Last week was a wild week for BTG fans and despite all of this interesting discussion and speculation, I'm happy we're back to new episodes today!

I'm hoping the show can re-gain it's momentum. I'm even going to watch the Bell soaps live to see if they promote the shows return.

21 hours ago, Faulkner said:

We’ve said ad nauseum that Martin should have been Anita and Vernon’s (they’ve basically written him that way in terms of behavior). Kat/Eva are one of the show’s strokes of genius, but we could have done without Naomi and Chelsea for a while, if we needed them at all. Dani being childless while Hayley is “pregnant” could have been an interesting complication, especially if she’s plotting an Annie Dutton-type deception.

I do think Chelsea could have been off canvas at the beginning, establish her as an often mentioned but never seen supermodel; perhaps her and Dani have a frostier relationship because instead of quitting modelling, Chelsea in fact left her mother's management behind to spread her wings further and take her career to the next level which means when she does eventually appear there is TONS of story to be mined with them. Naomi, I think, is necessary, just because they have the aspect of her and Hayley being former besties and the way Hayley weaselled her way into the fold with the family, as well as the Naomi/Bill rivalry if they'd done more with the court case storyline and spent more time exploring Hayley/Bill, Hayley/Naomi and Bill/Naomi and the relationships between them all; I think this is the issue with them doing the slower, more character based storytelling is they aren't really exploring the dynamics between the characters and really mining those relationships. And THEN adding Dani into the mix, exploring Naomi's own guilt bringing Hayley around her family, Dani's relationships with all 3 of them, there's much to be told that isn't being.

Martin absolutely should have been Vernon and Anita's son, it's how he's being written anyway, and we could still have had everything else remain unchanged with Smitty and the kids; it would also make the ages of Samantha and Tyrell a little more believable as the grandchildren of Vernon/Anita instead of Nicole/Ted. Then that gives the option of another Richardson son, perhaps off screen, to bring more story options for the future.

Nah I like that Chelsea, Naomi and Kat are around, they just need to flesh all of them out more. 

15 hours ago, Vee said:

No? People are either super invested in those couples or it's just sunk cost fallacy, so they keep watching year in, year out.

The issue for me is that B&B (or DAYS) being bad is taken for granted at this point as people continue to watch, whereas if BTG has flaws it's time (from some people) for severe condemnation and an inquest every day. That's the disconnect for me. People still want to monitor what happens to Liam or Steffy or the latest disposable twunk Brad hired, but BTG is on the air less than six months and it feels like it gets more daily smoke from some.

 

It gets "more smoke" because its the first new soap in over 25 years being discussed on a board populated soap opera super fans. The show hasn't even been on this month and its July thread has more posts than the others' save for GH. Obviously, people have new opinions to express about a new show, versus crafting their 60th post about how much they're irked by Ameilia Heinle, Brad Bell, or any other number of SON Jerry Gerich's.

The other shows aren't being shown grace if they have less posts but a greater percentage of them are negative.

On 7/5/2025 at 4:07 PM, janea4old said:

 

They didn't sound desperate to me.  They sounded enthusiastic to me.

Here's the whole feature for anyone curious:

https://www.facebook.com/essence/videos/714705827937754

Awesome. Thank you for posting this. 

On 7/6/2025 at 9:41 AM, Sapounopera said:

I agree with the people who want more of a 90s GH vibe and less of a Bell soap one. 

Is there a couple around for the viewers to fall in love with?

Where does Washington fit in MVJ's story? This could have been Madison, Rosehill or Henderson.

Perhaps it would have been better if Dani and Nicole were best friends and not sisters. Now everyone is related. Vernon could have been Dani's father and Anita could have been Nicole's mother. 

What is BTG's identity? Being identified as the black soap is not enough. Even the opening is something out of the late 90s. 

Even though GH has always been the ABC show I liked the least, I would not be mad at BTG attempting that style.

You're right, there is no big sweeping love story at play at the moment, but I see potential. 

Shelia Ducksworth has said where she placed the Fairmonth crest. I can't remember the name, though maybe Prince-something. I will try to find that interview again.

I love that idea of making Dani and Nicole half sisters. They open up so many stories and soapier history for Anita and Vernon. And Martin could have been the one child they share lol.

That's also my big issue with the show, I have not figured out what sets them apart from other soaps. In due time, they will have a clear identity.