Deep Soap: Don’t Call It A Comeback

By Sara A. Bibel
Fancast.com

Familiar Faces
General Hospital has announced that Natalia Livingston (Emily #2) is returning to the show in a new role. The show already created the role of Claudia for Sarah Brown, who originated the character of Carly. The Young & The Restless recently wrote new roles for both Jerry Douglas and Ted Shackelford after killing off their characters (and bringing back John Abbott as a ghost.) This business of killing off characters and bringing back the actors seemingly moments later is perplexing. It’s not unprecedented. Years after Guiding Light killed off the ultrapopular Lujack the show brought back Vincent Irizarry as his previously unknown twin Nick McHenry. But this recent — I’m not sure what to call it, re-acting? — trend seems symptomatic of daytime’s unwillingness to commit to a longterm story. Fans miss the actor and/or the actor’s planned primetime career fails to materialize and the show decides to bring them back. The character is dead (or even recast), so they’re now a mysterious lookalike. The point seems to be to get the actor back on the screen, not tell a great story.

In soaps more than in any other genre, actors disappear into their character. In part it’s due to the length of time and number of episodes. The actors and writers are able to delve more deeply into the character than in primetime or film. It’s also due to the lack of publicity for daytime. When people watch All My Children, almost every viewer sees Kendall, not Alicia Minshew. Occasionally a soap actor will pop up on a daytime talk show or even one of the evening entertainment news strips, but they don’t get the mainstream media coverage other actors do. Viewers usually don’t know what the actors are liek oout of character. Contrast that with movie stars. No matter how great their performances are, you’re always aware you’re watching Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt. For me, a similar thing happens when soap actors return in a different role. Brown has done an excellent job of portraying the often unsympathetic Claudia, but I am always conscious of watching an actor play a role when I see her. It doesn’t help that all her storylines seem to be a riff on Carly. As Carly, she had a loveless marriage to AJ , cheating on him with Sonny. Now she’s entering into a loveless marriage of convenience with Sonny. I watch more to see how the chemistry between Brown and Bernard is different this time around than to watch the characters. It takes me out of the immersive experience of soap watching.

The Soap Gods Answer My Prayers
A few weeks ago I wrote that I wanted to see Y&R’s Gloria get busted. Lo and behold, it has happened. It wasn’t my dream scenario. Jeff was the one who brought her down, not the Abbotts. But I trust that’s coming. It is sweet, sweet satisfaction to see the character finally brought to justice for tainting the face cream, thereby destroying Jabot. This is a great holiday present to all of Y&R’s fans. Since the soap Gods seem to be listening, can you do something about the daytime ratings?

SoapNet To Consider Airing A Soap — Stop The Presses!
I’ve complained a lot about SoapNet’s increasingly soap-light line-up. The promos for that new Greg Behrendt show aren’t helping. So I was thrilled to read this article. The relevant portion, “Endemol USA is adapting that sudser, “Julia’s Tango,” for SoapNet. Project, to be adapted and run by scribe Jill Condon, centers on a lawyer who moves from Boston to run a B&B in her family’s native home in Buenos Aires. If picked up, the series would be shot entirely in Argentina, where producers for other territories are already shooting their own versions (in conjunction with Endemol Argentina). SoapNet is expected to order 13 segs if it approves Condon’s rewrite of the original pilot.” That description doesn’t reveal much, but based on Condon’s sit-com heavy resume, I’ll assume it will be a funny, Ugly Betty style take on a telenovela. This could be really good, and actually appeal to soap fans while expanding the audience for the network. I’m shocked that I’m writing this, but well done SoapNet.