Dallas
On-Air On-Soaps Names Best and Worst In Soaps 2014!
Photo Credit: ABC, NBC, HutchinsPhoto
As 2014 comes to a close, we took a look back with our annual list of the Best and Worst in Soaps!
As it does every year, On-Air On-Soaps take this opportunity to pay tribute to the tremendous work of the talented men and women in front of the camera and behind the scenes, whose tireless efforts in the grind of producing and acting in this genre’s format is always astounding, and to be admired for its sheer volume of material that is churned out in such shorter order, and the caliber of it! But of course, in addition to naming the best moments and performances of the year, there were several not so stellar moments, characters, storylines, and more that get the dubious honor of some of the “Worst’s”!
So with that said; we give you our Best and Worst in Soaps 2014! As you will read, we try to dissect it all in our look back at the year through our various categories. In several instances it was a tight a race to call, and so, we had to call it a “tie”. In other instances, several runner-ups are noted that deserved special recognition in their respective categories.
Now, while we know many of you have your own picks and choices, and may disagree or agree with our picks, we encourage you to let us know your thoughts as well. And most of all, respect everyone’s opinions, as you wish them to respect yours. Finally, we want to wish our wonderful community of site visitors and fans, a healthy, prosperous, and festive New Year! It is all of you with your unbridled passion and devotion to the soaps genre itself, who root for the characters and performers you love, that make this such a special and unique medium.
So here we go … after the jump, we reveal the list of the Best and Worst in Soaps 2014!
SOAPMAKERS OF THE YEAR
Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com
Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivati – General Hospital – Entertaining, clever, dramatic storytelling mixed in with some camp, an exhilarated pace, a powerful cast, and some of the biggest talent acquisitions in one year under the guidance of the dynamic duo of Cartini, make Frank and Ron our choice for our highest honors: Soapmakers of the Year 2014. Read the interview with the honorees here!
BEST SOAP
General Hospital – 2014 was a fun romp through Port Charles with mysteries, villainess returns, heartbreaking moments, major events, and even some new characters that sparked the action. Yes, it is outlandish, it’s got inside humor, and its performances are raw and often tour de force, and yes, sometimes campy. But here’s the thing … even the other soap production entities always want to know what is happening on General Hospital! So whether you agree with its current style, or not, people are talking about it, and that’s a good thing in a genre that has dwindled to four shows.
BEST SOAP PRODUCTION VALUES
The Bold and the Beautiful – No other daytime drama on the air has: the consistency of production values for its look and feel of traditional soap and the contemporary; the music underscores, the location shoots in beautiful, romantic, or exotic locales; the slo-mo camera shots, and the transitions from scene to scene with exterior footage of Los Angeles, etc; makes this show almost feel like a hybrid of how scenes segue on a reality series. B&B clearly has set the bar in terms of their total package delivery from episode to episode, and not to mention the fashion. And if romance is your passion, this is the soap for you.
MOST DISAPPOINTING SOAP
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Days of our Lives – When a soap opera is set to lose its biggest stars, where was the next A storyline and set-up to hold the audiences interest? It wasn’t there! Once Alison Sweeney (Sami) and James Scott (EH) left the canvas, it felt like the series had nothing else going-on that could hold viewers interest in a major way. Even Kristen’s return this time didn’t quite play out as strong as we had hoped, no fault to Eileen Davidson’s (Kristen) always brilliant star turn. Forced couples and romances, characters we don’t care about, and newbies, just aren’t what the doctor should have ordered in Salem to help keep this show on track, which is a shame, because at times DAYS in 2014 was can’t-miss-soap! Here’s hoping their big 5-0 brings some much needed shake-ups, some familiar faces we would love to see return to Salem, and some characters we care about what happens to them!
MOST INCONSISTENT SOAP
The Young and the Restless – Celebrating their 26th consecutive year at number one this December, Y&R has been the gold standard of the current daytime dramas left on network television. However, 2014 was a tough go. They had to recover from the devastating losses of Billy Miller, Michael Muhney, and Michelle Stafford … all who were beloved actors and characters by the Y&R audience. They found their man in Justin Hartley for the role of Adam, whose story is getting very intriguing at the tail end of the year; they got Gina as Phyllis who ruined Shick’s wedding; and they fumbled through missteps in recasting Billy Abbott. But some plots like Neil’s blindness, the music box mystery, boring romances, and Ian Ward were just not captivating. While others, such as the Mariah mystery, were at times inspired storytelling. Can new head writer Chuck Pratt put this show on the fast track in 2015? We shall see!
BEST WEB SERIES
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Beacon Hill – An all-star cast led by Sarah Brown and Alicia Minshew in a joint venture by Crystal Chappell’s Open Book Productions and Bella Books and their production company, teased us with some great production value, story, and powerful performances, and left us wanting more! Will there be a season two in 2015?
MOST DISAPPOINTING NEWS FOR SOAP FANS
Daytime
The Departure of Alison Sweeeney and James Scott – Days of our Lives – When two big names leave the show almost simultaneously… it is a big blow to the niche of daytime soap operas! The decision by both Alison Sweeney and James Scott to exit the series put an end to EJami, with a story carrot tangling, if and when these two want to return! But it left a gaping hole that is still felt on the show.
Primetime
Dallas is cancelled! – After the most rocking cliffhanger in its third season on TNT, the reboot of Dallas was unceremoniously axed by the cable network, setting off a “Save the Dallas” campaign which unfortunately did not end with a good outcome. After trying to shop the series to another television outlet, the series showrunners; Cynthia Cidre and Michael Robin came forward to tell their loyal audience: Dallas is R.I.P.!
BEST EVENT OF THE YEAR
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Nurses Ball 2014 – General Hospital – Whether you think it’s fun, or a train wreck, the Nurses Ball on GH once again offered surprises with Dr. Obrecht’s opening number rendition of, “Wilkommen”, Brad serenading Lucas with a dance tune, and the touching finale where friends and families left the ball to head to the hospital where Patrick and Sabrina were holding vigil over baby Gabriel. Laughs, musical performances, and hankies rolled into one!
Runner-up:
Carlypalooza – General Hospital – Smart move! The way it was done to be able to bring back Sarah Brown, Tamara Braun and the current Carly, Laura Wright in story for the 51st anniversary episode, was a treat for longtime fans.
WORST EVENT OF THE YEAR
Courtesy/Twitter
The 41st Annual Daytime Emmys Red Carpet Live Stream – We were shoved up against a poll on the red carpet and could barely be seen, or could barely shoot our interviews! Meanwhile, four millennial gals with large social media followings, and never heard of before by daytime audiences, took over the red carpet live stream show, and infuriated the viewing audience, insulted the genre, and were prone to outbursts of: “OMG!” “I want to rape you”, “Awesome”, and “Who are you?” and so much more! This, while trying to interview their subjects.
BEST PRIMETIME SOAP
Dallas – This was a soap opera on steroids! Every scene a twist, every scene a backstabbing, and even we were shocked at the storylines! The final cliffhangers where we learn that there is another Ewing out there … a daughter … and Christopher blew up in a car, and more, left us excited for a season four. But now that’s what we are left with … making it up in our minds of what happens next!
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A PRIMETIME SOAP
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Judith Light as Judith Ryland – Dallas – Judith chewed the scenery in every delicious moment she was on screen as cocaine snorting, vindictive crime boss, mother, and grandmother from hell, Judith Ryland. She really should be nominated for a Primetime Emmy for this, or at least for her other star turns this year in Transparent!
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
Anthony Geary – General Hospital – Say what you want about the Luke/Fluke storyline, but you can’t beat the acting acrobatics of seven-time Daytime Emmy winner, Tony Geary. Even though he was off the canvas for a huge chunk of time in 2014, every time Geary was on-screen he was fascinating playing Fluke, and Luke, or whoever else he may be, with different distinct nuances of each character. You just can’t get better than this. The first showdown scene between Luke and Fluke at Miscavige is Emmy worthy!
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
Maura West – General Hospital – What a year in the life of Ava Jerome! She’s trying to avoid a murder rap, she is having sex with young Morgan Corinthos, she screws his father Sonny on AJ’s grave, she runs over Jason Morgan, she gets pregnant and is induced into labor by a revenge-seeking Nina Clay, who kidnaps her baby! Each and every beat of the major moments, and all the ones played in between, were played to stunning perfection by the incomparable Maura West!
Runner-Up:
Courtesy/ABC
Alison Sweeney – Days of our Lives – In her almost 22 year run on DAYS, Alison Sweeney never had the year she had in her swan song! She was handed great material to showcase her, and she made the most of it! Sami’s revenge plot, EJ’s “death”, and finding herself suddenly a widow, were just a few of the morsels she executed to perfection. Sweeney is missed!
BEST SINGLE PERFORMANCE MALE IN A STORYLINE
Roger Howarth – Hallowedding Wedding – General Hospital – Talk about your showcase and tour de force! Roger Howarth’s ‘Franco’ went back to being bad, and we liked it! His subdued, sinister and snide, and breathtaking performance at Carly and Franco’s wedding, where he dismantled Carly and Michael’s lives bit by bit, was awesome! And yes, we did like the popcorn pantomime!
Runners-Up:
Anthony Geary – Luke meets Fluke for the first time at Miscavige – General Hospital– Fluke almost spitting at the camera, and Luke drooling … and everything in between!
Blake Berris – Nick tells Julie he wants to change his life shortly before he is shot – Day of our Lives – A star turn monologue before Nick gets shot through the heart by the best young actor around.
BEST SINGLE PERFORMANCE FEMALE IN A STORYLINE
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Alison Sweeney – Sami reveals her revenge plan to EJ and let’s Abigail have a piece of her mind – Days of our Lives – Alison made us transfixed in the scenes as she goes to visit EJ in the slammer, and tells him that she set him up, took his company, and has known all along that her husband was having a fling with Abigail! She tells him she going to make him pay and suffer like she did. But then, Sami hightails over to Jennifer’s house and tells “Dear Abby” she knows that she had sex in the shower of the changing room at the company with EJ! You go, Sami!
MOST RIVETING PERFORMANCE BY A DUO
Maura West and Michelle Stafford –– Nina induces Ava’s labor then kidnaps her baby girl – General Hospital – The two titans! This was what GH fans were waiting to see, and Maura West and Michelle Stafford delivered it via unsettling, haunting, and gut-wrenching scenes!
Runner-up:
Finola Hughes and Anders Hove – General Hospital – Faison and Anna have a showdown after a year of him being “imprisoned” by Robert and Anna, only he actually escaped. Watching Finola and Anders go at it in scenes together is such a treat; so much intensity, pain, and history there.
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR
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Jacob Young – The Bold and the Beautiful – Rick being wronged, jilted, being betrayed by his father, his brother, and his wife, and then being duplicitous himself, finally gave Jacob Young something worthy of his talents; and thus far he has played to the hilt!
Runners-up:
Freddie Smith – Days of our Lives – We loved Sonny during his wedding to Will, we loved Sonny navigating through the arrival of his ex, and we have loved Freddie’s portrayal of a good guy. For once, a nice guy can be interesting on DAYS!
Blake Berris – Days of our Lives – A fearless actor who can play it all, Nick’s revenge plot and his ultimate demise, showed that Blake was another blow to DAYS when he left the series.
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS
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Kathleen Gati – General Hospital – You have to give it to the fearless Kathleen Gati! If she is thrown a ridiculous campy moment, she makes the most of it. Some of it works big time, and at other times, the audience is left scratching their heads. Liesl Obrecht will sing to spite the minions at GH, or sing to try to reach her children and ask for forgiveness. She goes toe-to-toe in a war of words with her sister Magda, or her nemesis, Anna Devane, and shows her undying devotion to the evil Cesar Faison. This year she also said goodbye to her daughter Britta, met her son Nathan, and she “killed” Victor Cassadine! Oh … and she sang “Wilkommen”!
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN UNDERUTILIZED VETERAN
Susan Seaforth Hayes – Nick’s death and his final moments – Days of our Lives – Can we please write a story that gives this fantastic veteran actress something to do? We were reminded of her greatness in Nick’s final conversation with Julie before he died, and then her devastation at his death.
BEST CHILD PERFORMER AND SCENE STEALER OF THE YEAR
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Nicolas Bechtel – General Hospital – Spencer Cassadine rules! When Nicolas Bechtel came on to GH as Prince Nikolas’ son, Bechtel has played every hilarious line, and every moment to comedic or dramatic perfection, with such a delivery and at such a young age. He also, by the way, steals every scene he is in against some of the heavy hitters of daytime!
BEST NEWCOMER MALE
Billy Flynn – Days of our Lives – Flynn had the tough task at coming in and making the role of Chad DiMera his own, following the departure of the beloved Casey Deidrick. Billy has done that and made the character his own, infusing a new sexy and dangerous life into the guy!
BEST NEWCOMER FEMALE
Vinessa Antoine – General Hospital – This Charlie’s Angels style character has been portrayed to the hilt by soap newcomer Antoine. Whether she is double-crossing the mob, or the drug lords, or hooking up with Sean, we root for this chick!
BEST NEW CHARACTER, FEMALE
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Nina Clay – General Hospital – Now many in the GH audience cannot stand the character of Nina Clay! However, she came in with her laundry list of revenge against those who wronged her, and gave us plenty of drama to watch over the last six months of the year. Michelle Stafford plays Cray Cray bitch better than anyone!
BEST NEW CHARACTER, MALE
Paul Narita – Days of our Lives – Thank God for Paul, right? Will and Sonny needed some shaking up, and this closeted pro baseball player is the guy to do it. Fans are already rooting for it to be PaulSon, instead of WilSon, in short order!
BEST RECAST
Justin Hartley as Adam Newman – The Young and the Restless – Justin Hartley has come in and hit the ground running in the pivotal role of Adam Newman, following fan favorite Michael Muhney dismissal. Hartley is the real deal, and is already captivating us with his unique turn on the character. The guy to watch in 2015!
WORST RECASTS
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Burgess Jenkins as Billy Abbott – The Young and the Restless – This is really not all the fault of Burgess Jenkins, who is doing an admirable job playing the role of Billy Abbott, as he seems to be written now … as more of a traditional soap opera leading man. However, this is not the character we all know and loved! The problem is: Jenkins had to follow in the footsteps of Billy Miller, who defined the role and was exceptional in it, and then David Tom, who for the life of us shouldn’t have been let go so soon after returning to the role when he was the first adult Billy to begin with, and is a great actor to boot!
Cady McClain as Kelly Andrews – The Young and the Restless – Soap fans have loved the work of Cady McClain in her previous roles, but after having to follow another Daytime Emmy winner, Cynthia Watros as Kelly, and then having wishy-washy story, it just doesn’t work. It would have been better to bring McClain on to Y&R in a new role than as a replacement for an ill-conceived character.
BEST VILLAIN
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Anders Hove as Faison on General Hospital – He comes in and out from time to time from Denmark to Los Angeles to tape some episodes of GH; and every time he is on the screen he commands it with such an inspired, unexpected, and quirky performance you just never know what you’re going to get! “The Best Villain Evah!” as Kimberly McCullough once said!
BEST VILLAINESS
Eileen Davidson as Kristen DiMera -Days of our Lives – Eileen is so good at playing the evil, twisted, and venomous Kristen! Whether it be playing a game of cat and mouse with Daniel, or stealing an embryo, or doing anything to get back with the man of her desires… Brady Black!
WORST VILLAIN
Ray Wise as Ian Ward – The Young and the Restless – This started out so promising and then just went nowhere, and we didn’t care about Ian and his “creepiness” … any longer!
BEST WEDDING
Sonny and Will’s Wedding – Days of our Lives – Every time we watch this we need the hankies! Beautifully acted, inspired writing, and touching speeches performed by: Peggy McKay, Bryan Dattilo and Wally Kurth, plus watching it all unfold through the eyes of Sonny as played by Freddie Smith, who has been with this love story since the beginning– since Will was a recast – was touching, too.
BEST SPEECH -Fictional
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Peggy McKay, as Caroline Brady speaking at Sonny and Will’s wedding – Days of our Lives – McKay broke hearts telling the story of The Brady’s Irish friends who were gay, and who could not let anyone know!
BEST SPEECH – Real Life
Joshua Morrow pays tribute to his long time co-star and friend Peter Bergman and Peter’s 25th anniversary celebration – The Young and the Restless – Joshua Morrow should be a speech writer! We needed the hankies, as he told the attendees what a co-worker, mentor, and friend, the one and only Bergman has been to him
WORST IDEA FOR AN EXIT
Alison Sweeney – Sami heads to Hollywood – Days of our Lives – So, Alison Sweeney delivers tour de force after tour de force, and then the concept of Sami’s exit is for her to head to Hollywood? Even the fans were predicting that she would meet up with EJ and the two would go off somewhere and hide from their enemies, and that didn’t happen. Sweeney and the fans deserved a better exit story!
MOST FRUSTRATING EXIT
Kimberly McCullough – Robin leaves Patrick and Emma yet again –General Hospital – This was so difficult to watch from the audience perspective after watching two years of Robin trying to get back to Patrick, only to have them reunited, and then for her to go off and save Jason, and leave her hubby and her beautiful little girl behind.
BEST EXIT
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Kim Matula – Hope says her final goodbyes to Liam – The Bold and the Beautiful – Say what you will, the story was written quickly, and seemingly rushed since Matula opted to not stay with the series, but the final scenes with long time scene partner Scott Clifton worked with the dramatic music, camera work, and her final walk away into a dissolve… great soap!
BEST TEARJERKER
AJ says one final goodbye to Monica before joining Lila and Edward in heaven – General Hospital – Leslie Charleson and Sean Kanan brought down the house on the 51st anniversary episode of GH, when after AJ dies he passes on by first saying goodbye to his mother Monica, and then joining grandparents Edward and Lila as they take him up the hospital stairs to heaven!
MOST HEARTBREAKING
Patrick and Robin say goodbye complete with video montage of Scrubs scenes over the years – General Hospital – We couldn’t take it! The Scrubs montage reminded us of this duo’s incredible on-screen relationship, and then we watched a devastated Patrick try to cope with the fact that the wife he grieved for and who came back to him, was leaving him… again! Watch here!
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Robin says goodbye to Anna – General Hospital We couldn’t take this either! Finola Hughes and Kimberly McCullough were at their best as the dynamic mother/daughter duo. Anna is devastated when Robin says she is going to Africa (wink-wink), and to really hit us in the gut, the series juxtaposed the classic clip of little Robin after being kidnapped running into the arms of her mother! Watch here!
Baby Gabriel dies – General Hospital – This provided Emmy-worthy material for Jason Thompson as Patrick grieves the loss of his little boy who died prematurely along with his former girlfriend Sabrina.
BEST EPISODE
The 51st anniversary episode – General Hospital – An episode that gave you a death (AJ), welcome and unexpected returns (Carlys), Lucy Coe’s marriage drama, and an homage to the series history in the beginning moments with the wall of doctors at GH, and important members of the town now gone … it hit all the right notes!
BEST-WRITTEN EPISODE
Sonny and Will’s Wedding – Days of our Lives – When you watch this episode back, it’s the writing that was on the money, and a great step forward for the history of daytime soap opera with the first male gay wedding between two characters.
BEST DEATH SCENE
Thaao Penghlis – General Hospital – Victor is left bleeding out at Crichton-Clark, and has his final monologue with Liesl before he blows the place to bits!
Runner-up:
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James Scott – Days of our Lives – James gave a touching final turn when he told Sami to look out for the children before he took his final breath, or so we thought?
BEST STORYLINE
Sami’s revenge plot against EJ and Abigail – Days of our Lives – This was a well-crafted story that had DAYS fans on the edge of their seat just waiting to find out how Sami would find out about EJ and Abby’s liaisons, and when she did, what would she do! Riveting daytime drama at its best.
WORST STORYLINE
The Music Box Mystery – The Young and the Restless – Katherine’s legacy and her will, and the music box mystery, which was story for the talented Jess Walton as Jill, went nowhere. Even when the box was taken at the one year memorial gathering to honor Mrs C. at the end of the episode, did you care?
Runner up:
Ridge Can’t Draw – The Bold and the Beautiful – The fact that a storyline was carried on for as long as it did about nobody finding out that Ridge couldn’t draw after his fall via the chopper, via the sea, in the United Arab Emirates … was kind of ridiculous. If they were going to throw Caroline and Ridge in each other’s orbit, that is fine, but getting there through this plot point was hard to tolerate.
BEST WRITING
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General Hospital – Big payoffs, umbrella stories, humor and camp, and excitement told through interwoven stories that showcased mostly its entire cast, made GH interesting each day of the week.
WORST WRITING
The Young and the Restless – Done-to-death plots, and ones that flopped, were a big part of the issue with the show in the early half of 2014; while the second half showed some promise.
MOST PROPESTEROUS PLOT TWIST
Liesl becomes Chief of Staff at GH – General Hospital – This makes no sense! This woman was responsible for holding Robin captive; the long running beloved heroine of the show, and did many horrific things in her lifetime, that even this suspension of belief was a hard one for us, as much as we love Kathleen Gati’s portrayal.
BEST STANDALONE EPISODE
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EJ’s Dream/Nightmare – Sami Knows The Truth of His Affair with Abigail – Days of our Lives – It looked like Sami had finally found out about Abigail and EJ’s affair, and all hell broke loose, becoming more campy, and raucous, and even touching, along the way. Sweeney and Scott both gave fantastic performances, but as it turned out, this EJami special was all in EJ’s mind!
PLOT POINT WE HATED THE MOST
Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) receiving electroshock therapy and thus erasing her memory of her wrongdoings with the paternity test switch of Summer – The Young and the Restless – Watching Sharon endure electroshock therapy, because of visions of “Cassie” was so unsettling, when we all know the reason this was done was so that the writers had time to get Nick with Sharon together, only to break them up when her memory was finally jarred (that Sharon switched the paternity test results, which named Nick Summer’s bio-dad) with the return of Phyllis (Gina Tognoni).
MOST SHOCKING TWIST
Kristen steals Theresa’s embryo right out of her- Days of our Lives – Say what? How does this work exactly?
BEST CLIFFHANGER
Shocker in the Stables – General Hospital – Julian goes to meet the mob boss/drug lord in the stables at Wyndemere at Nikolas’ engagement party … and it’s revealed to us for the first time that it’s Luke, err Fluke! Fade to Black!
BEST RETURN FEMALE
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Camyrn Grimes – Mariah Copeland – The Young and the Restless – We were glad to see Camryn Grimes back on Y&R and in a new role, not as a popping up vision of Cassie. This was the most interesting return and storyline on Y&R all year, and Camyrn was fantastic!
BEST RETURN MALE
Rick Hearst – Ric Lansing – General Hospital – In recent scenes when Ric returned for a second time this year, and was reunited with Molly and Elizabeth after being in the Witness Protection Program, or stuffed in the trunk of a car, we were reminded just how great Mr. Hearst is!
BEST RETURN – Short visit
Shemar Moore – Malcolm Winters – The Young and the Restless – Even though it was short, and even though to some this was a non-event, we loved the scenes between Shemar and his on-screen brother, Kristoff St. John. Shemar has grown up from his soap days into an accomplished nuanced actor. We were touched by his arrival and his exit that touched upon the Winters brothers’ history.
WORST RETURN – Short visit
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Robert Kelker Kelly – Stavros Cassadine – General Hospital (the last time at Crichton-Clark) – We have no idea what inflection RKK was using in his scenes where he chained Lulu and Dante to the walls. It wasn’t even campy, it was just … strange!
MOST DESPISED CHARACTER
Levi Dunkleman/Peter Harrell Jr. – General Hospital – After hippie-dippy Levi showed up in PC with Maxie, we knew something was up! When he cut his hair we liked him a tad better, and when he showed his evil side we liked him a bit more … but still this seemed to be the most despised man on soaps in 2014!
MOST RUINED CHARACTER
Sharon Newman- The Young and the Restless – How many years in a row can we give this to the character of Sharon Newman? This is such a shame, because Sharon Case is a solid actress. But, the fictional Sharon’s actions, reactions, and stories make us wish for the old Sharon of long ago, each and every time.
MOST BORING CHARACTERS
Jordan Ridgeway – Days of our Lives – Chrishell Stause’s character never clicked, the character was a dud. Romance, a back-story, nothing worked, because it felt all thrown in.
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Ben Rogers – Days of our Lives – Rob Scott Wilson’s character isn’t clicking either. The character is a dud at this point.
WORST VISUAL PLOT DEVICE (Tie)
Aly talking to her dead mother Darla’s superimposed head – The Bold and the Beautiful – How could we keep a straight face when Schae Harrison’s head was up near the ceiling, as her on-screen daughter talked to her deceased mother?
Hands Newman – The Young and the Restless – With no Adam in sight, or casted yet, we watched for months as a man’s hands showed emotion of anger and upset! Ya gotta do, what ya gotta do, to keep the story moving.
Runner-up:
Franco’s eyeball –cam necklace – General Hospital – The necklace was so unattractive, we don’t know why Carly, who dresses very well, would even wear it! (Laughs) On the bright side, thank God, it helped unspool Sonny Corinthos’ cover-ups!
MOST OVERUSED PLOT DEVICE
Embryos – From GH’s Stavros and Helena, to DAYS Kristen, and everyone in between!
MOST ANNOYING PLOT DEVICE
Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com
Neil goes blind, so he can’t see that his wife and Devon are having an affair and making goo-goo eyes at each other – The Young and the Restless – This was a soap cliché, and made us want Hilary and Devon’s affair to come out way, way, sooner than later!
MOST OVERUSED CHARACTER
Stitch – The Young and the Restless – This man is everywhere … and why? We endured his story of being wrongly-accused of murder (as we come to find out after months and months), and he seems to be the man every woman wants to be with on the show: Victoria, Ashley, Abby! There is just way too much of Stitch, and not enough of some of the other cast.
BEST COUPLE
Nathan and Maxie – General Hospital – Seriously, the cutest couple we have seen on the soaps in a long, long time. Great chemistry between Ryan Paevey and Kirsten Storms.
Runner-up:
Michael and Lauren – The Young and the Restless – These two have a quirky relationship; with twists and turns, and face infidelity, and cancer, with complex and raw reactions better than any other duo on the soaps!
MOST TORTURED COUPLE
Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com
EJ and Sami – Days of our Lives – They went out as they had started … tortured, conflicted, fighting, loving and hating … but in the end there was love.
Runner-up:
Sharon and Nick – The Young and the Restless – Shick just can’t catch a break to stay together longer than a few months, anymore.
COUPLE THAT NO MATTER WHAT THE WRITERS THREW IN THE STORY TO MAKE THEM INTERESTING … JUST WEREN’T
Jennifer and Daniel – Days of our Lives – A psycho named Liam, Kristen issues, sons and daughters, no matter what the writers try to do to make the viewers invest in this couple, it just didn’t work. Dannifer is over, and fans are rejoicing!
MOST BORING COUPLE
Dylan and Avery – The Young and the Restless – From cooking shows to coffee houses, to the bedroom, to proposals, to family problems, to Avery being held at gunpoint by Austin … this couple is just hard to watch and tolerate, because they’re so damn sweet! This is not good, since Steve Burton and Jessica Collins are fine actors, who deserve a meaty romantic story, if you are going to pair them together.
Runners-up:
JJ and Paige – Days of our Lives – Forced couple with no investment from viewers #1
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Rafe and Jordan – Days of our Lives – Forced couple with no investment from viewers #2
MOST WASTED CHARACTER
Cane Ashby – The Young and the Restless – This character has had nothing significant to do. Daniel Goddard deserves a story, if you are keeping him as part of the show.
BEST SEX
Bill and Quinn get their freak on – The Bold and the Beautiful – “50 Shades of Dollar Bill Spencer” happened as Quinn and Bill showed their S&M sides!
BEST LOVE TRIANGLE
Spencer/Emma/Cameron – General Hospital – 2014 will be remembered as the year the child love triangle was more exciting than any of the adult ones!
WORST TRIANGLE
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Liam/Hope/Wyatt – The Bold and the Beautiful – How many ways could they have played this story? The performances were great from Matula, Clifton, and Brooks, but the audience had to be growing oh-so-tired of it!
MOST RIDICULOUS CAMEO
Bob Barker punching out Wyatt Spencer – The Bold and the Beautiful – Yes. We know it’s the beloved Bob Barker, and it was over getting the message out about the importance of pet adoption, but this stunt seemed geared to the elderly, and even they didn’t find it funny, probably.
So, after reviewing our picks, which do you agree with? Which do you disagree with? What are your thoughts on the Best and Worst in Soaps of 2014? Were you happy to see some of your favorites and favorites shows getting year-end honors? Share your thoughts below!
Let’s be real here. Days was a mess even before James and Ali left the show. Saying that it’s been a mess since they left isn’t true. Sami’s revenge was good, I’ll give you that. But she quickly forgave him and the whole “revenge plot” just fell flat and had zero weight because she forgave him. It would have been 100% better if he had died when she was still angry at him. And about that…forgive the cheater who RAPED you, hired a lookalike for Rafe to have sex with you and be around your children, take your kids away from you, make you think your child died but be angry that he cheated and forgive him but not Abigail? Ok. Tortured couple my foot. The destruction of EJami was a blessing. Sami Brady deserves better than the man who did all that to her. Her revenge was laughable at best.
Please your post is so biased it is not even funny (Rafe fan i bet…so predictable).
Just know that many just think the opposite of you.
The destruction of Ejami and the propping of this digusting Abby character were the worst moves Days did in 2014. End of story.
TRYING to destroy Ejami was the worst move of 2014 – of course, Corday and the writers didn’t succeed in that destruction. Even if EJ stays dead, their love still survived to the end.
And yes, the propping of Abby was atrocious, nauseating and boring. Now that she’s no longer in a story with EJami, no one seems to care a whit about her.
we are EJ is gone may he RIP or not,,,
Abby and and EJ were HOT thay why EJ fans hate Abby,well guess what,Abby is still very much alive 🙂 and EJ is dead,and Sami is spending her time having fun in LA with her kids and Lucas LOL
couldn’t agree more, Debbie!
Im with you,EJ is a corpse and I hope he stays dead,
EJ and Sami,most of their history was about violence,lies and destroying each other,that is not love IMO,that is sick twisted obsession ,
and YES IM a Sami fan and I hated EJ and hope he never comes back,let his corpse stay dead forever.
EJ is NOT DEAD!!!! Kristen injected that same medicine that was given to John! Even though, you and some may have hated EJAMI, the current writers tied up the loose ends of EJAMI….and made us see that EJ was the man for Sami! EJAMI is all about alikeness and two peas in the pod! EJ accepted Sami, when her other men and her family could not!
And now, Ken Corday is saying that EJAMI was a SUPERCOUPLE! Anyway, from EJ’s so called disappearance, we might see him one day….He is now a part of the legacy! And the man who will take Stefano’s place, when Stefano is no more…..
yes EJ is dead and most of us are happy about that Tiff5555,so get over it,untill EJ is back,he is DEAD
I LOVED Malcolms return on YR! I loved Sharon and Nicks scenes so much but I can’t forgive his childish attitude ever again. I want Sharon back with her love Adam. I hope Nikki never forgives Victor. I don’t like this man always wins and I wish Phyllis never came back ever but thats just me! I rather Dru come back and have Lily have more of a story other then in everyones business and Abby is just so mean she needs a man 🙂
Justin H as the new Adam is Bravo but please remember he never really loved Chelsea. He loved Sharon so much. I cant stand new Billy with Chelsea or Victoria. I miss Billy Miller so very much for Victoria . I love Kelly! She is the only person since Dru to stand and fight against the wacko Phyllis
Adam DID love Chelsea, he was just another victim to her eternal “damsel in distress” persona.
If he didn’t love Chelsea, why is he trying so hard and risking so much to get back to her?
IMO humble opinion, I think that the most heartbreaking moment was when Patrick and Sabrina had to say goodbye to their infant son Gabriel and spent the last moments of his life, holding him. That happens in real life all too often and for General Hospital to give that specific story the essence of reality, made it seem all to real for me and many other viewers watching. Yes, I understand that Patrick and Robin are what people in the soap world call a “super couple” but when does a couple saying goodbye to one another TRUMP the death of a premature baby. I just think that the most heartbreaking moments are the moments that bring reality into the fictional world soap operas create. Watching Gabriel die, brought to the forefront many fears people have about their own children, and unfortunately it happens all too often. The amount of fear, sadness, and overall grief that Jason Thompson and Teresa Castillo put into those scenes really hit home for numerous women and men who have had the unfortunate experience of losing a child.
I agree, Allison. Those scenes were heart-wrenching. Very poignant, realistic and incredibly acted. It did seem particularly difficult and I thought a bit much to ask of Teresa who was pregnant in real life at the time. I give her extra kudos for having to play such a devastating story at that time in her life. I wondered if she even could go to the “what if”….imagining that actually happening to her since her due date was so close…to give such a powerful performance.
I hope that she had a long discussion with FV about the direction of the story and was okay with the story before she played it out on film. Teresa played it so well and I couldn’t imagine the strain that caused on her thoughts and fears. I also hope that she is good at separating fiction from reality, in this case. Although, watching those scenes, I forgot that I was watching a show and thought it was an actual situation
I just think that people were not involved in that couple even though it is horrible to lose a child.
Exactly, Timmm….had the infant in question been (God forbid….) Ben/Rocco or Maxie’s little angel, then the emotional impact would have been much, much more pronounced and heartbreaking due to the long-term investment and relationship viewers have with the parents of said children. In this case, the whole inconvenient nature of that particular pregnancy made this storyline an unwelcome, imposing one, and then it was overplayed with far too much fanfare for effect. The resultant payoff simply fell flat….in fact, I believe it was in many ways more of a great relief, because it eliminated a possible future link for two characters who never belonged together in the first place.
oh G-d Shay…lol…you thought the Nina/Ava scene was unbearable when Nina risked the baby’s life…as did Sabrina by giving Ava the wrong meds. But poor baby Gabriel’s death was a “relief?” Hahahaha…
I’m the kind of person who can cry at a sappy (no pun intended) commercial so you can’t go by me. But I stand by my opinion…whether one was invested in the couple or not the scenes and the realism of losing a child…sitting vigil at the little incubator…uggggg…Was very moving…for those of us with a heart! Later, friend! 😉
wow!
Michael Fairman a big BRAVO !!!!
Your insite of the soaps and your love for them that you bring to us, well I love it!!
I agreed with all your worte.. You were right on !!!
Michael Fairman , thank you for all you have done for us the soap fans this past year!!! (really- Thank You !!!
ahh
correct..
” insight” ^^ of course..
again.. Michael Fairman ! you are awesome!
You need to be to recognized, also 🙂
I concur wholeheartedly about Fairman’s selections, mainly because I’m a big GH fan. Kathleen Gati, Vinessa Antoine & Nicholas Bechtel were AWESOME this year. When the cast is so strong in supporting roles, & writers give smaller characters things to do that are integral to main storylines, the entire soap benefits IMO. That’s what I loved about GH this year. EVERYONE was important to plot developments, from Spencer overhearing Fluke’s threats about Sonny to Rafe coming under Victor’s influence.
And, YES about Judith Light! Her coke-snorting, whorehouse-owning, granddaughter-loving Judith Ryland was a hoot & showed that DALLAS 2.0 was worth every short-lived minute. TNT should win Most Bone-Headed Show Cancellation for 2014.
Nighttime soaps are having a renewal now, and I’m a little disappointed JANE THE VIRGIN wasn’t included in any shout-outs because it’s a LOT of fun to watch. For 2015, I hope Fairman plans to check out EMPIRE. I do, and I don’t even like hip-hop or rap music. But, come on – TV Guide’s Matt Roush says Taraji P. Henson plays her character like a “a Superfly Alexis Carrington, with extensions and fur coats instead of hats.” All soap fans need to watch this!
I agree with my BFF, Sue, Michael.
You utilized Herculean efforts here and believe it or not, I agree with much of it.
I have had a lot of trouble with the choppy, campy writing which has been afforded to GH, but yes, every now and then they knock it out of ballpark such as the scenes which involved Sonny and Carly finally receiving their comeuppance with AJ’s rejection. Well done–take a bow.
I just have to add that I do think GH has far too many villains. And the good guys are rendered impotent, stupid and silly.
I had no use for Nina at first but Roger triggered something in this actress and suddenly she stopped mugging it up and actually acted with shades of nuances.
ohhh my BBF Harry..
Some of the bad guys are actually good guys also..
Nobody is pure bad on GH..
there are but a couple of true villains on GH..
Fluke, Helena, and even Faison has a weak side, he loves..
Harry….I totally agree with you. There are way too many villains running about in PC. And, the good guys are made to look stupid and useless. All for the purpose of driving the storylines. We need balance on GH.
Helena has a weakness – Nicholas. But, I’m getting the feeling she’s trying to turn him to the dark side, & his recent romantic failures have him more susceptible than ever before. Just like the Quartermaines have needed new blood, so do the Cassadines. Both Victor & Stavros bit the dust this year. I wonder if this is the year Nicholas goes all Anakin Skywalker on GH & becomes its Darth Vader?
MICHAEL I ONLY WATCH GH & B&B. I THINK YOU WERE RIGHT ON WITH THOSE 2 SOAPS. ALL SOAPS GO THROUGH A BORING PHASE BUT THESE 2 SOAPS HAVE HELD BORING TO SHORT PEROIDS OF TIME. THANKS FOR ALL THE ARTICLES YOU GIVE US. WISH YOU COULD DO ANOTHER ONE ON WHAT ERIKA SLEZAK HAS DONE SINCE OLTL WAS CANCELLED. THANKS AGAIN CATCH YOU LATER.
Love your compilation!
Agree with so much – Ejami being tortured, Days not preparing itself for their departure, wishing poor Sharon could be strong, fiesty and rootable…GH being so packed with great episodes this year…I could go on!
BTW, I love how the two most boring characters (Jordan and Ben) are so boring that there isn’t even much to say about why they are boring. Ha ha!
Thanks!
PABWECG
Yes, Ben and Jordan and their nasty daddy should be sent back to Poplar Bluff, Missouri where they die in a meth lab explosion! Since the storyline bombed, at least there can be some sort of don’t do drugs/cook drugs message.
I really have to agree on this. Ben is boring, and Rob Wilson, though I give him credit for trying, is not exactly Robert DeNiro in the acting department. The character of Jordan the Physical Therapist with “a past” is also about as interesting as dry toast. The writing just isn’t that compelling and the scenes are sooo long and drawn out the viewer reaches a point where he or she just doesn’t care anymore nor do I care about Poplar Bluff or Uncle Cousin Daddy or whatever the heck Clyde is supposed to be. Write the characters out and head the show in a new direction.
LOL
“…BTW, I love how the two most boring characters (Jordan and Ben) are so boring that there isn’t even much to say about why they are boring. Ha ha! ”
have to highlight
wouldn’t DAYS just jump a few notches up the ladder when these two are gone
geez! I can’t wait… the exasperation levels from a glorious year prior, for Salem’ites this year, certainly isn’t catastrophic…
hurry up and wait !
oye!
no gouging of the eyes just yet
It’s a shame Jordan’s character was never developed properly. It’s almost as if there were a bts struggle with how the story should be told and they could never come to an agreement. It was horribly mismanaged. James R. actually has great chemistry with Lauren K. and the power couple angle is a nice way to go with Kate. Days doesn’t have any fun devious pair making others squirm. It’s too bad he came on board with all the nasty history attached and also the hick stereotype.
Two Days grievances I frequently hear about the show are 1. The writers keeping John and Marlena apart for so long and 2. Nicole losing a second baby. I think they should consider putting Rafe and Nicole together. There seems to be interest in them as a couple and they have chemistry and a friendship history already in place. Let them have an adventurous search for one of Nicole’s babies not so apparently dead after all. On the way let Rafe knock her up! Three times a charm and Nicole gets her miracle baby and fans can rejoice in that. Rafe’s lost his family on the show so let him start one and give these two wanderers some romance, adventure, stability and purpose on the show. I think Days needs to look at what viewers are craving to see and throw some enjoyment their way to keep the audience engaged.
Ben is not more boring than slutty Abby he is forced to sex up everydays..all Abby’s ‘stories’ is about having sex..just sex nothing else..such good storytelling, really..ew.
Ben and Jordan are certainly not the only boring characters on Days – Days seems to have an abundance of them lately, as the show seems more concerned with having models than actors, and more focused on showing skin than actually telling a good story.
And as much as I hate talking about Abigail, yes I agree. I cannot stand the character. And there was far too much focus on her unimportant life in 2014. I’d gladly keep Ben and Jordan if they got rid of Abby. (Not that I’m even watching anymore. Their insulting writing towards EJ, Sami and Ejami drove me away.)
Excellent observation Claire!!!!!
excellent critique! I read every word and am impressed. What you wrote about Sami & EJ plus that horrible ending took away some of the anger I felt for that stupid, insulting ending for the Ejami fans. Ejami fans won’t forget their Super Couple & will continue to dislike Corday & his writers.
I agree with “best triangle” and would add that it wasn’t just some frivolous kiddie storyline. As Spencer became friends with Joss to make Emma jealous, it gave him somewhere realistic to hide while he pretended to run away to reunite Britt and Nikolas. He was able to stay gone way longer because he was in a safe place, which terrified Nikolas more and validated why he broke up with Britt (for being involved). So, what could have been a lame “let’s give the soap kids a storyline to play with in the corner,” it was actually a great device that drive story.
Best soap to me is Englands Coronation Street…character driven down-to-earth realistic storylines about the working middle class…one family files for bankruptcy and looses their home, two men fighting over a Christmas tree, friends out for drinks, shopping and having a good time, a shop owner arrested after attacking the man who robbed him, the dead stay dead, and a nice mix of ethnic characters and straight and gay characters…the English know how to write interesting stories and characters to care about…love it…Days need to get rid of Ben…glad Jordans leaving(i still think Jordan will die in a fire at Sonnys new club and itll be Chads fault because to cut costs he hired an inexperienced electrician)…someone mention Serena could be Johns daughter with Diana who was played by Genie Francis…that works for me…Danial and Melanie i wish werent related to Maggie…Dan and Mel im just ok with but i wouldnt shed a tear if they left…Days needs to bring on Jerry Ver Dorn as Bill, Erika Slezak as Laura, Stephan Schnetzer as Steve Olsen who would make a great love interest for Kate, and Robin Strasser as either Lee Dumonde or Linda Anderson who could turn out to be Nicoles real mother…Shawn and Belle need to come back…if Aiden turns out to be a killer i bet he’ll murder Bree…he attacks Kayla that leaves her in a coma and Bill Horton returns to take over as chief of staff…Laura is unstable and jealous of Kate…Kate gets a stalker, poison choclates, and a deadly scorpion in her bed…she thinks its Laura but it could be Clyde or one of Stephanos men…i still think Ciara should become pregnant at 12 which i think would be a daytime first…Aiden goes mad and locks an unconcious Hope in a garage with a cars motor running but a man on a motorcycle shows up and rescues her…its Bo!…ok, PR probably not returning so itll be Rafe…Hopes next love interest!!! So, i can wish cant i…lol
I have been saying Erika Slezak as Laura and Jerry Van Dorn as Bill on Days would be awesome. Their chemestry as a couple on OLTL was amazing. Laura was always a little crazy and boy, can Erika play crazy when she needs to. And to have Robin Strasser as Linda! I love it. Bringing Stephan Schnetzer back as Steven! Great idea. And give Julie and Doug a meaty story line. Days should bring back these classic characters to commemorate their 50th anniversary. If you are alive and there is an ornament for you on the tree, you need to show up this year!
David! Yes, Erika Slezak in ANYTHING!
I can go for your idea but I also can go for her being some long lost Quartermaine and becoming the new matriarch of the Q mansion and go head to toe with Traci and Monica.
Or she could be a long lost sister of Katherine Chancellor and become the madam of the Chancellor estate. She’s got a lot of life left in here–give Erika a job! She is missed.
Days has added great actors (like Kassie DePaiva and Daniel Cosgrove), and did absolutely nothing productive with them. They have been wasted, alongside the other long-time talent on their show (they have so many talented actors).
I would hope the talented people you list in your comment would stay far, far away from the likes of Days of Our Lives – they refuse to write good story that doesn’t insult from beginning to end.
Ur storylines are ludicrous! Pregnant at 12, ewwwwwww
First of all that was a typo and ahouldve read 13…much of what i wrote is condensed from a previous post from months ago and i pushed summit before reading it over and i left things out…i watched a British soap that did a storyline about a girl pregnant at 13 which was well done and it does happen…Days was once known for its contriversal stories and highly praised for them…it currently has fallen to last place in my soap viewing…what is ludricous is the current plotlines on the show especially with Ben and Jordan and in your face Melanie…ive watched Days since 1965s first episode and briefly stopped watching in 1980(ive seen better Days) because of its mass firings and started watching from the early 80s to the early 2000s only coming back full time a few years ago…i have had much positive feed back with some of my ideas but i knew there would be a rare few who wouldnt…doesnt bug me at all…i look and both sides negative and positive and try to think of better ideas for the show which is more than i can say for the shows producers and writers…right now Days deserves its 4th place…i may not seem to like it much at the moment but id hate to see it cancelled and know it can do better…hoping its 50th will be an improvement…Happy New Year, Eileen!!!
It happens in real life. The father of the baby can be Chase or Theo!
I love 99.9% of jimh’s proposed storylines!
I agree with the following..”Freddie Smith – Days of our Lives – We loved Sonny during his wedding to Will, we loved Sonny navigating through the arrival of his ex, and we have loved Freddie’s portrayal of a good guy. For once, a nice guy can be interesting on DAYS!
I also agree with all that was said about Will and Sonny’s wedding. I have watched it probably more that I should. 😉 and will continue to do so until they are happy again.
I am a die hard WilSon fan and think Paul needs to leave them alone and hook up with the hot Derrick. 😉
I only watch Days so commenting about any other soap would not be right.
I agreed with all you said about Days but loved what I put in my other post . 🙂
I stopped watching Days in October, so I’m not following the WilSon story anymore.
That said, the WilSon wedding was one of the best episodes of the year. The writing was really good, and so much of the cast was present.
DAYS had no business bringing Jordan to Salem without a strong link to one of it’s families…Rafe is nothing…get rid of him too!
I hope Serena is linked to DAYS’ past in a bigger way than Eric because Eric and Nicole were just fine until the writers mucked that up! Actually, Nicole should have more screen time. Bring back Nicole’s family…She’s great with everybody!
No since in bringing newbies when the writers can’t write for hugely talented/talented vets such as the DH’s, Mary Beth Evans and Judi Evans. Wally Kurth could be brought back for a triangle involving the two Evans actresses! Mary Beth could have also been used in the Hope and Aiden storyline…so many missed opportunities. There’s no need for Aiden’s “dead” wife…We don’t need her or want her because WE DON’T KNOW HER!
Stop putting Daniel in every storyline! No character should be in all the storylines!
What are the DAYS writers smoking? Is it meth? Are they meth heads? If they’re dopers, they can go to Poplar Bluff, Missouri and die in a meth house explosion!!!
Sons of bithes are killing my show!!!!!
WOW
gavel this stratosphere : “MEMO to DAYS production
“…Sons of bithes are killing my show!!!!! ”
nice guns
———————-
I’m pissed that this past year has wrought this much inquiry…. fan lambast and trigger… take NOTE DAYS production team
Bithes…We know better…”bitches” is what I meant and still mean.
Nicole family has always been awful except maybe Brandon at the beginning of his romance with Sami..Otherwise this Walker family was a total disaster and dud..so no thanks. Leave Eric alone and start a romance for Nicole and Rafe and be done with it.
“4everDays” – You summed up the “Days” problem – they don’t invest in characters, couples, or storylines. Everything simply happens. And they push storylines and characters on the audience regardless of how the audience feels. I know they film 4 or 5 months ahead, so that would make it hard to turn around a story quickly if it isn’t getting a good response. But they pushed Danifer on the audience – not for months, but for YEARS, because they thought “they knew best.”
The storylines in ’06-’08 were much better, and even as late as ’09-’10 with the Sydnapping story – which was awesome. After that, storytelling got lazy, rushed, all about sex…boring, moralistic, and predictable. Who wants to watch that? Who wants to watch when you’re not invested in – and connected TO – the characters?
I always thought Jordan should have been Hope’s and John’s love child from the time they were the Pawn and Princess Gina. I had hope all her secret identities were her way of trying to ditch Stefano, who obviously had kidnapped her as a baby, and erased all memory of her from John and Hope’s memory. But atlas, my hopes were dashed, and Jordan story was a bust. Hoping 2015 and 50th Anniversary year will bring back the Days we all loved in the past.
Yes, I remember liking your idea! It’s a shame the writers can’t put the pipe down long enough to follow through with their plans unless they don’t have plans to begin with! I don’t think they knew what they were doing because they’re too doped up!!! They’re basically ruining the character of Kate because of the Clyde and Tammy Sue past.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, MARY SF!!!
That wouldve been great…
I would have liked to see BEST RECASTS to have included a FEMALE, too.
For me that would be DAYS, Kassie DePaiva as Eve Donovan-Larson.
Kassie was a great recast. So many people hate her for the situation with JJ. Guess what… YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO HATE HER!! As an actress, she is phenomenal!
@Kassie DePaiva FANS !!!! YES YES and more YES : just glad to have her back on our screens…. she indomitably screen gems her work.
the actor… phenoms her work
as a mother… she’s good with Paige as mother and daughter… just too much overkill are they or arent’ they a couple… as the article states… forced
as a LOVER… w/JJ ( I can’t take my eyes off them)
I loved Eve scenes with Patsy Pease…. and it was PP’ Kimberly who was the standout…. OYE! they need to bring back Shane and Kimberly to make-up for the losses of Sami/EJ/Kristen
the writers need to give Eve a job… fix her voice… she can sing at CLUB TBD
I love Eve
I agree, David. I love Kassie, and love that she’s reinvented Eve, yet she holds tight to that bad girl quality…from back in the day.
Kassie is the female Lizzardking of daytime–she can do anything.
Love her to pieces.
Kassie’s good.. But not as Eve, who’s supposedly spent most of her childhood growing up in England, then later in life in the States and somewhere in Africa. Kassie’s looks / age / accent don’t fit the character at all. Days should’ve made her character someone completely new, this just doesn’t work. Not to mention that they’re completely wasting her talent with this JJ and Paige borefest.
Give Kassie some time. She was actually a recast as Blair on OLTL. The original Blair was Asian and a great actress, but Kassie became the best Blair ever (even though her character was about 10 yrs younger than the actress). Kassie’s Blair and her storyline with Todd should be rated one of the best love stories/couples of all time on daytime. She rocked GH as Blair (in continuation of OLTL character), even for just the week she was on. Background and back story aside, I am sure Kassie will make the role her own. I just love watching her – she is so genuine and likable (esp. when she is being phony nice)!! Just watch out for her character near any windows…. she might just push her ex-husband’s new wife out…
sorry but you’re wrong on best love triangle. Three kids under the age of thirteen and they’re so young it’s not even believable or cute it’s ridiculous. The fluke story is the worst and best overall performance by an actress Maureen west is so not the best .
Who’s “Maureen west?”
Maura East sister LOL
Maura West – GH, Ava Jerome
I think Kim meant Maura West who is currently playing Ava on GH.
Or else she meant Maureen McCormick who played Marcia on the Brady Bunch.
I swear, it’s always Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!
Nothing about James Read and Kassie DePaiva on Days, Michael? LOVE them.
Ho hum to many of your GH picks. We agree that Dr. O is ridiculous.
KdP is awesome, but she hasn’t been given much of anything decent, story-wise, to work with. JR has been great – wish he was on a different show. Wish they both were – one that deserves them.
Today GH repeated an episode in which Carly and Sonny face their day of reckoning. I had missed much of it when it aired the first time.
In any case, I saw the scene in which DR O becomes all moralistic while she admonished Sonny for living a life of crime. She’s right, of course, but pot meet kettle, right? It seems that the writers cannot make up their minds whether she is to play a cartoon villain or the female version of Dr. Tom Hardy, but their inability to choose a lane for this character has rendered her pointless, puzzling and irritating to me.
Weirdest couple – Epiphany and Milo (GH)
Strongest couple – Sabrina and Carlos (GH)
Best Friends – Brad and Britta (GH)
– runner up – Lily and Kelly (YR)
Best recurring character – Maureen (YR)
Best marriage – Leslie and husband (YR) – hardly ever see them!
Worst marriage – TIE – Summer and Austin? – (YR), Hope and Liam (BB)
Best new character – Katherine Rose Abbott-Newman (YR)
Worst death – TIE – the Real Gabriel (YR), baby Gabriel (GH)
Worst return – Heather breaks out again and again and again (GH)
Best return – Robin shows up again and again and again (GH)
– runner up – Ashley (YR)
Best cliffhanger – Chloe is pregnant (YR)
Worst cliffhanger – the music box (YR)
Best breakup – Ridge and Katie (BB)
Most needed breakup – Carly and Franco (GH)
Best redemption – Stitch (YR)
Worst redemption – Liesl Obrecth (GH)
~Sorry, I just don’t know enough about Days to add them to the categories.
Totally agree with Epiphany and Milo. Could have been a great love story between Milo and Felix, who has disappeared lately!
Um, just one little problem with that scenario. Milo is not gay.
Who is Leslie, please???
Leslie was Neils old girlfriend…she was also an attorney on Y&R…your welcome…lol
Love the list–I’d like to add a runner up to most ruined character who wasn’t that great in the first place—Neil’s annoying, wimpy, obnoxious, self entitled and yet, boring son, DuhYawn. Why would Katherine leave her millions to this unworthy little twerp? Now he’s sleeping with his blind daddy’s wife. Now this is not the first time Duh Yawn has slept with his father’s woman. He’s an example of how too much money can ruin a person. Duh Yawn seems bored with his millions and rather go out and find himself his own woman, he has to fish in Daddy’s sea. I have no use for Neil’s slutty and vile wife either.
He’s a horrible, useless, lazy. unattractive character inside and out. I hope the writers send him off to an island of ridiculously misfit toys and we never have to lay eyes on his pathetic self again. I do not see how they can possibly redeem this character who was pretty weak in the first place.
there are so many ideals , fans alike, to progress with : our favorite serials
I have to prop : Nicole’s mother, Fay
DAYS production : just make her alive… where in soapland is this not possible
Nicole needs more than men on her mind…. a mother, and her own child would ADD layers and SHOWcase multi-talent, Arianne Zucker
“Kayla, KAYLA, KayLA”
this is really dreaming : why not, bring back John Callahan as Dr. Richard Baker… redeem him…. get him in the hospital…. and … ahem… he’s smitten and taken , with Kayla… and she helps herself
Better yet, bring back Patch and reunite one of Days’ most iconic and popular supercouples. Patch/Kayla, John/Marlena, Jack/Jennifer, Bo/Hope, Kim/Shane, Adrienne/Justin…they all need to be together and onscreen!
i’m with you 100% : in an ideal world with money to burn
i remember those days of super
I really like JimH idea of bring back the uber HOTTIE w/talent to spare… thee enigmatic Stephen Schnetzer…. ex-Cass from “Another World” to come to Salem and romance the LOVELIEST woman to grace daytime…. Mary Beth Evans : “Ms. Kimberly Brady”
Jack is dead, Bo is gone. Neither are coming back.
Jack’s not dead. Days is a soap. Characters come back from the dead all the time. He survived being murdered by the Salem Stalker and having his organs donated, not to mention being presumed dead in the Melaswen explosion and a car crash. A fall down an elevator shaft is not going to kill Jack. He’ll be back eventually.
Mary Beth Evans plays Kayla, and Kayla belongs only with Patch.
Days deserved to be listed your most disappointing soap and General Hospital the best.
Days is struggling and it shouldn’t. I can’t believe how they had no plan in place after Ej, Sami and Kristen left. Where is the action? I agree Billy is a great addition, but he isn’t getting anything to really sink his teeth into. The new character Paul was a great find and is giving some hope to Sonny and Will’s storyline, but everything else feels flat. Poor Galen and Ari have been misused. These are fan favorites!!! Give them something exciting and worthy of their talents! They could even put them together and shake things up. Rafe and Nicole deserve better than where they both seem to be going now. Paige and JJ are dull and the ‘affair’ with Eve isn’t interesting enough to eat up all the time they are giving it. Kate is actually more interesting now that she’s back in schemer mode with a man her equal. They need to keep moving her solidly in this power hungry position. I think Daniel dominates too much of the show and going back to Nicole feels very tired and uninspiring on the writers part. Theresa and Brady and the missing embryo has promise and finally John and Marlena are coming back together. Now Days needs to bring back some familiar faces and put everything they’ve got into ACTION stories with heart. This show needs a serious kick in the pants!
GH on the other hand has been a delight. A big cast ALL with exciting, interesting stories that keep going on and on without becoming redundant. They keep it fresh. They deserve the applause you’ve given them and I hope their good work inspires others to step up to the plate and create their own home runs!
I agree with everything you said. Best part was finally getting rid of the golden couple sami and jr. Sami goes to Hollywood instead of jail what a joke especially when she went through all that revenge planning only to forgive the hound dog that raped her and cause her to be raped continually while he listens Ed by phone. Taking her kids away from her, making her tell johnnie she didn’t love him any,ore etc etc. what stupid writing and rewriting past stories to make a small fan base happy dumb on every level. Animal sex continually on the screen and now we are subjected to Eve and JJ . What’s happened to the romance mystery and intrigue that Days was all about. Certainly has been going downhill for the past 2+ years and I’m afraid that if it doesn’t change directions soon it will end with the 50th anniversary. They have great veterans that are badly underutilized. All these new characters are not helping. Days had better wake up and watch their ratings. Get writers that know how to write not continue to use the same scripts of the past. Characters are boring because they bring them on and leave them hanging without a plot. Sorry for the rant but I am so disappointed with how Days is being written right now. Oh and I’m sure the Rafe haters are the small jr fans because he was sami’s true love before the bad white washing of the Sami and Rafe history began.
Well of course those who dislike ejami will say neg about them to bad for them that the majority and not just ejami fans disliked the exit of Sami and EJ and the who romp crap with ejabby !! Most of all I guess they are mad that thie fave never reached the super star status of ejami that’s the real problem !! In the end Sami was married to the man she loved with all her Heart and that was EJ !! Also all the ejami haters use the same excuse over and over the rape thing blah blah blah Sami and EJ for gave each other for thier terrible things years ago that’s called unconditional love !! The haters still harping on it is just proving the point how ejami beat all odds and loved each other threw everything !!
You seriously calling Ejami a small fan base typical bitter Safe fan you couple had no fans no one liked them i never seen a Safe fan if were any you know they just Lumi fans pretending to love them because so threatened by Ejami. Ken Corday basically said this week in a interview that James and Ali leaving left a huge void on his show in another word he knows his show is crap now. As for rafe he is and always was a useless character along with Abby and Lucas you noticed no one talks about Rafe anymore that because he longer in Ejami’s storyline anymore same goes for Abby.
I’ve been watching GH for a very long time and I have to say it’s gotten pretty hard to watch in the last 2 yrs!! The story lines are pretty outlandish even for soap standards!! The Luke storyline is ridiculous!! I always thought GH was above the rest but I’m starting to wonder!! I could write better story lines then these so called writers!!
I disagree emphatically that Stitch is overused! I think he is so interesting and attractive that hes used in several storylines. Did I mention how HOT this actor is??? Well, he is!!!!
I like him too, Eileen but I did get tired of seeing him at Victoria’s door. Every time she answered the door or even opened it, there was Mr. Sad Sacks. Does that puppy have a home? We’ve never seen it!
Trust me, if Stitch knocked at the door of any living, breathing available female, he would be welcomed in and there would be NO SAD puppy eyes! Sean is a good actor, and has amazing chemistry with every actor on the show, female or male. Victoria, Ashley, Abby, Dylan, Sharon, Billy, Victor, Nicki, the list is endless!!
Ha ha! Yes, he is cute.
But really–Vicky gets her morning paper at dawn and there’s Stitch at the door. She opens to the door to UPS at noon, and there’s Stitch in brown cargo shorts. Finally, she opens the door at midnight to pay for the pizza she ordered and yep, you guessed it–there’s Stitch holding the pizza box.
I just wanna know what he did to he UPS and pizza delivery boys.
And by alone i mean Eric with someone else. The poor deserve better than always been screwed over by Nicole..she did it with the last Eric (Jensen Ackles version) and she did it with the new one (Greg Vaughn version).
Nicole need to be with a busybody like her : Rafe and maybe this time they will have their own child and will not need to steal other people’s children.
Michael Fairman, I agreed with probably EVERYTHING you chose for all these categories.
But one glaring omission from the category of no matter what you threw at the couple to make them interesting, they just weren’t…. I was hoping you’d give that to Abby and Tyler from Y&R. It was his past issues, her phobias, Mariah, moving too fast, and no one in town even caring whether they were together. And then when the writers decided Mariah and Cassie’s twin were one-and-the-same, they didn’t seem to want to write that hard toward Mariah/Tyler to explain why she was so obsessed with him in the first place. BIGGEST DUD EVER.
Abby/Tyler had no rooting value, questionable casting (Redaric was a hottie to stare at but ultimately didn’t amount to more than that, while the audience was still trying to warm to the newest Abby), and uninspired storytelling. And now Mariah is telling Sharon she’s not sure she knows what love is. Wasn’t that what she thought her own motive was for stalking Tyler and “terrorizing” Abby (by locking her in an empty apartment, which really wasn’t that terrifying)…
All that, and Tyler basically faded off the show with no actual exit story. Weren’t his last scenes the barroom brawl during the Sharon/Nick bachelor/bachelorette parties? Lame way to go out, Tyler. Best of luck. Say hi to your sister also, wherever she went with her sudden doctor husband we never met before she married him.
Can we edit your Best/Worst to include this? I think it was one of Y&R’s bigger blunders in 2014, FOR SURE.
I agree but Abby and Tyler were so boring and pointless and disappeared so quickly, Fairman probably forgot about them.
I would also like to add the list–Most underused and misused character–Tristan Rogers.
Abby and Tyler were boring. Part of the prob is neither of them are particularly good actors. Glad that it seems Tyler is gone. Wish we could get a recast for Abby, but doubt that will happen and there are more pressing issues.
Agree that Y&R has wasted Tristan and the actress who plays Jill.
Totally agree with the most frustrating exit and the most heartbreaking– when will robin return?
I think Days should dangle a 7 figure carrot in Eileen Davidson’s face if they want to save the show now that Sami and EJ are gone.
Liesle Obrecht is my fave daytime character now. Love her bipolar icy german ways.
and I agree.. MichellenStafford does KKKKKAAAARRRRAAAAZZZYYYYYY better than anyone I l8ve Nina Clay.
NuJason is pretty awesome too… Lets hurry him back to Sam
A little too late for the carrot you mentioned. Days had the chance early 2013 but they blew it.
Back on topic. Smart choices for best&worst, I agree with most of them.
Justin Hartley is a homerun!
Totally agree, Timm. He reminds me of Michael Muhney–there’s something about his expressions and a certain look in his eyes which is very familiar.
He certainly is, Timmm! And I don’t even watch Y&R!!! LOL….Just wish JH were on GH instead…..
Days cant afford Eileen Davidson except for short visits. Their budget cant take the hit.
WOW!!!! I am so happy, I could have told you all of this about General Hospital, this makes me proud of my favorite soap. If we can’t have “One Life To Live” anymore, then kudos to General Hospital and Ron and Frank, and all the cast are just wonderful! I would love to see more scenes with Marc Samuel (Felix) and Sonya Eddy, I think they are great actors. I love everyone who is on GH, and Nicolas Bechtel (Spencer) is so funny, he looks like my Son when he was that age, dark hair and all, and he is a scene stealer for sure. Adorable! Keep up the good work General Hospital.
I particularly love this part of your comment: “If we can’t have “One Life To Live” anymore, then kudos to General Hospital and Ron and Frank, and all the cast are just wonderful!”
I love how GH can make me laugh, cry, and “wonder what’s next” all in one episode – it’s like the best of GH and OLTL all rolled into one.
Ugh. OLTL was 10,000 times the soap GH ever was.
Margie may sound grumpy but she is also totally right.
I did not say anything negative about One Life To Live, it was my favorite soap that I watched for years, but as it looks now, it is not coming back! I used to watch General Hospital years ago and I watch it now, and it is my favorite now.
The reason I started watching GH again was BECAUSE of Ron and Frank, and Roger Howarth, Kristen Alderson, Michael Easton, and all the cast is great on GH. I hated it when Kelly Thiebaud left.
A fun read. Agree with all your GH picks and that it was a travesty that DALLAS was cancelled.
I totally agree, I loved every character on the show, the sl was so good, there was no excuse imo that they did not try to move it around and fined a good time slot, but what did they do they had on the most watch tv shows of the week, on Monday night during the voice and dwts, 2 most popular shows, yes I know they had it on one other night, I believe it was on Friday, and you can tape blah blah I was sure hoping that could find another network , but sadly they did not, It will missed. I sure could see John Ross character playing lucky, he would be so good imo wonder if he would do daytime?? Sorry I went blank on his real name
Josh Henderson?
Worst recast- Guy WilSon as Will Horton on days. Took a great character and just destroyed it, it wasn’t just the bad writing that hurt this character, but the bad acting and zero chemistry with any other actor on the show as well that made a favorite character a hated and boring character this past year.
THANK YOU! Although, I think Guy came on last year. But Guy is awful. Used to love Will, but now I could care less. I had hoped when Will went to LA, he would either stay there or come back recast. No such luck. Guy has taken all the joy from Will. And from me seeing the character onscreen.
Kathy, I second your remark about the recast of Will Horton-horrible. Chandler Massey was mistreated by Days staff in August 2013, and then sent in wrong clip to Emmy broadcast and all this and more was completely ignored by the soap press including Michael Fairman. This should have figured more prominently in this review of the year, but the lack of a backbone in the soap press shows up again.
Agree, would have liked to have heard more about how the Emmy reel was wrong, how a show about 2013 scenes even had a reel from 2014 there was strange at best. Why they sat a two time winner and 4 time nominee as far back in the room as possible was also disgraceful. As usual though Chandler was the bigger person and handled it perfectly, and got the perfect payback by winning again. Once again proving they let go of the best actor they ever had, and they way they are going most likely will ever have.
Only a Days watcher (although most of 2014 was FF for me), so I cannot comment on what was said about other soaps. I agree with a lot of what you highlighted about Days but your heavy favouritism of EJami / Sweeney / Scott was showing annoyingly much here.
Take EJ’s death scenes for example: it was so poorly acted by Scott that I found it absolutely hilarious and was laughing most of the time and I wasn’t the only one. Sweeney did a lot better, but it took her FOREVER to deliver real tears and not just fakingly squint her face (her trademark). I bet the shooting schedule of Days can be blamed there for most part, it makes scenes like these super challenging cuz the actors don’t have enough time to really get emotional.
EJami have their devoted fans, but they also have just as much people hating them, which is something TIIC tend to forget. They made this year all about EJami and Sami at the expense of other stories, which were mostly put on hold or totally ignored. Yet EJami’s stories had zero consistency and made very little sense on any level (EJ’s random hook-up with Abby even though he’s clearly been obsessed with Sami sicne the beginning; Sami forgiving cheating so easily – sooo untrue to the character; Sami’s “revenge” which actually led to nowhere in the end cuz her vajayjay needed action immediately after).
And now that EJami’s gone, it’s like Days’ writers aren’t even trying so that they can say Days survived the exits of likes of Deidre Hall, Peter Reckell, Kristian Alfonso etc., yet it couldn’t survive without Ali Sweeney. Even though those situations aren’t comparable because back in the day the show was an ensamble show, as it should be, instead of revolving completely around just one or two characters (the past 5-6 years it was Sami, now the torch has been handled over to Daniel/Melanie. UGHH.)
I disagree days don’t have as many people hating on ejami if they did ejami wouldn’t be such a mega success nice try though ! Also the EJ death was amazing it had twitter in a frenzy and most fans were crying for 3 days straight even the soap critics raved how those scenes had them crying and crying and crying !! James Scott and Alison SWEENY were amazing that’s why the name ejami is always on everyone’s lips also Corday himself had to finally admit how much of a importance ejami was to the show and how now since thier departure it’s left a huge void on the show !!
I loved hearing about Judith Light on Dallas – even though it was cancelled. I don’t have TV reception, so all my watching is on-line, and unfortunately with my computer I wasn’t able to include Dallas.
Anyway, I LOVE JL and am glad to hear she’s still out there in TV Land doing her thing! The last thing I saw her in was “Save Me” which has to be one of my all-time, favorite films.
Thanks again, Mr. Fairman. As usual, a delight to read!
She’s now on the series, TRANSPARENT, with Jeffrey Tambor which is seen on Amazon Instant Video.
Thanks for the info! 🙂
Maybe you can find Judith in Dallas on YouTube. She was incredible, and funny.
Thanks, Rose. I’ll check it out!
For me, the best return was the short but sweet visit from Susan Banks. It was so great and rewarding to see Eileen Davidson reprise another one of her iconic characters! Her performance in those episodes, not to mention the writing for Susan, was spot-on! I loved that Days actually had the budget to do a split screen with Susan and Kristen! Kristen’s return may not have been all that great this time around, but it was worth it to see Susan again! If Susan’s not back for the 50th, that would just be mean, mean, mean!
Loved seeing Susan again. Can’t wait for Kristen to return. Wish it could be for longer.
Days needs something to rev its engine since Stefano is still persona non gratis in Salem. I know Joseph only wants to work a couple days a week, but bring him back to Salem and make those days count!
And great to see Doug and Julie again. Hope they’re onscreen more in 2015. Same with Maxine. What happened with her and Abe? Or give her something else to do.
Agree with a lot, disagree with a lot.
Totally disagree that Billy Flynn is the best recast. He and nuWill need to go. Paul is not best new character.
Agree that Burgess Jenkins is worst recast. Give us someone who can really act and give us the writing. They have changed Billy. And not for the better.
Days has suffered with EJami leaving–the way they left; the twitless trio: Jordan, Clyde, and Ben (why wasn’t Clyde mentioned here–he’s a bore, plus he was in on EJ being killed). March can’t come soon enough for Jordan to be gone, but is she taking her fam with?
For all the bad, and I could go on, there is more good and that’s why I love my soaps.
OMG – Clyde is AMAZing. James Read is fantastic. I wish Days would have him in scenes with more people.
Clyde should be paired with Eve…i bet theyd have great chemistry together…jmo!!!
But Mo, Fairman didn’t say Jenkins couldn’t act–he asserted that he is a good actor and he is. He was just a poor casting decision and yes, Y&R acted way too hastily in replacing David Tom.
I also agree that Avery and Dylan are incredibly boring. I never thought the appearance of Steve Burton would make me want to go clean the bathroom. Coupling him with Betty Crocker was not a good idea. I thought he had chemistry with Sharon–not sure why they didn’t go down that road.
True, he said Jenkins can act. I guess I’m just not feeling him and he has absolutely NO chemistry with Chelsea or Victoria.
Yes, Dylan and Avery are uber boring. When Avery first arrived, I hoped she was short term, but she has ensconced herself in GC and pairing her with Dylan did her no favors. I have fast forwarded through many a scene of them as well as Chelsea and Billy, Hilary and Neil.
I am loving Justin Hartley as Adam though. And I do like Gina as Phyllis. I also like Summer and Austin together. There is some good in Y&R, but still lots to fix.
BTW, you must have a super clean bathroom. 😉
“Betty Crocker?”
Harry, you slay me (because it’s so utterly perfect)! That’s priceless. Thanks for cracking me up.
Great list Michael! How come you didn’t pick Billy Miller as Jason Morgan/Jake on GH as Best Recast, or at least runner-up as Best Recast?
Because Miller is not doing a very good job of playing Jason. There’s not any hint of Jason Morgan in his performance and no hint of conflict.
He’s Billy Abbott.
Burgess Jenkins is a good actor, just lowkey. He plays Billy differently than Billy Miller.
I was asking Michael, not you harry!
Okay, Chris. I should have prefaced my answer with “I am not Michael Fairman but I play him on his blog’s comment section.”
So Michael Fairman, do you think Justin Hartley (new Adam on Y&R) would have made a great recast for Jason on GH?
(giving Chris a chance to play Michael Fairman).
Billy Miller plays Billy Miller. That’s why a Billy Abbott recast is so tough.
Billy Miller IS Jason. Hes hitting every beat even without his memory intact. Attracted to Elizabeth, mystified by Sam, and always there for Carly. Too bad u cant see it.
You are dead on with Days and Y+R. I’ve watched for over 40 years and am truly disappointed. Even my 84 y.o. Dad who couldn’t go anywhere when Y+R was on quit watching. They have taken out the best actors from both soaps and left a few could actors holding the bag of these sinking ships. The head honchos couldn’t have done more to sabotage their own soaps if they tried. Its sad but I am tired of watching these 2 die a painful death. If they can’t bring back their stars, goodbye.
As always, you are on point. I agree with you on almost all of your selections. I would have liked to see some mention of William DeVry coming in and making you love him even when we are supposed to duslike him. I hated his character on AMC, and I cannot believe how much he has fleshed into Julian Jerome and the relationship with Alexis. Any story that brings Nancy Lee Grahn to the forefront is a winner to me. But seriously, their chemistry is off the charts! I adore Rick Hearst and hope he is back to GH for good. I agree with the great recast of Adam, but I find myself forgetting that Burgess is Billy. Twice I asked my mom who he was! And seeing Shemar back was a gift to his longtime fans. I only wish Michelle Stafford would have been there because I loved the friendship of Phyllis and Malcolm. Speaking of Michelle, she is a powerhouse. GH has some heavy hitters with Maura, Roger, Tony, Michelle, Maurice, and Billy. Wow, what a star-studded cast. I preferred Roger as Todd and Kristen as Starr though. But I would watch Roger do any role. He is so captivating. Speaking of captivating, I briefly met Michael Easton at Super Soap Weekend not knowing who he was. He was electric and took my breath away. I had to start watching OLTL just to see him. He is so wasted as Silas. Again, I wish he were John McBain. Prospect Park screwed that up royally. Let’s talk prinetime: how could they cancel Dallas? Every episode was riveting, and the cliffhanger to end this season set up so much for next season. They deprived soap fans once again to add more reality and plain dumb shows. It is the dumbing down of America. Thank you to everyone who works to keep this genre alive, like you Michael Fairman!
ABC screwed that up royally.
Margie may be cranky, but she’s also right.
As a few have mentioned here, I, too, only watch one soap…GH. (though I have peeked in at the others just a handful of times to see how a OLT, ex GH or primetime actor is doing)… 😉
Though I LOVE Roger as Franco; his humor, improvs, nuances, sarcasm et al are what make him so much fun to watch…not to mention his incredible face and body…but I digress! I still think, even with all that…that Tony’s scenes in Miscavage (sp?) trump Roger’s at the wedding. Tony succeeded in freaking me out, revolting me and simultaneously making me feel incredible empathy for the “real” Luke.
I totally agree with your accolades for GH! I’ve enjoyed practically every minute of it…and you’re right. It’s got everything from drama to outlandish camp…and it works for me. From Casey the alien way back in the day, GH has always been a tad out of the box. (By the way, yesterday’s Maxi/Nathan two ships in the night was way cute. Fun-loving episode.)
Also agree about Maura and Michelle. Though the who baby/crazy Nina/Ava scene was a source of contention, I loved it! The acting was superlative and both actresses were compelling. Devastating and yet delicious to watch!
As we ring out this past year, I’m soooo hoping GH stays with us for many new years to come….
Rebecca, I agree with much of what you say. One of my main complaints, however, is what they’ve done to former superspy, the Emma Peal of Port Charlies, Anna Devane.
I hope she has a hot new romance with that younger man this year–Anna deserves to be with a man who has passion.
Duke of Bloomingdales seems like he should be Anna and Lucy’s personal shopper, not their boyfriend. He always struck me as her best friend–he reminds me of the hotel concierge dude who plays Fairy Godmother to Julia Robert’s Pretty Woman.
LOL…Duke of Bloomingdales! I love Duke; back in the day he was quite dashing…and oh-so-gorgeous. I was so looking forward to his return…and I couldn’t wait for Anna to find the real man behind the mask. But they did nothing with the two of them…just wet dishrags barely together and when they were it was mostly domestic grandparent scenes with Emma. Hopefully the “swashbuckler” Duke will emerge with his new role as Sonny’s top man. As for Anna…while I agree her skills have left the building…her wit is hilarious. Love the sharp, snooty lil quips they’ve given her lately. Though she’s not the savvy spy, she’s quite the sardonic little biatch when provoked…like when she did the Faison impersonation to freak out Dr. O…or told the guy investigating her that the new chick in town who walked in on Nic’s arm “traded up.” They’ve depleted her skills and given her a tad of snark! LOL…let’s see how it all unfolds…all they now is Detective Clouseau and the Port Charles police will be complete!
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. I love your optimism–wish I had some of that.
Once upon a time Duke was Anna’s mysterious and dashing lover, now he’s her tasteful and refined dresser.
It would be okay if Duke of Bloomingdales would stop boasting that he is now in charge of Sonny’s mobster empire! It just sounds ridiculous now–like Tim Gunn boasting that he’s the new Al Capone.
The only warning I see Duke issuing is a fashion violation against people who wear pajamas or jeggings in public. That said, Sam should be very afraid.
Great call, Harry!….Love your dubbing of Mr. Lavery as “Duke of Bloomingdales,” along with identifying his inner “fashion police” calling. (By jove, I think you’ve got it!!!) One thing’s for sure….there is no shortage of severe “style crimes” being committed in Port Charles!!! (And I mean far more than Sammy’s much-maligned jeggings and non-removable, vertiginous black booties!!!) Of course, the most logical place to begin is with the worst fashion felony of all….Alexis and her hydraulic-strength push-up bras and corresponding low-cut wowza wear. Since there is no way that she can ever “make it work,” there should definitely be a mass burning of her offending “support garments,” and va-va-voom to the navel v-necks after which she shall then be sentenced to a lifetime of modest size/age-appropriate Playtex “Cross Your Hearts” and tastefully-tame turtlenecks for the rest of her natural life. Problem solved. After that, the sky is the limit for fixing the “unfashionably-afflicted folk” of GH. How about banishing Tracy’s omnipresent “Pantsuits from H@!!,” Bobbie’s blow-up doll dresses, Loosy’s OTT come-hither frockery or Sappy’s crayon-hued “GapKids'” garb? (Come to think of it, let’s just ban the latter, wardrobe and all!!!) Same goes for Sam’s worn-out tee-shirts, Scotty’s too-tight suits and Patrick’s Mr. Rogers’ sweaters. (And could someone please find clothes proportionate to the lengthy frames of those twin tall drinks of water, Ava and Carly?) With the new year should come a resolution to spruce up Port Charles’ most egregious sadrags into gladrags…YES!!! And “Mr. Dukewell” is just the man to do it!!!! (He needs to put out his own “list”—of “Best/Worst Dressed!—-at least his would make sense, unlike LaNina’s much-touted one!) May I also humbly suggest that either Madeline or Maxie be his assistant? Both have displayed supreme sartorial splendor, and I must add, how refreshing it has been to watch the “Maximista” reclaim her crown as Prima Fashionista!!!! (She even found a prince who understands the value of designer footwear…..now there’s an accessory that definitely rates as an “investment piece!”) All in all, there are very few who could not do without a touch-up of Lavery’s fastidious attention to decorous detail….perhaps the sole exception being, in your words, the Emma Peel-esque Anna, who come to think of it, probably had her clearly covetable closet of top-notch togs made over by Duke during the considerable time he spent off screen during 2014!!!! Explains so much……
Mr. Fairman, such a great recap and these awards are spot on! I will say that Liesel being Chief of Staff at GH was ridiculous but it was explained how it happened BUT after Sloan arrived in town to clean up the WSB, why didnt that include removing Liesel for her position that Victor appointed her to? Secondly, not only is the music box the worst story of 2014, Jill and Colin are being wasted on that show. Give him a story or send him back to PC. Also Michael, I agree, everywhere you turned it was Stitch this or Stitch that! Enough!
See, I loved Stitch here, there and everywhere! Cant get enough of that good looking doctor. He resonates with every character, guys and girls alike.
Its gotta be a girl thing? There is a character on GH as well that is overwhelming to me BUT the girls love him so he is everywhere! Regardless, I heard the actor who plays Stitch is very nice so that counts for something.
I don’t think DAYS is as disappointing as everyone has said aND I certainly am seeing some good things brewing right now. Certainly it wasn’t the best soap of 2014 (as it was in 2013), but not the worst either…Y&R gets that title in my opinion. GH deserves top soap this year and thank you for naming Maura West best female performer! I disliked her on ATWT, but she nails it on GH! Hands down my favorite!
Beacon Hill definitely best web show, still need more Claire in season 2
I love LUMI and hope they are the end game for the 50th is coming up,Bryan Dattilo/Lucas Horton is an awesome character and his entertaining,cleve,powerful and one of Days biggest talent right along with other characters thats been on Days for years,
Nicole is power house if they would write for her. alot of brilliant stars on Days.
The death of baby Gabriel was the most heart-wrenching story for me this year. To only single out JT as emmy worthy though is a mistake. Teresa Castillo gave her all to that storyline, albeit while she was in the last months of her own pregnancy, and deserves accolades for her stellar performance. They are wonderful together on screen and always seem to bring out the best in each other. We need more of Patrick and Sabrina!
Couldn’t agree more with you
I think those waters were very carefully tread upon, Harry. It just depends whether you’re a viewer who had any emotional investment in this couple or not. For those of us who liked Sabrina…and perhaps even for a few who didn’t like the character but got swept into the tragedy…it worked. It also served as the catalyst for Rafe getting involved with Victor, Rafe’s death, Patrick losing his job, Patrick and Sam getting close…and Sabrina’s breakdown.
I had no emotion about it what so ever because the story and the characters all felt cardboard-like.
Teresa is not a good actress and the character was never fleshed out in any believable way.
Patrick has moved on with Sam and Sparkle Pony will soon be trotting off to the enchanted forrest which is full of talking and singing animals, butterflies and unicorns.
lol
Oh thank you, Harry….I knew I could depend upon you to dispute that this specific storyline was some prime example of humanity and heartbreak, because we regularly saw eye-to-eye as we suffered (and commiserated….) through its absolute absurdity and utter futility. From the beginning (to what I can only hope is a very eventual and soon-to-be forthcoming end) the entire Sappy scenario has been an exhausting and meaningless waste of precious time and resources that could have far better been allocated amongst more talented cast members and deserving storylines that actually intelligently and compellingly referenced both past and future GH plots. As if the sugar-coated, Disney-inspired escapades and wedding interruptus meltdown weren’t enough….(which is exactly where this thankless mess should have crashed and burned into oblivion)….Cartini then had to prolong the agony antics of that insipid nurse and her continual weep-and-whine-fest with an unwelcome, ill-timed pregnancy, not to mention, ridiculously-conceived roadside delivery. The tale of that trumped-up tyke was such a completely contrived and grossly gratuitous storyline of convenience which served no other purpose than to further a truly worthless character and accommodate a subpar player’s real maternity situation….it offered nothing in terms of entertainment value, although I will suggest that it did seem to exact a sadly sadistic and emotionally-brutal imposition upon those viewers who may have suffered through a similar true-life tragedy…just another reason I abhorred it. Additionally, as you (and Timmm) have already pointed out…it was impossible to invest in this “phantom child,” given a number of factors….. Whether it was due to simply not caring about the parties involved—considering their strange, unwelcome coupling—the cheap and unconvincing sfx nature of “Little Blanket” (aka, the “Rubberino Bambino,” as I so fondly referred to “Gabe the Babe”) or just being totally indifferent to one too many baby-inspired themes, rather than being tear-jerking, it was more like tear-out-your-hair exasperating, and the moan-filled, milked-for-all-its-worth conclusion seriously could not arrive fast enough for me. Moreover, the hokey use of group sing-alongs, magic props and other gimmickry did nada to lend a heart-tugging aspect to this morbid melodrama, instead it made it all the more mock-worthy!!! Far from praising this sadly sophomoric saga as one of last year’s best, I would propose that it ranks as one of the worst and most ludicrous of all time!!!!
Shay, (I hope you make a living from your writing because you’re damn good).
I agree with your every word but it’s hard to express because no one wants to be that guy who says that the death of a baby did not move them.
But the way the story was delivered just left me cold. If you are going to tackle such a delicate and tender subject, you do so with care and you do so in such a way as to involve the entire soap community.
In my opinion, if you can’t carefully tread into those waters than do not approach that story at all.
Well said, Harry….I often took the risk of being labeled as hard-hearted during my myriad posts regarding the “Disney Princess Debacle” because I found the whole proposition to be so ill-suited to the soap opera genre. However, as you previously have noted, there’s only so much one can tolerate before speaking out. It’s true that this particular storyline left a lot to be desired in numerous aspects….it had a rushed, slapdash feel to it, with no nuance or finesse, and in the end, it was ultimately unnecessary and featured force-fed emotions and atrociously amateurish melodrama. But worst of all, it was, in essence, quite manipulative in that it attempted to shame those of us who dared not care about it or the parties involved…..yet we stronger souls resisted and mightily so. That’s not to say that there were not other GH moments in the past year that brought us to tears of both joy and sorrow….AJ’s death was beyond tragic, Robin’s family reunions with her parents and husband/child were seriously stirring, as was Maxie’s maternal meetup with Spinelli and daughter! Furthermore, Luke’s incarceration was breathtakingly horrifying and Britt’s untimely departure was deeply disappointing (and lump-in-the-throat inducing….) for “The Britch’s” most ardent fans. Those are only a few examples that earned and deserved our rapt attention, immense investment and emotional reactions….however, the revolting tale of the “Roadkill Runt” simply did not. End of story. P.S. Once again, thank you for your kind comments, Harry. Although I don’t presently write professionally, I’ve worked in both the journalism and advertising/public relations fields, and I truly enjoyed those pursuits. For now, my activity as a “wordsmith” is limited to this website, but it keeps me in good stead….particularly when I correspond with others (like yourself….) who are similarly proficient in the use of vocabulary!!!
Best Coffee: Crimson Lights
Worst Coffee: Sonybucks!
Best Hair: Abby Newman
Worst Hair Summer Newman Abbot Newman!
Best use of hair gel: Joe Clark
Worst use of hair gel: Sonny Corinthos
Best at defeating father time: Lauren Fenmore
Worst at defeating father time: Anita Lawson Sorry, I miss those Daisy Dukes!
Best Restaurant: The Athletic Club
Worst Restaurant: Metro Court [The Carly factor!]
Best fitted clothing: Avery Baily Clark
Worst fitted clothing: A Scotty Baldwin Suit!
Best Hair Male: Adam Newman
Worst Hair Male: Scotty Baldwin
Coolest Character Male: Kevin Fisher
Coolest Chick: Mariah Copeland
Best Abs: Nathan West
Worst Abs: ME!
Hall of Fame [Male] Victor’s Mustache
Hall of Fame [Female] Summer’s Colorist!
Police Department of the Year: GCPD
Worst Police Department of the Year with the most capable Commissioner: PCPD
Best soap of the Year: GH [Thank you Frank and Ron!]
Worst soap of the Year NONE! Be thankful that four still exist on TV.
Agree with you on worst restaurant–i.e., the Carly Factor (ha!!).
Yes and the writers are already moving forward as if she did nothing wrong!
Timm, Love your list. In particular, love your coolest male and female picks.
Kevin and Mariah are winners. I love their literary, witty repartee. Today, Mariah had a one two knock out with the superfluous, shallow, mean girl and not very bright, Abby Newman,who attempted to insult Mariah. She has done the same with that other vapid moron, Summer.
I like to think that Sharon’s daughter is triumphing over Victor Newman’s daughter and granddaughter.
I loved reading this…
It was a great list–wish we had like buttons to click in here
Thanks Jim. I hope you have a better year in 2015. God bless!
The only thing on your list that should be corrected…worst Abs…that should go to me…lol…worst body…that would be me…lol…hope you have a better year too…thanks Timmm
The Young And The Restless needs to be really shaken up. There are literally no stories worth watching. While Justin Hartley is a great actor and is strong enough to play Adam, his reintroduction back into Genoa City with that Sage chick and Constance Bingham is nothing short of stupid. I don’t care about Sage. And Constance was put there to merely die…stupidity. The placement of Maureen as Ben and Kelly’s mother could have been done much better. They turned her into a whack job way too quickly. And then to have her run away is lazy storytelling. The writing team on Y&R has gotten worse. Ever since they took away the good writers. It’s tiring saying how bad Jill Farren Phelps has made Y&R but it’s true. She has hacked away at the great characters. They introduce new characters with no depth or meaning. The hurling of Dylan McAvoy in our faces is disgusting because he can’t act. His story is boring and I just don’t care that he is Nikki’s son. Now we are being force fed Sage because Nick is horny and can’t bang Sharon anymore. Jack is a wimp. I want Victor to kick his butt just so he gets what he deserves. Jack used to be a strong character. And now he is completely whipped. I love the new Phyllis but she is no where near the magic that Michelle Stafford portrayed. The character of Billy Abbott has turned into a whiney emasculated man. Billy with Chelsea is ridiculous and far fetched. as always the pathetic writing team at Y&R force us to endure instead of trying to get us to suspend our disbelief. Summer and Austin are an awful couple. Devon and Hilary are not good together. No heat, no magic. He has been on that show for years now and has zero acting range. He always looks bored and stiff. And Hilary is too much woman for him to handle. Cane is useless. Lily has no purpose. I think they need to decide if they want Lauren and Michael gone for good. First they separated them with infidelity and we rooted for them to fight through it. Now as our reward we get cancer? Thanks for your support writing team at Y&R.
Your whole post was wrong. Go back watch Y and R with just a bit of intelligence. Take ur blinders off.
Eileen, you may be even more cantankerous than I am. But I get your point.
Y&R IS getting a lot better. Sure there are problems which Fairman listed. For one, you want to shake Neil and say,”What are you, blind?” But he literally is blind so that not only seems redundant, it seems cruel to say this to him.
I have no use for Summer. Shakespeare was wrong when he asserts that “Summer hath all too short a date.” Summer seems to be around 24/7 in the Fall, Winter, Spring and of course, Summer. I am tired of her constant whining. Lily of the Valley is as vapid as one of the three Heathers from the movie, Heathers. She never seems to grow up.
But I love Gina as Phyllis, love the Adam recast, love Mariah and Kevin and as always, I love Jack. I would say the good outweighs the bad and hope Brian Fronz doesn’t screw it all up.
Eileen,
Anytime any one attacks someone’s intelligence when they differ with your opinion is always a sign that the person who writes the attack has minimal intelligence. Because my feelings are not in agreement with yours gives you absolutely no right to insult intelligence. I stand completely by my post. I have been watching Y&R for a VERY long time. And this last two years of the Phelps reign makes me long for MAB. At least she told interesting stories that weren’t based on someone getting someone pregnant over and over again. The core characters have lost their power. We had Jill going on a hunt over a box that actually meant nothing. She married a criminal. We have some character from the war taking over the storyline with no foundation at all. We have Summer Newman who has nothing to do but whine. We lost the credibility of Sharon Newman. They have turned her into the most vapid woman when she has always been a fighter and a smart woman. Phyllis is a strong woman who takes risks but they have turned her into a mean person. Just mean for the sake of mean. Victoria and Billy were a couple that I used to cheer for but now I want Billy to just fall in a hole and never come out. The whole Neil scenario is ridiculous. Marrying the woman who ripped his family apart? Neil loves his family too much to risk that. Lily is useless. All she does is scowl and strip on a desk. Cane is a buffoon. He has nothing to do in a story other than say “I love my wife and bang her regularly”. He is not a business man. He is barely a man. Devon has the personality of an amoeba and no one woman would find him interesting at all because of how little he reacts to anything. Lauren and Michael are a strong couple, their story should be told in a way that doesn’t involve destroying them. Jack has become so completely unable to make any decision at all. He was better at being an addict. At least that made his pathetic behavior logical. I could go on and on but people who cast stones at intelligence can’t focus on too many things at once.
Mateo, I agree some of the writing has sucked. But Y and R has the number one spot for years because of its stellar cast of actors. My intelligence is just fine, thanks. My comments are clear and concise.
GH has come a long way, but it’s still not OLTL. Too bad ABC has 1 daytime soap to speak of (I don’t think pulling in other shows and calling them soaps is the same thing). That said, there are some characters and story lines I really like, but its hard not to fast forward while looking for them. It’s not “my show” like OLTL was, having watched it daily (after taping it on VHS and then TiVo) for decades. I think GH has gotten way better, and hope that continues. A big part of that are actors like RH as Franco (give him story) and BB as Johnny (keep him in PC), and Nina and Carly too. And what is up with Olivia? Please give her a real storyline! Or bring back her cousin Tico, I loved her since then.
I loved OLTL too and a lot of it casts. But it never saw the popularity and fans of GH. Comparing the two is nuts.
Spencer of GH is right
The worst storyline was the Nina instigating in Sam and Silas relationship..
give me Sam and Silas with Jason in the middle..thats all I WANT..
GH should win every major Daytime Emmy it was on fire this year!! Best actors and writing in the business PERIOD.
I completely agree with your assessment of Blake Berris. He is one of the best actors on daytime soaps. Days should never have killed him off.
What is your role or relationship with TPTB at GH? This years best and worst list reads like Ron’s WGA admission and Frank’s Emmy reel. This list does not read like anything but advertising for a show that is still #3 in the ratings. Further, it is interesting that you see their approach as on that is new and refreshing. Every study done in last 20 years is consistent that the beginning of the camp/adventure/less romance-approach to soaps resulted in the decline of the genre, ratings-wise. They have never recovered. The soaps that have continued with the more-romance/no camp approach have stayed #1 or 2 in the ratings for most of the last 20 years. And this is not GH. Further, your late addition of Gabriel’s death didnt even mention the central actor – Teresa Castillo. Why is that? Have you to forgotten about her like her bosses? Again, this makes me wonder who actually wrote this best and worst list. And while there are some positive mentions of folks on other shows, like Days, you chose the one individual is now employed by GH as a director. Hmmmmmmm…..
Thank you for expressing my exact thoughts about this list. This list is just as slanted in favor of Frank and Ron’s GH as most of the other articles Mr. Fairman has written in 2014. It must be nice in that bubble of joy Cartini can create for some people.
I want to warn Mr Fairman that he has lost credibility. He just looks like a well-connected fan. Frank V is the master of media and he uses it well. While everyone is tweeting and swooning, he is turning GH into Walmart. A few highly visible well-paid folks with an over-sized contigent/temporary pool of labor hanging around. It makes a show profitable, but does nothing for continuity and/or stability for actors. This is the kind of stuff the media who follow genre should be addressing with TPTB at GH. Not swooning. Further, their track record with racial and ethnic diversity, as well as LGBTQ s/l’s is abhorrent. Mr. Fairman, if you want respect, cover the real issues.
GH is rolling along just fine. Ur post was very entertaining and laughable!!!! Stick to something you know about!!!
I just think the pimping of Tony Geary is ridiculous. He will never go away and he is a hasbeen. I don’t get all the hype by the soap bloggers over GH. Not sure it is way to gain viewers. It is like some things never change. I could not believe I read that. Yikes.
I love Y&R right now. Days I watch sporadically and I don’t think it is as bad as I have seen posted. I know some younger folks who watch B&B because it is short and quick to follow with busy schedules. Same characters to follow, etc.
GH to me is a joke. What is it about? A jumbled mess.
Not really surprised at much on the list considering…
I think in 2014 the four shows were pretty much even in the quality department. None were at the top of their game. I certainly wouldn’t name GH the best, however. It needs to be more balanced for a lot of former viewers. I “get” the nod to the 80’s and its love of villains, masks, mind control and vengeance, but enough is too much sometimes.
I think all soaps have their great, good and not-so-good story lines. It’s hard to imagine putting words into a script five days a week, having actors deliver them, and having them all be home runs. So I applaud the soaps! I think they are probably the most under rated genre in all entertainment. But I must admit that since I started watching B&B because of the lose of OLTL &AMC the whole Hope/Liam/Wyatt or Hope/Liam/Stephy or any Brooke’s romance musical chairs have really gotten old. Y&R has it’s moments. Didn’t like to see Sally Kellerman wasted the way she was. Liked Justin Hartley since Smallville. Maybe I’ll try Days since so many seem to like it.
I must be the person who likes Burgess Jenkins. Give the guy a break & a chance to make the role his own.
I agree with u about Burgess.
I like him too–he is growing on me and he’s a good actor.
I just think the casting was wrong and they replaced David Tom too fast.
Dallas
Lifetime’s ‘Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas’ Brings Epic Food Fight and “Slapfest Coup de Grâce”
Get ready for the feuding soap opera divas, when five actresses known for their signature primetime and daytime roles are brought together in Lifetime’s new holiday film, Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas.
Saturday night, December 2nd on Lifetime (8pm ET/7PM CT) marks the highly-anticipated holiday movie premiere featuring: Donna Mills (ex-Knots Landing), Nicolette Sheridan (ex-Knots Landing), Morgan Fairchild (ex-Falcon Crest et al), Linda Gray (ex-Dallas) and Loni Anderson (ex-WKRP in Cincinnati).
Here’s what we do know! In story, five alums from the long-running soap, The Great Lakes reunite for a live Christmas finale. Uh-oh! Now take a look at the backstory of the colorful cast of characters (pay special attention to the clever twists on the actresses names!)
Photo: Lifetime
LAUREN EWING (Linda Gray) “Everyone thinks I’m so damn good all the time,” confesses the junk food-loving Lauren of her second act as a lifestyle guru. “I don’t know how Gwenyth Paltrow does it!”
DANA CUNNINGHAM (Donna Mills) Now a sitcom mom, she’s yet to make amends to ex-bestie Juliette after abruptly leaving the soap back in the day. Not that she hasn’t tried: “When I thought the world was going to end in Y2K,” Dana says, “I reached out to her, and she never called me back.”
LILY MARLOWE (Loni Anderson) After replacing Dana on ‘Great Lakes’, Lily never again found a role to win her acclaim. “What do I have to show for (my career)? An arc on For the People – Shonda Rhimes’ only flop!”
JULIETTE MATHESON (Nicollette Sheridan) “She left me for L.A.,” the party girl turned fashion mogul recalls of Dana’s betrayal. Will their feud derail the entire event?
MARGEAUX ROBERTS (Morgan Fairchild) “Fasten your face-lifts, ladies, it’s gonna be a bumpy weekend!” The sassy grande dame of ‘Great Lakes’ sees the Juliette-Dana beef as the perfect escape from her own domestic drama.
Photo: Lifetime
Now, making this all the more hysterical is the director of The Great Lakes reunion special, which makes the five women live under the same roof, is its former child star Alex, who has gotten his ex-girlfriend, Nell to direct the finale. Meanwhile, in the subplot. the ‘Ladies of the ’80s’ come up with a plan to get Alex and Nell back together.
As with any good soap opera, there is a major food fight. Linda Gray shared with USA Today ,”The food fight was one take. And it was fabulous.” And of course, their is a bitch-fest slap-fest. Morgan Fairchild revealed, “Oh honey, we all got ours in. Mine was a simple, ‘How dare you?’ with a slap. But I was hoping for a punch.”
Photo: Lauren Dukoff/Lifetime
The movie’s EP, Larry Thompson, who is a Hollywood manager and has Donna Mills as a client, said that the entire scene peaks with the”slapfest coup de grâce.” What is that exactly? That is when Donna Mills pushes Nicollette Sheridan into a pool in a nod to Dynasty’s Lily bond battle between Dynasty’s Alexis (Joan Collins) and Krystle (Linda Evans).
In case you missed it previously, check out the trailer for Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas below, also starring Patrika Darbo, Alec Mapa, Mills real-life daughter, Chloe Mills, and Christopher Atkins with theme song by Tiffany.
Now let us know, will you be tuning in to the movie for a premise that should delight many a longtime soap fan? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Dallas
Morgan Fairchild, Nicollette Sheridan & Donna Mills Visit ‘Tamron Hall’ to Talk ‘Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas’
UPDATED: Monday November 27th, soap opera favorites, Morgan Fairchild (GH, ex-DAYS, DFT, The City, Dallas, Falcon Crest et al), Nicollette Sheridan (ex-Knots Landing) and Donna Mills (ex-Knots Landing) visit with Tamron Hall on her syndicated talk show. (find times in your area here).
The trio is set to give some inside intel to Tamron on their highly-anticipating holiday film, Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas, set to premiere on Lifetime on Saturday, December 2nd (8pm ET/7Pm CT) and streams next day.
As previously reported, Ladies of the 80’s: A Divas Christmas also stars Linda Gray (Dallas) and Loni Anderson (WKRP in Cincinnati) and in story, five glamorous ‘80s soap opera stars reunite to share the spotlight to shoot the final Christmas episode of their long-running soap opera.
The producer, Alex (Travis Burns) and director Nell (Taylor Ann Thompson), old college friends, do their best to keep things on the rails but as the ladies come together, old rivalries resurface that threaten to tear the whole production apart. With the show nearly canceled before it even begins due to the ladies’ famous diva behavior, they reluctantly agree to set aside their differences and past secrets to “act” as if they all still love each other. When old sparks reignite between Alex and Nell, the ladies become eager to play cupid and conspire to bring the couple together. Along the way, the divas also discover that the love between them all is still very strong too.
Photo: Lifetime
Ladies of the ‘80s: A Divas Christmas also stars Christopher Atkins, Patrika Darbo (ex-DAYS, B&B, The Bay), Alec Mapa, and Mills’s daughter, Chloe Mills. In addition, the holiday film features a theme song performed by none other than ’80s pop star Tiffany.
Check out the official trailer for ‘Ladies of the ’80s’ starring Donna, Nicollette, Linda, Morgan and Loni below, followed by the Tamron Hall Show segment.
Now let us know, are you looking forward to watching Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Breaking News
Donna Mills, Linda Gray, Nicollette Sheridan, Morgan Fairchild, Loni Anderson to Appear in Lifetime’s 80s and Soap-Themed Holiday Movie
Wowza! Now here’s a line-up of soap opera and primetime favorites all in one movie! Coming up for the holidays, Lifetime has revealed they have an 80s and soap-themed film starring: Donna Mills (ex-Knots Landing, General Hospital), Linda Gray (ex-Dallas), Nicollette Sheridan (ex-Knots Landing and Dynasty), Morgan Fairchild (ex-Falcon Crest, SFT, DAYS et al) and Loni Anderson (ex-WKRP in Cincinnati).
Filmed earlier in 2023, Ladies of the 80’s is said to follow five soap opera divas (how fun and perfect!), as they reunite to shoot the final Christmas episode of their long-running soap opera!
In story, the producer, Alex (Travis Burns) and director Nell (Taylor Ann Thompson), who happen to be old college friends, do their best to keep things on the rails but as the ladies come together, old rivalries resurface that threaten to tear the production apart. With the show nearly canceled before it even begins due to the ladies’ famous diva behavior, they reluctantly agree to set aside their differences and past secrets to “act” as if they all still love each other. When old sparks reignite between Alex and Nell, the ladies become eager to play cupid and conspire to bring the couple together.
But wait, there’s more! In addition to the five leading ladies, the cast also includes: Days of our Lives favorite Patrika Darbo (ex-Nancy), Alec Mapa, and Donna Mills’ real-life daughter, Chloe Mills, plus 80s heartthrob, Christopher Atkins.
Photo: TiffanyX
There is even a Ladies of the 80’s theme song, performed by none other than 80’s pop star, Tiffany!
In a statement on the project, the movie’s EP Larry A. Thompson shared: “The opportunity to bring together Donna, Morgan, Loni, Linda and Nicollette, five powerhouse women into one holiday movie, has been like finding the perfect gift under the Christmas tree.”
The official airdate of the holiday movie will be revealed shortly in the networks’s A Wonderful Lifetime Holiday movie schedule. Deadline first shared the news.
What do you think of this upcoming soap opera-themed movie featuring Donna, Linda, Nicollette, Morgan and Loni? Comment below.
(WATCH) 2024 Daytime Emmy Nominations Special Live!
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations: CBS Soaps Score Most, Eric Braeden, Dick Van Dyke, Guy Pearce Receive Nods
Stephen Schnetzer Talks On His Return to Days of our Lives and Working with Susan Seaforth Hayes In Emotional Episodes
51st Daytime Emmys: Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa Receive Talk Show Host Nominations
51st Daytime Emmys: Outstanding Daytime Drama Series Nominations
General Hospital’s Steve Burton Reveals the Emotional Scene He Almost Could Not Get Through
DAYS Alum Tanner Stine to Appear in ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ Starring Nicholas Chavez
Stephen Schnetzer Talks On His Return to Days of our Lives and Working with Susan Seaforth Hayes In Emotional Episodes
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Set to Be Announced
B&B’s Sean Kanan, Heather Tom and Lawrence Saint-Victor All Had Creative Hand in Sheila’s ‘Ten Toe’ Reveal
(WATCH) 2024 Daytime Emmy Nominations Special Live!
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Award Nominations: CBS Soaps Score Most, Eric Braeden, Dick Van Dyke, Guy Pearce Receive Nods
General Hospital’s Steve Burton Reveals the Emotional Scene He Almost Could Not Get Through
Y&R’s Hayley Erin Previews Her Role in Horror-Thriller ‘New Life’
‘The Golden Bachelor’s’ Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist to Divorce Three Months After TV Wedding
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General HospitalApril 12, 2024George Russo to Appear on General Hospital as Carmine Cerullo
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General HospitalApril 15, 2024General Hospital’s Steve Burton Reveals the Emotional Scene He Almost Could Not Get Through
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Days Of Our LivesApril 13, 2024Ron Carlivati Talks on Decision to Make Days of our Lives 15000th Episode About Doug’s Funeral, and Previews Chances for WGA Award
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RecapsApril 14, 2024Y&R’s Eileen Davidson Delivers the ‘Power Performance of the Week’
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Days Of Our LivesApril 14, 2024Days of our Lives wins WGA Award for Daytime Drama Series
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NewsApril 12, 2024Y&R’s Hayley Erin Previews Her Role in Horror-Thriller ‘New Life’