Instead of catering to its most loyal and biggest demo (Women 50+), it still tries desperately to get younger viewers...but that will never happen.

THANK YOU! THe show is in last place among 18-47 viewers, the bulk of it's fanbase is older people. These are the people who have been watching for years and years...they want to see the characters they started watching for!

I absolutely detested the Satan possession/selling your soul to the devil story on Loving with John O'Hurley all those years ago. It was sort of entertaining but I thought it was so out of place on Loving esp. after Douglas Marland had set the show up with such strong soap opera staple stories in the beginning. I was so shocked to read later that Agnes Nixon wrote that story herself and was very proud of it. She said it was one of the best stories she ever wrote. She dropped a few pegs with me after that.

So once again I just chalk that up to personal taste again.

There you go! So you understand where I'm coming from with Ellen Dolan's comments..riight?

Well I agree with Eileen Fulton, this is the best teen scene the show has had in AGES. Sorry, but I thought Agim Kaba and Jessica Dunphy were simply okay and Peyton List was the devil. The current set has great chemistry with each other as well as the adults.

Ooohh..I completely disagree. I can't stand Maddie and I don't know if it's Alex Chando or just the way she plays her character but her voice grates on my nerves. Zach Roerig has improved and has chemistry with Jennifer Landon but I don't think he'll be nominated for an Emmy anytime soon..he's like this year's version of Agim Kaba. I LOVED Jesse Soffer up until they paired Will with Celia and Gwen. After that, they dropped the ambiguity of Will's stableness...and made him some romantic teen hero. I don't think he has any romantic chemistry with Jennifer Landon. I liked Will & Casey's friendship..but they managed to ruin that.

I really think you are being a little harsh for the sake of it. Why are you being so mean about these two? Ellen Dolan has given ATWT years and years of great story, ratings and hard work. What is wrong with her asking for a storyline? The Y&R is the #1 soap among 18-47 viewers and the majority of their frontburner actors are over 40. Sure the Doc story was crap, but the actors involved were AMAZING. She wants what the majority of the fans want, multigenerational stories!

Like I said, I have NO problem with actors asking for a storyline. I have a problem with her saying that the Doc story was her favourite...of course, she's entitled to her own opinion but that takes away her credibility as an actress who looks for well-written material for me. The aftermath of the Doc story was good but the setup was horrible which made the aftermath predictable. It's like it didn't matter how crappy the story began just as long as they got those really intense scenes at the end. I doubt most fans can say they truly enjoyed that story.

I think you're taking a few simple comments and blowing them way out of context just to make your point.

My point isn't straying away from what was said, though. Ellen said the Doc was her favourite story...I disagree and even feel that says something about what she looks for when it comes to story material. Eileen said for the first time that she didn't mind having kids on the show...well, makes me wonder what she thought about other past young actors who were just as talented, if not, more.

Bryant's death was amazing, but it was mostly from actors like Hunt Block and Liz Hubbard and not so much from the teen cast.

Agreed...but I was just as amazed by Craig Lawlor. I remember cheering Adam on when he blamed Billy & Jennifer for Bryant's death. And as much as I hated Kim Onasch, I always thought Craig & Jennifer's dislike of each other was portrayed really well...which was really showcased when Bryant died.

Jessica Dunphy became very good when they stopped writing her along w/ Aaron and Lucy. But Peyton List...talk about a dreadful actress! Even w/ scenes involving Hunt Block, Mary Beth Evans, Martha Byrne, and Liz Hubbard, the girl dragged everything down.

I never liked Peyton List, either but look how popular she became when they paired her with Dusty. Jessica Dunphy was great with the adults! One thing you have to remember about the current teen set is that they interact waay more with the adults...I remember when Zach Roerig's Casey was stuck in scenes with mostly Will & Celia...no one liked him then. Poor Jessica was stuck in Oakdale Three hell for about a year before they started developing her character and putting her in meaningful scenes with the vets. I loved her scenes with Marie Masters, Ben Hendrickson, Kelley Menighan Hensley, John James, Kathryn Hayes (as awaful as the Chris/Ali pairing was), Helen Wagner (loved the Nancy/Ali friendship!), Trent Dawson, etc.

Trent Dawson, etc.

*sigh* I always wanted a Henry/Allison pairing. Those two would have been great!

Here is exactly what Ellen Dolan said:

Have you noticed that Margo isn't on any cases anymore? About five years ago Margo, the detective, came to a screeching halt. Yes, there have been two small stories. One involving an organ transplant, (I can't tell you how much fun it was to talk about my 'Liver' every day). This was abruptly switched to a Katie story and soon Margo was up and fine and back on the back burner again. Then there was the story with Doc . . . which had promise if they had followed through with it.

She simply mentioned the only two stories she's got in recent years. Nowhere does she say that they were her favorites, only that she saw potential if they had followed through. Look at the Nick/Carly storyline, it's been absolutely horrid, but most will agree that the fallout has led to some great stuff. I think the idea of Doc was interesting, but the story was a poorly written mess.

Do you remember when Margo was a strong, independent woman and not a sniveling, cat fighting, high school girl craving for a football hero? And where is Ms. Tamara Tunie these days? Again - no strong woman.

The bolded part definitely squashes your take that Dolan thought this was her favorite storyline. But she also brings up a good point...why are Jessica and Margo relegated to just being the cop or laywer? I know many think L&O: SVU is the reason Tunie isn't on much, but in one of the press interviews for the 50th Anniversary, she mentioned that she wishes she had a storyline and that the Africian-American presense returned in Oakdale.

Back in the day, ATWT was rivaling Y&R in terms of talent and volume of their black cast. Now? It's an absolute joke in that department. This is why while I think Jean Passante does a good job with who she does write for, there is room for improvement.

Here is the rest of Ellen's letter so you can refresh your memory.

The combination of strong and woman doesn't seem to fit in our show anymore. When was the last time you saw Lucinda at work? The message I'm getting is I can't do the detective work because I am a woman. Jack did the B.J. case and he wasn't even on the force at the time. It was supposed to be Margo's case. Jack is working both the Ryan and the Kasnoff cases! I love Michael Park but COME ON!!!

There are nothing but strong female detectives all over night time television. It seems to be a pretty valuable kind of character. If you don't see Margo as a cop soon, you won't see Margo at all! The character is being dismantled. These characters are your characters and I think valuable to the show. I need your support. I need you to help save Margo Hughes! I need you to write and ask for Margo back. I have attached a list of names and addresses for you to write to. Tell them how you feel about this character. Please guys, 'cus I love Margo and I want to keep giving her to you. Not to mention that my kid is only six, I've got many years to go.

I happen to agree with everything she says about the lack of strong women, besides Meg and Gwen, who do we have? Barbara is an abso-frickin-lute joke tormenting her kids, Katie has lots all her bite chasing after Mike, Carly needs her bite back (which could happen now she's away from Jack), Emily is crazy, Lucinda isn't on, Jessica isn't on, Margo isn't on. You see my point? Besides Meg, Gwen and MAYBE Lily, strong women don't seem to flock to Oakdale.

BTW, here is your response to her letter from the thread:

Wow..Margo is one of my least favourite characters on the show but good for ED for being honest! I agree that the character is underdeveloped and seems to be a tag-a-along to all the other stories. She's getting more airtime but it's spent lecturing teenagers. This is a good example of how "good writing" overall might not necessarily mean good "character writing".

Like most of you, my vote is on Ellen Dolan. She has had nothing to do lately.

Although, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Tamara Tunie. Seriously, the girl has been MIA forever except when she brought the divorce papers to Jack a while back. Besides, she's on Law and Order: SVU as a billed cast member in the credits, so its not like she'll be jobless.

I happen to agree with everything she says about the lack of strong women, besides Meg and Gwen, who do we have? Barbara is an abso-frickin-lute joke tormenting her kids, Katie has lots all her bite chasing after Mike, Carly needs her bite back (which could happen now she's away from Jack), Emily is crazy, Lucinda isn't on, Jessica isn't on, Margo isn't on. You see my point? Besides Meg, Gwen and MAYBE Lily, strong women don't seem to flock to Oakdale.

I think Jennifer has gotten some of her strength back. She's been throwing Dusty around quite a bit since he's returned. Just yesterday she gave him a pretty saucy "We are leaving NOW" when he started going off on Emily at the hospital.

I agree with everything, but I have to say something to ATWT's defense. There's a lack of strong characters period. Will is definitely not strong right now, neither is Nick, Jack or Hal. Jack and Hal are letting women run their lives. Luke is definitely in an unstable area right now.

The thing that sets ATWT apart from the other soaps that have a lack of very strong women is that the women aren't the only weaklings around. The characters on this show seem to suffer together.

Like most of you, my vote is on Ellen Dolan. She has had nothing to do lately.

Although, I wouldn't be surprised if it was Tamara Tunie. Seriously, the girl has been MIA forever except when she brought the divorce papers to Jack a while back. Besides, she's on Law and Order: SVU as a billed cast member in the credits, so its not like she'll be jobless.

Tamara Tunie has been off contract at ATWT for a few years now hasn't she? Isn't she just recurring.... cause she signed a contract with L&O?

Tamara Tunie has been off contract at ATWT for a few years now hasn't she? Isn't she just recurring.... cause she signed a contract with L&O?

I think she's still on contract actually.

Everyone's mentioned the show having weak female characters, but I've definitely noticed how weak the male characters are. ATWT hasn't had a strong male ensemble in ages. The show has taken strong characters like Jack and Dusty and made them into complete wimps, half the men are as dumb as stumps or whipped by women (Hal, Henry, Holden, Mike, Nick, Tom, Casey) and the rest are"emotionally fragile" (Paul, Will, Luke). The only one who doesn't fit those categories is Bob, but we never see him.

Hopefully, w/ Damian and Simon coming back, it will help...

I think the problem is because we never see any of the characters work. It's at work that we see people at their most ruthless and strongest IMO. Aside from the OPD (which is pretty much a joke), the occasional scenes at the hospital, and whenever it fits into a storyline (like Katie's ever-changing occupation, Will working as a janitor, or Jade at the library), nobody works on the show. And pretty much all the characters are supposed to have jobs. If the show wrote a business storyline w/ Walsh Enterprises or another of the big companies in Oakdale and made the OPD a legitimate police station, it would be an improvement.

I understand where Ellen Dolan is coming from, but she's not alone in the neglected department.

Kathryn Hays, Eileen Fulton and (until recently) Marie Masters were SEVERELY backburned.

Ellen isn't the only long-term character without a storyline.

*sigh* I always wanted a Henry/Allison pairing. Those two would have been great!

I loved their very first scene together when Alison was looking for Henry's approval so that she could move into Katie's home and she was like, "I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't do drugs..." and Henry said, "Well, are you Miss Polyanna Perfect?"

She simply mentioned the only two stories she's got in recent years. Nowhere does she say that they were her favorites, only that she saw potential if they had followed through.

Sorry, I should have said that I wasn't only referring to that letter she sent out to her fans. I remember reading an interview with her during the Doc storyline when she praised that story and I heard that at the recent fan luncheon, she was asked what her favourite story was and her answer was the Doc story.

The bolded part definitely squashes your take that Dolan thought this was her favorite storyline.

Hmm..maybe she realized that the Doc story wasn't that great? Let's hope!

But she also brings up a good point...why are Jessica and Margo relegated to just being the cop or laywer? I know many think L&O: SVU is the reason Tunie isn't on much, but in one of the press interviews for the 50th Anniversary, she mentioned that she wishes she had a storyline and that the Africian-American presense returned in Oakdale.

Yeah, it's unfortunate...a few years back it was actually pretty good. They even had the interracial relationship with Ben & Lien. I liked Isaac and which they had paired him with Molly instead of putting him with Bonnie. I liked Bonnie until the Sarah mess. Ben's always been a tad boring...same with Curtis. Marshall was great but the rape storyline just killed him.

As for my response to Ellen's letter, I still stand by what I said then. I totally agree with what she said but I still gotta wonder why she ever thought that Doc story was any good. I'll let it go now because it seems like she realizes how badly written her character was during that time.

I don't think a character necessarily needs a job to be considered strong or stable. A lot of strength comes from within, really. The problem with most of the characters is that their lives are based entirely on who they're romantically involved with..and most of the show's character's are too dependent on their romantic relationships. Will with Gwen, Maddie with Casey, Emily with Paul, Katie with Mike, Carly with Jack and it goes vice versa for most of these relationships as well unless a third party is involved..which makes the whole thing even worse. I love romance as much as the next person but it'd be nice to see focus on other relationships...that's why I like the Emily/Henry friendship. It's strictly platonic and we were shown different sides to both characters...I saw a strength develop in both characters which would have never resulted from their respective romantic interests. Same with Meg/Emma...the mother/daughter relationship seems so real and through that relationship, we see how truly vulnerable Meg is despite the strong person she tries hard to be.