tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2585163331194032530.post8632578083078286836..comments2023-11-02T09:08:08.645-04:00Comments on We Love Soaps: Today in Soap Opera History (December 31)Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13659344675956886092noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2585163331194032530.post-43197838353777353262014-01-01T18:56:26.595-05:002014-01-01T18:56:26.595-05:00I see your point except where it concerns Marland....I see your point except where it concerns Marland. I think his shift of Barbara Ryan's personality was one of the most dynamic character shifts in all of Daytime Drama. He also re-created some very strong female characters in Kim (see the resolution of the Doug Cummings story) and Lisa and Lucinda. <br />I know that one weakness was the fading of Stewarts--I've been surprised in recent years to hear some complain that the Snyders robbed the Stewart family from their rightful place on the canvas. I think the biggest issue was Marland's illness, subsequent death and the unfortunate fact that there were no writers of his ilk to come after him. That, coupled with searing budget cuts, surely eviscerated As The World Turns, a once great show.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2585163331194032530.post-27635252392215539882013-12-31T03:31:16.354-05:002013-12-31T03:31:16.354-05:00Thirty one years since Texas ended! Wow. Hard to i...Thirty one years since Texas ended! Wow. Hard to imagine. It seems like just a few days ago I was saying goodbye to all of those great characters. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04527835638959413151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2585163331194032530.post-82732672786326744992013-12-31T00:40:56.835-05:002013-12-31T00:40:56.835-05:00NBC Daytime programming in the 1970's was inte...NBC Daytime programming in the 1970's was interesting. Somerset, The Doctors. Lovers and Friends, For Richer For Poorer and Texas were all cancelled. It looks like NBC went through a lot of soaps during this period. However, I would posit, that given The Doctor's schizophrenic history under it's various writers, NBC began offering new writers like Pete LeMay an opportunity to create a new show from scratch rather than trying to force their vision on an existing show. I remember as a boy in the 70's that it was exciting that a new soap would start every couple of years. Upon reflection, if Michael Malone had been given the opportunity to write a new soap rather than radically change OLTL it may have been more successful creatively. I feel the same way about Robert Guza who clearly wanted to write a mob-based soap; which could have been interesting if that soap wasn't called GH. Finally, even Doug Marland's vision of the Snyder Farm may have been more fully realized if he was not burdened with 30 years of history of characters created by other writers. Perhaps as Emmerson said, a rigid adherence to consistency [has been] the hobgoblin of little minds. I know nothing how network television actually works- I'm still trying to understand why soaps were too expensive to produce but Katie who costs 30 million and already spent 80% of their second season budget was better economic option? - but I've had this thesis for awhile and it seemed a good day to discuss it.Oliverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10259119837902601841noreply@blogger.com