GH: December 2024 Discussion Thread

[Vee]

No, I think you're right. And I think they were banking heavily on crossover viewers who had grown up with both shows. I think ultimately they were only half-right about that, but it didn't matter in the end because they did save the show that year. I can't fault any solo GH viewers for finding it extremely off-putting. Overnight the longtime dialogue staff was gone, the look and tone of the show changed dramatically to become much more overly bright and cartoonish, and it was clearly being groomed as the new harbor for all things ABC Daytime, back in the years when Frank and Ron were riding high from too much critical praise and really believed they could re-craft GH into a kind of 'megasoap' for the network combining all the soaps. (FV still does some echoes of that today with the people he puts on the show like MEK, Susan Batten, etc. but it's a lot less of a thing.)

We've dissected the pros and cons of the larger crossover experience in 2012-13 many times so I won't go back over that. I think there were things that worked and many that didn't and I think it unfortunately poisoned the well for more reasonable crossover choices since. (I happen to think Blair Cramer would make a fine recurring guest antagonist for Deception/Lucy a la Skye in the past, but does anyone watching this show want to see more OLTL characters in 2025? Hell no.)

[Liberty City]

Oh, they absolutely were banking on the crossover viewers from both shows. But, ultimately, it blew up in their faces. And see, I didn't find the production bright and cartoonish, I found it dark and yellow. I swear, Frank Valentini and company brought the OLTL cameras (not built for HD) over to GH, and it was so jarring to see. Plus, some shots had horrible cropping. I may bitch about DAYS' production... but whew, GH took the claim first. It was so bad to look at, and then Valentini took a paint brush to so many sets, and everything looked B A D.

Well, I am sure [some] would, but I'm all set on it. And, after that really off-putting/cold Blair cameo in 2023, I'm all set on it. We've got a large enough cast that really needs to be slashed (not trimmed, SLASHED) going into 2025. WHEW. I can only imagine. 

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[Vee]

It did, for years. I don't know when they started getting more money again awhile ago, but the years of grey paint and everyone living in the Metro Court (to the point that IIRC Finola put giving Anna a house into her contract or something) until the late 2010s were rough.

[Taoboi]

Weeeelll...*shrugs*

Well, she went on to better things so blessings.

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A time!!!

 

 

[BetterForgotten]

Glad it’s also not on anything I watch! 

[Taoboi]

LOL. Well since both shows ended...7 years on one and 2/3 on the other...and they were fan faves before she upped and took a break from acting...yep. 

[Liberty City]

Oh, so rough. The greys. OMG. It was DEPRESSING! I remember the home Jax built for Carly doing from light and bright, to dark and depressing. It was so, so bad. SO bad!! Thank goodness for some kind of budget increase.

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[Taoboi]

Them facts. 

 

Very.

[carolineg]

I am not defending the Cole/Starr/Hope crossover, but I think it was so brief because there were major issues with the actor playing Cole?  Didn't BB start taping and had to be immediately recast?  That could have forced or made RC scrap some plans for the story.

[Taoboi]

It's a shame they never revealed them to still alive after their entrance onto the canvas.

 

 

[Liberty City]

I don't think Brandon Buddy was ever poised for GH. Van Hughes was the one announced to reprise the role for the limited-run.

[Taoboi]

Oh, really? Wow. 

[carolineg]

I swear I remember he taped one day and then had to be recast for "personal reasons".  Maybe I made that up?  I'll see what I can find on google.

ETA-It looks like that was for his OLTL return.  I must have gotten that confused with GH.  It appears Cole was always temporary to usher Starr in.

Edited December 27, 2024 by carolineg

[Liberty City]

That was OLTL, though. I mean, Hughes came in for a very short period of time to wrap up the Cole/Starr/Hope storyline.

• EMERGENCY RECAST: Brandon Buddy to Be Replaced as One Life to Live's Cole! (November 1, 2011)
• UPDATE: Van Hughes Cast as Cole on One Life to Live! (November 1, 2011)

Buddy filmed for one-day and then left for "personal reasons," so they recast with Hughes.

[carolineg]

Yeah, I edited my post.  For some reason I thought it was GH.  I really didn't follow OLTL, but knew BB was a bit of a mess lol.