Comic Relief: How Humorous Characters Enrich Our Soaps

Bradford Anderson played Spinelli

Attention soap writers!  Are you having fun writing your shows these days?  Well, it certainly doesn’t feel like it!  Where is your collective sense of humor?  And, with the recent departure of Spinelli from “General Hospital,” where will our much-needed lighter moments come from?  Especially on a show that is so serious all the time?

Damian Spinelli (played by the talented Bradford Anderson) joined “GH” in 2006 as a recurring character, who was smart and tech-savvy, but extremely quirky, and he quickly won viewers over with his rapid-fire mix of surfer lingo and Internet slang.  Yet the character was written out. The actress who played his wife Maxie (Kirsten Storms) had personal problems and had to leave the show. The writers chose to ship the entire family, including the kids, to Australia, where Spinelli got a new job. He’s still as popular as ever with veteran fans. Would we applaud his return? What do you think?

There was a time when “GH”, and many other soaps, effectively balanced high-stakes drama with laugh-out-loud humor.  Remember the Quartermaines, and their hilarious bickering?  Remember their disastrous Thanksgivings?  Edward Quartermaine (David Lewis, John Ingle, Jed Allan) considered himself a serious and important man, but his grand opinions, outrageous antics, and perfectly delivered dialogue often made him one of the show’s funniest characters.  Nurses Amy Vining (Shell Kepler), Lucille Wexler (Rita Lloyd), and Epiphany Johnson (Sonya Eddy) brought many light-hearted and gossipy moments to the 7^th floor nurse’s station.  Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) was a comedic force all her own, and everyone looked forward to seeing how she was going to end up in her underwear on the annual Nurse’s Ball.  There was Lois Cerillo and her crazy family.  All  these characters added their own unique brand of humor and unpredictability that helped balance the show’s more serious moments.

Darlene Conley played Sally

Over the decades, Daytime has introduced countless funny, quirky, eccentric, and delightfully offbeat characters that helped make the shows more entertaining.  On some shows, such as “All My Children,” “Santa Barbara,” and ”Passions,” comedy wasn’t just an occasional diversion — it was woven into the very fabric of the show, and gave each series its own unique personality and charm.

“AMC,” as created by Agnes Nixon, had a plethora of character-based humor — Opal (Dorothy Lyman, Jill Larson), Tad (Michael E. Knight), Phoebe (Ruth Warrick), Myrtle (Eileen Herlie), Billy Clyde Tuggle (Matthew Cowles), and Verla Grubbs (Carol Burnett’s recurring character).  Even Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) delivered some wonderfully comedic moments over the years.  Remember her marriages to Adam?  I loved “Janet from Another Planet.”  Both Kate Collins and Robin Mattson were terrific in the role, bringing just the right blend of humor, unpredictability, and heart.  Michael E. Knight also showed off his comic talents in a second role as Tad’s look-alike, Ted Orsini.  “AMC”’s quirky charm and character-driven comedy was its trademark that truly helped make Pine Valley feel like a real community.

On the ultra-quirky and offbeat, “SB,” created by Bridget and Jerome Dodson, virtually every character was humorous in their own way – Gina Capwell (Robin Mattson), Keith Timmons (Justin Deas), Mason Capwell (Lane Davies), Julia Wainwright (Nancy Lee Grahn), movie-obsesse

Dorothy Lyman played Opal

d barmaid, Wanda (Kelly Ann Conn), who worked at Bunny’s Lair, and cross-dressing mobster, Bunny (Joe Marinelli) – just to name a few.  The comedy on “SB” worked because it came from intelligent, sophisticated writing.  The characters’ eccentric behavior was never random — it was rooted in who they were, making even the most outrageous situations feel believable within the show’s unique world.

“Passions” was in a league all its own with its celebration of campy, outrageous, and delightfully offbeat comedy, brought to life by the incredibly creative imagination of headwriter James E. Reilly.  It effectively blended supernatural elements, outrageous storylines, and larger-than-life characters into one unforgettable experience.  Tabitha (Juliet Mills), Timmy (Josh Ryan Evans), Julian Crane (Ben Masters), and a colorful collection of recurring characters helped make Harmony the wildest and most unpredictable town on daytime television!

Even the more serious soaps featured some humor. “The Young and the Restless” had Katherine Chancellor (played by the late, great Jeanne Cooper) who delivered witty, funny one-liners written by Bill Bell, especially at Jill (Brenda Dickson, Jess Walton) and Esther (Kate Linder).  Esther wasn’t originally written as comic relief, but Linder’s sharp delivery and reactions to the craziness around Katherine’s antics made her a terrific source of understated humor.  There was also Gloria Bardwell (Joan Van Ark, Judith Chapman), the highly eccentric and fiercely protective mother to attorney, Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc) and hacker Kevin Fisher (Greg Rikaart) -– two very funny characters as well.

Michael E. Knight played Tad

“The Bold and the Beautiful”’s Sally Spectra, also written by Bell, was pure camp!  Darlene Conley played Sally with wonderfully over-the-top theatrics, impeccable comic timing, and just the right amount of genuine emotion.  As outrageous as Sally could be, Conley (and the effective writing) always made viewers understand what motivated her and why she behaved the way she did.

“Ryan’s Hope,” written by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, was usually grounded in reality, but also featured realistic, character-based comedy, especially in Delia Reid Ryan (played by Ilene Kristen).  Her insecurity and intense need to be accepted by the Ryans often resulted in frantic scheming and high comedy.  Delia was so entertaining  you actually felt sorry for her while laughing at the messy situations she got herself into, starting from the show’s first episode that had Delia pushing Frank down the stairs.  Jack Fenelli (Michael Levin) was a cynical, fast-talking, sharp-witted investigative reporter.  Who can forget his witty banter with the love of his life, Mary Ryan (Kate Mulgrew), and with his second love, Leigh Kirkland (Felicity La Fortune)?  Roger Coleridge (Ron Hale) was the master of one-liners and perpetual agitation that made him a delightfully campy foil.  I also loved Zena (Tichina Arnold), and her relationship with Jack.

”Another World” had funny moments with Vivian (Gretchen Oehler), Iris’s eccentric maid, Jake McKinnon (Tom Eplin), Cass Winthrop (Stephen Schnetzer), and his chaotic friendship with Felicia Gallant (Linda Dano).  Coupled with Wallingford (Brent Collins), the chemistry among them was comedy gold!

That balance of laughter and drama is what made so many classic soaps unforgettable, as well as realistic.  After all, don’t we use humor to help us in our most difficult moments?  That’s why humor is such an essential storytelling tool when it’s done right.  It is a quality that today’s daytime dramas could benefit from embracing once again.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject.  Do you prefer some humor on your dramas?  I also know I missed many other funny characters, so please chime in with your additions!