What's going on with my soaps!
Written 7/25/03 by Suzanne originally for
Bella Online
I have to admit that I mostly watch the ABC soaps. Those are the ones I
first started watching, and let’s face it, it’s easier to just watch one
lineup rather than switching channels, even in this day and age. Fact is,
I tape them ALL. But it’s the ABC ones I make sure to keep up on.
I really do enjoy ATWT, GL, Y&R and Days. But there are only so many hours
in the day. Right now I am two weeks behind even on the ABC ones and
trying to catch up! I have Soapnet so I can tape them all, thank goodness.
Port Charles is the only one I am completely caught up on because I just
love it.
I did tune in yesterday to see Roger Howarth on ATWT, but then the show
was interrupted by a lame national news story. So much for that idea!
Maybe if Soapnet carried CBS soaps, I’d be more into those, but I don’t
know.
Of the ABC soaps, PC is by far the best. It’s a real shame they are
canceling it. It has great stories and is very fast-paced. You never know
what is going to happen next (something I can’t say about other shows
because they are very predictable). Virtually every day is like a Friday
cliffhanger. They may have occasional plot holes, and if you don’t like
supernatural stuff then you wouldn’t like PC, but the rest of the writing
makes up for anything. Me, I love shows like Star Trek and Buffy the
Vampire Slayer, so PC is great for me.
General Hospital has traditionally been my favorite and it’s the first one
I started watching. I always love the characters and it’s probably got the
second best writing. I love Maurice Benard and I would probably tune in
just to watch him read a book (silently, to himself!). I like a lot of the
other characters and stories as well. I know people complain about the
“mobster stuff” but really very little is about mobster activities. What
they really mean is, they want less airtime for
Sonny-Carly-Jason-Courtney-Ric-Faith et al. because for whatever reason,
they don’t like them. Or they want to see their old favorites more. The
show has a huge cast and in order to focus on these characters and a few
others, they no longer write for Tony, Bobbie, Mac, and the rest of our
old favorites.
All My Children is my next favorite. It has its ups and downs, especially
the past year with constant writer changes. I am enjoying the relationship
between Jack and Erica, and between Erica and her daughters. I’m glad that
Tad is seen more now. I like Fusion for the most part. I think they are
making an honest effort to get rid of characters and stories that they
feel aren’t working. The show has a lot of great humor in its dialogue to
balance out the seriousness of rape, losing a child, etc.
I think the writing is basically great on OLTL, but between all of the
Mitch Lawrence stuff and all of the recasts, I find the characters kind of
boring. I like Marcie and Al, and Max and Roxy. I’m looking forward to
Cris and Natalie’s wedding. I can really take or leave the rest. Who cares
about these two new teens? It would have been better to introduce one of
them gradually, someone very charismatic, and keep them around for a few
months, interacting with the other characters. Then bring on the other
person. I am sick of Blair/Walker/Dorian. I used to like Blair and Dorian
but this Walker stuff stinks. I want to see Viki and Ben back (recast the
actor!). I don’t like the new Kevin. I do like the new Joey and he’s okay
with Jen. I am not enjoying Gabrielle and Bo fighting, or watching Troy go
downhill. And the show has no humor in it whatsoever. The occasional
fantasy episode does not make up for the rest of the dreariness.
The only thing that I can say that I don’t like about most of the shows is
that they all seem to feel they have to have an evil bad guy (sometimes
more than one) and a lot of violence. It didn’t used to be that way on
soaps, so it’s kind of depressing now. We have Michael Cambias on AMC, we
had Mitch on OLTL, and all sorts of baddies on GH like Faith, Ric and
Alcazar. I know the writers like writing them and the actors like playing
them, but there is just too much violence and evil bad guys on soaps.
Where is the romance, and the relationships between people and their
families? Fast-paced doesn’t have to be unrealistic. Port Charles has bad
guys, too, but they seemed to balance it better with the relationships,
and the villains are usually humorous and/or sympathetic. The heroes are
not dummies like they tend to be on other shows. But I won’t give up on my
shows no matter what....
Now, if only there were another 24 hours in the day, I could watch all of
the other soaps regularly! :)
Page updated 12/27/11
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