For Valentine’s Day, 5 Soap Couples Who Were Really Super

By Patrick Erwin I  want to observe Valentine's Day by discussing some of my favorite soap couples. I know soaps are famous for their "supercouples," those pairs that keep coming back to each other through sleet, snow, and psychotic ex-spouses. Most shows have had these grand couples:  Luke and Laura,  Bo and Hope, Josh and Reva, and so on. But … [Read more...]

Guiding Light Today: A Few Flickers of Light?

By Patrick Erwin You may remember the last time I wrote about Guiding Light, I shared my opinion that the show was "operating at diminished capacity."  Those were harsh words for a show that used to be must-see-TV for me.  Now, I don't know that GL is out of intensive care just yet, but there're a few additions to the show that I think are … [Read more...]

Rape Stories: Days of Our Lives Shows That “No” Really Means “No” This Time

By Patrick Erwin For all its onscreen and offscreen turmoil, Days of Our Lives seems to have a few stories working for it right now. One of them is Chelsea and Stephanie and the sorority girls dealing with the aftermath of the campus rapist, Ford, who raped Stephanie and Cordy and threatened Chelsea. Initially, the story didn't seem too … [Read more...]

Back to the Future: Soaps Try to Revive 80s Glory

By Patrick Erwin The death of the soap opera may have been widely exaggerated -- they're still alive and kicking.  But it's no secret that the patient is ailing.  Ratings for many of the shows are anemic, and they've continued to shrink. … [Read more...]

Marlena’s “Only the Bests” List 2007

By Marlena De Lacroix I no longer do "Best" and "Worst" lists for soaps.  After all, there have been so many "worsts" this year, why would I want to re-inflict the pain on you again?  Moi loves mon readers.  So, only the "bests" for you, darlings. … [Read more...]

Sadly, Guiding Light is Operating at Diminished Capacity

Mes chers, today Marlena would like you to meet Patrick Erwin, a newspaper reporter and thinking soap fan who will be posting his reviews here once a week.  Patrick is particularly interested in the Procter and Gamble shows.  First up, his look at Guiding Light, a show we have all loved at one time or another.  How and why has the oldest show in … [Read more...]

Can Guiding Light and As The World Turns Survive The Big Change?

By Marlena De Lacroix  There's nothing soap fans hate more than change. Whether a show's longtime leading teen is recast with a skinnier actress or the show suddenly changes dramatic style with the entrance of a new headwriter, viewers freak out because what they have always prized about daytime drama is its continuity and constancy. Now, in … [Read more...]