What are some decisions made by particular soaps, past and present that had negative short or long term implications?

It might be a plot twist, casting choice or BTS happenings that didn't work for you.

For starters

Y&R

Killing off Colleen Carlton (and giving her heart to Victor) Yes Tammin Sursok didn't click in the role and it gave Beth Maitland some good scenes, but to eliminate a core family member meant less for Traci and the Abbotts in the long run.

Keeping Victor front and center. And to do this he became involved in repetitive stories, which dumbed down the rest of the cast as they had to cowtow to his malevolence and forgive and forget heinous actions.

Not nurturing next gen kids Abby has never clicked, Noah, Scott, Fen, Daniel  etc are more adjunct to their parents stories than fully fleshed characters in their own right.

Allowing Josh Griffith to stay way past his use by date.

Brad Bell keeping Sheila Carter around after she shot Steffy and nearly murdered her own biological son. Now he's doing the same with Luna

 

The Finn/Poppy stuff on BOLD. It's so beyond sick and disgusting, all because Brad just had to give Sheila  grown grand daughter 

5 minutes ago, dragonflies said:

Brad Bell keeping Sheila Carter around

Sheila has been played out since 1998. She's Bradley's "break glass in case of emergency" character.

22 minutes ago, kalbir said:

Sheila has been played out since 1998. She's Bradley's "break glass in case of emergency" character.

and even that isn't working anymore, people are TIRED of her. Brad has completely ruined her 

There comes a time when you have to let a character go, especially when it's someone like Sheila who has been pushed beyond the point of no return. It's a mistake that most of the current soaps have made. They have tried to hold on to characters like that and have been forced to dumb down everyone else for it to work.

 

Plus if KB wasn't besties with Brad & Casey it's obvious Sheila would have been gone ages ago. 

 

 

Days does not know how to age characters who started on the show as children.

David Banning and Mike Horton became adults way too quickly, and Julie had an adult grandson when in real time David would have been a teen still.

After becoming an adult at age 5ish, Mike has spent the last 45 years perhaps only aging 20 years, and that's only because Roark Critchlow looked a little rough.

Now, all the generations are mushed together and that's made for weird pairings.

OLTL:

Making Todd Victor Lord's son

Bringing Todd back after his 1995 "death."

Viki killing Victor under DID, which in the long run meant they had to keep coming up with more and more contrived reasons for a Viki/Dorian feud and which did not actually do anything to enhance Viki's character; instead, within the next year she had one of her worst storylines (which Erika panned to the press).

Edited July 2Jul 2 by DRW50

DAYS

Not nurturing the Hortons. They should always have been a priority.

Firstly, aging David and Mike too quickly.

Now after a decade they needed new young characters but Steve Olsen would have been perfect for David's stories and aging Mike a little bit to say 12 would have made him old enough to react to all the Bill/Laura/Mickey stuff.

For Mike's stories give Maggie a younger brother that she has been caring for. The Hortons become the family he never had.

That leaves Mike and David available in the 80's.

Once the 80's rolled around the older Hortons were slowly dropped.

A half hearted attempt was made to bring on Sandy.

Steve would have been perfect to be involved with the DiMera's as he was in Europe and had shady connections.

Even offscreen, the Horton relatives should have been mentioned and visited. eg Johsua and Jessica have a son. Tom and Alice visit offscreen and mention him. Planting seeds for the future.

Edited July 2Jul 2 by Paul Raven

IMO literally the most egregious thing about age, aging, ages & de-aging on DAYS is illustrated by Kristen & her relationships with John & Brady. Another lifetime ago she was in love with John. She would have to known Brady as an infant. However she has been portrayed as in love with him as well & even had a child with him, little Rachel. Sure, soaps are full of times when someone has been with two generations but this version of that seems like it ought to be particularly ewww yet no one ever seems to notice. 

1 hour ago, Contessa Donatella said:

IMO literally the most egregious thing about age, aging, ages & de-aging on DAYS is illustrated by Kristen & her relationships with John & Brady. Another lifetime ago she was in love with John. She would have to known Brady as an infant.

There are pictures of Kristen holding baby Brady with a bottle.
receipts:
https://web.archive.org/web/20080519135833/http://www.childrenofsalem.com/days/kids/lucero/lucero15.html
 

54 minutes ago, janea4old said:

There are pictures of Kristen holding baby Brady with a bottle.
receipts:
https://web.archive.org/web/20080519135833/http://www.childrenofsalem.com/days/kids/lucero/lucero15.html
 

Thank you! I knew there was evidence but I didn't recall if it was her babysitting, changing a diaper, feeding him, or what, so I neither went looking to find out, nor guessed!!!

In a way I tell myself it's not as grotesque as it could be because earlier Kristen was Eileen Davidson & current Kristen is Stacy Haiduk, but I don't really believe myself. 

It is deeply bizarre watching silver fox E.J. talk to Stacy Haiduk's Kristen about how she passed him off as her baby recently. They look the same age.

41 minutes ago, Vee said:

It is deeply bizarre watching silver fox E.J. talk to Stacy Haiduk's Kristen about how she passed him off as her baby recently. They look the same age.

Same thing when there's been references to Sami and Belle's past. DAYS arguably has the worst cases of SORAS, especially since some of those characters share pivotal history when one of them were infants. 

58 minutes ago, te. said:

Same thing when there's been references to Sami and Belle's past. DAYS arguably has the worst cases of SORAS, especially since some of those characters share pivotal history when one of them were infants. 

And, related, but different, DAYS has the worst retcons. John, Princess Gina and OMG Tony/Andre! I still can't get over the affront to Daphne.