If I Ran Television…

Well, not really all of television. Just ABC’s daytime programming.

“All My Children” ended. I was certain the show would go out with a bang. I just didn’t expect it to be a literal bang as JR fired into a crowd of the main characters. And then to roll the credits! Will anyone even remember by the time Prospect Park gets AMC online?


I always wondered why more famous alums came out to support AMC in it’s final days than my soap, “One Life to Live.” Then I realized that OLTL’s final days were further away than AMC’s. Former stars have signed on to return. Erin Torpey (Ex-“Jessica Buchanan”) returned two weeks ago when David Fumero (“Christian Vega”) left the show. It was a nice nod to the romance the two characters shared when Torpey played Jessica. It’s been confirmed that Kathie Brier and Chris Stack will be returning as Marcie and Michael McBain. Hopefully it has something to do with the resolution of the never-ending Liam’s real daddy plot. Andrea Evans is also confirmed to play Tina Lord, which should be interesting should Irene keep on. She’ll be returning with John Loprieno, who played Cord Roberts.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking “What do I want as One Life to Live prepares to end?” And since this is my blog, you get to read it!

Lucky you.

Audrey/Cutter/Rama/Patel: I don’t know. The show could honestly drop these characters and my only regret would be that I couldn’t stare at Josh Kelly (Cutter Wentworth) every so often. The only suggestion I have is that Patel could now step up now with Victor Lord, Jr (Trevor St. James) dead and protect The Sun from Todd (Roger Howarth). I think the backbone exists in Patel. It’s time to bring it out.

Nate/James/Ford: All three have seen decreased screen time lately. And I haven’t given it a second thought. Ford only shows up here and there to have scenes with Jessica that usually boil down to this:

Ford: “I want Tess back! I love her!”
Jess: “She’s not coming back! She’s not a real person!”
Ford: “Okay! I’m sorry! Can I see my baby now?”
Jess: “Of course you can!”

James is usually seen attached to Starr and has no plotline independent of her. Nate hasn’t been seen much since his porno with Deena was filmed in lieu of Vicker-Man. He recently emerged to comfort Dani over Victor Lord’s death. Otherwise, they have no plots of their own. So either give them some or lose them.

Jack: Since the show is entering it’s final leg, I doubt they’re going to recast now. So can we just send this kid somewhere else? He’s not the best actor in the bunch. Right now, he is just a spoiled brat who needs a good smacking. He isn’t someone we want to root for. Maybe that could be the story arc for the remaining weeks—Jack’s transformation from jerk to hero. Just get the actor some lessons. Please.

Shane: Austin Williams is a great actor. And he’s been given a lot to do: the bullying storyline, almost committing suicide, and his mother’s death. And then he kinda disappeared. He just appears every so often to talk to Jack or Rex. However, they are seriously hinting that he may have killed Victor/Faux!Todd/Trevor St. James. I hope not as they already turned poor Matthew into a killer. I think it’s time to get Shane some friends who support him and perhaps a girlfriend?

Destiny: So, girl is pregnant. And her baby-daddy is suffering from brain damage in a special facility in Philadelphia. She has just reconciled with her (grand)parents and is hardly seen, except to offer support to Dani. Dani tries to turn things back to Destiny, but everything keeps coming back to Dani. She’s also teetering on the edge of the precarious piece between her (grand)mother and Nora. I think she needs to explode and start to stand up for herself.

Dani: Girl has been through a lot. Boyfriend problems, dad getting shot, dad not being her real dad, dad getting shot again, best friend getting pregnant, etc. She needs a breather, show. Let her be the second banana to someone for a few weeks. Then give her a happy storyline. Please?

Matthew: Simple—wake the poor kid up! We’ve missed Eddie Aldersen so much that we’ll suspend disbelief completely for whatever it takes to get him back and normal. Let him and Destiny fight their parents over what will happen with their child.

Starr: She’s reunited with her father! And I love the chemistry between Roger Howarth and Kristen Aldersen. Starr and Faux!Todd’s relationship always had this undercurrent of tension. Starr and Todd have very easy, very playful conversations. They have a trusting and loving relationship. As they are pretty clear that Todd did NOT shoot his brother, it’s going to be interesting to see her grow her relationship with her father. And how he supports her with her music career, which I think is how her storylines end—she goes off to be a famous singer.

Rex: Vengeful Rex is not a fun Rex. Let’s get him away from seeing Gigi’s ghost and let’s see him bond with his son! And obviously the story is heading that Stacy got facial reconstruction to look like her sister. While I wasn’t following One Life to Live during Stacy’s run, I do know she and Rex had a strained relationship. So I don’t know how this going to go over, but at least Farah Fath still has a job and got a long vacation out of it. Though I hope it ends with Gigi taking over Stacy’s body. But not before the show kisses up to Scott Evans and Brett Claywell for one more Kish appearance.

Natalie: Her baby-daddy drama is OLD. I stopped caring sometime last year. And I’m not digging her with Brody. They seemed to have some chemistry earlier, when Jess was still Tess and John was still doing whatever with Kelly. But now it’s clear that Natalie is just with Brody out of duty. Because she believes that Liam is his and that they should be a proper family. And maybe because it pisses off Jessica. But John’s admitted he still loves her. So let’s get these two back together and find a way to reconcile Jessica and Brody. Please.

Jessica: Speaking of Jessica…I get it. She’s mad, she’s upset, she feels betrayed. I think both Jessica and Natalie have valid points.  Jessica never dealt with the shock of finding out about Brody and Natalie’s one night stand. She split into Tess. And when she came back, she finds Brody and Natalie in bed together. Of course she’s angry and betrayed. But Natalie is right too. Natalie and Brody first slept together while drunk and, more importantly, single. Then they hooked up when Tess was free and quite clear on her disdain for Brody.

So, what should happen with Jessica? I think she needs to let go of the anger. And her family needs to stop mollycoddling her. They need to insist she seek therapy. She needs to start forgiving so she can move on. Perhaps start building something with Brody again after Natalie finally goes back to John.

Brody: He wants a family of his own. That’s understandable. But he’s way too desperate. He needs to take a good hard look at what that desperation has caused him to do and remember that he is a good guy. And maybe when he does, he’ll be able to get back together with Jessica or move on.

John: Tell the man that Liam is his and let him get back together with Natalie. Please.

Tea: Like her daughter, this woman has been through a lot. Let’s give Tea a break. Or something happy. Like a new love interest. Please?

Tomas: He’s intriguing. I’ve come to terms with the fact that he’s a Gary Stu. But he’s an interesting Gary Stu. And Ted King isn’t too bad on the eyes. He has great chemistry with Kassie de Paiva (Blair Cramer). I hope they continue to explore it as the series winds down.

Blair: Woman needs a good love story. Her last love affair—not counting the dance she’s been doing with Tomas since he entered the scene—was with Eli. And that failed spectacularly. So, either heat her up with Tomas, Todd, or someone new.

Shaun: I want to see more of him and Vivian. They are so cute together. I also like his interactions with Dani and Tea. So, let’s just see a bit more of him, okay?

Todd: Now that he’s back, we just have to spring him from jail. And let him start to reclaim his life. And throw Irene Manning off a cliff. She’s no longer entertaining, just annoying. And I love watching Roger Howarth interact with everyone else. Let’s see it. Please.

Nora: Hilary B. Smith must be on vacation because she hasn’t been on that much. Of course, with Matthew away in Philadelphia, the writers have a built-in excuse. But since I think they need to wake Matthew up yesterday,  Nora needs to come back to her awesome lawyer self. Especially with Jack lying about Todd, Irene needing to be thrown off a cliff, and the new mayor seeming to be a douche.

Bo: Poor Bo. I mean, he’s gotten more screen time than his wife lately, so that’s good. And while he too needs his son to wake up yesterday, I don’t have any ideas that need to happen. Sorry, Bo.

Clint: He’s had his redemption arc. He’s lost all his money and is wearing an ankle monitor. He’s living with Viki, though he does have Nigel with him. He’s making some sort of progress with Rex. And it does seem to be that the writers are hoping for a Viki-Clint reunion. And it does seem plausible, even with Kim’s re-emergence on the scene.

Viki: She’s been through a lot. Of course, the show revolves around her in a way. But I think Viki needs some happiness again. I hope the writers get cracking on that Clint reunion. And I would like to see one last scene between Viki and Ben, even in her dreams. Hey, even Greenlee and Leo got that on AMC. Otherwise, Viki is just Viki.

So, are there any former stars I would like to see come back? I first started to casually follow One Life to Live when I started to watch All My Children as it was the baby-swap. So I have seen a few characters come and go. I would love to see Lindsay (Catherine Hickland) one last time. I saw some old scenes between Hickland and Hilary B. Smith and they were great. I’d like to see one last confrontation or conversation between the two.

Several actors have agreed to continue with the show online. And that includes the grand dame herself—Erika Slezak! So, that’s good news. And I’ll be following their adventures online. But I still wish to see these for those who won’t be making the move.

And in the mean time, I’ve become addicted to Dirty Soap on E! Watch it—Sundays! Anyway, I only watched the finale because once upon a time I watched “All My Children.” I wanted to see what happened to Kendall, Zach and Greenlee. But I still watch “One Life to Live” faithfully. And now with AMC’s finale, it’s all to real that OLTL will have one soon.