Nominations were revealed on Wednesday for the upcoming 13th annual Indie Series Awards.  Sean Kanan’s streaming series, Studio City received 13 nominations in various categories.

Studio City’s nominations are fo: Best Drama Series, Sean Kanan, Michel Kanan, and Timothy Woodward, Jr., producers; Best Director in a Drama Series, Timothy Woodward, Jr.; Best Writing in a Drama Series, Michele Kanan, Sean Kanan and Timothy Woodward, Jr., writers; Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Sean Kanan; Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Carolyn Hennesy; Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Tristan Rogers and Justin Torkildsen; Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Natalie Burn and Juliet Vega; Guest Performer in a Drama Series, Lilly Melgar; Best Ensemble in a Drama Series, Outstanding Cinematography in a Drama Series, Pablo Diaz, and Outstanding Editing in a Drama Series, Fady Jeanbart.

Courtesy/Studio City

In a statement on Studio City’s 13 nods, Sean Kanan shared: “I am overwhelmed and thankful that our show, which I refer to as the little-engine that could series, has received such support from the Indie Series Awards. Our second season was a collaborative effort of creativity, love of our content, and hard work. We look forward to creating more entertaining series in the future.”

Studio City tells the dramatic and comedic story of Sam Stevens (played by Kanan), a long-time soap opera actor starring in the number two most-watched daytime drama, “Hearts on Fire” as he struggles to keep his top spot on the show, break out of soaps into feature films, and deal with his own complicated life which includes a few dark secrets concerning his past, including an aging step-father, the twisted truth of his paternity, and a daughter that he never knew existed.  Season two consists of six episodes and is available on Amazon Prime.

For the complete list of this year’s Indie Series Award nominations, check them out here.  The Indie Series Awards ceremony will be on Wednesday, April 12th in Burbank, California at The Colony Theatre in Burbank.

What do you think of the nominees from Studio City for the ISA Awards? Let us know in the comment section below.

Sheila Carter’s (Kimberlin Brown) legal troubles are bringing with it some soap opera favorites to The Bold and the Beautiful.  First, Joe Lando (ex-Jake Harrison, One Life to Live, ex-Byron Sully, Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman) who previously appeared on the CBS soap opera, is reprising his role of Judge Craig McMullen.

Lando had appeared as Judge McMullen back in 2018 to preside over Katie (Heather Tom) and Bill’s (Don Diamont) custody battle over their son, Will.

According to the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest on newsstands now, look for Lando first appear on the Monday, January 9th episode.

With Bill perhaps having some leverage on the judge, especially since McMullen was persuaded by Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) to rule in Katie’s favor in the custody hearing, might he pull some strings to make McMullen rule in Sheila’s favor? Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, Sheila has lawyered up! Look for former Passions star, Rodney Van Johnson (ex-T.C. Russell) to play her attorney.

Johnson told SOD on his new role on B&B: “I was offered to come play in their sandbox … which is just amazing!”

Look for Rodney to first appear on Monday’s January 9th episode, as well.

The actor previously appeared on Port Charles, The Young and the Restless and in numerous primetime TV roles.

So, what do you think of Joe Lando and Rodney Van Johnson coming to B&B to see, or not see, that justice is served in the case of  Sheila Carter? Comment below.

In a year that saw Days of our Lives leave network television after almost 57 seasons and move exclusively to Peacock as its new streaming home, that left only three daytime dramas on the air.  The times are definitely a-changing.

Now, as 2022 comes to a close, Michael Fairman TV takes a look back with our annual list of the Best and Worst in Soaps.  As it does every year, we want 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 is a feat in and of itself.  In addition to naming the best moments and performances of the year, there were several not-so-stellar moments featuring characters, storylines, and more, that get the dubious honor of some of our “Worsts”.

One note: 2022, in our opinion, was not a banner year for the soaps.  At times, it featured lackluster and lazy storytelling among all four long-running series, and because of that, our annual kudo fest will not be naming a ‘Best Soap of the Year’ accolade.

While we know many of you have your own views and picks, and you may disagree or agree with ours, we encourage you to let us know your thoughts as well.  Most of all, respect everyone’s opinions, as you wish them to respect yours.

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

So, here we go … the Best and Worst in Soaps … and with that… 2022 out!

Photo: JPI

MOST SHOCKING SOAP

The Bold and the Beautiful

Throughout the year, B&B shocked viewers with some major plot points and reveals that either left us with our jaws dropping, or scratching our heads.

MOST ENTERTAINING SOAP

Days of our Lives

Laughter, thrills, and wacky or whacked-out surprises, DAYS continues to be the most entertaining soap with its ‘go for it’ motto, and over-the-top stories.  It would be nice to see it counter-balanced with a bit more emotional heart in 2023.

MOST DISAPPOINTING SOAP

The Young and the Restless

It was hard-pressed for us to find one or two storylines through the year that made us care to tune-in every day.  The show is about to have its golden anniversary in 2023, and we hope that exciting stories and writing to the strengths of its all-star cast are in its future.

Photo: ABC

SOAP IN NEED OF MORE BALANCE

General Hospital

When GH is good, it is the absolute best drama on daytime television, bar none.  The cast is sensational, the emotional fallouts offer Emmy-winning material for the show, and some of the stories have legs that involve many characters on the canvas.  On the flip side, there are often too many stories going on at once, often utilizing characters we don’t care as much about and that often lead to nowhere.  With a few tweaks, GH will have a Happy 60th anniversary run in 2023.

Photo: JPI

BEST LIMITED SERIES

Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem Chapter 2

This was a perfect five-episode arc told with nods to history, clever writing, and the appearances of Kristian Alfonso, Peter Reckell, Steve Burton and Miranda Wilson, to boot.

BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS

Maura West – Ava Jerome – General Hospital

Any year that Maura West is involved in a front-burner storyline is always a smart move.  During 2022, Ava was put through the emotional wringer and fought back as only she can do. West’s scenes of: learning her husband Nikolas slept with mortal enemy Esme Prince, then her confrontation with the nasty girl, and the fallout from that, continued to show us why West is in a league of her own.

Courtesy/CBS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A STORYLINE

Melissa Claire Egan – Chelsea’s Depression – The Young and the Restless

This story hit so close to home for so many, and it was played to perfection by Y&R’s Melissa Claire Egan.  It made sense why Chelsea would lose all hope, and not be able to find a way to go on another day after all of her past transgressions and failures, and her complex relationship with her sons: Johnny and Connor.  When Chelsea took to the rooftop to consider ending her life and then its aftermath, one could make the case that it will be Egan taking home Emmy gold in 2023.

Courtesy/NBC

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LIMITED RUN

Alison Sweeney – Sami Brady – Days of our Lives

DAYS head writer, Ron Carlivati has continually found the sweet spot at how to write Sami and give Alison Sweeney material to sink her teeth into every time she makes a return to her soap opera home.  In 2022, after her wedding to Lucas blows up, and truths are revealed, Sami eventually finds her sister, Belle in EJ’s bed.  This time, when Sami leaves Salem she stands up for herself with limited histrionics, and says to EJ, “I have been ping-ponging back and forth between you and Lucas for the better part of two decades, and I’m sick of it. You’re not worth the powder it would take to blow you up.  I would like to point out that we’d be together right now if you hadn’t believed his lies. So, thank God it happened the way it did, so I could learn my lesson. Because I can’t even count the different ways you have found to break my heart. So, I’m done. Good luck with Belle, or whoever comes after her. I hope you make each other miserable. I’ve had it. With you. With this place. With all of it!” And with that, Sami walks out and leaves Salem once again. BRAVO to Sweeney!

Courtesy/CBS

BEST SINGLE PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A STORYLINE

2022 also gave us some heartbreaking performances from several actresses in a single performance within an episode or a short arc.  Here are some that standout among the rest:

Mishael Morgan – Amanda finds Devon making out with Abby – The Young and the Restless

The Daytime Emmy Lead Actress winner in 2022, came back to Y&R to wrap up her storyline and she did it with gut-wrenching emotion and heartache as only Mishael Morgan can.

Sal Stowers – Lani leaves Salem – Days of our Lives

Sometimes we save the best for last, and in Sal Stowers’ case, she delivered in spades in her final episode as Lani says farewell to her family before serving out her prison term.

Sharon Case – Sharon learns Rey is dead – The Young and the Restless

When Sharon’s intuition tells her Rey is dead, and she learns the fateful news from Nick, it provided Case with a canvas to display Sharon’s devastation.  Problem was Case had nothing else to do on-screen for the remainder of the year.

Finola Hughes – Anna watches Peter die – General Hospital

Anna blamed herself for Peter’s existence in the first place, but how fitting was it, when the guy’s time on this earth ran out, that super spy Devane did not call for the paramedics, but made sure his evil reign had ended.  In the capable hands of Finola Hughes, the scene was riveting.

Marci Miller –  Chad says goodbye to Abigail at her gravesite – Days of our Lives

When Abigail visits Chad at her gravesite, it gave Chabby fans the fitting goodbye to a storied DAYS couple.  Miller’s understated performances as Abigail was the perfect counterpoint to Billy Flynn’s grief-stricken husband.

Photo: ABC

BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Kelly Thiebaud – Britt Westbourne – General Hospital

This marks two years in a row for Kelly taking our top honors for Supporting Actress.  In 2022, the story got even more heartbreaking as Britt’s battle with Huntington’s Disease progressed and as the end of the year brings her exit from the show, it reminds us of the power of this actress. Kelly can do it all: play tough, despair, dedication, humor, darkness, imperfection and most of all humanness.  Thiebaud made GH a better show every time she graced the screen.

Honorable Mentions:

Emily O’Brien – Gwen Rizczech – Days of our Lives

Amanda Setton – Brook Lynn Quartermaine – General Hospital

Photo: JPI

BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR

Billy Flynn – Chad DiMera – Days of our Lives

Was there anything more poignant than Chad avenging Abigail’s death then confronting her murderer (Clyde), then reuniting with his beloved wife at her gravesite? Flynn was so masterful in these scenes and throughout the entire journey of the grief-stricken husband trying to identify his wife’s killer. Billy’s portrayal by all accounts should earn him some Emmy love come 2023.

BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR

Nicholas Alexander Chavez – Spencer Cassadine – General Hospital

What’s so good about Nick Chavez’s work is that it’s never over-the-top, in fact, many times it’s underplayed.  However, when Spencer explodes and lets his emotions out, it is pure soap opera gold.  Look no further then when Spencer finds out his own father was sleeping with his supposed girlfriend. Let’s not forget when Spencer risked it all to save Trina’s life in the courtroom and wound up going to prison for it … or how he just can’t get out of his own way and admit how he feels and who he loves.  Chavez is a real find for GH.  Now the trick is …. how long can they keep this guy when the sky is the limit for his burgeoning acting career?

Honorable Mentions:

Greg Rikaart – Leo Stark – Days of our Lives

Matthew Atkinson – Thomas Forrester – The Bold and the Beautiful

Dan Feurriegel – EJ DiMera – Days of our Lives

Photo: CBS

BEST SINGLE PEFORMANCE  BY AN ACTOR IN A STORYLINE

Jason Thompson – Billy saves Chelsea’s life – The Young and the Restless

Y&R utilized one of their finest actors in a story of depression and a suicide attempt, by having Billy be the one to come upon Chelsea about to end her life. What followed were scenes of a man unsure and helpless, trying to do the right thing.  Thompson’s portrayal was honest and raw, and for anyone who has been on either side of a suicide attempt, it showed viewers how a split-second decision just may save the life of someone you love or care about it.

Honorable Mentions:

Maurice Benard – Sonny has a manic episode in front of Nina – General Hospital

At the beginning of the year, as Sonny is integrating himself back into Port Charles, he goes off his bipolar meds and it’s Nina who witnesses his emotional and erratic behavior.  Eventually the two just sit quietly, while he rests his head on her shoulder.  Realizing he needs help, Sonny is vulnerable. This reminds us that when given the material, Benard is as fine an actor as they come.

Tanner Novlan – Sheila has Finn kidnapped – The Bold and the Beautiful

In one of the shocking twists of the year, Finn is revealed to be alive, and being taken care of secretly by his adoptive mother, Li.  Only when Sheila gets wind of his whereabouts, it becomes the movie “Misery’ with Sheila kinda, sorta, torturing her bio-son, so he won’t leave captivity. Meanwhile, Finn is trying to get the hell away from her, so he can reunite with his wife, Steffy, who believes he’s dead.  Novlan showed up for this and proved he’s not just another good-looking soap opera hottie, but can act, too.

Photo: CBS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LONG-RUNNING VETERAN

Kathrine Kelly Lang – Brooke Forrester – The Bold and the Beautiful

B&B put Brooke through the wringer in 2022! The 35-year veteran of the series, had two, count em’ two, storylines where she was blamed for something she didn’t do!   From her New Year’s Eve booze fest with Deacon …  to that voice-changing app CPS call, Brooke spent the entire year in tears, wondering how all of this could happen to her?  Let’s recall A) Sheila switched champagne bottles, so Brooke thought she was drinking non-alcoholic champagne when she was actually drinking real champagne and kissed Deacon. Brooke is an alcoholic to boot.  B) Thomas pretends to be Brooke calling CPS on him, so Ridge thinks she turned his son in, thus he leaves her for Taylor. Lang brings it every single time, and it would be nice for her to get an Emmy nomination in 2023, but sometimes the stories she is saddled with just go on for too long and are too ridiculous. FREE BROOKE! Hopefully 2023 will give the character a chance to find her center without any machinations, and not in need a man, especially Ridge!

Photo: ABC

BIGGEST DOOFUSES

Soap writers really stunk up some of these key characters on your favorite soaps.

Nikolas Cassadine, General Hospital

Number one has to be Nikolas Cassadine, he became the ultimate doofus.  Sleeping with his son’s girlfriend? Lying about an affair with Elizabeth? Keeping Esme locked up at Wyndemere? This guy used to be so smart and savvy, and this character has hit rock bottom.

Jack Abbott, The Young and the Restless

You have the great Peter Bergman and you make Jack Abbott a doofus too? Is he that stupid that he would just fall back in love with questionable Diane Jenkins? The audience at home feels like Ashley does! Every time she sees her brother ogling over Diane or defending her, she gets a bad taste in her mouth combined with a look of disdain.

Ridge Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful

We have no sympathy or empathy for Ridge Forrester.  He can’t even tell Brooke why he is so upset that he is leaving her, and he runs back to Taylor and then that blows up.  This character needs a serious makeover, or better yet, some deep therapy.

Courtesy/CBS

BEST CHILD ACTOR

Henry Joseph Samiri – Douglas Forrester – The Bold and the Beautiful

All hail Douglas! Henry Joseph Samiri is a real find for B&B.  He was great at the beginning of the year when Grandma ‘Drunk’ Brooke was kissing Santa Deacon and later, even better when he told the truth about his father and his voice-changing app antics to destroy Grandma Brooke’s marriage to Ridge.  Kudos.

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE

Cast of Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem Chapter 2

This was pure fun watching how the stories were interwoven with emotion, humor, and high-stakes adventures. It featured returning and beloved favorites, new cast members, and more.  Everyone brought their A-game.

Photo: Gilles Toucas

BEST VILLAIN, FEMALE

Kimberlin Brown – Sheila Carter – The Bold and the Beautiful

Sheila had an unbelievable year in story, shooting her son and his wife, somehow surviving it all, donning a wig and prosthetics, seducing Deacon to let her stay with him, cutting off her toe, her fights with Li, her apparent alliance with Bill, and so much more.  Yes, B&B has let Sheila get away with EVERYTHING, but Brown is so good in the role that you have to give her props for making Sheila just so pathological that we kind of can’t wait to see how she will get out of spending her life behind bars, time after time.

Honorable Mention:

Avery Pohl – Esme Prince – General Hospital

BEST VILLAIN, MALE

William Christian – TR Coates – Days of our Lives

TR was a murderous bad man with a nasty drug habit too! Wasn’t it nice seeing former All My Children good guy William Christian (ex-Derek Frye) playing the dark and evil TR?

Courtesy/ABC

BEST SCENE-STEALER FEMALE and BEST RECAST

Alley Mills – Heather Webber – General Hospital

Alley Mills was a surprise recast for crazy town Heather Webber when Robin Mattson was unavailable to resume her signature GH role.  Mills has infused Heather with new vigor and made us count the minutes till she returns on our screen again to cause more trouble. Mills had gone from crazy Pam and her lemon bars on B&B to ultimate ‘cray-cray’ as Heather on GH.

BEST SCENE-STEALER MALE

Greg Rikaart – Leo Stark – Days of our Lives

To say that Days is loving Leo and Greg Rikaart is relishing playing the role is an understatement.  This is a perfect match of quick-witted writing and the right actor to take what’s on the page and make it even more delicious.  Rikaart is so fantastic in the part that Leo has become the gift that keeps on giving in Salem!

Photo: JPI

BEST TEARJERKER

Hope is reunited with Bo and Zack in Heaven – Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem Chapter 2

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Hope briefly goes to heaven and is reunited with her beloved Bo Brady, and then later, her son, Zack.  It was beautifully played by Kristian Alfonso, Peter Reckell and Scott Shilstone.

Photo: ABC

BEST GUEST STAR TURN

Linda Purl – Peyton Honeycutt – General Hospital

The best part of the long-winded ‘Jacksonville layover’ was Carly’s old nemesis Peyton being part of the story which gave TV and motion picture star, Linda Purl, a nice role to sink her teeth into, while Peyton got her claws into Carly for a bit.

Courtesy/ABC

BEST SCENE

(TIE)

Holly and Robert say goodbye – General Hospital

It was nice to finally have Emma Samms back for a limited run as Holly Sutton.  Her return worked the best when she appeared in scenes opposite Tristan Rogers (Robert Scorpio).  When it was time for Holly to go on the run and wrap-up the story, Robert and Holly shared a kiss, he got the ‘ice princess’ diamond necklace back from her, and GH fans had the chance to walk down memory lane for a bit. Well-played.

Brook Lynn gives Bailey Louise back to Maxie – General Hospital

When Peter was finally dead and Maxie could raise her child in safety, it was time for Brook Lynn to give her back to her birth mother.  In a gut-wrenching scene, Brook Lynn hands the little girl back to Maxie.  Beautiful work from Amanda Setton and Kirsten Storms.

WORST SCENE

Taylor being chased by Ridge in Aspen – The Bold and the Beautiful

When Taylor was running away from Ridge in the mountains of Aspen, was she truly running or hoping he would catch up with her?  He eventually does, romance ensues, and it kind of fell flat.

Photo: JPI

WORST MURDER MYSTERY

Abigail’s murder mystery – Days of our Lives

This was such a huge disappointment that after all the suspects and months of false leads, that Abby’s murderer turned out to be Clyde Weston.  The rationale for Clyde being the killer was the part of the story that was the flimsiest of all.

BEST THROWBACK

DAYS marks its 57th anniversary revisiting the Julie shoplifting plot from its first episode

This was a very clever move – utilizing scenes from the pilot episode of DAYS in 1965 with the original Julie – then 57 years later having Shawn arresting adult Julie for shoplifting.

Photo: CBS

BEST RETURN

Susan Walters – Diane Jenkins – The Young and the Restless

While the story has been dragging, it was great to see Susan Walters back as troublemaking Diane Jenkins on The Young and the Restless, when the show decided to bring the character ‘back from the dead’.

WORST EXIT

Rena Sofer as Quinn – The Bold and the Beautiful

After all the build-up to Quinn and Carter finally being together, we get the news that Rena Sofer has made the decision to leave the series.  Instead of crafting a proper exit story, or even ONE scene with her in it, viewers find out she has vanished and her bestie Shauna arrives revealing that Quinn has left Carter.  We understand contracts necessitate quick changes in soaps, but was there a better way to have handled this departure? Maybe even a Facetime video from Quinn explaining herself to Carter? Just sayin’.

Photo: ABC

BEST COUPLE-IN-THE-MAKING

Sprina – General Hospital

Star-crossed Spencer and Trina on General Hospital are everything.  In this case, GH wrote the story building and building the tension, and have left the viewers waiting, hoping and wanting the two to finally have their romance, or how about even a big smooch???  Stay tuned in 2023.

BEST COUPLE

Anna and Valentin – General Hospital

They’re sexy, sophisticated, and now we just need to see them in a real high stake’s drama where against all odds they reunite. “Vanna” had captured GH viewers imaginations with their portrayal of mature love played by the always excellent Finola Hughes and James Patrick Stuart.

Courtesy/ABC

WORST COUPLE

Austin and Maxie – General Hospital

This doesn’t work on so many levels.  Get Maxie back with Spinelli and find an actress (to bad Kelly Thiebaud left the show) that can hold her own with Roger Howarth, and make us care.

Honorable Mentions:

Ashland and Victoria – The Young and the Restless

They hogged so much airtime and we did not care. It was the ‘Ashland and Victoria Show’ for so many months and are heads were spinning.

Photo: JPI

Nancy and Clyde – Days of our Lives

This was embarrassing to the character of Nancy to not only have her duped by her longtime husband Craig, who has been apparently suppressing his sexuality to be with men all these years, but then the fallout finds her keeping time with murdering Clyde? Ugh.

MOST TORTURED CHARACTER

Sasha Gilmore – General Hospital

Losing your baby, battling addiction, losing your husband, battling addiction, it’s not been a good year for poor Sasha on GH.  Can the woman have two days without a calamity in her life? Kudos to Sofia Mattsson for illustrating Sasha’s inner pain, but c’mon now! Sasha needs a ray of light in her life at this point, or at least an all-expenses paid trip around the world!

CHARACTER IN NEED OF BETTER WRITING

Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt – General Hospital

It appears that GH cannot quite figure out what they want to do with Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt and in doing so have beloved fan favorite Roger Howarth languishing in the role.  Is Austin a good guy? A really bad guy? The story with ‘cousin’ Mason has been convoluted and we hope that in 2023 we can get some clear direction for this character.

BEST NEWCOMER

Tabyana Ali – General Hospital

Filling the shoes of Sydney Mikayla was no easy task, but Tabyana Ali has brought her own style to Trina and we have all fallen in love with her for it.  From her emotional courtroom drama, to her longing for Spencer, to the death of her boyfriend Rory and everything in between, Tabyana is a star on the rise.

Photo: NBC

BEST TRIANGLE

Allie/Chanel/Johnny – Days of our Lives

Talk about breaking old soap tropes and doing it well! Days of our Lives, didn’t do the traditional here.  You had a young woman (Chanel) in love with not two brothers, but siblings … Allie and Johnny.  In this sexually fluid storyline, it was a breath of fresh air to give new meaning to the word ‘triangle’ on a soap opera.

WORST TRIANGLE

Brooke/Ridge/Taylor – The Bold and the Beautiful

Seeing all three characters ping-ponging back and forth provided pure frustration for longtime viewers of The Bold and the Beautiful.  While it was an inspired casting choice to bring Krista Allen to BOLD as the new Taylor, we then were treated to months of whether or not Taylor would win Ridge back.  However, nothing is ever clean and on the up and up.  With so much chicanery from Taylor’s children, and Ridge being an absolute jerk of a man, this whole triangle found us praying it would stop.  Hopefully it has, for now, since Brooke and Taylor are now besties and have ousted Ridge from their lives.

Photo: JPI

BEST ‘GREAT-TO-SEE-YOU’ ON DAYTIME AGAIN

Trevor St. John – Tucker McCall –The Young and the Restless

We love TSJ and Y&R had the ‘get’ of the year bringing the former beloved bad boy from One Life to Live to the CBS daytime as a recast Tucker McCall.  St. John is such a fine actor that his scenes seem effortless, and we think viewers should give him a chance and let him run with the character in 2023 without any pre-conceived notions of how the part looked or was played-previously.

CHARACTERS WHO DESERVED THE BIGGEST BITCH-SLAPS

Steffy and Thomas Forrester – The Bold and the Beautiful

There were weeks where we wish Brooke Logan Forrester could have slapped Steffy and Thomas to Timbuktu! How many manipulative and nasty conversations could these siblings have about how they will do anything to get their parents, Taylor and Ridge back together?  We thought Steffy was a heroine, so this made her antics all the more confusing! Thank God, in the end, she blew the whistle off Taylor and Ridge’s sham of a wedding ceremony, by eventually revealing Thomas called CPS on himself, not Brooke.

BEST STANDALONE EPISODE

General Hospital 15,000th episode

While there were not as many standalone episodes in soaps this year, GH brought us there 15,000-episode milestone which centered around Laura Collins and featured the entire cast.  With the use of vets, and the amazing Genie Francis, it’s always special to harken back to this show’s deep history.

Courtesy/NBC

WORST RELATIONSHIP

Leo Stark and Craig Wesley – Days of our Lives

While we give DAYS kudos for delving into a story of a middle-aged man coming out and finding love in a same-sex relationship, because of the often-comedic hijinks, it was at times hard to root for Craig and Leo at all, and especially since Leo was revealed to be duplicitous from the start.

Photo: JPI

BEST STORYLINE

Finn is Alive – The Bold and the Beautiful

This story worked on many levels.  First, it was a shocker!  Sheila actually shot her own son and then shot his wife.  Then, after everyone believes Finn died, coupled with his adoptive mom Li’s curious behavior, months down the line it’s revealed that Finn is actually alive.  From there, the story got even juicier as Sheila tries to keep her biological son locked up while recovering from his injuries, so he couldn’t get away and reunite with his wife, Steffy.  Eventually, Steffy and Finn are reunited in Monte Carlo, and the story came full-circle.

Courtesy/ABC

WORST STORYLINE

Elizabeth Webber’s Mental Anguish and Past – General Hospital

This story was so convoluted when it should have been a showcase for Rebecca Herbst. First, we get Liz in a ‘fugue-state” …. later we get her having some flashbacks atop a stairwell … still later, we see a woman was pushed down the stairs.  As the story evolved, it brought in Liz’s parents, Jeff and Carolyn Webber.  Liz visits her childhood home after decades only to learn that Jeff had an affair with Finn’s wife, Reiko while working at Doctors Without Borders. It’s revealed, Liz found out about it and had a tussle with Reiko who falls down the stairs, then dies later in the hospital.  This whole thing seemed to be more about causing a rift between Finn and Liz, then Liz’s past.  It was also troubling that Carolyn used hypnosis tactics on her own daughter to make her block out the whole event.

RUNNERS-UP:

Billy’s Podcast – The Young and the Restless

This just doesn’t work on a daytime soap opera, or at least the way Y&R went about it.  You have the phenomenal Jason Thompson saddled with a story where he talks into a microphone. The show tried several times to rev up the story especially when Billy went under an alias to expose the underbelly of Genoa City, and that still fell flat. Give Thompson something better than this, please.

Photo: CBS

The Fall of Ashland Locke – The Young and the Restless

As we previously noted, there was just so much airtime devoted to Victoria and Ashland’s game of corporate and relationship cat and mouse that who could care by the end of it? It was like Ashland Locke’s character took over the show for months.  Mind you, it was nice to see Robert Newman again, after Richard Burgi’s departure, but this story was so monotonous.  The kicker was Nick ‘killing’ the guy and we never hear about this again.

MOST PREPOSTEROUS PLOT TWIST 

Sheila and Bill Form an Alliance – The Bold and the Beautiful

From spoilers for 2023 this might be a ruse, but if you go off of what aired in the final week of 2022, Dollar Bill’s turn to the dark side has him defending Sheila Carter, and threatening to blow the whistle on Taylor for shooting him years ago, if Steffy and Finn press charges and try to get Sheila put behind bars.  OKURR, got that? What makes this so preposterous is that previously, Bill actually helped Finn reunite with Steffy and helped Li bring down Sheila, who was keeping Finn prisoner.  Go figure.

CHARACTERS WHO NEED TO GET THEIR COMEUPPANCE

As much as we love them, enough already, right?

Sheila Carter – The Bold and the Beautiful

Kristen DiMera – Days of our Lives

Victor Cassadine – General Hospital

Courtesy/ABC

END OF THE ROAD EVERYONE WAITED FOR

Peter August’s death – General Hospital

In early February 2022, Peter August finally met his maker thanks to Felicia using a tire iron to knock him out cold!

MOST OVERUSED PROPS

Go back and count the number of times these props were mentioned in story, or in dialogue, and your head might spin.

Voice-changing app – The Bold and the Beautiful

Sheila’s toe – The Bold and the Beautiful

Orchid – Days of our Lives

Photo: CBS

WORST USE OF TRANSPORTATION TO STOP A WEDDING

Quinn on a bicycle pedaling to Carter and Paris nuptials – The Bold and the Beautiful

This looked so ridiculous. We are to believe that Quinn is going to grab a bicycle on the Venice boardwalk or wherever, and take a jaunt and arrive in time to bust-up Carter’s wedding to Paris? Well, somehow the bike got her there and she did the thing.  This is not what we would call a good use of a remote location shoot.

Photos: IMDb, IG

BIGGEST HEADLINES: TRAGIC DEATHS STRIKE THE SOAP WORLD

2022 will be remembered as the year we lost so many beloved stars and members of their families including:

Anne Heche – The Daytime Emmy-winning star of Another World died tragically following a brain injury after her car crashed into a home.

Sonya Eddy – The end of the year brought with it the shocking news of GH favorite, Sonya Eddy’s passing following a surgery that developed into complications.

Harrison Wagner – The youngest son of GH’s Kristina Wagner and Jack Wagner was found dead after suffering from addiction for many years.

Jerry verDorn – The two-time Daytime Emmy-winning actor of Guiding Light and One Life to Live succumbed to his battle with cancer.

Helmut Huber – Susan Lucci’s longtime husband and manager passed away suddenly at the age of 84.

What did you think of our picks for the ‘Best and Worst in Soaps 2022’? Agree? Disagree? Who would be your top choices in several of our categories? Let us know in the comment section below.