Opinion: Reflections on #Daytime Soaps this past year
Posted on 07. Jan, 2010 by patti in DOOL, Extras, GL, Y&R
The Soap Opera genre has certainly had its ups and downs in 2009.
Two beloved soaps on CBS were canceled. The notification of these cancellations were ironic at best. It was announced that Guiding Light was canceled on April 1st. How many of us thought that it was an April Fool’s joke? I know I did at first. After all, GL had been a mainstay, both on radio and television, for 72 years.
In November, it was announced that As The World Turns would be canceled in 2010 after 56 years. Happy holidays to the actors, staff and crew. (Bah humbug!) How many of us remember watching either or both of these shows with our mothers, and especially, our grandmothers? I know I did. Both of these shows were produced in New York City; how many production and staff people there are now without jobs?
On top of that, All My Children, decided to move from NYC to Los Angeles! Again, many people were displaced, and only One Life to Live remains in NYC. In these economic times, my heart aches for them.
On the bright side, the only NBC show, Days of Our Lives seems to be thriving. After a year of unrest with fan favorites being written off — yes I’m talking about John and Marlena and Patch and Kayla, to name a few — Days has brought back many original actors who have been away from Salem for as long as sixteen years.
Wally Kurth first came back as Justin Kiriakis, Victor’s nephew. Kurth was only slated to return for a short time; however, his return was so popular, he’s here for the long haul. (Now that Judy Evans is no longer on ATWT, will we see her reprising the role of Adrianne, Justin’s estranged wife? We can only hope.).
Next, Crystal Chappell returned as Carly, a past love interest of Bo. Then came Louise Sorrell as Vivian Alamain, the sworn enemy of Carly. Who can forget when Vivian buried Carly alive?
Plus, Days has brought in a Hispanic family — first Rafe, then his sister Arianna, and now the youngest sister Gabi. They also tapped into stars from now-defunct Passions — Galen Gering, Lindsey Hartley and Eric Martsoff.
Last year, Days was nominated for a Daytime Emmy, and if they continue to go forward with what they accomplished in the last six months of 2009, they will surely win this year.
Due to budget cutbacks, Young and Restless almost lost three of their longtime main actors. Jess Walton, Jill, and Melody Scott-Thomas, Nikki, both settled their contracts at the last hour.
However, Eric Braeden, Victor, could not reach an agreement with Sony and walked! The fans rallied for Braeden’s return and Sony brought him back for more contract negotiations. Thankfully, Braeden re-signed and Victor will again be back, with a vengeance, in a couple of weeks. This goes to show you that the fans CAN make a difference.
Hopefully, 2010 will fare better for our beloved soaps, and fans continue to let your feelings be known.
