Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool)
I often write that I started watching soaps in the late ’1960s as a latchkey child. Both of my parents worked, and as an only child I was always alone in our Queens apartment in the afternoon after school. I found solace and great company on the network soap operas. I grew to love the characters as surrogate friends. Later on, soaps got me through some very bad times. They were always there for me, no matter what. And I’ve been lucky enough to make a 40-year career out of writing about daytime drama, a medium I sincerely love.
But soaps were missing from our lives on Monday. Due to the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as president, all of our shows were pre-empted. I missed them (even for just a day) and felt bereft. (It also brought back memories of other times when soaps were pre-empted, sometimes for weeks — like during the Watergate hearings and during the murder trial of O.J. Simpson.)
A personal note: In the 1990s, I interviewed Mr. Trump—at the time the host of “The Celebrity Apprentice”) in his gawdy stone-and-gold penthouse and even got a ride in his helicopter. Although he behaved professionally toward me, I could sense an overall feeling of macho superiority. Later, when I interviewed two of the women in his life — his lovely, intelligent first wife, Ivana, and his air-heady mistress turned second wife and Broadway star, Marla Maples — I figured out that Trump had big problems in his attitudes toward and relationships with women.
But I digress. My associate Mike Poirer reminds me that Trump appeared on “All My Children” in 1992, and Ivana appeared on “One Life to Live.” Even Marla put in a soapy appearance on “Loving.”
But hooray! The shows are back, and I can again enjoy the antics of my current favorite baddies: Aunt Jordan (played by Colleen Zenk) and Ian Ward (played by Ray Wise). They both do so much to make the moribund “Young and the Restless” fun again. Then there was the inevitable death of Michael Corinthos (played by Chad Duell) on “General Hospital.” Even more important, “GH” has questionably decided to give its most popular character, Sonny Corinthos (played by Maurice Benard), a heart condition. Oh, come on, “GH” — after all these decades, you can’t take our Mo away from us!
I’ve written before that many of my former soap press colleagues don’t watch the shows anymore. That’s fine. But I’m proud to say that Marlena is a soap lifer. With the premiere of CBS’s “Beyond the Gates” coming up next month, there’s finally new hope for soap opera, a medium that for years now has been repeatedly declared dead or dying.
And how will Donald Trump do in his second term as president? I guess we’ll just have to tune in tomorrow.
It looks like this was published before the author read the note from a proofreader/editor, who gave some good advice.
Nitpick — GH’s Michael didn’t die (at least not yet) as referenced in the post preceding this one. That post, about GH, also contains a minor error, the assertion that Sam died on the operating table while donating her liver to Lulu.
Connie, you’ll always be my first and best love in the soap-criticism arena.
Bob
Thanks a lot Bob! Soaps are moving so fast these days sometimes it’s hard to keep up day from today. But Marlena appreciates your love and sends it back.
Ohhhh, Beyond the Gates cannot get here soon enough for me. Thank you for another thoughtful post.