Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

2013 was the year the soaps made a comeback with a surge in the ratings for all the four remaining network soap operas, and its public mainstream perception beginning to be restored. And the medium made its first foray into keeping television production values for the web, with the returns of All My Children and One Life to Live.

In addition, some beloved familiar faces returned to the genre that started their careers.  Plus, the soap operas of 2013 presented some top notch acting performances, especially from the ladies! Come Daytime Emmy time, depending on how it all plays out, could be a tough call!  On the flipside, it was also a year of tremendous disappointments, soap shockers, and sadness that will be felt for some time to come.

On-Air On-Soaps would like to take a moment 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 for its sheer volume of material and its caliber!  But of course, in addition to naming the best moments 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” of 2013.

So with all that said, On-Air On-Soaps presents our annual list.  As you will read, we try to dissect it all in our look back at the year in soaps.  In several categories, it was a tight a race to call, and so, we had to call it a “tie”.  In other categories, there were several very close runner-ups that deserved huge recognition and those are included, as well.

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, we want to wish everyone a healthy, prosperous, and festive New Year!  It is you, the fans, who are the engine that continues to be that driving force of the soap industry with your unbridled passion and devotion to the shows themselves, and the characters and performers you love to see every day.

So here we go … after the jump, we reveal the list of the Best and Worst in Soaps 2013!

SOAPMAKERS OF THE YEAR

Courtesy/PaleyCenterforMedia

Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivati  – General Hospital– Valentini and Carlivati receive our highest honors for throwing everything but the kitchen sink in for a memorable 50th anniversary year of the longest running soap opera still on the air!  Great production, great writing for the most part, and great performances by one of soap’s most talented casts, made the show the soap experience of 2013.  See interview here!

BEST SOAP

General Hospital – The 50th anniversary year was one of the strongest in the show’s history with an uptake in the ratings, the tale of Robin’s (Kimberly McCullough) return, the Nurses Ball, the special 50th anniversary episode, the returns from blast from the pasts, and some heartbreaking and hilarious moments throughout the year that will be remembered for quite some time to come.

MOST IMPROVED SOAP

Days of our Lives – This show is in the best shape it has been in years.  First, it takes the Daytime Emmy for the first time in over three and half decades, and weaved some interesting, controversial, engaging, and suspenseful stories, set up with big pay-offs that did not disappoint.

MOST DISAPPOINTING SOAP

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The Young and the Restless – What felt like a mass exodus for various reasons of its leading players (Stafford, Miller, Muhney), the deep hole left on the show by the death of Jeanne Cooper that has never quite materialized into interesting on-screen story from the on-screen death of Katherine Chancellor yet, a head writing change, tired plot lines we have seen on other soaps with a high predictability factor in all the stories, and a tireless array of newcomers that have not clicked with the audience … makes this show the real bummer of 2013, which is heartbreaking to say, when it’s the number one soap on the air, and boasts an incredible A-list cast!

BEST WEB SERIES

The Stafford Project – Former Y&R star Michelle Stafford took her real life experiences and gave us a look at a single mom with a daughter trying to date!  What made this so good was the great casting by Stafford of her guest stars, which included: Y&R’s Joshua Morrow, motion picture star, Kelly Preston, and that brilliant all-soap-star cast in the season one finale.

BEST GROUNDBREAKER

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Jeff Kwatinetz – Prospect Park – Whether you agree with how it all went down, Jeff Kwatinetz along with his business partner, Rich Frank, did the almost impossible and mounted the returns of the canceled ABC soaps, AMC and OLTL.  The reboots were fraught with legal issues, changes in the viewing schedule, confusion for the audience, and that was just for starters!  But in the end, through Kwatinetz tireless efforts, the shows came back, albeit differently, at least for a short time in a new home online on Hulu.  Unfortunately, Jeff is also groundbreaking for suing ABC for $93 million dollars in this backstage drama that continues to unfold over General Hospital’s use of OLTL characters and more!

MOST EXCITING MOMENT FOR SOAP FANS

The online launch of One Life to Live and All My Children – After having their iconic shows cancelled, and hearing the backlash from disgruntled fans who wanted their shows back, Prospect Park brought them online in a flurry of moves to get the shows resurrected before they would lose the rights to the show.  This was the company’s second attempt, and this time, the shows debuted online on April 29th on Hulu.  The production entity also had a world premiere for the first episodes, something seldom, if ever, done in soaps!  This whole whirlwind experience gave soap fans hope that the genre can thrive once again, and become vital in a whole new format.

MOST DISAPPOINTING NEWS AND BIGGEST BUMMER FOR SOAP FANS

The online revivals of One Life to Live and All My Children were shelved after one season, and as of this moment, season two is a no-go.  The reasons behind it, too numerous to go in to here, but it’s all been said everywhere before.

BEST EVENT OF THE YEAR

Courtesy/ABC

The Nurses Ball – General Hospital – This event lived up to the hype!  The song and dance numbers, blasts from the pasts with musical appearances from Jack Wagner (Frisco) and Rick Springfield (playing himself and Noah Drake), Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) back in her rightful place hosting the Ball, and the hankie-filled closing number “You’re Not Alone” with Robin’s (Kimberly McCullough) picture overlooking her husband and daughter as Sabrina (Teresa Castillo) and Patrick (Jason Thompson) were joined in a “We Are The World” moment with the cast who joined hands in unity.  A great way to celebrate the 50th anniversary and still honor the beloved missing in action/believed to be dead at the time: Robin.

BEST PRIMETIME SOAP

Nashville – We don’t know what happened, but this primetime series got soapier, and thus more interesting to watch!  And, that midseason finale with the closeted country and western singer Will Lexington (Chris Carmack) about to end his life in front of an ongoing train, and Peggy (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) being shot, were enough to lock this in for us!

BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR

Jason Thompson as Patrick Drake – General Hospital – In scene after scene, whether it be finding out Britt’s (Kelly Thiebaud) baby was not in fact his, still grieving the loss of his wife Robin who he did not know was alive, the moment when Patrick saw Robin (Kimberly McCullough) again at the church, or trying to be a single dad and doing right by daughter Emma (Brooklyn Rae Silzer), and the internal struggle to enter a new romance, and more, made Jason Thompson’s emotional, heartfelt, and raw portrayal our overall favorite in 2013  … and one more thing, he sang beautifully in the closing number at the Nurses Ball … who knew?

BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS

Photo Credit: Sue Coflin/Max Photos

Finola Hughes as Anna Devane – General Hospital – The inner pain of losing her daughter Robin (Kimberly McCullough), and the quest to find her once she knew she might be alive, gave Hughes material that she just ate up and delivered with poignant emotion and fire.  Who can forget when she sees Robin for the first time, faces her family torturer Faison (Anders Hove), has a heart-to-heart with Patrick (Jason Thompson) over moving on with his life, or the capper, the scenes where she plays both Obrecht (Kathleen Gati) as “Anna” and the real Anna in the showdown scenes.  Whatever material Finola was given, she gave a performance that will be remembered.

Runner-up:

Eileen Davidson as Kristen DiMera – Days of our Lives – What an incredible performance by soap veteran Davidson!  And, even though at times it was high camp, it was all believable and even painful to watch Kristen’s plans for revenge on Marlena, which in the end backfired on her!  And, those scenes with Deidre Hall (Marlena) were mesmerizing.  A Daytime Emmy could easily go to Davidson!

BEST SINGLE PERFORMANCE MALE IN A STORYLINE (TIE)

Jerry verDorn as Clint Buchanan – Man of the Year/Clint’s meltdown – One Life to Live – When this two-time Daytime Emmy winner is given material worth his talents he soars.  And, in the final few episodes of the online revival of OLTL, Clint goes crazy, and still loves his “Viki” at the same time!

Photo Credit: David Russell/TOLN

Roger Howarth as Todd Manning – Todd says goodbye to his family – One Life to Live – When Roger Howarth returned to the online revival of OLTL, even for a short time, his impact was felt.  There were no more heartbreaking scenes, perfectly under played by Howarth, when Todd bid Dani (Kelley Missal), Jack (Andrew Trischitta), Sam (Patrick Gibbons Jr.), Viki (Erika Slezak) and Blair (Kassie DePaiva) a somber goodbye.  Hankies galore!  We loved seeing Howarth this way.

BEST SINGLE PERFORMANCE FEMALE IN A STORYLINE

Finola Hughes as Dr. Obrecht and Anna Devane – General Hospital – While we know dual roles are always Emmy-lauded, this time an actress played dual roles with a prosthetic mask twist!  The showdown at Steinmauer Maximum Security Prison, where Faison was housed for his crimes, gave Hughes a chance to play Obrecht as a masked “Anna” and the real Anna!  It was the one of the most thrill-a-minute performances in soapland in quite some time!

BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR

Billy Miller as Billy Abbott – The Young and the Restless – Miller delivered some exquisite performances in his final months as Billy Abbott, including the episode where Delia dies in a hit and run and he finds her lifeless body …. plus the aftermath, which is still playing out on the air.  Even though we are not a fan of the decision to tell this story, it gave Miller some Emmy-worthy material.  He will be sorely missed in Genoa City and on Y&R!

Runner-up:

Blake Berris as Nick Fallon -Days of our Lives – Nick’s tangled web of lies, cover ups and deep emotional wounds came to the forefront in 2013, beginning with his disastrous wedding to Gabi (Camila Banus) which dovetailed into his continued homophobic stance to Will (Chandler Massey) and Sonny (Freddie Smith).  And then came the big reveal, that he was raped in prison.  Berris made Nick believable as an emotionally tortured man.

BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS

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Kathleen Gati – Liesl Obrecht – General Hospital – Truly, one of the standout performances of the year.  Gati played Dr. Obrecht as the evilest woman on the planet, then showed her emotional side when Faison (Anders Hove) asked her to wear the “Anna” mask in order to have sex with him, plus did her rendition in blonde wig of Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is?”, and then sang “Au Tannenbaum” from jail on the Christmas episode.  And that is just a few of our favorite things, that the multi-talented Gati bestowed upon the viewers in 2013!

Runner-up:

Jess Walton – Jill Abbott – The Young and the Restless – For us, knowing the true life friendship and camaraderie shared by Jess Walton and the late Jeanne Cooper, watching Jess through the story points where Jill learns of Katherine’s passing, and then the beautiful monologue and performance as Katherine’s memorial, reminded us of why Jess is in a league of her own.   More please in 2014!

BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY A YOUNGER ACTOR

Max Ehrich as Fen Baldwin – The Young and the Restless –Watching the disintegration of his parents’ relationship and the downfall, gave Max Ehrich plenty of meaty material come Emmy time!  And yes, Fen on drugs, and prison time were involved too!

BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY A YOUNGER ACTRESS

Photo Credit: Sue Coflin/Max Studios

Kelley Missal – Dani Manning – One Life to Live – Missal was given the chance to shine when OLTL took once innocent Dani, and made her into a drugged-out troubled young woman in the revival of the series.  And, Missal played every story beat with believability.  An Emmy nomination should come her way, if we had anything to say about it.

BEST CHILD PERFORMANCE

Brooklyn Rae Silzer as Emma Drake, General Hospital – Is there anyone cuter than Brooklyn Rae?  She is becoming quite the little actress, and GH knows they struck gold with this little one!

BEST NEWCOMER MALE

Casey Moss – JJ Deveraux – Days of our Lives – At first, JJ was an angry rebel doing drugs, and having anger management issues!  Now, he has become more of an anti-hero, and Casey Moss has played all the beats and a new star is on the rise!

Runner-ups:

Eric Nelsen (AJ) – All My Children and Corbin Bleu (Jeffrey) – One Life to Live –Both of these actors showed their acting chops, and had plenty of airtime in the online revivals of these series.

BEST NEWCOMER FEMALE

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Denyse Tontz as Miranda Montgomery – All My Children – Denyse had the task of playing the teen-aged version of the daughter of lesbian mom, Bianca (Eden Riegel).  Tontz showed that she fit the bill, and was believable in the part.

WORST NEWCOMER

Jordan Lane Price as Celia Fitzgerald – All My Children – We understand that the show was looking for a young, beautiful, innocent girl falling in love with her knight in shining armor, played by Rob Scott Wilson (Pete), only for us the performance fell flat.

BEST NEW CHARACTER, FEMALE

Maura West as Ava Jerome – General Hospital – This savvy soap veteran made Ava Jerome must-see soap TV whenever she walked into a room, and delivered her lines with such lethal undertones!  We loved it … and Ava’s red-hot fling with the much younger Morgan Corinthos (Bryan Craig)!  You go, Ava!

BEST NEW CHARACTER, MALE

Darin Brooks as Wyatt Fuller – The Bold and the Beautiful – Brooks brought his charm, sex appeal, and acting chops to B&B after winning a Daytime Emmy a few years ago on DAYS, and working in primetime.  Now back on soaps, Brook’s Mr. Fuller is really making a case for Hope (Kim Matula) to be with him … instead of wishy-washy Liam (Scott Clifton)!

WORST NEW CHARACTER

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

Hilary Curtis on The Young and the Restless – This whole storyline from the blogger, to Rose, to Hilary’s revenge with the help of Mason (Lamon Archey) which gave story to the Winters clan was just not needed, and this character isn’t either, even though Mishael Morgan plays her to the hilt!

BEST RECAST

Robert Gorrie as Matthew Buchanan – One Life to Live – We thought we would never forget Eddie Alderson, whom we loved in the role of a young Matthew B.  However, Rob Gorrie, was put front and center throughout the whole run of the reboot of OLTL, and showed his acting mettle as a grown up young man trying to juggle responsibility and his own wants for freedom.

BEST VILLAIN

Anders Hove as Cesar Faison – General Hospital – Hove plays obsession like nobody’s business.  His creepy dark side combined with his often times brilliant whimsical line delivery, makes him a “Best” for the ages!

BEST EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS TO GET A SHOW ON ITS FEET AGAINST ALL ODDS

Jennifer Pepperman of One Life to Live and Ginger Smith of All My Children – These talented, tireless, fearless ladies did nearly the impossible!  They got the revival of All My Children and One Life to Live up on its feet in record time, and kept the show moving through production deadlines against many battles along the way that could have shut the soaps down!  In the end, there were 40 and 45 episodes for OLTL and AMC respectively … you got to respect their immeasurable talents and passion.  Any show would be lucky to have them presiding!

BEST WEDDING

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Nick and Gabi’s wedding – Days of our Lives- Now this wedding had it all!  Chad (Casey Deidrick) exacting his revenge on Gabi (Gabi) for her part in Melanie leaving Salem by stopping the wedding!  Will (Chandler Massey) coming forward and admitting he is the baby daddy of Ari!  Nick threatening Chad (which went nowhere), and Sami (Alison Sweeney) breaking up with Rafe (Galen Gering) over it.  So much happened that we needed a scorecard, but that’s good!

Runner-up:

Brady and Kristen’s wedding – Days of our Lives – Now this wedding was a laugh riot!  And we are not sure it was supposed to be, but it was so much fun to watch!  The gaping mouths of the wedding guests as they watched  … twice … the video of Father Eric (Greg Vaughan) and Kristen (Eileen Davidson) having sex (while at the time no one believed he was being drugged and raped), Marlena (Deidre Hall) fumbling with the AV equipment, Victor’s (John Aniston) quips and more … it was a fun nups, eh?

WORST CRAFTED EXIT

Michelle Stafford exit as Phyllis –The Young and the Restless – For an actress of such stature, Y&R spent what looked like $10 bucks on the fight in the stairwell between Sharon (Sharon Case) and Phyllis, which put Phyllis in a coma, only to be shipped off to a facility in Georgia.  Stafford’s last episodes were spent in a coma while others talked to her at her bedside.  Who wanted to see that?

BEST TEARJERKER

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Emma runs into Robin’s arms at the wedding of Patrick and Sabrina – General Hospital – Was there a dry eye in the house when Emma (Brooklyn Rae Silzer) sees Robin (Kimberly McCullough) for the first time after believing her mother had died?  And the very much alive Robin, in a moment beautiful played by Kimberly McCullough, picks up her daughter in her arms and tells her, “Mommy’s here!”  Hankies!

WORST MEMORIAL EPISODE

Katherine Chancellor Memorial Service – The Young and the Restless – This was hard to watch on many accounts.  First, for us, saying goodbye to the iconic character of Genoa City’s Mrs. C, but while it was heartbreaking, at times, it was difficult to swallow that many key members and friends from Katherine’s past were not at the memorial, and in within the episode, the powers-that-be threw in the wedding of the impromptu wedding of Paul and Christine!  The special Y&R episode, where the cast talks about Jeanne Cooper just after she passed, was by far superior!

MOST GUT-WRENCHING STORYLINE THAT WAS HARD TO WATCH

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Cassandra’s kidnapping and the sex trafficking storyline – All My Children – This gritty, and often grisly tale took a page from Agnes Nixon’s long tradition of ripped-from-the-headlines stories with a modern twist for the online reboot.  Cassandra (Sal Stowers) was raped and drugged by evil Russian sex-traffickers, later found herself pregnant, aborted the baby, and that is just some of the plot points.  Harrowing!

WORST EPISODE

The Relish Wars – General Hospital – Pickle-Lila was the epicenter of this cringe worthy episode, where we watched the insensitive crossover for soap fans with The Chew (the show that took All My Children’s place) filled with the feuding Quartermaines (AJ and Tracy) meeting the likes of Mario Batali and Carla Hall.  The Chew hosts puked on the relish, and we are next introduced to Roger Howarth with blonde hair!  Who the hell was he supposed to be?  Enough said.

BEST STORYLINE

Kristen’s Revenge – Days of our Lives – Eileen Davidson (Kristen) made this story thrive, and the writers took some chances a la the rape of a priest (Greg Vaughn) the ruination of John (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena’s (Deidre Hall) marriage, Brady’s (Eric Martsolf) tragic flaw of addiction, and it made for an exciting and twisted journey watching Kristen exact her revenge on number-one enemy …Marlena!  The story also had a beginning, middle and end … for now.

Runner-up:

Courtesy/NBC

Robin’s Return – General Hospital – This story had it all … super villains vs. the super heroes, high emotional payoffs when Robin (Kimberly McCullough) saw her family again, and so much more, and she was finally reunited with Patrick (Jason Thompson)!

WORST STORYLINE  

Celia’s Benefactor – All My Children – Who was the benefactor?  Who cares!  This story about a character we never knew before, Celia, as played by newcomer Jordan Lane Price and her boarding school antics, and the mystery of her benefactor that had the talented Francesca James (now on the series as Evelyn Johnson) making mysterious phone calls to God knows who, left us puzzled.  The story did get juicy towards the end of the season when Celia’s visions became more haunting, and Opal’s (Jill Larson) too, but what about that benefactor?  Huh?

BEST WRITING (TIE)

Gary Tomlin, Chris Whitesell, Lorraine Broderick – Days of our Lives  –  In 2013, we had the delicious revenge schemes of Kristen DiMera, including a rape of a priest, Will and Sonny, and Sami and EJ’s love stories, Nick’s prison secret revealed, and much more!  While viewers had to wait long for the pay-offs when they came, the stories delivered the goods.

Ron Carlivati and GH writing team– General Hospital – From high drama and heart, to fantastic one liners and inside jokes that fans understood, the head scribe gave us all the twists and turns of Robin’s return, the Nurses Ball antics, the story of Maxie’s baby, the return to Corinth and a visit from Delia from Ryan’s Hope and more!

WORST WRITING 

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Susie Bedsow Horgan and Thom Racina – The beginning of the One Life to Live reboot –  We love the past work of Susie and Thom, which makes this all the more difficult.  When the revival of OLTL began, Horgan and Racina were in charge of the writing team and help give our beloved Llanview an overhaul – all the characters were drinking, they focused way too much on the story of Matthew Buchanan and the younger set,  while forgetting some of the veterans.  And let’s not forget, the ill-conceived return of Victor Jr., played by Trevor St. John, who is soap gold!  Thank goodness, the show turned around once Jessica Klein and Marin Gazzaniga were writing the show, and by the end of the season, OLTL was must-watch soap!

Runner-up:

Josh Griffith and writing team – The Young and the Restless – Nikki’s MS, Dylan being the bio-son of Nikki, Delia’s death, Sharon’s behavior, on or off meds, are just some of the big offenders of the stories thatmany Y&R fans were not happy with in 2013.

BEST CLIFFHANGER

Allison Perkins discovered with syringe at Clint’s hospital bedside by Natalie who screams – One Life to Live – The reboot of the series finally got into a groove.  How delicious was it to see Alison Perkins (Barbara Garrick) again at the end of the season with syringe in hand laughing maniacally, and Natalie (Melissa Archer) screaming like she saw something from a horror film?  We so wish someday, we will get the opportunity to see what happens next!

Runner-up:

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

Robin’s Return – General Hospital – Take your pick! There were so many cliffhanging moments of whether she would get out of the Cassadine lab, would she be reunited with her different family members, and so on, that the whole story was a giant cliffhanger in itself.

MOST BELOVED CHARACTER AND PERFORMER WE MISS THE MOST

Jeanne Cooper as Katherine Chancellor – The Young and the Restless – This year was one of the saddest in memory for soap fans with so many devastating blows.   But the one that touched everyone was the passing of Daytime Emmy winner and icon, and our friend, Jeanne Cooper.  There will never be another one like her.   We love you Jeanne!  And in Genoa City, there is a huge empty space without the likes of Katherine Chancellor.  You see it every week, if ever the show could use a dose of Mrs. C., it’s now!

MOST SURPRISING RETURN

Robert Kelker Kelly – Stavros Cassadine – General Hospital – When Cartini decided to revisit Luke and Laura’s classic tale of the Ice Princess in 2013 for the show’s 50th anniversary, we never expected to see the elusive Robert Kelker Kelly back as Mr. Freeze!  How over-the-top and fun was he!  Stavros also ushered in the new Lulu too, since the show had to make a casting change due to the departure of Julie Marie Berman and brought in Emme Rylan.

Runner-up:

Courtesy/ABC

Matthew Cowles as Billy Clyde Tuggle – All My Children – What a delight to see Matthew Cowles, the original evil pimp return to Pine Valley and have him in scenes with former arch-nemesis’ Jessie (Darnell Williams) and Dixie (Cady McClain)!  It was a good use of history, and Cowles is still as good as it gets when it comes to character acting!

BEST RETURN

Kimberly McCullough as Dr. Robin Scorpio Drake – General Hospital – We were just so thrilled to see Kimberly back on screen again, after that horrific send-off by the last GH regime, who quickly decided to blow Robin up in a lab!  Thank goodness, Frank and Ron didn’t bring the character back with amnesia, but instead had her struggle to get home to the people she loves.  McCullough is gold for General Hospital, and she brought the emotion that we come to love from Robin when she was reunited with Anna, Robert, Emma and Patrick.

WORST RETURN

Victor Lord Jr.– One Life to Live –The best cliffhanger in soaps of all-time was Victor being seen alive and left tied up by Alison Perkins (Barbara Garrick) at the end of ABC’s One Life to Live.  When Prospect Park was able to nab Trevor St. John (Victor Jr.) for a limited number of episodes, fans were over the moon.  Problem was, the reactions by the Manning/Lord family members that Victor was indeed “alive” was troubling!  No one even blinked an eye!  St. John was still brilliant, though, even though the story was a bit bungled.  However, we loved seeing Roger Howarth (Todd) and Trevor St.John in scenes together!

BIGGEST WELCOME FOR A SOAP STAR

Courtesy/CBS

Steve Burton as Dylan McAvoy – The Young and the Restless – CBS Daytime rolled out the red carpet for this major acquisition for their number one soap, which included confetti falling from the studio ceiling sky when Burton visited The Talk to announce he has indeed signed on to Y&R.  Didn’t he get a CBS Daytime goodie bag too, via Julie Chen?

WORST DECISION TO WRITE OUT A CHARACTER

Vargas on Days of our Lives – Uber-sexy Sean Douglas (Vargas) could have been the new love interest for Hope, or any other of number of gals on the Salem canvas.  But, the powers-that-be put him in handcuffs and in jail, never to be seen again.  MISSED OPPORTUNITY!

MOST SHOCKING RECAST

Thorsten Kaye as Ridge Forrester- The Bold and the Beautiful – After it appeared that AMC had hit the skids, we were happy to hear that fans would get to see the talents of leading man Thorsten Kaye again on B&B.  Only, we were shocked to find out he was the replacement for Ronn Moss as Ridge Forrester!  The jury is out if the recast works with the fans in this internationally beloved soap!

MOST RUINED CHARACTER

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Sharon Newman of The Young and the Restless – Poor Sharon Case has the distinction of having won this category three years running for the character she plays, and it’s not her fault!  Can Y&R ever put Sharon Newman back together again as a character who makes logical sense, even though they gave her bipolar disorder to explain some of their story choices?  This year, Sharon altered the paternity results of Summer Newman (Hunter King), left Phyllis to die at the foot of the stairwell, and talked to her dead daughter (Camyrn Crimes) professing she will use any means necessary to get back with Nick (Joshua Morrow)!  Stop the Sharon madness Y&R!

MOST BORING CHARACTER

Lulu Specer Falconeri – General Hospital – Thus far, since the thaw from her being put on ice by Stavros, and regaining her memory after her amnesia, and being angry and bitter over being lied to by best friend Maxie (Kirsten Storms) and losing custody of baby Connie, Lulu (Emme Rylan) is still pretty dull.  Will the show liven her up … and make her more of a villainess in 2014?  Something needs to be done.  STAT!

BIGGEST WASTE OF TALENT

Casey Deidrick as Chad DiMera – Days of our Lives – After Nick (Blake Berris) threatened Chad, after Chad ruined Nick and Gabi’s (Camila Banus) wedding, what happened to Nick’s revenge on Chad?  Instead, Chad faked a brain tumor, got shot and was sent to Boston, when Deidrick decided to leave the show.

MOST OVERUSED PLOT DEVICE

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DNA Tests and killing children via a hit and run! – There were plenty of overused plot devices in 2013 that found General Hospital and The Young and the Restless chief among the culprits!

BEST COUPLE

Will and Sonny – Days of our Lives – Quite the on-screen chemistry that Chandler Massey (Will) and Freddie Smith (Sonny) have built.  Kudos to DAYS for keeping a same-sex couple in-story and not letting them be back-burnered, but continuing to have them be a vital component of big umbrella storylines.  Now with Guy Wilson stepping into the role of Will on-screen in January, will WilSon continue its popularity?  One thing is for sure… in 2014 there are plans for the duo.

Runners-Up:

Tea and Victor Jr. – One Life to Live – Oh, how we missed seeing Florencia Lozano (Tea) and Trevor St. John (Victor Jr.) in their volatile love story.  When St. John and Lozano shared scenes, although briefly, they still showed they got it!

EJ and Sami – Days of our Lives– Whether you love EJami or hate them, Alison Sweeney (Sami) and James Scott (EJ) play one of the sexiest duos on television, period!  Their unique version of sexual foreplay is quite dangerous … don’t you think?

MOST TORTURED COUPLE

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Patrick and Robin – General Hospital – Viewers have watched this beloved duo literally put through the ringer, and so have we!  For two years, Robin’s “death” has been the backbone of so much angst for Patrick who missed his wife, and for Robin, who over the last several months has been tortured to get back to her hubby and their child.  Will she ever tell him what happened while she was away … in grisly detail?  Plus, now it ain’t looking like smooth sailing for the duo …. because of a woman named Sabrina!

MOST WASTED COUPLE

Cane and Lily – The Young and the Restless – Every story beat that seemed to come the way of Cane and Lily, played by Daniel Goddard and Christel Khalil, was utterly boring … no fault of their own.  The writing regime better pick up their story in 2014! The return of Cane’s dad, Colin Atkinson (Tristan Rogers) looks promising to kick some story into high gear for this popular duo with daytime fans.

MOST BORING COUPLE (Tie)

Daniel and Jennifer – Days of our Lives – This couple is like watching paint dry, and so too are the plot devices used to create some conflict and problems for the duo.  Let’s hope 2014 sees new life for these characters, and NOT with each other!

Courtesy/ABC

Michael and Kiki – General Hospital – So, after these two character fall madly in love, pretty quickly we might add, they have become story-less. In real life, Chad Duell (Michael) and Kristen Alderson (Kiki) are dating each other, and are quite cute, entertaining, and fun!  Maybe we could inject that into their relationship in 2014?

MOST TRICKY TRIANGLE

Brooke/Bill/ Katie – The Bold and the Beautiful – Sound the trumpets … for this triangle could give Heather Tom (Katie) her third straight Daytime Emmy!  After literally pushing Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Bill (Don Diamont) together, and Taylor (Hunter Tylo) spilling the beans that the duo had a fling and Brooke got preggers, Katie went ballistic, and thus began a cat and mouse game with Bill, which included taking his company from him!  Only Bill had the last laugh!  He dumped Brooke to go back to Katie, only to regain his company!  Only, it looks like he still loves Brooke!  Rot-ro!

MOST RIDICOULOUS ON-SCREEN GESTURE

Courtesy/CBS

Bill Spencer – The Bold and the Beautiful – Dollar Bill (Don Diamont) stabs himself with his incy-wincy sword necklace in an argument with son, Liam (Scott Clifton) about loyalty! 

BEST USE OF BAKED GOODS

Jennifer’s pot-laced donuts   – Days of our Lives – How great was it to see the ladies of Salem stoned out of their minds?  So.  Much.  Fun.

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 2013?  Were you happy to see some of your favorites and favorites shows getting year-end honors?  Share your thoughts below!