As we say goodbye to the decade and usher in a new year, On-Air On-Soaps wants to pay tribute to the men and women who daily and weekly have brought to soap fans and the daytime industry a place to gather their news, views, interviews, column, and blogs on the genre. Each has a unique voice and stamp that they bring to you, the online community. If we truly look at 2009, it was this online community of passionate and dedicated journalists and reporters who hoped for the best in daytime and called out it’s worst. So with that said, we asked the best of the best –TV Guide Canada’s, Nelson Branco, Daytime Confidential’s, Jamey Giddens and Luke Kerr, We Love Soaps, Roger Newcomb and Damon Jacobs, Fancast’s, Sara Bibel, AfterElton.com’s, Anthony Langford, On-Air On-Soaps, Michael Fairman and Soap Central’s, Dan Kroll, who were their picks for 2009 for Best Soap, Worst Soap, Best Performance Male and Female. Then we asked the pundits their thoughts on the Worst Mistake in Soaps, Most Disappointing, Most Shocking , and finally their Soap Wish for 2010.

In almost a sweep, One Life to Live was the choice for 2009’s Best Soap, while All My Children was almost a uninamous choice for Worst Soap. And in the Best Performance, Female- Crystal Chappell continued her amazing year end accolades by picking up the most votes from the panel. View the entire picks and year end comments, after the jump!

2009 ON-AIR ON-SOAPS CRITICS CHOICES CATEGORIES

Worst Mistakes in Soaps of 2009

Dan Kroll – Soap Central
Phillip Chancellor III was believed to have been dead for 20 years, but he returned to town to announce that he’d only faked his death because he didn’t want anyone to know that he was gay.  Speaking of gay, Adam Newman pretended to be gay in order to keep his dirty deeds a secret, dirty deeds that included injecting Botox into his eyes so that he could feign blindness.

Sara Bibel – Fancast
Cancelling As The World Turns.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Nelson Branco – TV Guide Canada
Canceling World Turns too early.

Jamey Giddens – Daytime Confidential
Not firing Chuck Pratt much earlier.

Luke Kerr – Daytime Confidential
Not firing Chuck Pratt much earlier.

Damon Jacobs – We Love Soaps
Phillip’s return on Y&R/Thom Biertz’s acting/the horrible writing for this story.  Everything to do with this fiasco on and off screen was WRONG.

Roger Newcomb – We Love Soaps
P&G not cashing in on the Otalia phenomenon by spinning them off into a P&G produced web series.

Anthony Langford – AfterElton.com
Young and The Restless’ offensive, insulting and homophobic handling of their ‘gay’ storylines.

Michael Fairman – On-Air On-Soaps
CBS canceling ATWT just as it was getting its groove back.

Most Disappointing in Soaps of 2009

Dan Kroll – Soap Central
CBS didn’t just cancel one soap in 2009 – it pulled the plug on two shows- ATWT & GL!

Sara Bibel – Fancast
(tie) the ultimate lack of consequences for so many characters that committed vile acts — from Todd’s kidnapping and raping Marty to Victor unleashing Patty on Jack and OLTL’s ratings woes.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Nelson Branco – TV Guide Canada
GL’s sloppy series finale!

Jamey Giddens – Daytime Confidential
Cancellation of Procter and Gamble soap operas.

Luke Kerr – Daytime Confidential
As the World Turns’ Cancellation

Damon Jacobs – We Love Soaps
Canceling GL and ATWT

Roger Newcomb – We Love Soaps
ATWT’s GH actor fixation instead of using a history (including veteran actors) deeper than any other soap.  I love Lynn Herring and Stuart Damon but Audrey and Ralph instead of Lisa and Tom?  If there is a soap God, ATWT will fix this problem before going off the air.

Anthony Langford –  AfterElton.com
that As The World Turns was canceled just as it was improving creatively.

MIchael Fairman – On-Air On-Soaps
Guiding Light’s boring finale!

Soap Moment that shocked you the most in 2009

Dan Kroll – Soap Central
ABC’s decision to move production of All My Children from New York to Los Angeles.

Sara Bibel – Fancast
(tie) Adam in drag on Y&R and Nash’s decomposing corpse’s reappearance on One Life To Live.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Nelson Branco – TV Guide Canada
Phillip Chancellor is alive and Adam and Rafe have sex on Y&R.

Jamey Giddens – Daytime Confidential
Finding out it was true that James Franco was doing General Hospital.

Luke Kerr – Daytime Confidential
James Franco guesting on General Hospital.

Damon Jacobs – We Love Soaps
Crystal Chappell and Louise Sorel returning to DAYS.

Roger Newcomb – We Love Soaps
Phillip III’s return from the dead on Y&R.

Anthony Langford – AfterElton.com
That OLTL showed two men being intimate in bed as if it happened on every soap opera every day.

MIchael Fairman – On-Air On-Soaps
Adam and Rafe have sex.

Your Soap Wish for 2010

Dan Kroll – Soap Central
Quite simply, my wish is that no more fans have to endure the pain of losing their favorite soap. For so many viewers, the soaps have become part of their daily routine. I’d like to see the networks strive to ramp up storylines and get viewers back to their stories. Maybe then more advertisers will pour money into these shows and allow them to continue.

Sara Bibel – Fancast
That the genre will stop being so dark and mean spirited and rediscover love stories and family sagas focusing on flawed but rootable characters resulting in an improbable ratings resurgence insuring that soaps will still be on the air in 2050.

Nelson Branco – TV Guide Canada
One Life to Live escapes cancellation and increases in the ratings.

Jamey Giddens – Daytime Confidential
I wish the showrunners, head writers, network executives, etc. that work with each of the remaining soaps would take a long, hard look at the history of their respective soaps, and the genre as whole, to get a proper understanding of when soaps were on fire (ratings-wise and creatively) and why. Then, I wish they would take this information with them into their writing rooms as they attempt to create television that, first and foremost, rewards the diehard fans who have stuck with the soaps for generations, as well as aggressively attempts to bring back lapsed viewers.

Luke Kerr – Daytime Confidential
No soaps get cancelled in 2010.

Damon Jacobs – We Love Soaps
NO CANCELLATIONS. That all current shows look at DAYS as an example of how to make a product that is consistent, respectful of viewer’s intelligence, written to their actor’s strengths.

Roger Newcomb – We Love Soaps
One or more web soaps find huge sponsorships leading to a golden new era for the genre -online.

Anthony Langford – AfterElton.com
Besides OLTL not getting the axe, I wish that ATWT begin to write Luke and Noah as adult, sexually realized gay men and give their long suffering fans what they want and deserve before the show ends.

Michael Fairman – On-Air On-Soaps
One Life soars in the ratings and captivates new viewers, and does not get cancelled!