The power of the turtleneck.

I think it's getting that much attention because of the portion of the audience that is new to soaps is not used to recasts. You can see the reaction on social media that BTG got out of the gate in late February with people unaware of the grind of a daily show, etc. That's all actually very good for the show IMO in terms of numbers, but it does mean they can be caught flatfooted when standard daytime stuff (like recasts) happen. It'll blow over.

Robinson seems old enough, and I don't think he looks too similar to Andre or Jacob and certainly not Martin.

Edited March 23Mar 23 by Vee

I didnt realize he was a green Power Ranger! I knew he looked familiar

 

He was also in Dreamgirls

4 hours ago, Wendy said:

Huh. So I wasn't too far off, date wise. And I think you are the very first person I have come across that preferred Terry's Mason to Gordon's in terms of the recasts! (Me? Terry was a GREAT actor, but I think he was miscast as Mason. Which is odd since, on paper, Jack Abbott and Mason Capwell seemed a lot alike, but there it is!)

As brilliant as TL was as Jack Abbott, he never seemed the type who's able to quote Shakespeare at the drop of a flat cap.

Edited March 23Mar 23 by Khan

11 minutes ago, Khan said:

As brilliant as TL was as Jack Abbott, he never seemed the type who's able to quote Shakespeare at the drop of a flat cap.

Maybe that's it!  

36 minutes ago, Cheap21 said:

I didnt realize he was a green Power Ranger! I knew he looked familiar

 

He was also in Dreamgirls

Yep. He has pedigree.

 

Go, go Power Rangers indeed.

 

 

On 3/21/2025 at 8:36 PM, janea4old said:

@detroitpiston That's interesting that you spotted Keith D. Robinson behind-the-scenes during premiere week, thanks for the pic.

In one of the interviews before BTG debuted, it was said that there's a three-month tape-to-airdate gap. 

I wonder if Ted was already recast before the character debuted?  In which case it's interesting that Maurice Johnson has been tweeting support of the show and his character Ted daily.

(wondering? )  perhaps Keith D. Robinson was on the set for some minor dayplayer role, which is why he was visible in that pic, and then more recently he was moved into being a Ted recast?  I have no idea what actually happened.  Just trying to come up with possible theories.

Deadline says Keith D. Robinson's "first episodes are scheduled to begin airing in May".

 

On 3/21/2025 at 10:24 PM, Liberty City said:

That's what you call a consumate professional; that's what I admire about him. He didn't allow what happened, either by his choice or the choice of TPTB, to stop him from supporting the serial.

 

 

I think social media engagement is part of actors’ contracts, so maybe the actor didn’t have a choice.

4 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

I think social media engagement is part of actors’ contracts, so maybe the actor didn’t have a choice.

I don't know; I've seen [some] actors more active via social than others. So I don't know how true that may/may not be.

32 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

 

 

I think social media engagement is part of actors’ contracts, so maybe the actor didn’t have a choice.

I highly doubt that. Most actors are not active like that and this is additional work now being done when one technicially is no longer employed

1 hour ago, Cheap21 said:

I highly doubt that. Most actors are not active like that and this is additional work now being done when one technicially is no longer employed

Seeing how some actors have announced their exits from a show, this would have potential to cause major crash outs if they forced them to tweet about the show lol. 

3 hours ago, Jonathan said:

 

 

I think social media engagement is part of actors’ contracts, so maybe the actor didn’t have a choice.

This is true, I don’t know how common it is but I’ve seen and read interviews with actors discussing having to create social media accounts to promote their projects. NOT saying that’s what happening here but it’s absolutely a thing.

On a similar note there are rumors that actors with large social media followings have a leg up when it comes to casting.

And hey, maybe they’ll bring back the other guy when his brother is inevitably brought back from the dead.

In terms of social media being built into contracts, that's typically the SAG-AFTRA contract that covers primetime and movies, if there is one. I know it was a thing in the 2010s (think "Scandal" and "How to Get Away with Murder" - TGIT era), but that's less the case in the 2020s.

That said, because the Net Code contract is completely different from the regular primetime/movies contract, I don't believe it is built into any contract requiring soap actors, talk show hosts, reality show personalities, etc to be on social media to promote their respective shows from the union's perspective, unless there is something specifically agreed upon by the network/production studio behind the show with the talent/personalities.

5 hours ago, Cheap21 said:

I highly doubt that. Most actors are not active like that and this is additional work now being done when one technicially is no longer employed

Right. And considering he appears to have been let go after 13 weeks, specifically covering the time before the show even premiered, it's less likely he was required to post on social media or engage with fans after being let go and unable to tell anyone. I would have done the same thing if only to promote myself to a new group of fans who might follow me elsewhere once word got out I was off the show. It makes perfect sense, honestly.

Without knowing the circumstances, I do agree he would be far from the first person I would have gotten rid of, but if they chose a stronger performer based on plans for the character, well, sadly it happens, especially in the soap world. It's not new and it will continue for however long this genre can sustain itself. In rare cases, it even happens with primetime shows.

10 hours ago, Wendy said:

Maybe that's it!  

But that isn't to say I didn't enjoy Terry Lester as Mason.  I enjoyed watching all three actors (Lane Davies, Terry Lester and Gordon Thomson) play Mason.  Each brought something unique to the role, I think.  Davies brought the humor and charm; Thomson brought the touch of larceny; and Lester, well, he brought the sex, lol. 

It helped that Nancy Lee Grahn had chemistry with each performer, too.  Which is no mean feat, when you consider that two of the three Masons were gay.

15 hours ago, Chris B said:

I feel for Jen Jacob because she's an undeniably good actress who has multiple examples of her doing good work. I feel like she's trying as hard as she can and is successful with anybody except Derek but because the majority of her scenes are with Derek she's being dragged down by him. 

In order to make Derek work you'd have to have someone like a younger Heather Tom or Sarah Brown who can pull something out of you be the sheer force of their talent. I don't think she's in a fair situation as long as she has to work with him.

I also find Ashley and Derek extremely boring, but as you mentioned, I can tell that Jen Jacob is a good actress. It's just the material she's been given. Ashley and Derek feel like an afterthought, but we also see them what feels like all the time...if that makes sense!

We need to see more of Ashley in action besides being told what a great person she is...over and over. It reminds me of B&B constantly telling us that "Carter is like family!" to the Forresters but no real evidence of this in the story. We're also told over and over how great Derek is, too, but in the writing, he's just flat. 

Speaking of B&B, someone on another thread mentioned that Matthew Atkinson would possibly make a good Derek which I thought was an interesting thought.

All new soaps have their kinks that need to be worked out, and I really feel that most of the other characters are really clicking at this point. Even Martin and Smitty are developing better.

1 hour ago, Khan said:

But that isn't to say I didn't enjoy Terry Lester as Mason.  I enjoyed watching all three actors (Lane Davies, Terry Lester and Gordon Thomson) play Mason.  Each brought something unique to the role, I think.  Davies brought the humor and charm; Thomson brought the touch of larceny; and Lester, well, he brought the sex, lol. 

It helped that Nancy Lee Grahn had chemistry with each performer, too.  Which is no mean feat, when you consider that two of the three Masons were gay.

I remember liking Terry Lester as Mason, but IMO the Gordon Thompson version was closer to the Lane Davies vision of the character.

So, I have only read this thread as far as BTG goes. I've only read the casting notices because I wanted to have only unbiased opinions on the show up til now.

I did take advantage of the castings to set up profiles in the Soap Hoppers thread -- which i also used over the holidays to get a feel for the many non- soap alumni. Surprisingly, I recognized most from works I'd already seen. I finished up that week more than impressed with the choices they made.

One theory I haven't seen mentioned is that Keith G. Robinson could have possibly been the first choice for Ted, but he was tied in to a contract and Johnson was hired to film until Robinson was available.

Johnson's been great  so far in his scenes with Duplaix. He's very at ease with the rest of the Dupree/Hamilton/Richardson clan -- not to mention Eva and those scenes shared with Leslie, I would have expected him to be a keeper.

Ben Gavin was my first thought for a recast, but I don't think the character will last through the summer.

I think Jen Jacob will pick up steam once Derek goes or moves on (turns stalker?). 

My other casting question has been Alex Alegria. There's something off in his delivery or something. He's attractive, but something needs a fix. Especially if he's got a ton of scenes with Fairmont Crest's own version of  spoiled Nellie  Oleson.

I so remember Robinson from American Dreams (post- Power Rangers)

Edited March 23Mar 23 by slick jones