1 minute ago, ranger1rg said:

Honestly, I don't think Lucky has been relegated to B level. I don't think this show knows how to write anything above B level.

What exactly is A level on this show? I'm not seeing it anywhere.

A-level is still mostly whoever is tied to Sonny/Jason/Carly.

21 hours ago, Jdee43 said:

Wasn't feeling the Brennan recast today.

I thought Chris McKenna did just fine with the material. Not sure what anyone wanted or expected.

I've heard people think the Brennan character isn't long for this world, but I doubt that CK would sign for only a few episodes.

 

To be fair, though, were Lucky or Liz ever A players on the show?  Maybe for certain periods in their respective runs, but they've always been more supporting than lead, IMO.  I don't have an answer as to why, although there have always been other characters that seemed to be more important to the writers-even outside the big 3.

6 minutes ago, carolineg said:

To be fair, though, were Lucky or Liz ever A players on the show?  Maybe for certain periods in their respective runs, but they've always been more supporting than lead, IMO.  I don't have an answer as to why, although there have always been other characters that seemed to be more important to the writers-even outside the big 3.

I think Lucky was in JJ's last two years, and Liz for around that time up to when Jason left in 2000. After that, probably not. It did seem like Guza was trying to push Lucky heavily again when Jonathan first returned.

11 minutes ago, janea4old said:

When Robert Newman completed his run on Y&R, he said he lives on the east coast, and doesn't want to do anything longer than 6 months away from home. He says he'll do theatre gigs away from home that last 6-12 weeks.  In the interview, he sounded relieved to have left L.A. 
(he said that in August 2022, so don't know if he feels the same way now)
https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/robert-newman-weighs-in-on-ending-his-yr-run/

At that time he had 2 relatively new grandsons & he was very homesick. Might be different now, also might not. He's a big family man.

14 minutes ago, ranger1rg said:

I thought Chris McKenna did just fine with the material. Not sure what anyone wanted or expected.

I've heard people think the Brennan character isn't long for this world, but I doubt that CK would sign for only a few episodes.

 

Well, he has the reputation of being an excellent actor & I think he showed that in his first outing but we need to see more & there's nothing wrong about that. So far, the score is Chris 1, Miserable Nothingness 0.

28 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I'd say maybe Gregg Marx, if he was interested.

Oh, that's a great idea. I did go with Newman because I think he has a fierce intellect onscreen and is too often underrated. I would've been into Richard Burgi too but he unfortunately played Paul Hornsby in the '10s (not that anyone would care in the era of Howarth and Easton's triple-dipping). Still, the mother (Carolyn) would be the heavy.

3 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I think Lucky was in JJ's last two years, and Liz for around that time up to when Jason left in 2000. After that, probably not. It did seem like Guza was trying to push Lucky heavily again when Jonathan first returned.

I can agree with that.   I think JY/GV's Lucky really sidelined the character for me almost permanently.  And Liz got shoved aside for new flavors of the week like Sam/Courtney.  I do think Guza was interested in Lucky when JJ first returned, but Guza still preferred Dante and then Vanessa returned and Lucky was sidelined off to Ireland for Balkan Irish capers🙄.  Becky always seemed lucky to keep her job in those days.

15 minutes ago, carolineg said:

To be fair, though, were Lucky or Liz ever A players on the show? 

I think Lucky absolutely was, particularly when Jonathan returned. Liz was always part of the package, though she did have moments of being more with Jason. And I think the show's disinterest in her (and discomfort with her being paired with their 'star', as JJ wanted that pairing in 2009-2011 and didn't really get it) was and perhaps remains an issue. But I think she's been consistently underrated since she grew into adulthood and motherhood onscreen.

1 minute ago, carolineg said:

Becky always seemed lucky to keep her job in those days.

She almost didn't, as we know in 2011.

Just now, carolineg said:

I can agree with that.   I think JY/GV's Lucky really sidelined the character for me almost permanently.  And Liz got shoved aside for new flavors of the week like Sam/Courtney.  I do think Guza was interested in Lucky when JJ first returned, but Guza still preferred Dante and then Vanessa returned and Lucky was sidelined off to Ireland for Balkan Irish capers🙄.  Becky always seemed lucky to keep her job in those days.

IIRC at the time Becky actually was fired, and they were going to leave Liz in a mental institution (?) if not for intense fan backlash. I think they genuinely believed all fans just saw her as a dirty whore who could be banished.

Jacob was still something of a B-player, but the Greg years, and Guza and Geary's clear contempt for him, was the death of the character. I say that as someone who liked Greg the most of the Luckys.

24 minutes ago, janea4old said:

When Robert Newman completed his run on Y&R, he said he lives on the east coast, and doesn't want to do anything longer than 6 months away from home. He says he'll do theatre gigs away from home that last 6-12 weeks.  In the interview, he sounded relieved to have left L.A. 

Which is why I'd ask him to recur (or get Gregg Marx!). Carolyn, the scheming mother/brilliant surgeon, would be the real meat of the ongoing story for me.

Just now, DRW50 said:

IIRC at the time Becky actually was fired, and they were going to leave Liz in a mental institution (?) if not for intense fan backlash. I think they genuinely believed all fans just saw her as a dirty whore who could be banished.

They did. And Frank allegedly tried it again in the mid-2010s.

Just now, Vee said:

Oh, that's a great idea. I did go with Newman because I think he has a fierce intellect onscreen and is too often underrated. I would've been into Richard Burgi too but he unfortunately played Paul Hornsby in the '10s (not that anyone would care in the era of Howarth and Easton's triple-dipping). Still, the mother (Carolyn) would be the heavy.

Of options, Newman is definitely much more likely. I don't even think Marx acts anymore. And Jeff would probably be part-time anyway so it might be easy for him to commute. 

The casting for the mother would be much more interesting. I'm not even sure where I'd start. I might say Crystal Chappell.

1 minute ago, Vee said:

They did. And Frank allegedly tried it again in the mid-2010s.

I'm half-surprised that one didn't take. 

I hope Sam leaving might mean they won't write her out as well - maybe enough money was freed up to not have to do this again and again.

4 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

The casting for the mother would be much more interesting. I'm not even sure where I'd start. I might say Crystal Chappell.

Eeesh. Interesting, but I dunno! For reasons neither of us need to remind each other of.

I once thought of MTS for the part, but she would never leave Y&R and people rightly reminded me no one would ever buy her as a surgeon. And I definitely thought of Martha Byrne, but she is potentially too young, already played Mayor Floyd in the late 2000s (not that anyone would care) and finally, has unfortunately gone full MAGA.

Edited February 6Feb 6 by Vee

1 minute ago, Vee said:

Eeesh. Interesting, but I dunno! For reasons neither of us need to remind each other of.

I once thought of MTS for the part, but she would never leave Y&R and people rightly reminded me no one would ever buy her as a surgeon.

They could just say she's more in the fundraising/charity side.

I don't know if Crystal would work long-term.

There are some I'd love like Maureen Garrett or Maeve Kinkead, but they are retired and likely seen as too old by TPTB.

4 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I hope Sam leaving might mean they won't write her out as well - maybe enough money was freed up to not have to do this again and again.

I doubt it happens again. Being pushed back twice is enough. Plus JJ is back and seems very eager to be reunited with her onscreen, and IMO most of the audience is taking to it. I just wish she was given the story weight she deserved, because Khan is right - her life story is a lot of people's life stories. Adult Elizabeth has always interested me much more than the teen girl. And it was nice that they had Lucky pointedly say the other day he doesn't viewer her as an angel or teen damsel anymore, a repudiation of some of the writing in his last contract stint. There's a weary maturity there for them.

5 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Of options, Newman is definitely much more likely. I don't even think Marx acts anymore. And Jeff would probably be part-time anyway so it might be easy for him to commute. 

The casting for the mother would be much more interesting. I'm not even sure where I'd start. I might say Crystal Chappell.

On GL Crystal & Robert had an excellent friend vibe. And, both of them, give you all.