‘Guiding Light’ Wasn't Canceled, it was Murdered, very Slowly and Very Brutally

[Brian Damage]

Every soap opera tells at least one good murder story a year. Next week, the soap “Guiding Light” is the victim. There are several killers.

In today’s New York Times, executive producer Ellen Wheeler says some comical things about how she has presided over the show’s death. But the truth is, as with Michael Jackson, the last person in the room is the prime suspect. Even though other doctors came and went, all giving Michael dangerous prescriptions, the police are investigating Dr. Conrad Murray.

Plenty of bad executive producers lorded over “Guiding Light” before Ellen Wheeler got there. Their names were Michael Laibson, Paul Rauch, and Jill Farren Phelps. They killed off popular characters, ordered ridiculous stories, and, in particular, went so far to clone the show’s main character. Yes, that’s right, human cloning, And no one at Procter & Gamble, which owns the show, had the good sense to stop them.

Lots of other bad things happened, too. The popular actor on the show, Michael Zaslow, became ill with ALS. Rather than embrace and honor him, the show kicked him to the curb. It was miserable.

But Ellen Wheeler is the culprit in the final murder. A year and a half ago, not long after she took over the dying program, she threw out the sets, the video editors and the breakdown writers. The show was suddenly being filmed with shaky handheld cameras. The sound was terrible. There were no production values. The sets were “found” buildings in Peapack, N.J. They were ugly, awful. The people of Peapack should have sued. Their town could not have looked worse on television.

It was clear that under Wheeler, there was no rehearsal, and no respect for the actors, forget the fans. The ratings simply tanked. Wheeler did nothing to correct the situation. She just made it worse, adding loud rock music to scenes. It was impossible to hear the dialogue. It was equally difficult to watch scenes — you thought the camera operators had Parkinson’s Disease.

Procter & Gamble used to produce several soaps under the name Procter & Gamble Productions. When “Guiding Light” is done, they will be down to one: “As the World Turns.” The company changed the name of its production company to TeleNext to distance its big brands (Crest, Pampers and half the stuff in grocery stores) from the anger of soap fans. There’s a theory that P&G has been trying to get out of soap production for the past 10 years, since they canceled “Another World.” P&G is a monolith. They don’t comment on anything. But “World Turns” is definitely in their sights now.

As for Wheeler, her comments in today’s Times show that she is simply clueless, or deluded. She says, fans communicated to her that they liked the new format. This is highly unlikely, unless they were related to her. “Guiding Light,” is dead, and she killed it. If P&G/TeleNext lets her near “World Turns.” we won’t need Agatha Christie to figure out what happens next.

http://showbiz411.blogs.thr.com/guiding-light-murdered-and-theres-a-killer/

[catlover79]

Yes, GL's had a pretty miserable last 12 years or so. I still think what they did to Michael Zaslow (though not under Ellen Wheeler's watch) was unforgivable - and pretty much the beginning of the end.

[MickeyMac]

What they did to Michael Zaslow (who was one their best actors, and played one of GL's best known characters) was a big flaw.


This show pulled off two more major blunders. In 1993 when they fired Ellen Parker and killed off the Maureen character. She was one of the best loved characters on the show and could have been another great matriach (in the spirit of her mother in law Bert Bauer).


In 2005 after 26 years GL decides to take Jerry VerDorn (who was on the show longer than anyone in that current cast) off contract and stick him on recurring status. It didnt take long for OLTL to cast him as Clint Buchanan and their gain was GL's loss.

Nice going guys. Is it any wonder you're getting cancelled.

[MickeyMac]

What they did to Michael Zaslow (who was one their best actors, and played one of GL's best known characters) was a big flaw.


This show pulled off two more major blunders. In 1993 when they fired Ellen Parker and killed off the Maureen character. She was one of the best loved characters on the show and could have been another great matriach (in the spirit of her mother in law Bert Bauer).


In 2005 after 26 years GL decides to take Jerry VerDorn (who was on the show longer than anyone in that current cast) off contract and stick him on recurring status. It didnt take long for OLTL to cast him as Clint Buchanan and their gain was GL's loss.

Nice going guys. Is it any wonder you're getting cancelled.

[Clint Eastwood Fan]

What they did to Michael Zaslow (who was one their best actors, and played one of GL's best known characters) was a big flaw.


This show pulled off two more major blunders. In 1993 when they fired Ellen Parker and killed off the Maureen character. She was one of the best loved characters on the show and could have been another great matriach (in the spirit of her mother in law Bert Bauer).


In 2005 after 26 years GL decides to take Jerry VerDorn (who was on the show longer than anyone in that current cast) off contract and stick him on recurring status. It didnt take long for OLTL to cast him as Clint Buchanan and their gain was GL's loss.

Nice going guys. Is it any wonder you're getting cancelled.
I totally agree with you. I remember when Maureen got killed off. I couldn't believe it. She was the heart and soul of that show. I already commented on what I thought about them when they fired Michael Zaslow. That was the last straw for me. I quit watching. I wasn't around when Jerry VerDorn left the show.

I have to check my channels to see where GL is being aired. I already noticed WUSA replaced it with some show called Dr. Oz or something like that. :rolleyes:

[MickeyMac]

Tomorrow is the last day.

[biffbronson]

This was the only soap opera that my mom still watched Mon-Fri, although in earlier years she also viewed The Secret Storm and The Edge of Night.

She's been regularly watching GL easily since the mid-1970s and probably well before. I'm not much of a Soaps person myself, but I do find myself drawn in occasionally by some beautiful starlets.

I'm still not sure of how she's taking the cancellation. Maybe she'll take my recommendation to watch Perry Mason and Bonanza on weekday mornings, 2 hrs. well spent!

[Clint Eastwood Fan]

Tomorrow is the last day.
I just set my DVR so I won't miss it. I'll watch it tomorrow night. I hope I can follow it. lol

[catlover79]

I totally agree with you. I remember when Maureen got killed off. I couldn't believe it. She was the heart and soul of that show. I already commented on what I thought about them when they fired Michael Zaslow. That was the last straw for me. I quit watching. I wasn't around when Jerry VerDorn left the show.

I have to check my channels to see where GL is being aired. I already noticed WUSA replaced it with some show called Dr. Oz or something like that. :rolleyes:
I'm sure you'll be able to find it online, like on YouTube.

[Jude The Obscure]

CBS.com should have it.

I've been putting these last 2 weeks on DVD.

I loved Tina Sloan's comments this morning on The Early Show--"We're gonna miss CBS and CBS will miss US" (and she was cut off at that point :lol:).

Maureen Bauer's death and the treatment of Michael Zaslow were two of the major turning points from which the show never recovered from. Also when Paul Rauch was EP.......ugh, what a HORRIBLE era. The Santos and San Cristobel should have never been introduced! Also the complete decimation of the Reardons and the core family, The Bauers, played BIG parts in the downward spiral.

The final episode is minutes away from airing in my era........another constant in my life is going away this week (first my dad, and now this).

[MickeyMac]

I agree that the Santos mafia thing, and the whole San Cristobel storylines were overdone. Cutting out the Bauers (who were the main family since the late 1940's) was a major flaw.


I am watching it now. Its hard to believe that in less than an hour, it will be all over.

[Jude The Obscure]

ONE OF THE BEST SHOW FINALES I HAVE EVER SEEN ON TV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:clap

[browneyes106]

I just watched it. I thought it ended well. It was still sad. But I loved the end scene of Josh and Reva leaving town in H.B.'s truck.

[MickeyMac]

Everybody got a happy ending, and there were even some new couples made.

[Jude The Obscure]

One glaring omission--what became of Jeffrey vs Edmund??? WTF???

[Retro4Life]

Yes, GL's had a pretty miserable last 12 years or so. I still think what they did to Michael Zaslow (though not under Ellen Wheeler's watch) was unforgivable - and pretty much the beginning of the end.

That's pretty much how I feel. I really enjoyed this show for about five or six years but the horrendous treatment of Zaslow ended it for me. And nothing I saw by occasional tuning in afterward made me feel any different.

I decided not to watch the last episode. It has been about ten years since I've seen the show so I'd have no idea what was going on anyway, and the few characters that remained that I was familiar with were probably recast or changed too much for me to care. And as for Josh and Reva...hey I loved the actors that played them but good heavens, enough already! They'd either get together or not, and like most of these "supercouples", their appeal was terribly overplayed to the point where I was honestly sick of them.

[MickeyMac]

One glaring omission--what became of Jeffrey vs Edmund??? WTF???


Yeah I agree, they didnt resolve that. I thought Edmund would show up today.

[Clint Eastwood Fan]

I just finished watching it and I understood most of it although there were a few characters that I didn't know who they were. One question I have....did they kill off Alan? I thought they hinted at that in the beginning of the show. It was great seeing Fletcher again and I agree the ending with Reva and Josh driving off in H.B.'s truck was great. I think it would have been better if they had some clips of some of the past actors of GL at the end though. The Bauers except for Rick was absent from the show...I think that was another reason for it's downfall.

[Retro4Life]

I just finished watching it and I understood most of it although there were a few characters that I didn't know who they were. One question I have....did they kill off Alan? I thought they hinted at that in the beginning of the show. It was great seeing Fletcher again and I agree the ending with Reva and Josh driving off in H.B.'s truck was great. I think it would have been better if they had some clips of some of the past actors of GL at the end though. The Bauers except for Rick was absent from the show...I think that was another reason for it's downfall.

Can I ask if there was even an oblique reference to Roger?

[Clint Eastwood Fan]

Can I ask if there was even an oblique reference to Roger?
Roger wasn't even mentioned.

Blake was on it though. She got together with Frank. lol

[80sTrivia]

Alan Spaulding did die on one of the final episodes, after he saved his son Phillip's life, who was dying of cancer. I thought that it was great to give final redemption to the character of Alan before his death, making amends for the many horrible things he had done over his life.

I was actually pleased with the final episode, and I did love the predominantly happy endings. It was apropriate that the show ended with Josh & Reva, forever linked together, taking off on an adventure, with the enduring symbol of The Guiding Light, the Springfield lighthouse, in the background as they drove away. I'm still hoping the rumors of the two landing in Genoa City turn out to be true...

It is hard to believe the show is gone. This is a show that many of our grandparents watched when they were young and in their prime. It will hold the record for the longest, continuous running program in world history, I would imagine, especially if As the World Turns should be cancelled. Very sad to see television's Guiding Light extinguished.

[Retro4Life]

Roger wasn't even mentioned.

Blake was on it though. She got together with Frank. lol

He should have been mentioned, since the character was a huge part of the show's appeal for years, and mentioning him would have (in a very small way) been an attempt to soothe the gaping wound the show's treatment of him created with their fans.

Blake and Frank? Wth? Was it Liz Keifer playiing Blake or Sherry Stringfield? I preferred Stringfield. :)

[Clint Eastwood Fan]

Alan Spaulding did die on one of the final episodes, after he saved his son Phillip's life, who was dying of cancer. I thought that it was great to give final redemption to the character of Alan before his death, making amends for the many horrible things he had done over his life.

I was actually pleased with the final episode, and I did love the predominantly happy endings. It was apropriate that the show ended with Josh & Reva, forever linked together, taking off on an adventure, with the enduring symbol of The Guiding Light, the Springfield lighthouse, in the background as they drove away. I'm still hoping the rumors of the two landing in Genoa City turn out to be true...

It is hard to believe the show is gone. This is a show that many of our grandparents watched when they were young and in their prime. It will hold the record for the longest, continuous running program in world history, I would imagine, especially if As the World Turns should be cancelled. Very sad to see television's Guiding Light extinguished.
Thanks for telling me what happened to Alan. I agree that sounds like a great way for the character to go. For all his faults I always knew that Alan loved Philip.

[Clint Eastwood Fan]

He should have been mentioned, since the character was a huge part of the show's appeal for years, and mentioning him would have (in a very small way) been an attempt to soothe the gaping wound the show's treatment of him created with their fans.

Blake and Frank? Wth? Was it Liz Keifer playiing Blake or Sherry Stringfield? I preferred Stringfield. :)
It was Liz Keifer.

[Schmoopie]

After all my gloating about how I was going to tape the last episode, I totally forgot about it! I'm sure it will be online somewhere. Sounds like it was good!!!

[80sTrivia]

Roger wasn't even mentioned.



It was nice to see Holly, though. Ed Bauer popped up at her doorstep unannounced and asked Holly if she would like to join him on an around the world tour and she had fifteen minutes to pack if she wanted to go. She accepted his offer disbelievingly! :eek: There should have been at least a passing reference to Roger Thorpe.

It was also wonderful to see Fletcher back, to comfort Alexandra as she mourned the passing of her brother Allan...

[browneyes106]

I just finished watching it and I understood most of it although there were a few characters that I didn't know who they were. One question I have....did they kill off Alan? I thought they hinted at that in the beginning of the show. It was great seeing Fletcher again and I agree the ending with Reva and Josh driving off in H.B.'s truck was great. I think it would have been better if they had some clips of some of the past actors of GL at the end though. The Bauers except for Rick was absent from the show...I think that was another reason for it's downfall.

I wish too there would have been clips of past actors at the end of the show.

[MickeyMac]

I think they should have gotten more actors from the past to make final appearances.


No mention of Roger or other several past GL characters.

[catlover79]

I think they should have gotten more actors from the past to make final appearances.


No mention of Roger or other several past GL characters.
To not mention Roger Thorpe is criminal. :mad:

[MickeyMac]

To not mention Roger Thorpe is criminal. :mad:


You can say that again.

[catlover79]

You can say that again.
After all, Michael Zaslow was only the #1 villain of Guiding Light, played Blake's dad, Holly's ex AND won an Emmy. I guess they figured we wouldn't notice. :rolleyes: ohno: :mad:

[Clint Eastwood Fan]

They should have had something about Bert Bauer too. She was the one constant through the first 35 years of GL. They should have at least had a flashback at the end or something.

[JT]

As far as series finales go, that was really a great, great episode. But, as far as what the series finale for THE GUIDING LIGHT, something's been on for over 72 years, should be, it was terribly underwhelming.

I appreciated that everyone got to have their happy ending, and honestly, that's all that really, really matters, but I just think that there wasn't enough reflection on years gone by. I didn't expect an hour of flashbacks and reminiscing, but just a montage of pictures and clips, in chronological order, going back to 1937. The little thing at the beginning, with the quick shots of all of the show's logos was great, but other than that, there really was nothing else throughout the show that acknowledged the pre-Wheeler era, and that was pretty unfortunate.

It's sad, really. Here we have the longest-running program in the history of broadcasting, on the air for a whopping 72 years, and the longest-running regular cast member at the end first appeared on the show only 29 years ago. Just like most of the other soaps of the time, GL really disconnected itself from its earlier years in the early 1980s. That's when the Bauers started to disappear, that's when newer families became the focal point, such as the Spauldings, Lewises, and later on the Coopers. Unlike the other soaps, though, GL managed to write out most of its pre-70s characters by the end of the 80s. After Bert died in 1986, Ed, Roger, and Holly (and also Rick) really became the only pre-Spaulding characters still around, and even Ed was being played by a relative newcomer. Roger was gone by the late 90s, and Ed and Holly were out by the early 2000s. They've done a good job of trumpeting GL's longest-running status and 72 years, but they might as well be celebrating only 30 or so years on the air by now because there's absolutely nothing left from the first 40.

ATWT jumped head-first into Snyder city in 1985, but we still have Nancy, Bob, Lisa, Susan, Kim, and Barbara (not to mention Tom and Emily) as holdovers from before the 80s. When ATWT leaves (which looks to be soon), celebrating its 50+ years is still gonna have some meaning because we'll have cast members who have actually been around for most of its run. They could actually work with the show's entire history to evoke sentimentality and sadness in its audience.

And this is not to say that GL should have still had wheelchair bound cast members from the radio show rolling around Peapack, NJ, but geeze. There's a decent amount of characters that could have still been around to represent different eras of the show. Alan-Michael's mother Hope! Rick's mother Leslie! Holly's mother Barbara! Holly! Ed's brother Mike! Michael Bauer was written out in the early 1980s and should have returned at any point during the 80s and 90s, but he only came back for a short anniversary stint in 1997, and then Don Stewart died only a few years ago.

Sorry for the rant. It's just that when I think of what a show that's on the air for 72 years can have as its legacy, and then I think of how most of GL's legacy only extends back about 30 years, it frustrates me. I love the show, really, and I've watched so many episodes and clips on YouTube from all of its eras these last few weeks, but I just hate what it became by the time it ended. It was dead before it died.

[catlover79]

^ JT, rant away, you're among friends. You have such extensive knowledge of the classic (and current) soaps! I love reading your opinions on the genre. :cool: :D

[megamanj2004]

In-between Paul Rauch and Ellen Wheeler, wasn't John Conboy (EP of "Capitol" 1982-87) also an EP of GL?

And JFP, John Conboy, and Paul Rauch were all no strangers to controversy.

JFP was notorious for killing off strong central characters on every soap she gets her grubby hands on. She's also the reason why "General Hospital" is/was in the ratings crapper, thanks to her stupid decisions for having all those mob-oriented stories.

Rauch was notorious for horrid cloning stories (remember the infamous "Eterna" storyline on "One Life to Live" in 1989 under his watch as EP at that time?) as well as his gratuitous firing of certain cast members.

Each one of them served as EP of the long-defunct NBC low-rated soap "Santa Babara."

[Schmoopie]

As far as series finales go, that was really a great, great episode. But, as far as what the series finale for THE GUIDING LIGHT, something's been on for over 72 years, should be, it was terribly underwhelming.

I appreciated that everyone got to have their happy ending, and honestly, that's all that really, really matters, but I just think that there wasn't enough reflection on years gone by. I didn't expect an hour of flashbacks and reminiscing, but just a montage of pictures and clips, in chronological order, going back to 1937. The little thing at the beginning, with the quick shots of all of the show's logos was great, but other than that, there really was nothing else throughout the show that acknowledged the pre-Wheeler era, and that was pretty unfortunate.

It's sad, really. Here we have the longest-running program in the history of broadcasting, on the air for a whopping 72 years, and the longest-running regular cast member at the end first appeared on the show only 29 years ago. Just like most of the other soaps of the time, GL really disconnected itself from its earlier years in the early 1980s. That's when the Bauers started to disappear, that's when newer families became the focal point, such as the Spauldings, Lewises, and later on the Coopers. Unlike the other soaps, though, GL managed to write out most of its pre-70s characters by the end of the 80s. After Bert died in 1986, Ed, Roger, and Holly (and also Rick) really became the only pre-Spaulding characters still around, and even Ed was being played by a relative newcomer. Roger was gone by the late 90s, and Ed and Holly were out by the early 2000s. They've done a good job of trumpeting GL's longest-running status and 72 years, but they might as well be celebrating only 30 or so years on the air by now because there's absolutely nothing left from the first 40.

ATWT jumped head-first into Snyder city in 1985, but we still have Nancy, Bob, Lisa, Susan, Kim, and Barbara (not to mention Tom and Emily) as holdovers from before the 80s. When ATWT leaves (which looks to be soon), celebrating its 50+ years is still gonna have some meaning because we'll have cast members who have actually been around for most of its run. They could actually work with the show's entire history to evoke sentimentality and sadness in its audience.

And this is not to say that GL should have still had wheelchair bound cast members from the radio show rolling around Peapack, NJ, but geeze. There's a decent amount of characters that could have still been around to represent different eras of the show. Alan-Michael's mother Hope! Rick's mother Leslie! Holly's mother Barbara! Holly! Ed's brother Mike! Michael Bauer was written out in the early 1980s and should have returned at any point during the 80s and 90s, but he only came back for a short anniversary stint in 1997, and then Don Stewart died only a few years ago.

Sorry for the rant. It's just that when I think of what a show that's on the air for 72 years can have as its legacy, and then I think of how most of GL's legacy only extends back about 30 years, it frustrates me. I love the show, really, and I've watched so many episodes and clips on YouTube from all of its eras these last few weeks, but I just hate what it became by the time it ended. It was dead before it died.

Wow, excellent post, JT!!! Thanks for that Guiding Light history lesson! I was going to watch the last episode on Youtube but all the clips had been removed due to copyright crap. Figures. :mad: I did find it on Hulu.com, but only the last three minutes. Beautiful shot of that lighthouse and I loved Reba and Josh driving away in the truck. I was going to ask if the music had been included in the background with just Reba and Josh speaking at the end, but then I figured it had to have originally aired that way. Loved the "The End" at the final shot. Very classy. Can't say anything about the actual show, but I feel for you, since I can see what they've done to my once-loved Days of Our Lives. Such a shame. I have a bad feeling that Days' DAYS are numbered as well.

[catlover79]

Yes, John Conboy was EP of GL from 2002-2004.

[Lakeboy]

Every show that Jill Farren Phelps produces goes downhill after see gets there and ends up getting cancelled. Santa Barbara, Guiding Light and Another World all saw their ratings slip after she got in there. Then Paul Rauch came in after her to try and "Help" SB and GL. It went from bad to worse.

When will daytime realize that Jill Farren Phelps in ratings poison.

I think Days is next on the chopping block followed by ATWT. It is really sad because in the 80s you just couldn't get enough of these programs.

[catlover79]

How JFP has lasted over 8 years on GH is beyond me. She IS ratings poison. The way she treated Genie Francis STILL makes me want to spit nails. :mad: I also agree that DAYS will probably be the next to go. After all, NBC needs to add an 18th hour to the Today Show. :rolleyes:

[MickeyMac]

If Days is the next one to get cancelled then NBC will have no soaps left.

[catlover79]

If Days is the next one to get cancelled then NBC will have no soaps left.
I think that's the way they want it!! :( :mad:

[Lakeboy]

How JFP has lasted over 8 years on GH is beyond me. She IS ratings poison. The way she treated Genie Francis STILL makes me want to spit nails. :mad: I also agree that DAYS will probably be the next to go. After all, NBC needs to add an 18th hour to the Today Show. :rolleyes:

Has GH ratings slipped since she came along??? I haven't paid that much attention the last few years. However, I know everything she has done with GH is mostly negative. So I figure they have slipped.

[Retro4Life]

How JFP has lasted over 8 years on GH is beyond me. She IS ratings poison. The way she treated Genie Francis STILL makes me want to spit nails. :mad: I also agree that DAYS will probably be the next to go. After all, NBC needs to add an 18th hour to the Today Show. :rolleyes:

Yes, because the world honestly has benefited from the wisdom of Koda Hotb. :rolleyes:

[ZKS]

Anyone wondering about Jeffrey and Edmund, from SOD.com:

http://soapoperadigest.com/news/breaking/

GL's Jeffrey: Missing In Action
GL's final episode aired today and everyone in Springfield was granted a final "one-year later" scene — except for Jeffrey, who was last seen having a shoot-out with Edmund. As Josh and Reva drove off together to presumably start a new life together, Jeffrey's whereabouts were never addressed. So, where is he? GL rep explains that his absence was intentional, and the story was purposely left open-ended. "When Reva tells Josh she's not ready, that's all about Jeffrey and her trying to move on," says the rep. Reva believes Jeffrey is dead and, a year later, he very well could be. Guess it's up to the viewers to decide!

[catlover79]

Has GH ratings slipped since she came along??? I haven't paid that much attention the last few years. However, I know everything she has done with GH is mostly negative. So I figure they have slipped.
Yes, they have, but so has everyone else's ratings. So it's all relative. What did JFP do to get kicked off Santa Barbara? Her infamous reigns at GL and AW have already been well-documented. :mad:

[catlover79]

Yes, because the world honestly has benefited from the wisdom of Koda Hotb. :rolleyes:
Not to mention Kathie Lee. :rolleyes: :eek:

[Retro4Life]

Not to mention Kathie Lee. :rolleyes: :eek:

Agreed, sometimes I just like to use the person with the oddest name for an example :lol: :crazy:

[catlover79]

Agreed, sometimes I just like to use the person with the oddest name for an example :lol: :crazy:
:lol:

[megamanj2004]

Yes, they have, but so has everyone else's ratings. So it's all relative. What did JFP do to get kicked off Santa Barbara? Her infamous reigns at GL and AW have already been well-documented. :mad:

Another reason why CBS was smart enough to never hire her again after she started GL's ratings funk.

GH (which once upon a time was the #1 Soap in daytime) under JFP has been in the ratings basment for awhile now, thanks to her killing off the Quartermines little by little and those god-awful mob storylines.

As for Days, NBC needs that show more than anything for their daytime line-up. It's only so much they can do with 3-4 ear-bleeding hours of Today that they might as well not even have a daytime line-up if they get rid of Days.

Paul Rauch, (the same man that brought AW to the top in its heyday and the same guy that brought in one of OLtL's best intro themes (IMO) and also brought OLtL to as high as #3 and #4 in the '80s)) was brought to GL to help the ratings. In the beginning it appeared that way but long-term it got even worse, especially with those b-s cloning stories.

John Conboy (the EP of CBS's "Capitol" and the early days of the "Young and the Restless") took over for Rauch and already was doing his own share of damages when he brilliantly decided to downsize seniority among senior cast members and what not.

[Schmoopie]

If Days is the next one to get cancelled then NBC will have no soaps left.

Sad, isn't it? I remember when there used to be "Another World" then "Days". I forget which other soaps they had, but I have a feeling that more and more soaps are going to tank within the next ten years.

[catlover79]

Another reason why CBS was smart enough to never hire her again after she started GL's ratings funk.

GH (which once upon a time was the #1 Soap in daytime) under JFP has been in the ratings basment for awhile now, thanks to her killing off the Quartermines little by little and those god-awful mob storylines.

As for Days, NBC needs that show more than anything for their daytime line-up. It's only so much they can do with 3-4 ear-bleeding hours of Today that they might as well not even have a daytime line-up if they get rid of Days.

Paul Rauch, (the same man that brought AW to the top in its heyday and the same guy that brought in one of OLtL's best intro themes (IMO) and also brought OLtL to as high as #3 and #4 in the '80s)) was brought to GL to help the ratings. In the beginning it appeared that way but long-term it got even worse, especially with those b-s cloning stories.

John Conboy (the EP of CBS's "Capitol" and the early days of the "Young and the Restless") took over for Rauch and already was doing his own share of damages when he brilliantly decided to downsize seniority among senior cast members and what not.
It seems that the only show Paul Rauch DIDN'T do stupid sci-fi plots in was AW and (so far) Y&R. On AW he had a wonderful headwriter in Harding Lemay who specialized in realistic storylines.

[megamanj2004]

It seems that the only show Paul Rauch DIDN'T do stupid sci-fi plots in was AW and (so far) Y&R. On AW he had a wonderful headwriter in Harding Lemay who specialized in realistic storylines.

Y&R hasn't been subjected to cloning stories b/c co-EP Maria Arena Bell was not gonna allow it one bit.

[catlover79]

Y&R hasn't been subjected to cloning stories b/c co-EP Maria Arena Bell was not gonna allow it one bit.
Good - let's hope it stays that way!!

[browneyes106]

Anyone wondering about Jeffrey and Edmund, from SOD.com:

http://soapoperadigest.com/news/breaking/

I also wondered about Jeffrey and Edmund. I guess Josh and Reva will marry and Josh will raise Colin as his own.