Soap Opera Digest has released their annual Best & Worst issue for 2008. Check out the Dec. 16 issue for the complete list.
I do want to comment on some of the choices here starting with Best Show. Digest gave this honor to ONE LIFE TO LIVE (OLTL was named Most Improved on their 2007 list). Their rationale was the show was "most compelling" this year despite some weak moments. One could make an argument for a number of shows including OLTL based on having compelling momeents but I would have to give my vote to THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. ONE LIFE really went off track during the 40th anniversary and is only now hitting its stride again. Y&R was also off the rails earlier in the year, but the team of Maria Arena Bell and Hogan Sheffer have righted any wrongs and put the show back on top in terms of consistent quality.
Digest named DAYS OF OUR LIVES as the Most Improved show of 2008. Are we watching the same show? I would have to give this honor to Y&R. ONE LIFE TO LIVE really improved in 2007 but I'm not sure they are any better right now than they were early in Ron Carlivati's tenure last year. Y&R is much improved so I see no reason not to give them this honor as well. Even though some stories drive me crazy, ALL MY CHILDREN is another show that has improved in 2008. It is not must-see-TV on a regular basis but is much better than 2007. As for DAYS, after the horrible November sweeps I am hard pressed to see how the show is improved or in better shape than in 2007.
I have to also take exception to AS THE WORLD TURNS' Noah being named Most Boring Character. I can name several characters on ATWT that are more boring off the top of my head, not even including the other soaps, so why was Noah chosen? When I think about being bored watching a soap, how often my fast forward trigger finger gets tempted is the stat that comes to mind. No characters on all of soaps are more boring to me than Paul Ryan and Meg Snyder Ryan on ATWT. Not only are their storylines boring and repetive, I can almost quote their dialogue before they even speak it. Some of their scenes have been unbearable to sit through this year. If you watch any episode of ATWT that features "Peg" and Noah, you will see Noah with 2-3 scenes and barely any dialogue while Peg goes on and on for what seems like 100 pages of dialogue a day. Noah as Most Underdeveloped Popular Character might have been a better honor to bestow on the character.
Some of Digest's selections were right on including B&B's Pam as Best Villain and GH's Robin and Patrick as Best Couple.
I don't always agree with the choices SOD makes for this annual issue but it's fun to dissect them every December.
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