty much just because Ron didn’t get his way on a friggin storyline.

Going back a while...

Duncan Eric, Search for Tomorrow

Bill Prentiss, Love of Life

Adam Drake, The Edge of Night

Liz Stewart, As the World Turns

Dan Stewart, As the World Turns

Chuckie Shea, As the World Turns

Greg Mercer, Somerset

Mary Matthews, Another World

Steven Frame, Another World

Alan Quartermaine, General Hospital

Tony Jones, General Hospital

Bill Bauer (the second time), The Guiding Light

Hillary Bauer, The Guiding Light

Maureen Bauer, The Guiding Light

Jennifer Brooks, The Young and the Restless

Liz Foster Brooks, The Young and the Restless

(Yikes! There are way too many characters to list, LOL!)

Edited February 10, 20241 yr by vetsoapfan

Jack Deveraux in 2012

 

Taylor on Bold shouldn't have died and returned 1342 times. It made the show and the character look cartoonish. 

To paraphrase Alyssa Edwards, “Short-term thinking is a killer in this industry.” So easy to do a death for a quick dramatic impact (potential ratings boost) instead of thinking of other creative ways for a character’s departure.

Funny how, especially in recent years, writers are told to avoid specificity with characters so that they have “freedom” to take them in different directions. Yet they are so often given leeway to kill off even crucial characters in permanent ways that wind up limiting story opportunities for key players (like how Hilary’s death completely undid all the work Y&R did to finally make Devon into a rootable leading man—just to stick it to Mishael Morgan). Or they’re forced to go sci-fi to undo those deaths.

Also, when you have so many deaths, you can get numb to it. I can’t imagine “killing off” Spencer Cassadine on the backs of so many deaths (including RL ones) in Port Charles. It’s too much. 

Edited February 10, 20241 yr by Faulkner

Hmm, ho boy where to begin on this?!? Let me start with:

ATWT: Jennifer Munson, Damian, Shannon, and perhaps Chuckie Shea

AW: Any Matthews family member that was shamelessly killed off, Ryan, Frankie

B&B: Any Spectra family member that was shamelessly killed off 

Days: I know nobody stays dead lol but I’ll go with Nick Fallon, Laura, and Abby’s latest death

GL: Maureen wins the thread, but also Nadine, Jenna, and Ben Reade

Y&R: Brad, Colleen, Hilary, Hope, and Robert Carlton 

 

As far as primetime soaps go….

OG Dynasty: Claudia

Dallas: Kristen 

FC: Melissa, Maggie, and Lorraine

Knots: Ciji, Linda 

Melrose: Sydney, Matt

DH: Edie

Revenge: Daniel

Dynasty 2.0: I feel they should’ve just kept their version of Anders alive to the end

Edited February 10, 20241 yr by soapfan770

I am surprised no one has mentioned Emily and Georgie on GH.  Totally silly when you think about how much long term story both had to give.  AJ is another short sighted death.

For Another World, killing off Bill Matthews off screen in 1970, to free up his wife Missy for adventures on the AW spin-off Somerset. Missy wasn't even on Somerset that long; both characters were lost forever to Another World; and Aunt Liz had her son taken away, weakening her character, giving her less to do. Killing off Bill started the dismantling of the Matthews family.

And another early dumb one for AW was killing off John Randolph's daughter Lee in 1969. Both the characters of Bill and Lee had been on since 1964, and had lots of potential left.

Edited February 10, 20241 yr by Jdee43

Georgie, Alan, Emily from GH

Y&R:

Phillip III, Rex, Brad, Colleen, Hope, Cassie, Drucilla

Guiding Light, any of the Bauers killed...Bill, Hillary and of course, Maureen. I disliked the Coopers but felt that killing Nadine was unnecessary and mean spirited...now if it was Buzz I would have gone with it!

Maeve Reade should have never been killed off, just have her and Fletcher leave town together....two birds one stone!

25 minutes ago, Mitch64 said:

Guiding Light, any of the Bauers killed...Bill, Hillary and of course, Maureen. I disliked the Coopers but felt that killing Nadine was unnecessary and mean spirited...now if it was Buzz I would have gone with it!

Maeve Reade should have never been killed off, just have her and Fletcher leave town together....two birds one stone!

Frank was okay enough, but Nadine was the only Cooper I actually liked; the last one I would want to see killed off. On the other hand, I prayed daily for Buzz to be axed!

Another World owns this thread for me.

Lee Randolph

Bill Matthews

Mary Matthews

Steve Frame

John Randolph

Charlie Hobson

Julia Shearer

Sally Frame

Quinn Harding 

Frankie Frame

Ryan Harrison

Bridget Connell

ATWT

Chuckie Shea

Paul Stewart

Y&R

Diane Jenkins

Ricky Williams