All My Children
On-Air On-Soaps Michael Fairman's Best and Worst List of 2011!
Courtesy/ABC
In an emotional, bizarre, and heartbreaking year in the world of soaps, there was still tremendous work done by the talented performers in the genre in front of the camera, as well as those behind-the-scenes who illustrated brilliant creativity and passion for their field, and for loyal soap fans everywhere.
In addition, there were several not so stellar moments, characters, or storylines that get the dubious honor of some of the “Worsts” of 2011. So with that said, Michael Fairman presents to you his fourth annual Best and Worst of the Year. In several categories, it was almost too tight a race to call, and so we have showed you the runner-ups in those particular cases, and in some cases, we had to call it a “tie”.
From Best Soap to Worst, to Best Overall Performance by an Actor and Actress to Most Irritating Character, to Best Storyline to Worst, to Best Newcomer to Worst Return, to Best Single Performance in a Storyline by an Actor and Actress to Most Tortured Character, to Most Inexcusable Way to Handle the Soap Audience, we dissect it all, in our annual look back at the year in soaps.
Now, while we know many of you have your own picks and choices, we encourage you to let us know your thoughts as well. And most of all, we want to wish all our soapers a healthy, prosperous, and fantastic New Year!
So without further ado, after the jump, we reveal the list!
ON-AIR ON-SOAPS MICHAEL FAIRMAN’S BEST AND WORSTS OF 2011!
BEST SOAP
One Life to Live
BEST WEB SOAP
Courtesy/ABC
Venice
WORST SOAP
General Hospital
MOST DISAPPOINTING SOAP
The Young and the Restless
MOST DISAPPOINTING EPISODE
All My Children finale
BEST STORYLINE
Tale of the Two Todds – One Life to Live
WORST STORYLINE
Who killed Skye? – The Young and the Restless
MOST BOTCHED STORYLINE
The Balkan and Brenda- General Hospital
LOOPIEST STORYLINE
Courtesy/MFSOAPS
Trippy-Berry Island with Brooke and Thomas – B&B
MOST OFFENSIVE STORY POINT
Lisa yielding an HIV positive blood-filled syringe as a weapon – GH
BEST RIPPED-FROM-THE HEADLINES SOCIAL ISSUE STORY
Teen suicide via bullying – One Life to Live
BEST WRITING
Ron Carlivati – One Life to Live
WORST WRITING
David Kreizman and Donna Swajeski – All My Children (For the beginning of 2011)
Garin Wolf – General Hospital (For the latter part of 2011)
BEST SINGLE PERFORMANCE MALE
Courtesy/ABC
Jonathan Jackson – Lucky addresses Luke during Luke’s intervention – GH
BEST SINGLE PERFORMANCE FEMALE
Erika Slezak – Viki battles her alters in Erika’s special 40th Anniversary episode– OLTL
BEST SINGLE PERFORMANCE BY A YOUNGER PERFORMER
Austin Williams – Shane’s suicide attempt – One Life to Live
BEST EPISODE OF THE YEAR
The Fraternity Row Fantasy Episode – One Life to Live
BEST COMEDIC EPISODE OF THE YEAR
The Vicker Man Premiere – One Life to Live
Runner up: The Blanca Show – One Life to Live
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
(TIE) Trevor St. John – One Life to Live, Jonathan Jackson – General Hospital
Runner up: Steve Burton – General Hospital
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
Courtesy/ABC
Florencia Lozano – One Life to Live
Runner-ups: Erika Slezak – One Life to Live, Crystal Chappell – Days of our Lives
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR
Billy Miller – The Young and the Restless
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Ilene Kristen – One Life to Live
BEST YOUNGER ACTOR
Chandler Massey – Days of our Lives
BEST YOUNGER ACTRESS
Molly Burnett – Days of our Lives
MOST BELOVED CHARACTER AND PERFORMER WE WILL MISS THE MOST
Michael E. Knight – All My Children
BEST RETURN
Courtesy/ABC
David Canary – All My Children
Runner up: Andrea Evans as Tina with David Vickers, the dog in tow – One Life to Live
WORST RETURN
Debbi Morgan – The Young and the Restless
BEST RECAST
Barbara Rhodes (Irene Manning) – One Life to Live
WORST RECAST
Tom Degnan (Joey) – One Life to Live
BEST RECURRING PERFORMER
Tuc Watkins – One Life to Live
BEST RUINATION OF A CHARACTER
Chloe Lane who becomes a hooker – Days of our Lives
MOST TORTURED CHARACTER
Jason Morgan – General Hospital
MOST OVERUSED PLOT DEVICE BY ONE SHOW AT ONE TIME
Photo Credit: Getty Images
The soap epidemic called The Doppelganger – DAYS, AMC, Y&R and OLTL all head them! Enough!
FAVORITE DOPPELGANGER
Jane – All My Children
WORST DOPPELGANGER
Caleb – The Young and the Restless
WORST WAY TO WRITE OFF A MAJOR SOAP CHARACTER
Marty Saybrooke wanders on to a plane, because she is told her presumed dead husband Patrick is on board. And, we see no on-screen reunion of Susan Haskell and Thorsten Kaye!
MOST UPSETTING MOMENT OF THE YEAR INVOLVING A PERFORMER
Trevor St. John ends up being killed-off of OLTL after a murky and confusing negotiation, and the return of Roger Howarth. Thus depriving fans of the two Manning brothers for any length of time.
MOST INEXCUSABLE WAY TO HANDLE THE SOAPS AND ITS AUDIENCE
Prospect Park allowing OLTL to film their final episode knowing that they couldn’t come up with a way to put it online, and making the actors tout that the show is continuing, and leaving fans in the dark with no proper press.
WORST DECISION THAT IMPACTS SOAP FANS
Courtesy/NBC
ABC cancels One Life to Live and All My Children in the same breath!
BEST TRIANGLE
Viki/Charlie/Echo – One Life to Live
WORST QUANDRANGLE
Steffy/Liam/Hope/Thomas – The Bold and the Beautiful
BEST COUPLE
Billy and Victoria – The Young and the Restless
MOST CRINGEWORTHY COUPLE (TWO YEARS RUNNING)
Adam and Sharon – The Young and the Restless
SEXIEST NON-COUPLE
Brooke and Thomas – The Bold and the Beautiful
WORST COUPLE
Joey and Kelly – One Life to Live
WORST QUANDRANGLE
Courtesy/ABC
Steffy/Hope/Liam/Thomas – The Bold and the Beautiful
MOST IRRITATING CHARACTER
(TIE) Siobhan McKenna – General Hospital, Damian Spinelli as Jackal P.I – General Hospital
WORST NEW FAMILY INTEGRATED INTO A SOAP
The Patels – One Life to Live
MOST REVITALIZED CHARACTER
Nikki Newman – The Young and the Restless
MOST CREEPY PERFORMANCE
(TIE) Brianna Brown – General Hospital, Bruce Weitz – General Hospital
BEST WEDDING
Sonny and Brenda’s wedding – General Hospital
BEST WEDDING FALL-OUT
John and Natalie’s confrontation after the double wedding of Natalie/Jessica busts up! – OLTL
BEST NEWCOMER MALE
Courtesy/ABC
Josh Kelly – One Life to Live
WORST NEWCOMER MALE
Barrett Helms – One Life to Live
BEST NEWCOMER FEMALE
Kate Mansi – Days of our Lives
WORST NEWCOMER FEMALE
Diana DeGarmo – The Young and the Restless
BEST NEW CHARACTER
(TIE) Sonny Kiriakis, Days of our Lives, Cutter Wentworth, One Life to Live
THE CHARACTER WHO KEEPS COMING BACK AND NO ONE CARES
(TIE) “Franco” and Lisa Niles – General Hospital
BEST GUEST STAR PERFORMANCE
Josh Duhamel – All My Children
All My Children
All My Children Alum Cornelius Smith Jr. Joins the Cast of Apple TV+ Limited Series, ‘Five Days At Memorial’
Daytime fans remember him fondly as the son of Jesse (Darnell Williams) and Angie Hubbard (Debbi Morgan), Frankie, on All My Children. And now, actor Cornelius Smith Jr., is set to join a major limited series based on the acclaimed nonfiction book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Sheri Fink, about the the first five days following Hurricane Katrina made landfall entitled Five Days at Memorial.
Written by John Ridley and Carlton Cruse, Smith will play a doctor, (something he is very familiar with playing since Frankie Hubbard was a doctor in Pine Valley!) named Dr. Bryant King, an internist and one of the few doctors of color at the hospital, who finds himself very much in the middle of the crisis. He will headline the show alongside Vera Farmiga and Adepero Oduye.
Photo: JPI
The series will stream on Apple TV+, and no word yet as to when it will have its debut following its filming.
Since his time on All My Children, Smith has appeared on ABC’s Scandal, and had recurring roles on God Friended Me, Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker and Manhunt.
Deadline broke the casting news.
So, looking forward to seeing Cornelius back on our screens? Do you remember his work as Dr. Frankie Hubbard on All My Children? Comment below.
All My Children
Tribute to Agnes Nixon Set Featuring: Susan Lucci, Erika Slezak, Debbi Morgan, Darnell Williams & Peter Bergman
All My Children
‘Home & Family’ Canceled; Upcoming 9th Season to Be Its Last
General Hospital Stars Participate in GLSEN’s ‘Day of Silence’, Asking You To Do The Same
‘Downton Abbey 2’: Big-Screen Sequel Announced & Coming For Christmas
Kimberly McCullough Gives Clues That Have GH Fans Suspecting She Was Back for John Reilly’s Tribute Episode: “Saw Some Old Friends and Reminisced about an Absent Dear One…”
Sharon Osbourne in First Interview Since Leaving ‘The Talk’ Tells Bill Maher She’s ‘Angry’ and ‘Hurt’
Cameron Mathison Shares He Will Make Summer Debut On GH and Says: “Incredibly Grateful to Frank Valentini and the Writers at GH for Including Me on Such an Iconic Show”
B&B’s Lawrence Saint-Victor Shares He was a Writer of Today’s Episode
Karla Mosley Temporarily Replaces Mishael Morgan on The Young and the Restless
‘This Is Us’ To End Season Two Episodes Early From Original Order
Cailtin Reilly to Appear in General Hospital Tribute Episode to Her Father John Reilly
Former ‘Bachelor’ Colton Underwood Comes Out as Gay
Kimberly McCullough Gives Clues That Have GH Fans Suspecting She Was Back for John Reilly’s Tribute Episode: “Saw Some Old Friends and Reminisced about an Absent Dear One…”
Cameron Mathison Shares He Will Make Summer Debut On GH and Says: “Incredibly Grateful to Frank Valentini and the Writers at GH for Including Me on Such an Iconic Show”
Karla Mosley Temporarily Replaces Mishael Morgan on The Young and the Restless
Cailtin Reilly to Appear in General Hospital Tribute Episode to Her Father John Reilly
Lynn Herring Celebrates 35th Anniversary of Her General Hospital Debut; and ‘We Love Lucy’
‘This Is Us’ To End Season Two Episodes Early From Original Order
Sharon Osbourne in First Interview Since Leaving ‘The Talk’ Tells Bill Maher She’s ‘Angry’ and ‘Hurt’
‘The Talk’ Returns as Sheryl Underwood Shares the ‘Trauma’ She Feels Over Incident That Led to Sharon Osbourne’s Exit
General Hospital Stars Participate in GLSEN’s ‘Day of Silence’, Asking You To Do The Same
Former ‘Bachelor’ Colton Underwood Comes Out as Gay
General Hospital Stars Participate in GLSEN’s ‘Day of Silence’, Asking You To Do The Same
Sharon Osbourne in First Interview Since Leaving ‘The Talk’ Tells Bill Maher She’s ‘Angry’ and ‘Hurt’
Former ‘Bachelor’ Colton Underwood Comes Out as Gay
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Don Diamont & Scott Clifton Shine In Father/Son Scenes; As Bill Watches Liam’s Meltdown Over the Accident that Killed Vinny
GH’s Kin Shriner Talks on Franco’s Demise, Scott’s Budding Romance with Obrecht, and His Enduring On-Screen Partnership with Genie Francis
The Stars of Y&R and B&B Ask the Questions & Appear on Virtual Game Show ‘Soap Opera Know-It-All’
Y&R’s Eileen Davidson Takes Supporting Actress Honors for ‘7 Days to Vegas’ in Garden State Film Festival Awards
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: Nick and Sharon Band Together to Help Faith in Crisis Reminiscent of Cassie Tragedy
Y&R’s Newman Kids Talk 48th Anniversary, Storylines, Camaraderie, and Take the Trivia Challenge
B&B Celebrates its 34th Anniversary Today
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General HospitalApril 17, 2021Kimberly McCullough Gives Clues That Have GH Fans Suspecting She Was Back for John Reilly’s Tribute Episode: “Saw Some Old Friends and Reminisced about an Absent Dear One…”
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General HospitalApril 16, 2021Cameron Mathison Shares He Will Make Summer Debut On GH and Says: “Incredibly Grateful to Frank Valentini and the Writers at GH for Including Me on Such an Iconic Show”
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NewsApril 15, 2021Karla Mosley Temporarily Replaces Mishael Morgan on The Young and the Restless
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General HospitalApril 14, 2021Cailtin Reilly to Appear in General Hospital Tribute Episode to Her Father John Reilly
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General HospitalApril 11, 2021Lynn Herring Celebrates 35th Anniversary of Her General Hospital Debut; and ‘We Love Lucy’
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NewsApril 15, 2021‘This Is Us’ To End Season Two Episodes Early From Original Order
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NewsApril 17, 2021Sharon Osbourne in First Interview Since Leaving ‘The Talk’ Tells Bill Maher She’s ‘Angry’ and ‘Hurt’
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NewsApril 12, 2021‘The Talk’ Returns as Sheryl Underwood Shares the ‘Trauma’ She Feels Over Incident That Led to Sharon Osbourne’s Exit
I was really disappointed with the Lisa Niles story because with Brianna Brown, there was actually potential. Brianna and Brandon Barash had good chemistry and a better storyline/writing job would have utilized Brianna’s talent. Instead, they wrote the character into a corner that left fans gagging. GH has so much talent on board… I sure hope the writing in 2012 does the talent justice.
I disagree with you naming The Patels as the worst family of 2011! I loved them, and thought they all did a great job! I know you probably named best new male newcomer and best new character to Josh Kelly/Cutter Wentworth because this year was a very slow year for “newbies”, and they weren’t a lot of them this year on the soaps, but I was indifferent to the Cutter character at the beginning since he was involved in that lame storyline con job scam with Aubrey scamming Joey, and the quadriangle between Cutter/Aubrey/Joey/Kelly. The I really hated the character… Read more »
Agree with most,…..I have Jerry Ver Dorn in a three tie with Trevor and Jackson for lead actor…….
Also for worst quad, I did not like the setup but i think the Steff/liam/Hope/thomas storyline has turn the corner in the last few weeks and is really good right now….
Great List Michael!!! Agree with most… Happy New Year and thank you for your great site, with awesome content and your wonderful interviews… oh and your fab podcasts!!!
We can only hope someone picks up OLTL… anything can be possible!
Okay—- Just have to say this was obviously one man’s opinion. OLTL is not THAT great. Sorry to say…. You can tell what his favorite soap is. Too bad the ratings don’t prove it…… Happy New Year, all!
Thank you,Michael.I agree with the vast majority of your picks.i dread that next year the worst coupling will be Victor & Sharon.Have a great New Year.
Woohoo! Great picks! I love my Villy. Miller and Heinle just SHINE together. There’s no one else like them
I agree with most of your picks especially Billy and Victoria as Best Couple and the return of Nikki Newman.
Happy New Year!!!
Great list Michael!
So happy to see Villy as the best couple! They definitely are! Love them And yay for BM getting best supporting actor! Well-deserved 🙂
Great picks but my favorite? Naming Billy and Victoria as Best Couple. They are a force to be reckoned with and their chemistry is amazing! <3
I would have put cringeworthing couple as anyone the character of Nick Newman is with, he is most definitely the male whore of daytime. I guess I am in the minority but I think Sharon& Adam have great chemistry. Don’t forget the Baldwin brothers did a lot of bad things before they were accepted into Genoa City society. I could list them for everyone but it would take too much time. And I am sorry I just don’t get Steve Burton’s acting or lack of he looks stiff. Just my opinion otherwise I pretty much agree Michael.
I’m in agreement with 99% of your list but totally disagree about your worst female newcomer. As an actress she’s really good. It’s not Diana’s fault that the writing is one dimensional. I see her doing a great job with not so stellar writing and don’t fault her at all.
good picks ,and I love that you agree with me about franco and lisa niles ,Im glad she is gone ,hopefuly franco is gone with all his finger painting and please ,I forgot her name right now but the one with the irish accent what a waste of her and lucky.please make her gone to.We only have 9 more days of one life to live ,the best soap,best writing ,best actors,It will be missed.
I agree with much of this list, but the Patels were integrated well into the OLTL canvas. Vimel was Clint’s lackey from 2010 and the addition of Rama was seamless. Tying her into new-ish characters also helped. I am neutral on Neela.
I am confused with how Debbi Morgan is a worst return to Y&R when she was never there before. Is her character’s return the worst?
General Hospital was not the worst soap. Dante & Lulu’s wedding was the best, definitely better than Sunny & Brenda’s.
Sorry, but I like the Patels! They’re great! When’s the last time a family of couple was integrated into a soap??
I agree with most. Definitely hands down OLTL was the best soap of 2011. I hope the emmys will recognize them with this distinction this year. It will be an injustice if it goes to any other soap.
I liked your picks this year. I’m sad cause I can’t say I will be waiting for next years list, anymore. I feel badly, Michael, because this must present a great deal of frustation for you and other journalists. But, I think because you are the best interviewer bar none, your creativity will find new avenues to write about. We still have Y&R and DAYS and GH and B&B and The online soaps. So hang in there everyone. Hope you will find new things to bring to us fans,Michael. You are the best.
Best Actor: Darnell Williams – All My Children
Best Actress: Debbi Morgan – All My Children
Best Couple – Jesse and Angie – Legends on All My Children
Best Single Performance by an actor: Jesse (Daarnell Williams) delivers his stillborn daughter.
Best Single Performance by A Couple – Angie (Debbi Morgan) and Jesse (Darnell Williams) at the gravesite of their stillborn daughter.
No racial balance in this article.
reunite sonny and brenda in 2012 and renew robin and patrick wedding vows
I Did NOT Think Debbi Morgan was the Worst Return of A Character on The Young And The Restless. I thought she did A Good Job. I thought the Worst Return was Gillian on All My Children. Gillian Barely said 5 Words. She might as well not have Returned. I know that Prospect Park wanted the Cliff Hanger, but I thought that Babe should have been Alive and Babe and JR and AJ could have Moved to San Diego. That way, Jacob Young could go to The Bold And The Beautiful and Alexa Havins could still do that Torchwood TV… Read more »
Jason Morgan the most tortured character?!?! Oh please, we have been tortured with Jason’s insertion into storylines that he has no business being in for years. How about tortured viewers! Completely over the character and “his pain”.