TVSquad

Everyone thinks they can write. No, really. If you talk to anyone who likes TV and movies, invariably you'll hear that they have a great story. Well, some do and some don't. In the soap business, just about every kind of story has been told.

A show like Passions, which has recently come to an end, told wild tales about witches and sorcery and dwarfs and demons.

General Hospital has been firmly set in plots about mobsters in the manner of The Godfather, with Sonny Corinthos a latter day Michael Corleone.

As the World Turns, currently in its 52nd year, is rooted in traditional love stories and family conflicts, although you have to give them props for Luke and Noah, a frontline gay romance which is definitely a 21st century development.

There was no surprise when SoapNet announced that it would be broadcasting another season of the late night spinoff of General Hospital Night Shift. The premiere season was a ratings blockbuster for the cable channel, a big hit with fans and well-received by the critics.

What was surprising was news that a new head writer, Sri Rao, would be taking over from Bob Guza, Jr., and that two major players from GH's history -- Tristan Rogers and Antonio Sabato, Jr. -- would be starring in this go-round.

I enjoyed Night Shift, year one, so I was inclined to check it out. I'm thrilled to report that after three episodes, I'm loving Night Shift 2008! Here's five reasons why:

There are many, many good actors and actresses in daytime. Some shine brighter than others simply because they are so supremely talented that they raise the level of the drama they are creating. There are two women I'm writing about now. They are both daytime actresses of the highest order. One celebrated her birthday yesterday, May 7th. She's One Life to Live's inimitable Dorian Cramer, actress Robin Strasser. The other, I'm sad to report, passed away last weekend. The incomparable Beverlee McKinsey was famous for two characters: Iris Carrington on Another World and Alexandra Spaulding on Guiding Light. Ms. McKinsey, who'd retired from daytime -- and acting overall -- in 1992 (except for a brief cameo on General Hospital) died on Friday evening from kidney failure after undergoing a transplant.

I remember vividly watching Another World when Beverlee McKinsey was front and center. She was a dynamic actress, a real scene stealer. She commanded your attention as the spoiled, grown daughter of millionaire scion MacKenzie Cory, Iris, on Another World. Her voice saying, "Daddy," is embedded in my memory.

Is that Carlo Hesser I spy? It looks a lot like Hawk from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century? Actually, it's both, and his name Thom Christopher. The veteran character actor, who most recently was Colonel Dax on Guiding Light, is coming back to the soap that he's best known for, One Life to Live. In 1992, he won a Daytime Emmy for this role. Soap Opera Digest reports that Thom's will resume the role of Carlo Hesser, evil-doer extraordinare, on June 27.

Christopher's comeback comes on the heels of the major announcement, that is the return of Andrea Evans as Tina Lord Roberts after a nearly two decade absence. And One Life isn't done with the splashy returns. Susan Haskell, another former Emmy-winner (for her role as Marty Saybrooke), is also finding her way to Llanview. Never mind that her character plunged off a cliff in a van last year (when Christina Chambers played the part). You'll see, she was thrown from the vehicle and survived somehow. Trust me. Like sci-fi, soap opera deaths are not as final as you think.

I always imagined that being a Hilton is like living in a soap opera--wealth, scandal, and the occasional arrest. Apparently real life isn't dramatic enough for one member of the Hilton clan. Paris' mother, Kathy Hilton, will appear on The Young and the Restless as herself. The episode, which will air on May 13, was filmed on Wednesday.

Hilton's fictional self will ruffle some feathers in her Y&R cameo by taking over a magazine photo shoot. I'm not sure where that falls on a soap opera's bad behavior scale, but I'm sure that such workplace antics will at least earn Kathy a few dirty looks. The Hiltons have had plenty of TV exposure over the last month. Paris just did a cameo on a recent episode of My Name is Earl. Barron Hilton, Paris' brother, became a gossip show regular following his DUI arrest.

On February 29, 2008, a new era began for Guiding Light. Daytime television's longest running serial drama -- 71 years old this year -- burst out of the confines of a New York studio to begin shooting on location and on the fly in makeshift, portable sets and real places. The idea on paper was not only exciting, it seemed revolutionary. If they succeeded, Guiding Light could truly be a "guiding light" to the rest of the soap industry.

Usually when you talk about death on soap operas, you have to know that like science fiction, death doesn't mean the end of the story. After all, many characters have come back from the dead thanks to mistaken identity, bizarre abductions, switched coffins, et. al. But when I tell you now that the NBC soap opera Passions is dead, I really mean it. Really.

There is no chance that Passions is coming back to NBC. The soap was yanked from the daytime lineup last year, but in a deal with DirecTV, Passions has remained in production. The satellite provider has been showing episodes of the bizarrely-plotted show for months. However, in a recent development, DirecTV has decided to pull the plug. Universal Media Studios, which produces the one-hours, has been trying to find a new place on the dial for Passions without any luck.

CBS's daytime drama Guiding Light celebrated its 71st year on the air on January 25. First, on radio, then and now on television, this grand old soap opera has never stopped telling its stories, making broadcast history. Production goes on, but starting February 29, 2008, viewers will be seeing Guiding Light in a brand new light. Led by innovative Executive Producer Ellen Wheeler, Guiding Light it busting out of the studio to starting filming in a more realistic, cinema verite style. "Soap operas have been shot, by and large, the same way since the 1950's, the same way I Love Lucy was shot - with pedestal cameras, in just a few interior sets," said Ms. Wheeler recently. According to her, the "[it's] old-fashioned, and it isn't working anymore."

(S03E24) There's a divide, I think, among Office die-hards as to how to strike a balance between the soap opera elements of the show and the straight comedy pieces. Move too far towards the former, and we're watching Melrose Place lite; too far towards the latter, and one of the things that makes this show so special is lost.

I've made myself clear over my run of reviews that I enjoy the soapy elements as much if not more than the comedy bits. Maybe it's because I have an unabashed (and quite creepy, if your comments are to be trusted!) crush on Jenna Fischer, but either way, I tend to tune in to watch the romance inch forward. I know a lot of you are just the opposite, though, and could live without the longing glances between Jim and Pam. Just bring the funny!

That's why it's so damn nice when the show can make both camps equally happy...

(S03E19) I've been noticing a pattern with shows that, because of their popularity and thus importance to the network, have to split their episodes into mini-seasons around sweeps. They tend to end each batch of episodes with a bang, spend the entire hiatus promising something huge when the new episodes start airing, and then give us a whole lotta nothin' when the new batch finally begins.

Tonight's Office suffered that same predictable letdown, but still found a whole bunch of enjoyable moments (mostly thanks to the supporting players).

It's called General Hospital: Night Shift, and it is, as the title indicates, a spinoff of General Hospital. The new series, set to premiere on SOAPnet this summer with thirteen episodes, will flesh out the stories from General Hospital and delve deeper into the characters and their lives. Really, it's more of an extension of a series than a bona fide spinoff, but whatever you call it, it's a clever idea. If ever a series had a built-in fanbase, it's this one. The new series will be written by General Hospital head writer Robert Guza, Jr., and executive produced by General Hospital executive producer Jill Farren Phelps.

This is just part of SOAPnet's plan to extend beyond daytime programming: the cable channel will also begin airing episodes of The OC and One Tree Hill starting April 9. SOAPnet recently acquired the rights to all seasons of both series.

[via TV Filter]

I have this suspicion that, except for a couple of the mega-successful shows, the soap opera is on its way out.

NBC has canceled the bizarre soap opera Passions after 8 years. This is the show that included witches (Tabitha, played by Juliet Mills) and puppets that came to life. I know, I know, you're thinking, "why didn't someone tell me there was a soap like this on, I would have watched it!" It sounds like something that I could get into for a laugh or two, though I don't know if I could have gotten into it for the long haul, unless they really went over the top all the time and didn't include serious storylines too.

If you're wondering, the show is being canceled to make room for more of The Today Show, which is expanding to 9 hours in a few weeks.

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. The first soap opera to be offered for download on iTunes is now, well, available for download on iTunes. The daytime drama you can now watch on your computer or iPod? That's right, reruns of Ryan's Hope. Wait, sorry, it's actually Passions, that kooky soap on NBC with all the crazy fantastical plotlines. Episodes will be available for $1.99 the day after they air, so if you like this soap, and I know a lot of people do, you can always catch up if you miss an episode. If any soap fans read this blog, which soap do you think iTunes should offer next? I'm pretty sure both my mom and sister would vote for General Hospital, a long-running series that most people don't know was actually a spin-off of a series called Specific Clinic*.

*I sincerely apologize for that lame joke.