7 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

If I were to cast a Soap Opera veteran as Jan.. I would have picked Krista Allen (of Days and B & B fame) since she did move to the Atlanta area in late 2023... and knows all there is about the Soap opera way of filming.  And I could see her playing Ashley's mom.

I think Krista is too hot or her. I think the current actress works bc she comes across so basic. Thats not a dig but she feels very normal and relatable as an average suburban woman. I think if Krista was in the role, Id want more out of her but I dont think Jan is meant for bigger things

5 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Wait, what?

So, Martin’s not running for President anymore? Just like that? 

I didn’t expect this storyline to be long term but I would’ve liked to see it play out for a little while longer, or at least until Martin’s secret was revealed. And definitely not fade out with a whimper. Sort of like Naomi’s lawsuit against Bill’s firm; what was the point of it all if it was just gonna wrapped up so easily and (probably) forgotten about? 

I see people saying this a lot but I always thought both things were plot points with a specific purpose. Martin running for president (something that would've been years down the line) was just to give us an opportunity to learn about his secret and that it involves Anita and Vernon.

Naomi's lawsuit was used to develop her relationship with Bill and highlight his health issue. Those cases are almost always settled out of court so I didn't find anything odd about that, it was all about Naomi and Bill.

5 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

As for Derek/Ashley… I wonder how it would’ve played out if they actually had cast Mike Manning as Derek. Yeah, the writing isn’t there but I imagine that Derek would have more of a personality lol and I also imagine that it would’ve made Ron Carlivati’s head explode 😂😂😂😂

Ben Gavin did look hot though 

I do wonder if Mike might've had better chemistry with Jen Jacob. At this point I feel he's right there with Derek in terms of being a weak link. He's a better actor but he doesn't have chemistry with anyone. These are the two characters I really hope they get a handle on in coming months.

3 hours ago, Planet Soap said:

However, this is a soap, and this is what happens on soaps. White soap characters do these things all the time, but have the luxury of being seen as individuals, not representations of their entire race.

Husbands/fathers like Todd Manning, Victor Newman and Asa Buchanan cheat, lie and swindle all the time but aren't seen as a commentary on white men. Black characters like Ted and New Dollar Bill should be able to do the same.

Thank you!  

In the new Soap Hub Says podcast they now refer to Bill as BilltheFixer. I love it!!! The moniker fits. 

2 hours ago, Maxim said:

As I've said before I don't believe the fact that both sisters have cheating husbands (one in the past, one more recently) is a coincidence or anything random. It's pre-thought and pre-planned and the message is clear. Cheaters can be found in all shapes, forms and sizes. Some do it in the most blatant way, they are known serial cheaters and their wives know of their past hook ups (as Dani has already said... she was willing to forgive Bill for his previous mistresses... till Hayley came) and some are more masterfully disguised in the image of the perfect husband. 

 

2 hours ago, Maxim said:

 The fact that Dani was jealous of her sister Nicole's happy marriage in the first episodes was not a coincidence. I knew it the first second I heard it. It made me wonder and think what is beneath Nicole and Ted's picture perfect life. The show painted two very different sisters and then gave them the same crisis. It was intentional and dramatically focused on how these women acted after that... How they kept or did not keep their dignity. The contrasts and the similarities are not random. They connected the two stories very well. Telling us that beyond the gates there are secrets... lies and betrayals. And sometimes the happiest ones have the biggest skeletons in their closets.

I really like your analysis.   This isn't about a stereotype of black men being cheaters.  This is about a soap opera in which one couple was regarded to be flawed and the other regarded to be perfect, but there were issues underneath the supposedly perfect one.
 

 

2 hours ago, Maxim said:

Is all of this a cliche? A soap opera serial cliche? Yes. Does it still work? Yes. And did we need to start with something that is more universal and easier to stomach by the mass audience? Yes. This is only the beginning of the show in terms of stories and themes. We will have years ahead of us to explore different aspects of these people. The first couple of months it had to be a classic sex and betrayal story that makes more people hooked. It's universal.

Again. Nothing so far about both husbands being cheaters is coincidental for me. It's too early for that.

 

Very good point that they started the show in these early months with a classic  sex and betrayal story to get people hooked.  I agree with you that we'll see more aspects and layers of all the characters as the months and years go by.

Edited May 14May 14 by janea4old

9 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

I really don't want to see some old P&G actors on the show. To me Lindstrom and McLain have brought nothing special.

The show needs to find new talent, so it has it's own identity,which overall they have.

Timon, Tricia, Ambyr are breakouts. Most of the others are fine .We all know the exceptions.

OLD P&G ACTORS? Where is this coming from? In case you've forgotten, which would be hard to do because of TIDE and Febreze P&G is one of the sponsors of this new soap we love!!!

Also Lindstrom never worked on a P&G soap. Cady, of course, did, but that's because she has worked for everyone!!!  Who else? TTunie? You don't want her around because of Jessica on ATWT? Agree to disagree if so!!! And, KaMo just because she was on GL? I cannot go there with you. Sorry. Not sorry!

 

I can't recall... but did Jon Lindstrom (Joey; Craig, ATWT) and Tamara Tunie (Anita; Jessica, ATWT) ever interact on As the World Turns when the latter returned in 2009?

4 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

I can't recall... but did Jon Lindstrom (Joey; Craig, ATWT) and Tamara Tunie (Anita; Jessica, ATWT) ever interact on As the World Turns when the latter returned in 2009?

I highly doubt it. I recall Tunie's scenes being limited to a hotel room with Bonnie. By that time both Bonnie and Jessica had been severely diminished on the canvas. 

On 5/12/2025 at 2:16 PM, Vanguardian53 said:

Might this show be a black stereotype? Angry crazy acting women like Dani and Leslie. Cheating punk men like Bill and Ted who didn't keep it in their pants. Angry black men like Martin. Promiscuous black man wanting the white girl. Dirty black cops. And so on?

So whats the alternative, everyone be demure and have no negative qualities? There are tons of characters and none of this describes most of them. The show has a wide range of characters. Some good, some bad and some a bit of both. Its a BLACK soap opera. We need black villians that cause trouble and move the stories along

Edited May 14May 14 by Cheap21

2 minutes ago, Chris B said:

I highly doubt it. I recall Tunie's scenes being limited to a hotel room with Bonnie. By that time both Bonnie and Jessica had been severely diminished on the canvas. 

Well, darn, I did not remember he played Craig. Paul, wrong about Lindstrom and P&G. 

 

2 minutes ago, Chris B said:

I highly doubt it. I recall Tunie's scenes being limited to a hotel room with Bonnie. By that time both Bonnie and Jessica had been severely diminished on the canvas. 

Oh see, I remember now. Thank you; I do recall those scenes standing out in my head! Plus, the all-too-underutilised Chaunteé Schuler as Bonnie. That was a surprising, yet good, recast.

I wish the Black male characters felt more fleshed out (and I’m not talking about gross 2000s-style man pain like with Jonathan Randall or Billy Abbott). I feel like we don’t have as much access to their interior worlds, which—fine—female genre. Right now, the balance on BTG feels off to me gender-wise, mostly because there are a lot of Dupree daughters (Chelsea, Naomi, Dani, Nicole, Kat, possibly Eva) and only one son (Martin). Feel free to disagree. I think Andre, Bill, and Martin feel closest to male “main characters” to me (Jacob had his quick moment), in that they can drive a scene from their POV and not as a supporting character. I’m waiting for the secrets to be fully revealed so that the men can show more layers. But things like having two cheating husbands stand out more in this type of environment.

Edited May 14May 14 by Faulkner

@FaulknerI do agree with you about the male characters. I feel like I've been overlooking that because a female-driven soap has been so rare these days. 

They have some relationships they could build upon but not nearly enough. The male characters for the most part don't have any friends or family to help develop them. This is also part of the issue with having only one main family. 

 

3 minutes ago, Chris B said:

@FaulknerI do agree with you about the male characters. I feel like I've been overlooking that because a female-driven soap has been so rare these days. 

They have some relationships they could build upon but not nearly enough. The male characters for the most part don't have any friends or family to help develop them. This is also part of the issue with having only one main family. 

 

I think Arielle Prepetit is great, but I almost wish Naomi had been Nathan and Jacob were Jacqueline (shades of Tom and Margo). We’d have another Dupree son, and the idea of Bill being a disgraced role model for his male lawyer son would have a different resonance around masculinity and generational trauma, especially since we already have Chelsea for the female Hamilton daughter POV. Just for the balance.

I absolutely love the idea of Krista Allen being on the show. I wouldn't saddle her with Jen though. I'd create a brand new character for her. She could be a diva who lives Beyond The Gates and is gradually seen at the country club. Then I'd do a slow roll out where the Duprees don't like her and her family because she is part of the first white family that "infiltrated" Beyond The Gates. Then slowly...and I mean slowly...expand Krista's character's family as a rival to the Duprees as some have said the show should have. A younger son to mix it up with Chelsea/Kat, a daughter to maybe run for office against Martin. Krista Allen could easily be a great matriarch for a rival family.