In a year that brought so much heartbreaking loss of beloved talents in front of the camera and behind the scenes, it was a difficult one for the daytime and soap opera community and its fans. 2023 also brought with it the 148-day WGA writers strike, which in most cases saw a different writing team keeping the ball rolling on your favorite soaps while head writers and their staffs were fighting for better deals for their futures in an ever-evolving entertainment industry.

Now, as 2023 comes to a close, Michael Fairman TV takes a look back with our annual list of the Best and Worst in Soaps. As it did last year, we felt there was no one best soap of the year, due to often lackluster storylines that every drama in the genre suffered through, at times, during the calendar year. However, as you will see, we have given them each their own honor on what we felt they did deliver ‘Best’.

As it does every year, we want take this opportunity to pay tribute to the hard work and tremendous talent of the actors, writers, producers, creatives, and crews whose tireless efforts is a feat in of itself, especially given the demand to churn out episodes and performances at light speed.

Photo: ABC and JPI

However, in addition to naming the best moments and performances of the year, there were several not-so-stellar moments featuring characters, storylines, and more, that get the dubious honor of some of our “Worsts”. While we know many of you have your own views and picks, and you may disagree or agree with ours, we encourage you to let us know your thoughts as well.  Most of all, respect everyone’s opinions, as you wish them to respect yours.

Finally, we want to wish our enduring and passionate community here at Michael Fairman TV, a very Happy New Year. It is all of you with your love for the genre itself which makes this such a unique form of entertainment with a special connection between the audience, the performers, and the storylines themselves.

So, here we go … The Best and Worst in Soaps … and with that… 2023 out!

Photo: ABC

MOST EMOTIONAL SOAP

General Hospital

When it comes to which soap has the heart and soul, scene by scene, such as the touching goodbye to Nurse Epiphany Johnson and the late Sonya Eddy, GH is at its best in this department, and remained so throughout the year. GH has utilized its vets, and continued to weave in contemporary issues of our time, be it through medical drama, love stories, or familial dynamics.

MOST SHOCKING SOAP

The Young and the Restless

Shocking in that … we did not see coming the intense Aunt Jordan and Claire storyline. Great twist! Y&R stuck with the Jordan/Claire vs. the Newmans story throughout entire episodes, too. It has been riveting, surprising, and excellent drama that was brought to us in the final months of 2023.

Photo: JPI

MOST ENTERTAINING SOAP

Days of our Lives

With so many nods to its past, and taking out a treasure chest of soap tropes think: baby switches, amnesia, blackmail, presumed dead or resurrected characters, DAYS certainly brought the laughs, the “oh-that’s-clever”, and the drama throughout the year.  However, nothing said it best than the soap within a soap, Body and Soul, and seeing Deidre Hall, Lauren Koslow and others in trashy 80’s/90’s primetime soap get-ups and big hair! The thing that made us laugh and smile the most was the closing show credits. Brilliant! DAYS should never forget Body and Soul, as it just may the best soap of the year, in actuality!

Photo: JPI

MOST SCENIC SOAP

The Bold and the Beautiful

The Bold and the Beautiful is truly the only soap left that does grand remotes, takes us to other countries, and in those moments brings couples together or tears them apart – look no further than lusty Hope and Thomas giving in to their feelings and making out at the famed Colosseum in Rome, right before Hope’s then husband, Liam’s eyeballs!  We also need to give the show some marks here for their fashion show challenge episodes with dresses du jour and the models. Not quite the glitzy fashion shows of yore, but still maintaining the essence of the original premise of the show.

Photo: ABC

BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS (TIE)

Cynthis Watros – Nina Reeves  – General Hospital

While Nina was consistently put in a position of defending herself or covering up her tracks (especially with this long-winded SEC story), Cynthia Watros showed why she is one of the best in the genre. Not to mention, Nina finding out Willow is her biological daughter, her marriage to Sonny, and constantly waiting for the sky to fall in on her. No matter what she was given to play, Watros made every scene work. Love Nina, or hate her, you gotta appreciate Cynthia’s dependable and outstanding work.

Annika Noelle – Hope Logan – The Bold and the Beautiful

If any year was the year of Annika Noelle as trouble heroine Hope Logan it was 2023.  She may have cried more tears than anyone else in soap land in a story that was often hard for many to swallow. With the flip of the story as to why Hope would choose to love, or jump into bed with the man who kept her apart from her baby Beth, or was obsessed with her via the “Hope” Mannequin (Oh, yes, that was a brain tumor causing this on Thomas), Noelle found a way to justify Hope’s actions, wants, desires, and reactions which made for some riveting scenes, in particular, Hope holding her own with ex-hubby, Liam in the showdown of why their marriage ultimately went bust.

Courtesy/CBS

Honorable Mention:

Arianne Zucker – Nicole Walker DiMera– Days of our Lives

While we were, at first, very against Days going there with another baby switch storyline, Arianne Zucker has broken our hearts as the ‘grieving’ mother.  Now give Nicole her baby back and end this misery for Nicole and all of us!

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A STORYLINE

Melody Thomas Scott – Nikki falls off the wagon after being force-fed an IV of booze – The Young and the Restless

There is not an actress in the genre that can play a bougie socialite falling from her mantel, and becoming the town lush like Melody Thomas Scott.  It was a stroke of genius to figure out … how could we get Nikki back to drinking again, when she fought so hard for her sobriety?  But kudos to Josh Griffith (EP and head writer, Y&R) for getting her addicted to the bottle know fault of her own. I guess, we need to give Aunt Jordan and Claire a big “thank you” for that, too!

Photo: JPI

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LIMITED RUN

Kim Coles – Days of our Lives

When we first saw Nurse Whitley King on Days of our Lives, taking care of her amnesiac patient, Abe Carver at University Hospital, we had no idea where this story was heading. Then, we see that Whitley clearly had a psychotic break, after losing her husband and cats from a bad heater incident. The way Coles went from comedy, to the cover-up. and then complete and utter despair was a tour de force. While some didn’t dig it, we thought Kim deserved recognition. Nurse Whitley even had a deep appreciation of the soap opera, Body and Soul, like we did!

Courtesy/ABC

BEST SINGLE PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A STORYLINE

Kelly Thiebaud – Britt’s death – General Hospital

After Britt decided to leave town, goodbye birthday party and all, and with her advancing Huntington’s Disease, she has a change of heart.  Only that fateful decision wound up cutting her life short, literally, when Britt gets scratched by the poison hook while getting into a tussle with the killer (who later turns out to be Heather Webber). When she stumbles back to the Haunted Star and into her mother Liesl’s (Kathleen Gati) arms, things get very sad, fast. Britt knows she is dying, and the mother and daughter must say their goodbyes and we reached for the hankies.

Honorable Mentions:

Courtney Hope – Sally loses the baby – The Young and the Restless

While the entire “Sally loses her unborn child” was heartbreaking, the moment that will be remembered from that in 2023 was when she pushed the call button from her hospital room and told the nurses, she is ready to see her baby now. Sally wanted to say goodbye in a tale that many a mother responded to Hope, and to us, after the performance had aired. It reminded us that sometimes soaps have the power to transcend and help, and let people know they are not alone in their pain and grief.

Finola Hughes – Anna fights back against the WSB after her past as a double agent becomes public – General Hospital

After Victor Cassadine’s revenge plot against Anna Devane revealed itself, (he made sure the public would find out that at one time in her spying career she was a double agent) she had come to the realization that the WSB wants to hang her out to dry and have her under arrest for treason against the state. After blackmailing her that they will look also look into the pasts of both Robert Scorpio and Annie Donnelly, Anna throws down against WSB Agent Hersley. In the hands of the mighty Hughes, she stands up to the bureau and showed us a woman defiant, but not so sure what’s actually next for her, which made all of her tears all the more heartbreaking.

Photo: JPI

BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Hayley Erin – Claire Grace – The Young and the Restless

Even though, this former GH Daytime Emmy-winning actress debuted on Y&R in October of 2023 in a brand new role, in short order, she has earned her spot in our year-end honors, going from an eager assistant to Nikki Newman to a dreaded, vengeful young woman who kidnapped Nikki at her Aunt Jordan’s house, drugged her, hooked her up to a booze-filled IV, helped poison the Newmans, etc, ONLY to realize she had been dumped by the woman who raised her.  At the end of the day, Claire is misunderstood and suffering from severe mental trauma, just where she goes from here time will tell, but it would seem Claire is really “Eve” the daughter of Cole and Victoria they thought had died at birth.

Honorable Mention:

Amanda Setton – Brook Lynn Quartermaine – General Hospital

No matter what scenes she is in, there is an ease to Amanda Sutton’s performance even though BLQ can at times be a spitfire. Whether it be being blackmailed by grandmother Tracy, trying not to fumble in her relationship with Chase, or being worried about her father, Ned, Amanda always delivered.

Photo: JPI

BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR

Wally Kurth – Justin Kiriakis/Ned Quartermaine/Eddie Maine – Days of our Lives and General Hospital

2023 should really give Wally an Emmy reel for 2024 that could be hard to beat. Not only did he play both Ned Quartermaine and his alter ego “Eddie Maine” (while Ned had a form of amnesia/PTSD) on General Hospital, but he also delivered several emotional turns on Days of our Lives as Justin Kiriakis, especially in the aftermath of his Uncle Victor’s death (the late John Aniston) and later learning Alex was “not” his biological son. While many were over GH’s “Eddie Maine” story and wanted it to come to its conclusion, the moment Ned recalled his life with Olivia after she saved him from drowning, was a tender and heartfelt moment played to perfection from this soap MVP. And, c’mon now, who else do you know that has two long-running roles on two different soaps?

Honorable Mentions:

John McCook and Thorsten Kaye – Eric Forrester and Ridge Forrester – The Bold and the Beautiful 

It seemed like the entire back-half of the year was about Eric and Ridge – first their battle over fashion supremacy at Forrester and how it dovetailed into Eric’s failing health and Ridge, his son, having to make the ultimate decision, taking the man off life support or allowing him a chance to live through potentially life-saving surgery. Together, McCook and Kaye have found a sweet spot that makes you believe they are father and son , no matter how soapy the material may be or cliché’, and after all, you are looking at the last two Daytime Emmy winners for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, McCook in 2022 and Kaye in 2023.

Photo: JPI

BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR

Greg Rikaart – Leo Stark – Days of our Lives

It is nearly impossible to not smile, laugh or be impressed by Rikaart’s romp as Leo Stark. While Rikaart has the witty dialog and barbs, he makes them all jump off the page, and this year, Leo even truly fell in love with Dimitri Von Leuschner and began to soften a bit. Let’s see where Leo goes, or who he goes after next in 2024.

Photo: JPI

BEST SINGLE PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A STORYLINE

Mark Grossman – Adam’s decision to save Sally or their baby – The Young and the Restless

In the capable hands of Mark Grossman, we felt not only Sally’s pain, but Adam’s. Imagine having to decide to save your child or the woman you love? Adam was left in despair, trying to be strong for Sally, and even reached out to his brother Nick to come be at Sally’s side. Perhaps, the most heartbreaking moment occurred when Adam told Sally she lost the baby, only for her to rail at Adam for his decision, leaving him devastated.

Honorable Mentions:

Zach Tinker – Sonny gives his Eulogy at Victor’s memorial – Days of our Lives

Talking about hitting it out of the ballpark! Zach Tinker comes back to DAYS to reprise his role of Sonny Kiriakis for Victor’s memorial and to pay tribute to the late John Aniston, and steals the show as Sonny gives a heartfelt eulogy for his great Uncle. And on another note: Tinker also hit a home run when he popped back up on Y&R as Fenmore Baldwin with a boyfriend in tow and Lauren and Michael made it no big whoop that their son is gay. Well-played Y&R.

Courtesy/ABC

Réal Andrews – Taggert is devastated to learn Trina is not his biological daughter – General Hospital

When Taggert found out the DNA results that proved Curtis was Trina’s biological father, not him, it hit him like a ton of bricks. However, he quietly exited the hospital hallway where Trina, Portia and Curtis were gathered, and instead, got into the elevator and broke down so no one could see. Heartbreaking work from Réal.

MOST ANNOYING CHARACTER

Liam Spencer – The Bold and the Beautiful

After Liam witnesses Hope initiating and planting a kiss on Thomas outside the Colosseum in Rome, Liam retaliated by kissing Steffy minutes later. Then, when back in L.A., Liam kisses the married Steffy another time. While his marriage to Hope fell apart, he was already back trying to ‘woo’ Steffy away from Finn.  If you want to do something to fix this character, go full villain-mode, because this makes Liam insipid to the audience.

Courtesy/Peacock

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCES and BEST TEARJERKERS

The cast of Days of our Lives – Victor’s Funeral (in tribute to John Aniston)

The cast of General Hospital – Epiphany’s memorial (in tribute to Sonya Eddy)

It was very difficult to choose when you have two casts taking to the cameras to play emotional and heartfelt scenes on the death of a beloved character and in real-life the death of a beloved castmate.  We needed the hankies for both.

BEST VILLAIN, FEMALE

Colleen Zenk – Aunt Jordan – The Young and the Restless

In the final months of 2023, Y&R surprised us with the daytime return of As the World Turns vet, Colleen Zenk (ex-Barbara Ryan) in the role of Aunt Jordan;  the scene-stealing psychotic and vengeful sister of the late Eve Howard. In short order, viewers would find Jordan hiding in vents, spewing venom at the Newmans, and hellbent on destroying Nikki and having no remorse in trying to kill people. Zenk is playing the part to perfection.

Honorable Mention:

Miranda Wilson – Megan Hathaway – Days of our Lives

Miranda Wilson was back in full DiMera mode as she tried to keep Bo Brady from remembering who he really is after resurrecting him in a cryogenic chamber while keeping Marlena, Kayla and Kate in ‘tubes.” Later, we learned Megan was the bio-mom to Dimitri Von Leuchner, juicy stuff.  Wilson played it to the hilt before it was time to hit the pause button on her evil ways. 

Photo: ABC

BEST VILLAIN, MALE

Charles Shaughnessy – Victor Cassadine – General Hospital

Victor Cassadine’s plot to take over the world a la the throwback to the Ice Princess story was fantastic, and Shaughnessy could not have been better. Going from controlling and visceral, to outright playing a deranged madman by the end of his run. Kudos.

Honorable Mention:

Linden Ashby – Cameron Kirsten – The Young and the Restless

Although he returned for a short stint, Linden Ashby proved he can certainly play the obsessed, twisted, and intense Cameron Kirsten decades later, and be just as good and maybe even better in scenes with Sharon Case, Joshua Morrow and Reylynn Caster.

WORST VILLAIN

Colin Bedford – Days of our Lives

Out of nowhere, Sloan’s super sleazy brother Colin (Jasper Newman) comes to Salem with a vendetta against Chanel. This leads to the ridiculous “Sweet Bits” drug caper where everyone gets high on them including; Nicole and Eric who have sex (and she becomes pregnant). When Colin went to push Chanel to her death, it left Abe an amnesiac. Thank God, Colin was sent to prison and his storyline ended.

Photo: JPI

BEST GUEST STAR and BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LIMITED RUN

Dick Van Dyke – Timothy Robicheaux – Days of our Lives

Truly, the most heart-tugging performance of the year came from TV legend, Dick Van Dyke, as a man with no memory who lands at University Hospital in Salem. When all is said and done, we learn he is actually Timothy Robicheaux, the biological father to John Black. Van Dyke was so effective, that if he doesn’t win a Daytime Emmy in 2024, then I don’t know what the hell is going on with the Emmy voters.

BEST SCENE

John and Timothy realize they are father and son – Days of our Lives

Through these scenes, both Drake Hogestyn and Dick Van Dyke played the beats of the story so convincingly, that they made us feel for this elderly man who finds the son he has longed for over years.  While this brought yet another change to John Black’s history and back-story, it is a welcome one. Finally, John gets a decent man for a dad, and not the evil Yo Ling, when all is said and done.

Photo: JPI

WORST SCENE/BIGGEST LETDOWN

Bo is shot by Shawn, ruining the reunion of Bope – Days of our Lives

What a letdown this turned out to be!  As viewers waited for the reunion of the iconic Bo (Peter Reckell) and Hope (Kristian Alfonso), we first got a brainwashed Bo, and then when he finally remembers his life with Hope, he is shot by his son, lands in a coma and Bo and Hope are written off the canvas. To satisfy us, the show gave us a dream-like reunion, meant to tide us over.  That’s not going to cut it.

BEST RETURN

Terrell Ransom Jr. – Days of our Lives

While we had big name returns in 2023 including: Jane Elliot, Ellen Travolta, Blake Berris, and Rena Sofer (see her below for Best Comeback), who all returned to their former soap homes, the one that stood out to us happened to be the the most clever one. That would be on Days of our Lives and having the actor who played Theo Carver as a child (from 2008 to 2015), play an actor named Jerry Prentiss, who is paid off by Nurse Whitley to impersonate amnesia Abe Carver’s son, Theo. Watching Terrell share scenes again with James Reynolds was very special in this twist on a twist.

Photo: ABC

BEST RECAST

Kate Mansi as Kristina Corinthos-Davis – General Hospital

This was a tough one, because we loved, and do love, Lexi Ainsworth and her portrayal of Sonny and Alexis’ daughter.  For however, it went down behind the scenes, Kate Mansi was brought in to carry the ball and obviously Kristina carrying a baby for TJ and Molly.  Mansi is always good, and here she is making Kristina her own, as perhaps a more matured version.

WORST EXIT

Roger Howarth as Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt – General Hospital

Another great actor, not given a fully realized character with problematic and questionable story turns, was Roger Howarth. During his most recent GH iteration as Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt, the writers backed the character into a corner and he was shot to death. The very next episode never went back to anyone finding the guy, and we had to wait a few episodes before this story picked back up, and thus far, it’s not been, shal the most exciting murder mystery.

Photo: ABC

BEST COUPLE

Spencer Cassadine and Trina Robinson – General Hospital

While last year at this time, we gave Sprina an honor as ‘Best Couple in the Making”, in 2023, we are happy to report, as of this writing, the year brought Spencer and Trina closer together, and in love and dating! And, let’s not forget their epic moment in Greenland, where assuming Spencer perished, he turns up alive and Trina leaps into his arms, their trip to New York where they finally hit the sheets, and more. With Esme looming with her memories now intact, hold on to your horses Sprina fans in 2024! Through it all, Nicholas Chavez and Tabyana Ali have made their on-screen pairing, a young GH couple in the history of the show that will be remembered.

Photo: JPI

Honorable Mention:

Dimitri Von Leuschner and Leo Stark – Days of our Lives

Peter Porte and Greg Rikaart clearly had a delicious time working with each other in this love story no one saw coming.  And wasn’t it nice for a change on the soaps that the gay characters didn’t have to be the most upstanding morale centers of the community? Dimitri and Leo were schemers, complex bad guys with a human side, and it all worked thanks to Peter and Greg and some witty writing.

WORST COUPLE

Hamilton Finn and Elizabeth Webber – General Hospital

We had hoped this couple would be done, kaput, but in the back-half of the year, the writers chose to re-engage Finn (Michael Easton) and Liz (Rebecca Herbst) in a romantic relationship 2.0. Problem is it continues to be uncomfortable to watch some of the lovey-dovey, cutesy, circumstances they put the couple in.

Photo: JP!

WORST BREAK-UP

Kyle and Summer (Skyle) – The Young and the Restless

We had hoped that Y&R’s Skyle could withstand the problems with their mother’s, Diane and Phyllis’, ongoing feud and machinations, but the series decided it was the only thing they could come up with to blow them to smithereens.

MOST TORTURED CHARACTER

Sasha Gilmore – General Hospital

Two years running, GH’s poor Sasha Gilmore gets this distinction. How much can you do to one character?  This poor woman was coming off a previous year where she lost her beloved husband, Brando (Johnny Wactor), and that was after the loss of their infant son, Liam. Then, there was an attempt to drive her to have a breakdown on Haven de Havilland’s talk show, Home & Heart, as well as Sasha batting her addiction to drugs.  Throughout a good portion of this year, Sasha was drugged endlessly by Dr. Montague and her mother-in-law Gladys Corbin and locked away at Ferncliff, as viewers were screaming, “Please, make this stop!”

Photo: ABC

BEST FIRST IMPRESSION

Charles Mesure as Brennan – General Hospital

We can only hope that GH brings back Charles Mesure as Brennan, Pikeman, or whoever he is, because in our quick snapshot on the situation, GH fans loved the guy and the appeal he brought to the screen.

WORST TRIANGLE

Heather/Daniel/Lily or Sharon/Chance/Summer – The Young and the Restless

Take your pick … snooze …

CHARACTER WHO DESERVED THE BIGGEST BITCH-SLAP

Melinda Trask – Days of our Lives

This former DA certainly, and quickly, had all the ways to engineer a baby switch against Nicole. She knew how to cover her tracks, so Sloan could raise baby Jude as her own adopted son. Nefarious! Trask deserves a bitch-slap multiple times over!!! Every character in this story should wind-up and get in line when her part in this is exposed.

Courtesy/ABC

BEST MOTHER/SON MOMENT

Aiden comes out to Elizabeth – General Hospital

In a simply stated and touching scene, beautifully played by Rebecca Herbst and Enzo De Angelis, a teenaged Aiden tells his mother he is interested in his classmate, Tobias. One of the best ‘coming out’ scenes we have seen on the soaps.

Photo: JPI

BEST SINGLE MOMENT IN A STORYLINE

Finn calls out Liam, and says “You little puke” – The Bold and the Beautiful

We applauded as Finn asks Liam why did he go to Steffy with the video of him hugging it out with his mom, Sheila, instead of coming to him, first, and in the process call him a “little puke.”

CONTINUED WASTED MOMENT

Lauren visits Los Angeles from Genoa City for the Forrester fashion showdown and never runs into Sheila, yet again – The Bold and the Beautiful

Someone please tell us how many more times will Lauren (Tracey Bregman) visit L.A. from Genoa City and NEVER see Sheila (Kimberlin Brown)?

Photo: JPI

BEST STORYLINE

Aunt Jordan and Claire’s surprise take down the Newmans/Claire is Baby Eve – The Young and the Restless

This story has captivated viewers, and illustrates that if you “go there” and give them something unexpected and slightly creepy, dangerous, hard to look away from, and in-your-face drama, they will come. The twist of Nikki Newman’s newly-hired assistant, Claire, turning into a vengeful monster with an agenda right before our eyes was shocking enough. But then, you find out she is working with someone… and that someone is even more vindictive and evil than she is! When Y&R had Nikki hooked up to an IV of booze, and Colleen Zenk was revealed to be Aunt Jordan, and the torment and torture that has ensued for Nikki and her entire family, it has made for delicious TV. Not to mention the fact that it seems Claire is really baby “Eve”, and the use of Y&R history with the present, has been a winning combo and served up in the closing months of 2023.

Honorable Mention:

Victor Cassadine’s plot for world domination is foiled in Greenland– General Hospital

It has been GH’s 60th anniversary year and the series decided to harken back to its rich history with a nod to the Ice Princess utilizing Laura (Genie Francis), a weather machine, and a deranged Victor Cassadine in his plot for world domination. In the story, the action takes place in a remote part of Greenland where in the end, Victor perishes, Valentin says a fitting ‘farewell’ to his father, Sprina is reunited, and Laura saved the day!

Courtesy/ABC

MOST BORING STORYLINE

Willow’s Cancer – General Hospital

This story dragged out way too long, and try as the actors might with its twists and turns, and watching the beautiful Katelyn MacMullen look sullen and sickly with make-up, it just didn’t work for us, and we expect many others felt the same.

Photo: JPI

MOST BORING CHARACTER

Tucker McCall – The Young and the Restless

How can you waste the unbelievably talented and dynamic Trevor St. John and write the role of what is supposed to be a feared villain so lackluster? 2024 needs to bring a major re-haul to McCall, so St. John gets the opportunity to deliver what One Life to Live, Indie movie and primetime TV fans know he is capable of.

MOST POMPOUS CHARACTER

Nate Hastings – The Young and the Restless

We can’t find any redeeming qualities to this guy – a doctor-turned-smug corporate exec who just needs to be knocked down a peg.

Photo: CBS

BIGGEST WASTE OF TALENT

Sharon Case as Sharon Collins – The Young and the Restless

How did we get here … again?  Case has landed this distinction a few times since we began our Best and Worst Lists of the Year. After starting 2023 hot, in the Cameron Kirsten storyline, we had high hopes that Sharon would go on an emotional journey which took the character somewhere, instead, she was at Crimson Lights pouring coffee, the show toying with a relationship between Sharon and Chance, only to throw Summer in the mix, and then there is the continuing roundabout with the Newman bros. Hopefully, this early January 2024 standalone episode for Sharon, will trigger a new lease on the characters soap life.

Photo: JPI

WORST STORYLINE

Bill and Ridge’s bungled plot to bring down Sheila Carter – The Bold and the Beautiful

For weeks, Bill was all of a sudden protecting Sheila Carter from going to jail. Then, he supposedly falls in love with her, freaking out the entire Spencer and Forrester family. He even blackmails Steffy and Finn not to testify or he will throw Taylor under the bus for shooting him years ago! If this head-scratcher isn’t enough, later, it’s revealed that Ridge (who had been MIA for weeks and returning with a man bun) along with the FBI, and Dollar Bill were all working together in a plot to get a confession out of Sheila for her crimes. However, the bungling dudes failed to get her confession legally so it was thrown out in court, and Sheila went free. It was all so senseless.

STORYLINES WE COULD USE LESS OF

Mergers and Acquisitions   – The Young and the Restless

At times, we needed a scorecard at to watch Y&R when it delves into its corporate “intrigue”, which was way too often in 2023. Do you know which characters are at which company? We got: Newman Media, Jabot Cosmetics, Marchetti, Chancellor -Winters. McCall Unlimited, Chance COMM, and more. Boardroom antics and too much business talk is not usually why people tune-in to soaps, less is more in this case.

Photo: JPI

BEST DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL

Emily O’Brien – Days of our Lives

Gwen Rizczech is written off and exits Salem, just as Theresa Donovan arrives at same airport, only its O’Brien in blonde wig as a recast. Way to have the actress come back in no time!

BEST COMEBACK

Rena Sofer as Lois Cerullo – General Hospital

It had been over two and a half decades since Rena Sofer played her signature soap role as Lois Cerullo on the ABC daytime drama, and her comeback in 2023 has reminded us all of why we loved Rena’s Lois in the first place. A smart and savvy, tells it like it is gal with a Brooklyn accent, and colorful long nails. Sofer has brought that all back in a more mature version of Lois. It has been so nice to have her mix it up with the likes of her former scene partners: Wally Kurth, Lisa LoCicero and Jane Elliot so many years later, plus Rena made sure Ellen Travolta returned as her mom, Gloria. Blast from the pasts do come back!

Photo: JPI

MOST PREPOSTEROUS PLOT TWIST 

Marlena, Kate and Kayla “died” and wind up in cryogenic chambers – Days of our Lives

After Orpheus poisons the three ladies, we watch their families grieve and mourn, while next the women are seen in heaven, which is actually hell and apparently in a state of ‘in-between’.  Then, all three woke up in a lab and have been placed in cryogenic chambers thanks to Megan Hathaway, who has had Bo in the same lab as well. Got that? But after the dust settled, what did this accomplish? It brought Bo back to life only for him to land back in a coma, and the ladies went on with their lives.

CHARACTER WHO NEEDS TO GET THEIR COMEUPPANCE

Sloan Petersen – Days of our Lives

How many ways can you say … ”BIOTCH”!?

Photo: JPI

MOST OVERUSED PROPS OR TERMS

SEC – General Hospital

How many times have we heard “SEC” said on GH over months and months and months! What served as a way to continue the Carly and Nina feud has spiraled into so many people becoming involved in the cover-up and blackmail, and Drew going to jail when Carly and Drew were kind of victims of their own making in not knowing they were doing insider trading. Let’s just start 2024 with the reveal that Nina set this all in motion, so we can never hear these three dreaded letters ever spoken again.

Blonde Wig – Theresa Donovan – Days of our Lives

When Jen Lilley was suddenly recast in the role of Theresa Donovan by brunette Emily O’Brien, the show chose for Emily to don a blonde wig. That wig got plenty of media attention.

The Stapler – The Bold and the Beautiful

Eric Forrester walked around with an age-old stapler, as he vowed victory over Ridge in the Forrester family fashion showdown, and then the stapler kept being talked about and seen and talked about and seen …

Photo: ABC, IMDb

WORST REVOLVING DOOR FOR A ROLE

Haley Pullos to Holiday Mia Kriegel to Brooke Anne Smith to Kristen Vaganos as Molly Lansing Davis – General Hospital

GH had a case of “Molly Madness!” After Haley Pullos gets involved in a car collision and is charged with a Felony DUI and more, GH has to recast the role of Molly. First, they attempt to do so with Holiday Mia Kriegel. After that didn’t work out, they brought in Brooke Anne Smith. Next, the series decides to switch Molly’s once again with Kristen Vaganos taking on the role, who from all accounts, looks to be the actress that will stick.

Photos: JPI and ABC

BIGGEST HEADLINES: TRAGIC DEATHS & THE LOSS OF BELOVED FAVORITES

Billy Miller, Tyler Christopher, Nneka Garland, Jackie Zeman, Andrea Evans, Elizabeth Hubbard, Kamar de los Reyes, Ellen Holly, Michael Levin, Ben Masters, Annie Wersching, Cody Longo, Brett Hadley, Nicolas Coster, Jeffrey Carlson, Bronwen Booth, Nick Benedict, Sharon Farrell, Nancy Frangione, Arleen Sorkin, Lara Parker, Mark Goddard, Peter White, Jack Axelrod, Bob Miller and more.

As 2023 kept unfolding, the soap opera community was in for one shocking and heartbreaking loss after another. Some like: Jackie Zeman, Andrea Evans and Kamar de los Reyes passed away too soon after short bouts of cancer. GH producer Nneka Garland, died suddenly. We were heartsick to learn of the death of two of daytime’s all-time greatest, Billy Miller and Tyler Christopher, and beloved veterans such as Elizabeth Hubbard, Michael Levin and Ellen Holly. Above is just a small list of those we remember in our hearts forever as the year comes to a close.

Now let us know in the comment section below, which picks of ours you agreed with, or disagreed with, and your thoughts on the Best and Worst in Soaps 2023.