The introduction of characters you fall in love with. I admit, I really hasn't seriously followed soaps for sometime, but when was the last time a "real" family has been introduced? Remember in the 80's, GL introduced the Chamberlins, Reardons, Lewis' and the Coopers. ATWT introduced the Walsh's and the Snyders. All those families were good for soaps and only the Reardons didn't last to the 90's.
I felt like we had been slapped when Cyrus said Grady wasn't his brother. That he made that up to help Grady when they were kids. They were criminals but they had a bond as brothers. Then at the last minute they make Cyrus Coop & Rocky's brother?? Wheeler is lucky she wasn't run over on site!
And I don't know why the Reardons didn't last - they were one of my favorite families. I loved their mother Bea. She always scolded them all with just the words we might be screaming at them from home (especially Nola). She was really a pretty lady.
shareI know. IMO, the Reardons could have been the Snyders of GL. I was watching some old clips on youtube, man was GL good in the 80's.
shareI think, actually, the Snyders were a copy of the Reardons. I could be wrong, but I think the Reardons were introduced on GL first, and they were such a hit ATWT decided to get their own "Reardon" type family.
I don't know if anyone else remembers this or made the connection, but the Lewis' were introduced during the "Dallas" hysteria. Billy and Josh were DEFINITELY JR and Bobby type characters. Those types of characters worked on nighttime, no reason they wouldn't work in Daytime! They made Billy much more likable than JR though.
And Reva, way back in the beginning, was brought in to fill the gaping hole Rita Bauer left when that gorgeous actress left of her own accord. Rita was a very unique character for the time she was in the story (mid 70's to '81 I think). Until Rita, there were good girls and bad girls. A bad girl was a true villainess, plotting to get her own way, lying, scheming. Good girls were honest and true - NO shades of grey! Rita was neither. She lied or omitted important things, but usually it was because she was protecting people or she was afraid they wouldn't love her if they knew the truth. I think she was brought in as a villainess, (a possible murderer even, although later cleared of that by the writers), but the actress showed such anguish in her face - such ambiguity about being "bad", such torture over what she may have done wrong, that the audience loved her!! I don't think the show expected that. I don't think they realized what a treasure of an actress they had gotten! They recognized it soon enough though and the show revolved around her for awhile. When she left - they needed a "deeply flawed but always TRYING to do the right thing" sort of woman, and they brought in Reva (similar name even - coincidence?) Reva was very different than Rita in many ways - larger than life, in your face Reva. Rita was understated and conservative with a drop dead gorgeous body underneath her conservative little nurses uniform and clothing. But when she showed it off - in the privacy of her own home/bedroom, OMG! Reva on the other hand is just, well, Reva - showing off whatever she had even when she didn't have it anymore LOL!
Edited to add - Rita Bauer left in 1981 - ratings dropped. Reva introduced in 1983.
Don't know what set me off on that tangent LOL.
I believe the Reardons was introduced in 1980,the Synders was introduced on ATWT around 1985.
The thing soaps are missing in my opinion is of course storylines about families. One thing I see on soaps so much is too many murder storylines. A soap doesn't have to have murder storylines left and right. Plus, it is dragged on and on. Especially on "AMC" right now.
Then it is characters, it seems like ever soap has to have a character come to town with a past or secret. It's boring when you see the same type of character over and over again. Then you have everyone trying to be a bad-ass now.It's hard to tell who's a good person or a villian on a soap anymore. Plus, as it was discussed on another thread,soaps hardly but ever show people in the work place. Everyone is all dressed up with no place to go.
Then you have people who work behind the scenes that seem to not care about veteran characters by getting rid of them. I know soaps have to keep up with the times,and I think most of them are doing a horrible job with it,but you can't ignore people who have been there for 20,30 or so years,and have established themselves as all time fan favorites. Can't a soap divide it's time with the younger people,and the older characters? That's what they used to do? Right?
Plus it is the acting. What the hell? Why do producers think that ever person that steps off a front page of a modeling magazine is a actor?
Lastly, stop writing every teenage character as some spoiled rich kid.
abajasds,
You said what I've been thinking for years. I just didn't know how to put it to words.
Sweetd6,
You're absolutely right. The Reardons were introduced first. I actually knew that. I said what I said because the Snyders are still around and I feel GL would have been better if they kept the Reardons around the same as ATWT did with the Snyders. And I never really thought about it, but you are so right about the Lewis'/Dallas connection. Billy was kinda like JR, but like you said, more likable and Josh was just like Bobby. A good guy with a temper.
I think, actually, the Snyders were a copy of the Reardons. I could be wrong, but I think the Reardons were introduced on GL first, and they were such a hit ATWT decided to get their own "Reardon" type family.Creations of the great Douglas Marland (along with the Peretti's on "Another World"). He really knew how to bring life to a show with a diverse family group built for longevity. Characters in whom the viewers could invest their time and emotion.
I could be wrong, but I think the Reardons were introduced on GL first
Yup, I remember both Nola and Iva very well. And I remembered that Nola was first (that's why I thought the Reardons were first). I was a little surprised that Lisa Brown started in 1980 as a high schooler, Nola Readon, and then played Lily's biological mom as Iva Snyder 5 or 6 years later! I know she was supposed to have had Lily at 14 or something, but she still aged a lot in those years LOL! Overall, I enjoyed her Nola character more - Nola was much funnier and more entertaining as I recall. I guess that had more to do with the writers than Lisa, she was a great actress in both cases.
shareDuring my days off, I TRIED watching all the other soaps, flipping channels.
GL , ATWT, and OLTL are the ONLY ones that grabbed my attention. AMC has alot going on, but so confusing and it's like I don't CARE. B & B has all these actors who played different roles on Y & R, but we're expected to accept them as B & B characters instead of cross-overs. GH is still a dark, mafia disappointment, considering how it was a favorite from the late 70s until the mid 90s (when it became the SONNY hour).
Because of the outdoor sunshine / shoreline setting of GL, I couldn't really grasp the finality, nor the END of the institution, though Springfield WILL live in the hearts and minds of fans forever, just like Bay City, Monticello, Henderson, and Somerset.
I'll admit that I DID cry when Fletcher showed up to whisk Alexandra away.
When she saw him and busted out crying, I did likewise! AND when Alan died sitting up looking out at the water and Phillip found him.
So we were treated to family connections, even though it was done on purpose for the last week. The Lewises, Coopers, Bauers, Spauldings, and "adopted" friends did give me a feel that family IS still relevant. And even though the final scene ("one year later" outdoor shots, very suburban and casual) managed to wrap things up, it left me on a positive note.
Take it from one who has suffered cancellation aches and anger (SOMERSET at the end of 1976 and THE EDGE OF NIGHT at the end of 1984), we LOVED our shows.
Even though the ratings and powers-that-be have robbed us of continuance, we have our memories. Sadly, so few videos exist of our shows up thru the 1970s.
If someone HAD organized and libraried our P & G soaps from their television inceptions up until 1979, can you IMAGINE how they would sell like hotcakes?
I have the VHS of GL's Roger Thorpe special, but I would STILL love to thrill at older segments of more Springfield villainy, like Charlotte Bauer and Kit Vestid.
Pardon my rambling, but yes, Family DOES count. RYAN's HOPE suffered because not only did they lose focus of the Ryans and Cooleridges, the network shafted and played musical timeslots promoting LOVING over RYAN's HOPE and the ABC affiliates (the main reason we lost EDGE) dwindled in their support of RH.
That's all I see on the ABC Soaps All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital. But they need to focus on storylines with the families. They having all these murder storylines!!! The Young and the Restless is doing the samething too. I wished Guiding Light brought back characters that made the ratings go up for the show. If soaps wants to remain on television they need to bring back the most popular soap actors or actresses that had high ratings for the show.
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