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Deep Dish Names The Best & Worst Of Season One Of AMC and OLTL!

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/TOLN

Courtesy/TOLN

Earlier this week, Marc Harshbarger reviewed the first season of the revivals of All My Children and One Life to Live with this picks for the Best and Worsts storylines, characters, actors and actresses, events, mystery, hunks and more,  on his popular blog Deep Dish:  groovy gay pop culture!

Harshbarger noted: “So it has been a bumpy four months for AMC and OLTL behind the scenes as well as on-screen, where their characters and storylines have entertained, frustrated, confused and put me to sleep.”

As for a sampling of his picks …  for Most Dramatic storyline: “Last spring I found Cassandra’s violent kidnapping by sex traffickers on AMC to be too disturbing and sleazy to enjoy. However, this storyline did eventually lead to some satisfying emotional drama, including Cassandra’s pregnancy and abortion and Jesse’s resignation as Pine Valley’s police chief.”

For Worst Storyline Runner-Up: “The Pellegrino Fund on OLTL – both Dorian and Viki were stuck in this dull storyline as the latter lost a fortune in a bad investment.” Worst Storyline Honorable Mention: “OLTL’s Nora Buchanan as “The Nightbird” – she got her own advice show podcast, which was less than exciting to watch – and big waste of Hillary B. Smith’s talent.”

For Most Entertaining Character: “OLTL’s David is always good for a laugh – and Tuc Watkins is terrific in the role. I especially enjoyed him pushing Blair out of the way at the gala. And I have a feeling that he and Dorian – who broke up after she caught him kissing Rama on the dance floor at Shelter – will eventually find their way back to each other after she learns the truth about Carl.”  Best Bitch:  “AMC’s Colby Chandler – I didn’t care much for her at first as she broke up Celia and Pete and slept with both him and David. But then it was revealed that she was friends with poor Cassandra, whom she helped through the painful aftermath of her kidnapping. It was nice to see that Colby had a nice side – and even though she continued to be mean to Celia (i.e. changing the measurements of the girl’s gala dress), I now liked her as a more “well-rounded” bitch.”‘

Best Actor and Actress: “Next year’s Daytime Emmys better acknowledge the wonderful performances by AMC’s Darnell Williams and Debbi Morgan as their characters, Jesse and Angie Hubbard, dealt with their daughter’s traumatic ordeal. ”

Check out the entire list here, and then let us know if you agree with Harshbarger’s picks, or what would you pick as the Best and Worst of Season One of AMC and OLTL?  Share your thoughts below!

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I agree that AMC had a better season than OLTL. I love Tuc Watkins and didn’t like Nikki the bartender. I don’t know that I’d give AMC an “A”, especially since I didn’t like Cassandra’s story, no matter how timely the subject may be or how well Debbi and Darnell did with the material, and their performancs were award-worthy. I’m not sure I’d give Best Couple to Pete and Celia. Between the two shows, I’d probably give it to Todd and Blair. Dr. Anders is not all that interesting to me, either. But I do agree that Zach and Lea were snooze-worthy and ICAM that Zach and Kendall belong together. Here’s hoping Kendall does return in the second season and Zach can find his way back to the love of his life.

Im in agreement here…its about all id of said…i think Noras story wouldve been better had she been recieving calls from her enemy Lyndsey Rappaport. One Lifes cliffhanger shouldve been like this: Natalie finds her babysitter murdered and Liam missing. cut to street scene…a blonde woman is seen walking with a small child, and singing ‘Hush little baby dont say a word’ ect. she turns to the camera and smiles wickedly…its Alison Perkins with Liam! Alison resumes singing and walking with Liam. fade to black. end of season one. Will John Mcbain return for season 2 to search for his and Nats missing son? This…imo…wouldve been a better cliffhanger!

Oh dead Gawd in heaven please don’t tell me Petey and Celia won Best Couple? Is that a joke?

That guy is so nauseating. A complete Cameron Mathison/Ryan Lavery 2.0.

I agree with the writer’s statement, “RH sleepwalked through his scenes”. I did not think that Todd and Blair were all that amazing together. They were somewhat boring. The “More” shows talked about Todd and Blair too much. The producers and writers missed the mark on that one. They should not have built a good part of the season around RH’s departure. Focus on the terrific actors who are committed to OLTL, and not the one who is on his way back to GH. I do hope that OLTL returns as the mystery set up by Jeffrey and Carl could be really good. The writers should forget about Todd or recast.

I don’t agree that RH was sleepwalking through his scenes. I think he was given crap writing and then tired after filming it all in such little time. I think your are dead on though about how they focused way too much on TnB and not the characters who were staying. It seemed really weird and they wrote a lot of characters into a corner as a result. Both Blair and Tea are married to characters who are not on the show now. Are they just going to be dropped into the “mom” roles? I don’t know why TPTB thought that was a good idea.

I would have liked to have seen at the season finally that Todd was the mastermind and culprit behind the Tattoo organization working with Alison Perkins holding Victor hostage again. He did all of this to win Blair back.

What a pleasant surprise!!! Thanks, Michael, for the shout-out to my recent AMC and OLTL post. That’s so nice of you. Hopefully your fans will enjoy reading it.

Loved the reviews, and must say they were spot on!

Thanks, Derek! 🙂

The downfall of both soaps is;
They are too soft for the internet..
People expect much more reality, hard core drama, and of course a bit of skin and be real to life, when people get mad they swear, especially the men.
Both soaps are seen as being written for grandma..

People watch hows shows like;
Breaking Bad… #1 rating
American Horror story
Orange the new Black
House of cards etc etc in kind..

Cable has gone R and MA ratings for the most popular shows..

Network TV show as Scandal have 5 star ratings because they are for grownups, and we all love them..

Th soaps have a chance to grow and evolve into the 21st century media, and they still remain in the 1980’s scripts, and that is what is what is killing them off..
None of the soaps get a flow of younger viewers, it is the long time fans keeping them going and they will eventually die off..
The internet soaps need to be written fort he internet, if not and thy remain in the 80’s they will fail..
Nobody of this generation want to watch their grandmas soaps..

My grandmother watched GH…my niece is from this generation and she faithfully watches the show…a fourth generation watcher…mild swearing and barely any skin but yet she watches daily…people from this generation to us old geezers will watch anything good whether there is adult content or not…your not 100% wrong on some stuff you say but i didnt see a bunch of this generation tuning in when Tea said the f word…the story still has to be good…unfortunately the reboots storylines were not…and thats why it didnt attract many new viewers…i myself liked some of it and i didnt care if the swore or not but sometimes it was overused just because they could.

But– she is not a new viewer.. she has watched with family..
New viewers who have not watched soaps are not tuning in, if they were the numbers would be in the 5 million lol
And the soaps are laughed over by many younger as my grandmas stories..
The soaps are stuck in the 80’s and now have a chance to come into the 21st century media/online..
It has nothing to do with with saying fu*k it has to do with connecting to reality and men when very angry cuss..
teenagers are very liberal with some cuss words, not that they are constantly used but in life there are times when they are used to emotionally express, and teens are very good with not being offended by cuss words.. and that is connection to their life, they cuss..
there is drama that get people on the edge and there is soap drama that is a constant recycle of the 80’s stories lol ..
The soaps are not bringing in new viewers from this generation, if they were the rating numbers would double but they rarely go up to any notifiable difference.:)

suOOO
Soaps have been around for half a century. Guess what? People have been around much longer! And PEOPLE don’t change.

People have ALWAYS used curse words…I’m sure your parents did and your grandparents and their grandparents. Just like people were “shocked” when Elvis Presley moved his hips…just as they were shocked when Miley Cyrus moved more.

People stay the same…as each young generation of their time thinks they’re so unique, different, hip, cool….wthatever.

The reason soaps always drew huge viewers was because the viewers got involved…hooked…attached…to the characters and brought them into their lives day after day. DAY AFTER DAY…that’s a huge escape from reality..another aspect of saps that make them different than film or prime time viewing.

Cursing and taking off clothes doesn’t make more realistic or compelling drama. If so…porn would be all the rage. And no, before you get snarky…I’m not saying a curse word or a topless chick is porn. What I am saying is soaps are meant to be soaps. If you like the shows you mentioned…watch em! But they’re not daytime soaps.

The soap industry became too expensive. I don’t think it’s because they lacked nudity, cursing or any of the reasons you mentioned.

There are many successful TV shows, films, theatre…that don’t need to rely on what you consdier more “realistic.” Downton Abbey is a great example. The show, which is the furthest thing you can get from cursing, nudity…takes place in the early 1900s…is a hit in a lot of the world…England, US, Canada and several other countries. People of all ages are glued to the TV…

Makes no difference if a show’s on network, cable, the big screen, the tablet, your cell phone…it’s the stories…and the OLTL reboot in particular didn’t have good ones..until quite a few weeks into its game.

As for new vieweres? Maybe “daytime soaps” aren’t for them. But there are many millions of veiwers who enjoy them just as they were…if they can become hooked again…and get used to watching online instead of on TV…they’d have a great chance of success….

So what??
Fact is the soaps are not bringing in young viewers..
IF the soaps were garbing new viewers the ratings numbers would be way up, but the numbers stay near same/not growing to any significance because the younger and or new are not tuning in….
It is the old fans keeping them alive.
When something stops growing it will eventually die, in media..

I love the soaps and want them forever, but they do need change to get new viewers, they are not getting new viewers of any growing numbers.. 🙂

Downton Abbey is one of the most popular soaps of all time and there is little skin and no cursing. You are trying to compare apples to oranges. Soaps were not meant to be like “Breaking Bad”. The key is in the writing. Need good storylines. As much as I can’t stand watching the high school scenes, I know that I must endure some of it. I do not watch the shows you mention but I bet they don’t have high school scenes. No one wants to watch high school scenes except perhaps the 12 and under audience. The problem with the Internet is that most people watch by themselves. It is easier to turn on tv for family viewing. Yes, they have smart tv but neither myself or my tv is very smart. I watch on my iPad by myself. So, my point is the younger generation is not exposed to the show as easily as “Breaking Bad”. And you are right that many of the young people love to watch sex and curse but they will grow tired of that as we all have and start to look for a story. AMC and OLTL need to become classic like Downton Abbey. If you only want the least educated youth as an audience then keep with the cursing and the explicit sex scenes with little to no story.

Downtown Abby is not a soap.. It is nit made in the USA..
Downtown Abbey is a British period drama show..from the United Kingdom and PBS USA picked it for their Masterpiece series, it is aired in public TV..
It is related to history of aBritish social hierarchy and less fantasy then USA soaps..
Downtown Abbey also airs in;
Australia …Finland..Argentina .. Japan.. Italy..Taiwan ..
Spain.. The Czech Republic..Hong Kong..China..South Africa..
Sweden..Portugal..Chile..Brazil..Switzerland..France.. Greece..
Norway..Mexico..Russia..Hungary..Turkey..Philippines..Slovenia..
Denmark..Iran.. Middle East..Serbia..Belgium..Poland..New Zealand..
Netherlands..Israel..Germany..Scotland ((and others..
Many of those countries would not a allow any skin above the ankle lol

It is not a soap opera! It is TV series, a drama, and not a soap..
The Britts will beat ya up if you refer to it as a soap opera.. 🙂

my niece didnt watch with family…she started on her own…second if your part of this generation you watch gh and make great comments about it…it appeals to you yet there is no r rated sex or curse words and you never complain…you always give gh good comments about the storyline…many young in my family 16 to 30ish have watched soaps and other shows on network, cable and online including myself…pg to r rated…cussing and nudity were in some and some did not have hardly any…some were good shows and some werent…its all about the story…none tuned in to hear cursing or nudity…if all it takes is swearing and nudity then shows like the no.1 show like The Dome would fail and so would General Hospital…many young watch these shows. Yes, im a man and i used to swear a lot including the f word but i dont do it all the time nor do i want to hear it all the time…i didnt mind a little of it on the reboots but it didnt come off as real in some scenes and sounded forced and unnecessary…OLTL had over 3 million viewers in its final two weeks on abc…many of todays generation included!!!

I did not say to load the soaps with sex and cuss words.
I said they seem phony without some cussing when people are very angry they cuss and sex is a huge part of humans..
The soaps need to connect more to reality not be phony with no connection to real life..

@ su. In this case every on network.tv is fake because none of them have cussing or sex due to the FCC. The bottom line is soaps lose viewers because for one the neilson system.sucks and two people aren’t home during the day anymore like they used to be and thats it.

IMHO AMC had better writers. The story lines, while not perfect, kept my interest. AJ was the best of the new characters. Jesse, Angie and David were great as usual. But what happened to Dr. Griff and Bianca? They should have been used more. As for OLTL I felt there was no flow. Even though most of it’s characters returned something was missing. Jerry VanDorn was terrific. Too much emphasis was on Shelter. What happened to John McBain? It would have been nice if he made an appearance. If OLTL returns TPTB should change that awful opening. Since ABC is canceling Katie, ABC should put back AMC & OLTL instead of another dumb talk show!

OLTL has the worst opening, ever..(cringe) out of Sesame Street lol..
It is so irritating I can no longer tolerate it ..
The lame openings label the soaps as lame, very lame..

Theme music opening, dramatic music, would do both soaps a lot of good..

I wonder if ABC would bring the soaps back at 30 minutes each if PP had not bought the rights to them. The talk shows are never going to bring in high ratings. There are too many of them and they are sooooooo boring. I think the audience are those that don’t have cable and they just turn on the tv out of habit and don’t really watch. Ellen does well because she is funny. I use to watch tv every day. I don’t ever have the tv on during the day now unless I want to watch the local news. I am much more active now which is a good thing. I have discovered reading again and have become vegan! I am much healthier now, I guess I should thank ABC for canceling my soaps! I watch AMC with my coffee in the morning. I wish they would hurry up and bring back AMC. PP seems to focus on everything except producing shows. I am also waiting on Downton Abbey. I do watch Young and Restless occasionally but that is only because they have Cliff and Annie from AMC. I would watch OLTL if they had better stories.

Nora’s story ” Night Bird” was great…different funny.

I agree with Deep Dish about AMC on a number of points. I loved Colby, and watching her was one of the highlights of the season. She was a great bitch, but what made her relatable was seeing her vulnerability in her scenes with Cassandra. She was very well written and acted, nicely rounded out, and interesting. I look forward to more of her in season 2. I also agree about Lea and Zach. I love Zach Slater, but Lea was lackluster at best. His scenes with Miranda were far and away more enjoyable. But what I’m really hoping for is a return of Kendall in season 2. I miss her, both as a character in her own right and in her pairing with Zach. I also want to see more of the story between Jesse/Angie/David/Cara/JR. All of those relationships had me intrigued. Overall I thought there were some weaknesses to the season and wouldn’t give it an “A,” especially with the handling of Zach and Kendall, how they tried to fit Lea into the mix, and the heavy use of newbies and teens early on, but they seemed to get a handle on the overabundance of teens fairly quickly and things improved, leaving them in a good place to kick off season 2.

favorite OLTL characters (from this season) David, naturally, and Blair & Todd

I’m afraid the storywriting for OLTL this time was not up to what I’m used for OLTL for the first 43 years! The ending was horrible… that had to be a nightmare Nat’s having, having drifted off in one the hospital waiting rooms… This mystery thing with Todd & Victor reminds me too much of the “mystery” on ABC’s Lost… I like a mystery I can figure out and one that gets solved by the end of the season if not sooner. Vicki didn’t figure out that Dorian set her up? That’s not my Vicki. Nora is doing a radio show from home and from the looks of it, the listeners are getting a lot of dead air while she & Bo are talking and kissing. Love them… not into that storyline. Now if she had been injured and couldn’t go to work – and she’s a great lawyer/DA – I could see why they’d get her back on her game or such by getting this part time job to get her feeling better about herself, but just to have to her go from DA to amatuer radio personality, I’m not buying it.

Tea – she needs her hormones checked. She’s either over reacting, or she’s overacting. She goes from boo-boo face to raging ranting faster than a ferrari speeding away.

too much script/air time was given to swearing and to the young adults drinking and to that stupid nightclub! ug!

hopefully, season 2 will be an improvement over season 1.

One life to live was horrible. It sucks that was da show I’d practically run home from school to watch in the past but it was horrible this season. IF there is a season two and that’s a big IF the. The writers need to be FIRED otherwise don’t bring it back it will only dishonor OLTL more.

I would like to say that the main story on OLTL is really good. The one about The disappearance of Victor and Todd going after him and the absolutely wonderful performance of Clint at the end. The entrance of Allison Perkens really wets your appetite for more. So I say bring it back. To hec with the courts.

All My Children

‘All My Children’ Episodes to Stream on Pluto TV Canada

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Starting on May 1, All My Children fans in Canada will be able to see classic episodes of the beloved former ABC soap opera when they stream on Pluto TV Canada. 

Pluto TV picked-up the All My Children Channel that the Nixon family has created in partnership with BEONDTV +. The show which aired for 41 years on ABC and ended on the network in 2011, had so many memorable storylines and characters; the least of which is the enduring run of Erica Kane played by soap icon, Susan Lucci.

As previously reported, starting with episodes from the year 1995, which was the 25th anniversary of the soap. Pluto TV Canada viewers will be able to catch 8 episodes on repeat per day. With the success of the venture, the Nixons are hopeful that they will bring viewers many more years of the show to come.

Photo: ABC

Sarah Nixon, producer, shared with Michael Fairman TV exclusively, “We are thrilled that Pluto TV has launched All My Children in Canada! Let’s hope the engagement from our incredibly loyal fans across the border will encourage ABC to bring it to the U.S.!  We share what Aggie (Agnes Nixon) always felt, that it is the enthusiasm and love from the fans that has kept this legacy beloved and relevant – to this day!”

In addition, 0ne week ago, during Susan Lucci’s visit to Los Angeles promoting her book La Lucci, she was joined by her former Pine Valley castmates, Rebecca Budig (ex-Greenlee, AMC, now Taylor, B&B) and Eva LaRue (ex-Maria, AMC) and the trio posed for a pic. At that time, LaRue shared via Instagram, “NEW All My Children channel streaming classic episodes 24/7 now on Pluto TV Canada! Fingers crossed to watch soon on Pluto US.”

That was also confirmed this week by TV Watercooler’s Jeevan Brar who took to X and expressed,The All My Children channel begins streaming this Friday, May 1 on Pluto TV Canada.

So, Canadian viewers, excited about Pluto TV’s All My Children channel? United States fans, hopeful from Sarah’s message that perhaps soon, we can see the beloved soap once again as well? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

 

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Mark Consuelos Mourns the Loss of His Father

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Saul Consuelos, the father of All My Children alum and Live with Kelly and Mark co-host, Mark Consuelos (ex0-Mateo, AMC), has died. During an emotional moment on this mornings, April 6 edition of the syndicated talk show, Mark shared, that his dad, “passed away peacefully” back on March 23 following a long illness.

His wife and co-host, Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley, AMC) paid tribute to her her father-in-law expressing, he was, “the greatest person I’ve ever known. I can honestly say I will miss him every day for the rest of my life, as I know you will, as our children will. He really is so symbolic of everything you are.”

Kelly and Mark’s children, Joaquin, Michael and Lola Consuelos are said to be taking this extremely hard. Ripa added, “This is the first loss they’ve ever experienced in their lives. And I said, ‘By the time I was 8, I had no grandparents. You got to grow up (with grandparents). You got to have deep, meaningful conversations (with them).”

Photo: KRipaIG

In another moment, Mark reflected on his dad. “It’s funny, I used to make a joke about my dad … if you asked him what time it was, he would tell you how to build a watch. There were a lot of lectures, a lot of lectures and I learned so much. If he was fixing something in the house, he’d make me watch and do it. And I didn’t know at the time why he was doing that. But now at the house, I’m able to do at least half of the stuff that he did. I learned the most by just watching him.”

Mark added that Saul Consuelos came to the U.S. from Mexico in his early teens and served our county for decades, detailing, he “Ended up at Special Operations Command in Tampa. This young kid from Mexico just got his education from the navy. Was always going to school. Was brilliant. Got his Masters while I was a kid.  He loved his country so much, If you’re going to put a face to an immigrant, he would be the prime example of what this country promises people.”

In a very heart-tugging moment, Consuelos shared that now its important they be there for his mother, Camilla. “We gotta take care of mom. We’re trying to convince my mom to move to New York. She’s such a character, she’s stubborn. What do you think, a cooking segment here on Fridays with Camilla?”

Now below, watch the very touching and emotional moments as Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa mourn the loss of Saul Consuelos.

Let us know, what you thought of the remarks made by Kelly and Mark on the death of Mark’s father via he comment section.

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Sarah Michelle Gellar Visits ‘The View’ Where Hosts Sidestep Controversial ‘Buffy’ Reboot Axing, But Talk ‘All My Children’

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On yesterday’s March 17 episode of The View, All My Children alum, Sarah Michelle Gellar (ex-Kendall Hart), was the special guest. Since Monday, Gellar has been the subject of a hot-button issue since about the surprising turn of events that the highly-anticipated Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, in which she stars, and which was directed in the pilot by Oscar-winning director, Chloé Zhao, was no longer moving forward.

Gellar‘s appearance on the ABC morning talk show was devoid of any mention of Hulu cancelling its planned Buffy: New Sunnydale, in which Sarah was set to appear along with Ryan Kiera Armstrong. However, Gellar did discuss her new movie Ready or Not 2: Here I Come from Searchlight Pictures.

It should be noted that both Hulu and Searchlight Pictures are owned by The Walt Disney Company, while The View is produced by ABC News, which is also owned by The Walt Disney Company.

Courtesy/ABC

During the awkward interview, when it became clear the ‘Buffy’ reboot topic was off the table, The View co-host Sunny Hostin, talked about the “intense fight scenes” that have become a staple of her TV and film career starting with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scream 2, and I Know What You Did Last Summer.

The ladies of The View also brought up Sarah’s beginnings on All My Children as Kendall Hart (1993-1995), showing a scene with her and her on-screen mother, the iconic Erica Kane, played by Susan Lucci. The discussion sprung out of another All My Children alum, Michael B. Jordan (ex-Reggie Montgomery) winning the Oscar this past Sunday for Best Actor for his role in Sinners. The View’s Joy Behar was quick to point out with Gellar, the All My Children alums that have gone on to great fame.

Photo: ABC

Previously on Monday, Gellar opened up to PEOPLE about being blindsided before while at the SXSW Film & TV Festival premiere for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. “I got the call as we were stepping onto stage for the premiere of their own movie. And it’s also the weekend of Chloé going to the Oscars as a best director nominee for Hamnet. For them to call us on the Friday of what should have been Chloé’s victory lap for an incredible film, and my world premiere of something that I worked very hard for is… that says something.”

She went to say, “We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn’t for him.” Deadline reports that “multiple sources” identified the executive as Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich.

“I loved the duality that we had with this new, younger slayer who was where Buffy was when the show started, and then we would pick up with where Buffy was now,” Gellar told People about the setup.  However, according also to Deadline “After the pilot was completed and delivered, according to multiple sources, Hulu’s main note was that it played too young, with some indicating that the streamer also felt the show was too “small.”’

In the rewrite, sources also told the outlet that the writers did not take big enough swings, so they set out to do a rewrite it again. The last revision was more adult, featuring a lot more of Gellar’s Buffy, and was described as a more of a streaming show than a network one. When all is said and done there is hope that another Buffy IP will be up and running within the next couple of years.

You can check out Sarah Michelle Gellar’s full segment on The View below. Now let us know, bummed there is no Buffy reboot? What do you think about how this high profile Hollywood saga was side-stepped on the morning show? Did you love Sarah as the original Kendall Hart on All My Children? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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