I came up with the idea for a topic like this, and a quick search yielded no results for a similar subject existing. So... let's discuss rewrites. I've noticed that some people commend shows that can abruptly change direction and introduce a new nuance to the storyline that enhances it. I've seen praise on that topic in the Bold monthly discussion. However, this thread focuses on those instances when a rewrite was so poorly executed or illogical... it severely impacted the quality of the narrative. Events we previously witnessed were suddenly disregarded, and we were compelled to accept a new "reality" that bears no relation to the established facts. Let's examine these bad examples. Which are soaps' worst rewrites ever?

Edited November 5Nov 5 by Maxim

Drew being a twin of Jason Morgan on GH! Still not accepting that bs 

All examples are subjective... and here's one that some might even think helped the show. (It did provide some dramatic moments) I disagree. I think it hurt it in the long-term.

In 2002, Bradley Bell rewrote Stephanie as a mini Brooke in her youth... who got pregnant by another man while dating Eric, effectively "trapping" him. The only realistic part? Stephanie didn't even know the baby wasn't Eric's. This marked the end of the Stephanie we knew. And the Bill Bell Stephanie was absolutely long gone by now. Now Brooke could say - you're just like me... and that would not be far from the truth. The whole fiasco sounds possible, sure, but unlikely given the classic Bill Bell years. There was never a hint of a guy like Massimo Marone. Stephanie wouldn't act like that without considering the fallout. Again, agree to disagree with those who liked it. IMO it was counterproductive, making Ridge not his father's son and his kids not blood-related to the Forresters. For example, Steffy Forrester has zero Forrester blood, and Bradley Bell ignores that. Instead, Brooke and her kids are talked like they are some parasites and Steffy - the keeper of the Forrester dignity and name. (Brad also forgot that for years Ridge was parading around as Massimo's official son and in charge of the whole Marone empire) Another reason this rewrite was sort of illogical? When Brooke was pregnant by Ridge or Eric, the paternity test would have shown they weren't related at all. I mean they have 0 connection. We all know Sheila mixed the results in the end... but even before them... the doctors would have known. Whatever way you mix these results...  you can't escape this. Even if you name blood 1 - Ridge and blood 2 - Eric and swipe the names... it still makes it impossible for them not to notice. This rewrite also opened Pandora's box (Ridge kissing his previously biological sister and the two feeling in love with each other), which was Bold's ultimate lowest point. 

https://dnacenter.com/blog/paternity-testing-when-two-possible-fathers-are-related/ 

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One that was ultimately successful in a way, but dumbed down the characters involved was Drake Hogestyn's Roman not being Roman when Wayne Northrop returned as the real Roman. 

The difference between Hogestyn and Northrop physically made you wonder how anyone, least of all Marlena who was intimate with both, could ever buy the impostor. The face could be explained away with plastic surgery, but plastic surgery doesn't alter body type, height etc

29 minutes ago, Maxim said:

All examples are subjective... and here's one that some might even think helped the show. (It did provide some dramatic moments) I disagree. I think it hurt it in the long-term.

In 2002, Bradley Bell rewrote Stephanie as a mini Brooke in her youth... who got pregnant by another man while dating Eric, effectively "trapping" him. The only realistic part? Stephanie didn't even know the baby wasn't Eric's. This marked the end of the Stephanie we knew. And the Bill Bell Stephanie was absolutely long gone by now. Now Brooke could say - you're just like me... and that would not be far from the truth. The whole fiasco sounds possible, sure, but unlikely given the classic Bill Bell years. There was never a hint of a guy like Massimo Marone. Stephanie wouldn't act like that without considering the fallout. Again, agree to disagree with those who liked it. IMO it was counterproductive, making Ridge not his father's son and his kids not blood-related to the Forresters. For example, Steffy Forrester has zero Forrester blood, and Bradley Bell ignores that. Instead, Brooke and her kids are talked like they are some parasites and Steffy - the keeper of the Forrester dignity and name. (Brad also forgot that for years Ridge was parading around as Massimo's official son and in charge of the whole Marone empire) Another reason this rewrite was sort of illogical? When Brooke was pregnant by Ridge or Eric, the paternity test would have shown they weren't related at all. I mean they have 0 connection. We all know Sheila mixed the results in the end... but even before them... the doctors would have known. Whatever way you mix these results...  you can't escape this. Even if you name blood 1 - Ridge and blood 2 - Eric and swipe the names... it still makes it impossible for them not to notice. This rewrite also opened Pandora's box (Ridge kissing his previously biological sister and the two feeling in love with each other), which was Bold's ultimate lowest point. 

https://dnacenter.com/blog/paternity-testing-when-two-possible-fathers-are-related/ 

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It was good TV but I hated it at the same time 

16 minutes ago, I Am A Swede said:

One that was ultimately successful in a way, but dumbed down the characters involved was Drake Hogestyn's Roman not being Roman when Wayne Northrop returned as the real Roman. 

The difference between Hogestyn and Northrop physically made you wonder how anyone, least of all Marlena who was intimate with both, could ever buy the impostor. The face could be explained away with plastic surgery, but plastic surgery doesn't alter body type, height etc

I hate that storyline because they wasted Wayne so hard  

1 hour ago, AMCOLTLLover said:

It was good TV but I hated it at the same time 

Same.

Days

Craig, after 40 years of being married to a woman, giving her two children, loving her unconditionally, and basically being devoted to her in every way possible, suddenly revealing that he's gay and in love with Leo.

Dimitri, after being willing to let Leo die a horrible death in Beyond Salem, suddenly revealing that he's gay and in love with him.

Two gross, cruel, nasty, mean spirited, poorly written rewrites that happened all because of Ron Carlivati's massive ignorance, and sick obsession with humiliating female characters.

GH

Gio: as much as I like the character and the actor, him being revealed as Dante and Brook Lynn's son. Because now, we have to believe that, Lois, who apparently didn't want the truth about her grandson to come out, randomly decided to bring her grandson to Port Charles to perform at his mother's wedding 😂😂

B&B

Luna orchestrating her "rape" 

I know Brad and co. said that this wasn't a rewrite, but yeah, they're full of s*it 😂

 

Liam dying this year, SC confirmed Brad changed his mind, you can tell they were setting up to kill him off for good so they rewrote it to make Grace the vilian 

This may be a little more to do with just overall bad writing, but I think it could fit in the criteria of a bad "rewrite". Brooke... after just barely being married to Thorne... (after fighting like a maniac to get him) decides all of a sudden that No! It's still Ridge that she wants, so she disregards Thorne... violating everything that was written before... and starts going after Ridge again... only to get rejected again and that ultimately let to Deacon. Some will say that this was in character for the mess that Brooke was... but I think it was too sudden too early. Smelled like a rewrite. Brad Bell sometimes just randomly decides to shake everything down to starting point. And that starting point is always Brooke begging Ridge for attention.  

I mean weren't they married for like 3-4 months before Brooke decided she's in love with Ridge again?! 

25 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Days

Craig, after 40 years of being married to a woman, giving her two children, loving her unconditionally, and basically being devoted to her in every way possible, suddenly revealing that he's gay and in love with Leo.

Dimitri, after being willing to let Leo die a horrible death in Beyond Salem, suddenly revealing that he's gay and in love with him.

Two gross, cruel, nasty, mean spirited, poorly written rewrites that happened all because of Ron Carlivati's massive ignorance, and sick obsession with humiliating female characters.

 

All of this sounds like a badly written pervert fantasy... you could read on some obscure subreddit... somewhere.   Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikes. 

4 minutes ago, Maxim said:

All of this sounds like a badly written pervert fantasy... you could read on some obscure subreddit... somewhere.   Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikes. 

Yep.

Ron definitely let his worst qualities as a human being write those storylines. Then you add in Jamey Giddens, who just makes everything ten times worse, and that was the crap we were forced to endure.

Not to mention, the Dimitri storyline was a complete waste of a talented, charismatic and breathtakingly beautiful actor.

Edited November 5Nov 5 by AbcNbc247

Ridge as Massimo’s son on B&Band Craig as gay on Days are great choices.

Same with the Tale of Two Romans 

Of course Y&R has also suffered through so many bad retcons, the worst of the bunch being “Jill is Katherine’s daughter” “Phillip III back from the dead now’s he’s gay” (literally the Soaps in Depth headline), whatever Kansas retcon nonsense Josh Griffith wrote back in 2020, and now here we are with Cane and Matt Clark back 2025. Honestly Josh Griffith can go [!@#$%^&*] himself lol. 
 

Worst re-write on GL definitely had to be the Maryanne Carruthers mystery, which upended 66 years of history on the show if I recall right.

Hmmm worst rewrite on ATWT…? Shannon being undead and not having a shrunken head for one, also later on Tom and Margo being totally aware of Adam Munson’s misdeeds with no explanation when Adam returned in 2009z

19 minutes ago, soapfan770 said:

Hmmm worst rewrite on ATWT…? 

James and Lucinda being lovers and having a dead child. 

Y&R: Jill Foster being adopted and being Kay's long lost daughter, then reversing it and making it turn out that Liz Foster had an affair with Neil Fenmore, which didn't result in Jill's conception (since they'd established she was adopted), but did result in him randomly giving Liz a child he had with some other random woman, making Jill and Lauren sisters after they'd been interacting in GC for 30 years, and then never really doing anything with that either. I guess the only thing they have in common is sons who were randomly rewritten to be gay, lol.

 

B&B: Maya starting out as a homeless woman looking for her child, with every reason for the audience to believe she meant a child she birthed, and then making her biologically a man.

Edited November 6Nov 6 by BoldRestless