When I last wrote at length about As The World Turns earlier this fall, I wasn’t very encouraged by what I was seeing on screen.

It’s not perfect, but I’m happy to report that Oakdale is a far more welcoming (and watchable) town these days.

ATWT’s current renaissance has worked because it’s used one major story – Brad’s death at the hand of his brother, Jack – to impact a big chunk of the canvas. And it’s working because it’s a chunk of the canvas that has some of our favorite characters: Jack, Carly, Katie, Janet, and Henry as well as returning characters like Simon and Molly.

It’s had far-reaching effects on almost all of the canvas – something that hasn’t always been the case with recent ATWT stories. And it’s put one of ATWT’s strongest, most resilient assets – Jack and Carly – back into focus.

Not that Jack and Carly were ever really out of focus; Maura West’s performance as an alcoholic was a soaring high point in a year of valleys and disappointments. And Michael Park is always multifaceted – he makes all of his relationships work, and Jack and Janet made a great pairing.

There have been times in the last decade that I thought Jack and Carly were very overexposed, or that the focus on their coupling was creating a lot of ridiculous story twists and turns. But the scenes with Jack and Carly we’ve witnessed in the last few weeks underscores how truly magical their pairing (and the chemistry between West and Park) really is.

I still think that when all is said and done, killing Brad is a mistake. But it certainly has had far reaching effects. Katie’s loss has changed her relationship with Henry, renewed her ties with sister Margo and brother Craig, and changed her life for good.

And this is a GOOD thing, because so many stories on ATWT in the last two or three years have come and gone without a trace. At around the same time Guiding Light went to its new production model, ATWT also tweaked its structure and started programming more short-term, “chapter” style stories. These stories played out at a quick, breakneck speed, but often would leave nothing behind once they were done.

A story like that can be fun and exciting in moderation, but a whole canvas of that means a whole lotta nothing is going on. I can think of a number of stories (Rick Decker, the Brian/Lucinda story) where the plot launched, burned brightly for a few weeks, and then slipped away.

As much as some fans resisted the appearance of Lynn Herring as Audrey and Stuart Damon as Ralph, I’m actually seeing it as a positive, because (a) I love these performers and (b) when they left the canvas, their departure actually counted for something and/or had a lasting effect on Oakdale.

That’s the reason I think this short-term, fast paced story of Jack’s soul-searching journey worked, too: Because at the end of the journey, we’d actually been transported somewhere. Jack and Carly are in a different place. Simon and the utterly fabulous Molly are back in town.

There are a few other positive trends happening in Oakdale. After years of suffering from Saint Meg, ATWT is finally remembering who Meg Snyder is: a conniving, scheming bitch. The scenes I’ve seen with Meg and Damian over the last few weeks have been fantastic, and Marie Wilson is FINALLY making me believe she’s Meg. (I still find it utterly confusing, though, when there’s a Meg/Lily/Damian scene, because Wilson and Noelle Beck (Lily) look and sound SO much alike.)

Reuniting Paul and Emily has also been a great move. Roger Howarth’s Paul is never more entertaining or watchable as he is with Kelley Menighan Hensley’s Emily.

There are still some major negative spots to deal with. Noelle Beck is a lovely, warm actress, but she’s not Lily. Watching her on screen is like watching a stranger. It’s time to give Lily a break. The Lily/Damian marriage may have been a dramatic way to stir up conflict between Lily and Holden, but we just don’t care without Martha Byrne there to play Lily.

Damian’s return has been equally off-kilter and weird. Paolo Seganti is also a talented actor, and we’ve loved Damian before, but on this go-round Damian comes off as some sort of C-rate porn star. His romantic scenes with Lily and Meg are indistinguishable. And he’s been the mustache-twirling villain too many times.

Lily and Damian have also been saddled with one of the strangest stories ever: adopting their son’s lover as their own son. I have no words.

And I’m still sad about how some earlier story choices made some of Oakdale’s smartest women look like fools. I love Jon Lindstrom’s take on Craig, but it’s still far-fetched that Rosanna would return – after the journey she’s been on – to a man who tried to kill her and who was responsible for her coma.

I’m sad that Tom Degnan’s Adam was given a poorly conceived redemption story that appeared not to work (he’s now apparently off canvas). That story made Alexandra Chando’s Maddie and Ellen Dolan’s Margo, both fan favorites and two of the few remaining smart women in soaps, look like fools. (It was especially heinous that rape victim Margo would protect her son, who was accused of attempted rape.)

Oakdale could use some romance, especially some young love (Alison and Casey ain’t it – those characters have been drained of all joy or interest). ATWT could use a gorgeous guy in the late 20s-30s age range to stir things up in Oakdale.

And I do always hope to see favorite veterans. It was a joy to see Nancy Hughes at Thanksgiving. We’d love to see Bob, Kim, Lisa, Lucinda, et al when they aren’t at a funeral, wedding, or with an IV hooked up to them.

In fact, I’d like to see ATWT do a February sweeps story like the one they just did for Jack. Give Tom and Margo a reason to hit the road (maybe to find Adam, or chase after Casey – or better yet, Lisa). They could cross paths with Shannon O’Hara, see Tom’s daughter Lien and Margo’s brother Andy. (And if I was really reaching, they’d visit John Dixon and bring him back to Oakdale.) You get the point.

After all, sometimes it takes a long journey to make you appreciate that there’s no place like home.

Maybe I’m just being more grumpy than usual. (Yes, I know – you’re asking: Is that even possible?) But it seems to me that several shows are making very stupid choices – ones that, in some cases, will be hard (if not impossible) to undo.

My list of who’s been naughty and not-so-nice (and yes, I checked it twice):

All the Young Dudes, One Life to Live: Nash Brennan and Jared Banks were incredibly sexy, dynamic romantic leads. Forbes March and John Brotherton are great actors – and gorgeous men. This is pretty much the triple payout jackpot in soap opera land.

But OLTL seems to be at a loss as to how to utilize sexy, smart, funny men. They back-burnered Nash and then Jared. And ultimately, they killed off both characters.

I know Nash’s demise was a while back, but I see it as a bookend to Jared’s death. And perhaps OLTL has plenty of leading men to go around – they have the exciting new Kish story and a very promising slow burn romance between Cristian and Layla.

But OLTL definitely seems to favor the darkness. Sexy, funny and lighthearted doesn’t stand a chance against the Dukes of Darkness (Todd and John) or the negative-ion cesspool that is the Rex/Schuyler/Stacy/Kim/Gigi mess.

Speaking of smart, funny and sexy, a memo to Scott Clifton (Schuyler): Love your work, love your YouTube videos. But funny/smart/sexy guys don’t have a long shelf life in Llanview, so dude, you might want to call your agent…..

Bad Brad, As The World Turns: I say this with incredibly mixed feelings, because Brad’s death on ATWT has been a launchpad for really solid story.

But Brad was also a member of the Funny and Sexy club. (Maybe not so smart – but two out of three ain’t bad.) Austin Peck was, in my opinion, king of the dullards as Austin on Days of Our Lives, so it was great to watch him come to life as Brad. Brad and Katie’s pairing was inspired and had great chemistry.

ATWT does still have Henry Coleman, er, Stenbeck to play out stories with humor and campy action. But Brad was, quite literally, a ray of light. He was a great balance to some of the other Oakdale men: tormented Jack, snarly Dusty and slightly psychotic Paul. He will be missed.

The Challenging Chancellor Boys, The Young and the Restless: Y&R has been hit or miss lately – more often miss than hit, I’m afraid.

Chloe and Chance seem to be headed for the front-burner, but Y&R hasn’t done a great job of developing Chance as more than a Dudley Do-Right, or a nice big teddy bear for Chloe. We know John Driscoll can play the good guy. I remember meeting John last year, and he’s such a naturally warm, friendly person. You can understand why writers and producers would want to put that warmth and light on screen (see above).

But he’s also capable of so much more, as we saw at the end of his days on Guiding Light. Chance initially seemed like a ball of tension that was being wound up by all the stress in his life – the stress of the war, of his father coming back from the dead, of his mother’s disapproval of Chloe. I want to see that tension eventually explode, and see the living, breathing human being behind the brick wall. Right now, Y&R is showing us a whole lotta brick wall. (A very handsome, chiseled brick wall, but a wall all the same.)

I’m also disappointed that the show chose to end the Phillip-is-back story, though at the end of the day it was clearly not a success. Much has been written in the press about Thom Bierdz, who returned to play Phillip after a 20-year absence.

It’s true that Bierdz may have been a little rusty, but I don’t think the failure of that storyline lies with him, or the fact that Phillip came out as a gay man.

And audiences may have been able to buy part of the explanatory story – one that cleared up the awful Cane-is-Phillip twist from a few years back. But the failure point, I believe, is this: It was challenging, if not impossible, to believe that Phillip was SO afraid of Jill and Katherine’s reaction, or so convinced they would reject him, that he would fake his own death.

I know from experience that coming out, especially to family, can be incredibly scary. And certainly, it was even harder 20 years ago (a fact I also know from experience, since I came out to my family and friends in 1989 and 1990). But it went against everything we knew about these two women. Years of Y&R story were dedicated to how much Katherine loved her grandson. Katherine may have judged Jill for stealing her husband, but she was (to everyone else) warm and loving.

And Jill? Jill was also defined by her love for “little” Phillip. (A big part of her relationship with son Billy is his resentment of what was Phillip’s ghost – and how he could never compete with him.) It was, after all, Jill and Kay who teamed up to foil Nina’s plan to land Phillip. And Jill was a hairdresser, for crying out loud. She’d have crossed paths with a gay man somewhere along the line!

He’s Not Hunky, He’s My Brother, As The World Turns: Sorry, ATWT, I don’t mean to single you out twice (I also have some positive things to say about Oakdale, coming up). But I have to say, the story twist where Lily and Damian adopt Noah – their son’s boyfriend – is the strangest story I have seen in ages.

Y’all DO realize this makes Noah and Luke brothers, right? Someone signed off on this? Thought it was a good idea? Because to me, it just seems like the clearest exhibit thus far that ATWT has absolutely no idea how to handle the asset they have in “Nuke.”

Then again, Luke’s mother did marry her biological mother’s adoptive brother. And the show is being written in part by a head writer who wrote a star-crossed romance between two cousins (half cousins! HALF COUSINS!) so perhaps I shouldn’t have been so surprised……

All My Children: I’d love to pick out just one AMC story, but there’s a virtual buffet of WTF moments happening in Pine Valley.

• It was bad enough that Stuart was murdered, but Adam did it? How will Adam – or AMC – ever recover?
• Is anyone finding the creepy Amanda/David story, and its twists and turns, even remotely entertaining? I feel like I have to take a “full Silkwood” shower after watching their scenes.
• I hope that AMC is going to tell us Aiden had a chip implanted in his head by Stefano DiMera. That’s the only thing that would explain his complete personality change.
• Speaking of Aiden – Zach and Kendall are coming to an end soon, and Kendall is spending all of her time with…..Aiden? Huh?

Lorraine Broderick has a HUGE mess to clean up. I don’t envy her one bit.

Hope everyone’s having a great Thanksgiving! It’s all about being with family – which gives me an excuse to post these as a reminder.

A clip from Guiding Light, with a sea of familiar faces (including one who came into our homes for almost 50 years, Mary Stuart):

From As The World Turns. That Hubbard squash is gonna get it.

I’ve posted this before, but who doesn’t want to catch another glimpse of Another World’s Mac and Rachel Cory (and crazy Aunt Liz)?

No Thanksgiving remembrance could be complete without a visit to the Quartermaines.

And at the risk of being a nag, I really hope you can send some of the warmth you’re feeling today into the lives of others. To honor GL and ATWT’s creator, I made a contribution to a local food pantry run by the church that inspired GL. I hope you’ll consider making a contribution too (read my earlier post for more details).

Happy Thanksgiving!

After watching this teaser? I am SO there. So, so there.

Love the song, by the way. Hope it’s on iTunes!

It’s been quite a Friday! We learned two pieces of news today that will have a substantial impact on daytime.

One, of course, was the announcement that Oprah Winfrey will be ending her daily syndicated talk show in 2011. The other was the announcement that Chuck Pratt was fired as head writer of All My Children.

AMC: I’ll be interested in watching how Pratt’s dismissal affects the show. It could not possibly come at a more crucial, life-changing time for AMC.

It’s at a dramatic crossroads: an aging show that’s turning 40 in a daytime environment that’s not exactly friendly. It’s literally picking up its roots and moving across country. And it’s losing one of its few supercouples, Zach and Kendall. AMC desperately needs to re-tune, refine, and reinvent itself.

Much of the last decade has not been kind to AMC or its fans. Few new characters (outside of Zach and perhaps Annie and Amanda) have been successful with fans.

A succession of writers who favored plot and spectacle over characters and substance (McTavish, Brown & Esensten and then Pratt) ruined several previously admirable, likable characters like Greenlee, Bianca and Ryan. And AMC, more than any other show, failed miserably in its attempts to reach back and revive history (witness the botched returns of Maria, Julia, and Dixie, to name a few).

I hope Brian Frons recognizes the important crossroads AMC is at, and appoints a writer who can guide the show into the next decade but honor and respect its past. Agnes Nixon created some of the most fabulous, quirky characters that ever lived out their lives on our screens for Pine Valley. Let’s hope that AMC can steal back USA Network’s motto: “Characters Welcome.”

THE MIGHTY O: The Oprah Winfrey Show may not be a soap opera, but her show’s departure will have an enormous impact on networks, local affiliates, and how they manage (and make money from) their daypart programming.

I’ll throw the worst-case scenario out there first: It could have a very negative impact on local stations and on network/affiliate relations.

Why? Minus a big moneymaker like Oprah, networks may decide to go for the Jay Leno model, where cheaply-made news shows or (gasp) infomercials could take that space. That could be a bad thing for the remaining soaps, which will have to cut costs even deeper to make themselves profitable – if the networks don’t cancel them first.

But I also think this could be a phenomenal opportunity. If I were ABC (the network with the biggest number of affiliates that carry Oprah), I’d consider programming that slot with other programming – including, yes, soap operas.

In many markets, Oprah runs immediately after General Hospital in a late-afternoon slot. Programming one or two half-hour soaps, especially ones aimed at younger audiences, could both make that slot a profitable one and provide sustenance for the soap market as a whole.

I also think OWN (Oprah’s network) may be a wonderful opportunity for a new serialized show. Sponsor-driven daytime is often too timid to take a stand on social issues and current events, but in many other countries, soaps are used to share the stories of others and bring greater understanding of issues.

Oprah’s goal, after all, is helping people to live their best lives. I’d love to see a leader with that kind of commitment to quality and to intelligence providing both entertainment and food for thought. It’s a commitment to quality, to entertainment, and to inspire that’s been sorely lacking on daytime.

More snide sarcasm coming soon. We interrupt today’s broadcast for this special announcement…..

When Guiding Light ended in September, I shared some of the local Chicago points of interest that were part of Irna Phillips’ life, and of GL’s beginnings.

Around the same time, I was lucky to be one of the people who landed a new job after months of post-layoff unemployment. As I’d promised in September, I sent a donation to the same church that Phillips found comfort in during a rough time – the one that eventually inspired her to create GL.

I’m hoping to inspire GL fans, as well as ATWT fans and fans of other Phillips creations, to donate to 2 Li’l Fishes, the church’s food pantry. And to make it fun, I’m recommending that you do what I did – donate an amount equal to the number of years you’ve been watching.

I’d love to have you post in the comments here the number of years and dollars you donated! It’s a great way to honor something that entertained me for so many years, and to speak to the message that we directly affect the lives of others every day – that our actions speak louder than words and dialogue.

The Web site for 2 Li’l Fishes, which includes their mailing address, can be found here.

About a year ago, I talked about some of the prime-time serials, and wished that their daytime counterparts would copy from them. My contention was that the prime-time shows were doing a much better job at portraying romance, family and the fine points of relationships.

I may have spoken too soon.

I’ve been puzzled and disappointed in some of my nighttime favorites. Here’s a rundown on what’s happening – and what I wish was happening.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: DH is in its sixth season, and it’s not that DH is bad this year. It hums along nicely, and no season has been as bad and off-kilter as Season 2. The show got a boost from its five-year fast forward last year, which enabled it to tell a number of new stories.

The problem with DH is that it’s become utterly predictable. The new neighbors have a secret! Please, we’ve seen that before. We’d be more shocked if they didn’t. (Perhaps that’s a story Marc Cherry should tell. New neighbors who are utterly normal – and who are so hounded by Wisteria Lane denizens about what they might be hiding that they flee in fear!)

The other problem with DH is not a new one, but it’s compounded and grown over time. Nothing ever really happens or changes. No one ever pays for their mistakes. Orson going to jail for running over Mike was a rare exception – but so many other things have happened (Andrew killing Mama Solis, Katherine killing her ex) that have either never been resolved or have been all but forgotten.

I like Drea de Matteo and her handsome husband and son, but why should I care about what their secret is? Chances are it will be forgotten by the next episode.

BROTHERS & SISTERS: I still like B&S, but it also seems to be treading water. (I understand there was recently a change at the top, so hopefully the show will become energized.)  Getting rid of Tommy was a wise move – he’s best as a recurring, occasional character – but so many other stories are at a standstill.

As one might suspect, B&S’s strongest area is family relationships. Its weakest is romance. The two lead couples – Kitty and Robert, and Justin and Rebecca – are uninspiring. Kitty and Robert, in particular, are dreadfully boring and mismatched and come across as siblings instead of spouses. Justin and Rebecca, who thought they were siblings for a time, just seem so mismatched. Kevin and Scotty are the strongest couple on the show, but since they can’t actually express their affection on-screen, they, too, often come across as siblings.

The biggest negative for B&S is the fact that they’ve almost completely wasted Sally Field. After a promising start where Nora faced massive changes in her life, she’s been reduced to a talk-to for her children. I was encouraged by Sunday’s episode, where she met the insanely sexy Jon Tenney. Let’s hope he stays in the picture.

The story I was most dreading – the appearance by Dancing With The Stars alum Gilles Marini – has actually been refreshing and sweet. Not only is Marini beautiful to look at (the Kitty/Rebecca fist bump and gawking session at Luc’s emergence from the pool was hysterical) but he indeed can also act. He has a warm presence and he’s been a great match for Rachel Griffiths’ Sarah.

GREY’S ANATOMY: Oh, Grey’s. How I loved thee. Being a Grey’s fan is like being with an old boyfriend. You remember the reasons you fell in love, but sometimes they annoy you or bore you to tears.

Fellow soap blogger Sara Bibel has a great analysis of Grey’s in her Fancast column. I agree with many of her points. I’m not quite as anti-Lexie as Sara is; I think Lexie is valuable as Meredith’s sister. But the story sags and sinks every time the show tries to put her front and center – which is too often. And her “romance” with Mark is a complete, utter epic fail. (Mark Sloan has, in my eyes, outlived his usefulness.)

I also am not quite as down on the Mercy West merger as Sara is, although I thought it was a lazy way to copy House (which shook up its cast and introduced several new doctors a few years back). I like some of the newbies, but they seem like such carbon copies of characters that already exist. Charlie is, clearly, George 2.0. Jackson is the scrappy guy a la Alex, and April was a combination of Lexie and Izzie. (Can’t tell you how glad I am that she was fired!) Reed seems to be a character with possibilities and a brain, though she’s already moping around Alex.

For a show that built its reputation on the swoonworthy Mer/Der combo, Grey’s is sadly lacking in romance. Cristina and Owen have inexplicably come to a screeching halt. Alex and Izzie are on shaky ground, and their marriage wasn’t quite made of passion (they married when Izzie wasn’t sure she’d survive cancer).

And though I individually love the characters of Callie and Arizona, and respect Sara Ramirez’s immense talents (I loved the “you can’t pray away the gay” scenes), I don’t buy Callie as a lesbian one bit. Sorry, Sara – when you’re in a scene with Arizona (or Erica Hahn), I just don’t buy one look, one line or one action. That’s a shame, because these two women are great to watch. (Jessica Capshaw’s Arizona is definitely my favorite character at the moment.)

The most baffling move? Sandra Oh’s Cristina Yang was, hands down, the best reason to watch the show (aside from the star-crossed Mer/Der). But Grey’s seems to be at a loss as to how to write for her. Outside of her romances with Burke and Hunt, Yang has been maddeningly inconsistent. Yang was once a strong, uncompromising character. Her most prominent character trait these days is utter paralysis – not going back, not leaping forward and not taking charge.

With George dead, Izzie gone and Meredith on temporary leave, the show has been low on characters and relationship material, so the plot has been ratcheted up, General Hospital style. Everyone’s doing a forbidden, life-changing surgery! First Derek, then Cristina and Arizona.

I wish the show would return to its roots of relationships and romance. And the best possible plot twist? I wish Preston Burke would return.

Yes, you read right. I know Isaiah Washington was let go after his remarks about fellow cast member TR Knight became public. Washington may have been guilty of being a challenging actor, and an ineloquent one, but I don’t believe he was a homophobe, and I think he’s paid dearly for his error. Aside from all of those technicalities, Grey’s could use a dose of Burke’s heart and his strong, solid presence.

Failing that, I hope Grey’s stops treading water and develops an exciting plan to take us to the end of next season – which I hope is the show’s natural conclusion. (Because let me tell ya, Shonda: If all of this shuffling and all these new characters is your way of telegraphing Grey’s Anatomy, starring Lexie Grey as Grey, then it is SO not happening. Sorry.)

UGLY BETTY: Actually, I have precious little to bitch about here. After a wobbly third season, Betty is firing on all cylinders this year.

Stories are consistent and focused on the Mode team, which is great – the ensemble works much better bouncing off of each other, vs. the story islands Betty often wanders into for its characters. And after a long stretch where Betty was either made to look like a fool or a shrew, she’s been allowed some personal growth, as well as a change in appearance that’s sleeker without compromising who she is.

The Betty/Amanda/Matt story is intriguing, not only because it’s a wrench in the Betty/Matt romance, but because Becki Newton, who’s always hysterical as Amanda, is getting to bring more levels and colors to Amanda.

It’s all utterly fabulous. And it’s a shame, because not a damn soul is watching, and it will be a miracle if it survives the season. It’s a doomed time slot – call it Guiding Light syndrome.

No matter what big, splashy storyline you might be watching onscreen these days – Carly returning to Salem? Tea and Todd getting married? Who really killed Stuart Chandler? – that story can only pale when compared to the high drama and the twists and turns provided by the story of Eric Braeden and his job status as Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless.

The story reached its climax on Friday when it was announced Braeden would be returning to the role of Victor. It was a culmination of a series of events worthy of Victor Newman. Braeden gave a slew of “exclusive” interviews and played hardball.

According to Sara Bibel’s Deep Soap, the tide appears to have turned when entertainment news sites like Entertainment Weekly reported that the salary that Braeden claimed was a “lowball” salary was still in the neighborhood of a million dollars. When Sony played those PR cards, Braeden’s camp appeared to be in a more conciliatory mood.

All personal feelings about the character and the actor aside, I think the whole Braeden story is a fascinating study in office politics and the power of public relations.

And it clears up one mystery that both We Love Soaps‘ Roger Newcomb and I had been puzzling about for so long. Namely: why the HELL does Eric Braeden get so many Soap Opera Digest covers?  It’s been no secret that Braeden’s publicist has for years maintained a sweetheart deal for Braeden – if he talks to you about story, Eric is on the cover. Period.

Was it ego? Perhaps. But in light of his now-temporary departure, I see it as solid insurance for a man working in a genre that has pushed many other actors in his age range and pay range down the elevator shaft.  This all hit me when I read Michael Logan’s interview (an “exclusive” one) with Braeden earlier this month. Logan’s interview with Braeden included this very telling comment:

ERIC BRAEDEN: It’s not that I’m not cognizant of these difficult economic times. One has to be stupid not to be aware. I’m also aware of certain decreases in the [Y&R] license fee that took place recently, but now it’s sledgehammer time, you know? [And that’s wrong] when you put your ass on the line for this show for 30 years, and have done as much publicity as I have. I still sell more [daytime] magazines than anyone in this medium, as you know. And I am very proud of that association.

Braeden’s insistence on being a cover boy could be called a lot of things – but stupid isn’t one of them. Those covers came in handy in the public relations battle that followed.

I’ll admit that, from a creative perspective, I’m not a huge Victor Newman fan. And whether it’s the character of Victor, or Braeden’s acting skills, I’ve felt that Victor was a pretty limited character. For years, I thought he was the Ridge Forrester of Y&R, a wooden character who’s more of a figurehead than anything else.

But while Braeden may be no Olivier or Branagh, it occurred to me the other day who he IS – daytime’s Clint Eastwood. Eastwood doesn’t have an A to Z acting range, either. But he plays the hell out of the few letters he does have in his range, and he’s smart and thoughtful about trying to make those characters more than one-dimensional stick figures.

In any event, the band playing the sad ballad of Hans Gudegast (Braeden’s real name) has left the rathskeller, and that ominous violin music is back, heralding his return. The Mustache, Father Time, The Great Victor Newman (TGVN) – whatever you call him, he may have been down, but he’s definitely not out.

You got that?

You have no idea how much I’d like to write a glowingly positive review of As The World Turns. I’ve been watching the show since 1985 – almost 25 years – and I’ll be writing a lot more about it in the next few weeks.

Speculation about ATWT’s future has been fast and furious since sister show Guiding Light was cancelled. P&G shows, which once numbered in the dozens, are down to one, and rumors persist this is the end of the road for ATWT, now daytime’s lowest rated soap.

I’ve been trying to understand where the show is headed by watching the last few weeks and months. But I’m still not clear what story ATWT is trying to tell.

For example, let’s take Jack and Carly. They’re the show’s most popular couple, and certainly one that drives a lot of story and a lot of viewer interest. These characters are popular whether they’re together or apart.

The upcoming Jack-road-trip story sounds intriguing, and a natural way to have some of the characters slated to return to ATWT come back and interact with the canvas. But instead of ATWT continuing to build on their leading couple, they’ve cut two characters who were connected to them – Brad and Rosanna.

There have been other positive developments – the interminable Paul/Meg story seems to have, well, terminated (or is taking a long rest), and the intense push behind Alison and Casey has been toned down as well.

But there hasn’t been anything eye catching to take up the slack. Teri, Janet’s sister, is interesting enough, but we’re still getting used to seeing her around. We’ve seen only hints of Hunter (and a promising chemistry with Maddie).

I wish the show would jettison Meg and Alison. Neither character has worked in their most recent incarnations, and as unpleasant as saying that is, there’s no time to tiptoe. There’s a slew of interesting female characters that ATWT could bring on to stir things up.

If the Synder farm needs a new young troublemaker, it’s time Abigail (Holden and Molly’s daughter) came back to Oakdale with a big secret. Or better yet, age Faith Snyder, bring back Hope Dixon (Andy and Denise’s daughter, involved in the Hope/Faith baby swap), and have Hope stay with Bob and Kim, so that we have a natural reason to see them that doesn’t involve death, cancer, heart attacks or a piano falling on their head.

Adam’s return was a one-step-forward-one-step-back moment. It was great that the show finally addressed the enormous mistake that was made (by the same creative team, mind you) and rectified the out-of-character actions that Adam made a few years ago. But it did so by compromising Maddie, who was made to look like a fool and who was almost apologetic towards Adam – who attacked her and Gwen and attempted to rape them. And it compromised Margo, as well. No matter how much Margo wanted to save Adam, it flies in the face of logic that margo – a rape victim – would have excused Adam’s actions.

As for the recent influx of characters, especially General Hospital vets Stuart Damon and Lynn Herring, I’m also torn. Damon and Herring are both fabulous, and I enjoyed their performances. But at the end of their stories, I didn’t feel like their characters made a difference on the canvas. It was a shame to have Damon play such a throwaway character; Herring’s Audrey would be so much more effective if she stuck around and gave Colleen Zenk Pinter (Barbara) a worthy foil.

I am concerned that with David Kreizman on board, we’ll see more of the kinds of stories that were his hallmark at Guiding Light. Kreizman’s stories were often attention-getting; to be fair, I thought his GL stories usually had an interesting premise and a very strong start to them, but they’d usually fall apart or derail. What was left behind was a lot of tabloid flashiness, but little connectivity to history or even to other stories on canvas.

Connectivity has been missing from many of the recent, blink-and-you-miss-them stories. I’m looking forward to seeing Tom Pelphrey’s Mick on canvas, but wish he’d be connected to someone already in Oakdale. (I think he’s just the right age to be Scott Eldridge’s son – and Lisa’s grandson.)

Simply being connected to an existing character isn’t enough, though. Let’s call that the Daisy Lemay theory. It’s connections + history + actor + story. Which is why GL’s Daisy didn’t work (parts of that equation were missing) and why GL’s James did (it all added up).

And yes, this is about ATWT, but it should learn from GL’s mistakes. GL waited too late (February) to focus on vets and bring back a missing favorite. It did so fabulously, but entirely too late to gain the audience and sustain its interest. ATWT needs to be fearless and up its game.

And ATWT has an advantage over GL, a show that had lost a lot of its veterans or had to move them to the back burner. I’m watching this opening from five years ago, and I see so many characters that are still on canvas – and still full of story.

It’s just a matter of keeping them connected, creating the feeling of a community, and making the story shine. There have been promising moves lately; let’s hope ATWT has the resources – and the TIME – to keep making the show better.

And a note to Nancy Tellem and Barbara Bloom: You need to give ATWT the chance to shine and the resources – including TIME – to do so. And more to the point, ladies: If you have no intention of doing so, and are intending to pull the plug on ATWT as well, please be HONEST to the people who work there and to the FANS – your viewers are your bread and butter. Please give the show the respect and the time you have GL so that it can address its substantial history before it ends.

Halloween isn’t for a few more weeks, but I swear we’ve been living in some parallel soap universe overrun by zombies.

We’ve all become accustomed to very shocking news – with the industry shrinking and budgets disappearing, we’ve experienced our share of  ”oh no they didn’t!” moments in the comings and goings department.

But the last few weeks have been truly astonishing.

Let’s take a look at these bombshells, one by one.

JAMES FRANCO COMES TO GENERAL HOSPITAL

Sure, GH had a number of high-profile celebrities on back in its 80s heyday (Elizabeth Taylor and Sammy Davis Jr to name just two) and it’s never been afraid to stunt cast (hello, Roseanne!).

But to have Franco – a quote, “serious actor,” unquote – play a character on GH is truly mind-melting.

Franco does have a TV background, coming to prominence in the short-lived Judd Apatow series “Freaks and Geeks.”  One wonders if a Bob Guza script will pack as much of a punch for Franco.

Based on this photo of Franco, I think he’d be a shoo-in for a recast Decker Moss, don’t you?

ERIC BRAEDEN WRITTEN OUT OF Y&R

It’s been a summer of blockbusters. First, there was part one: Jess Walton Walks. Then there was the sequel, Melody Thomas Scott Bolts. Of course, those two had a happy ending. It remains to be seen if the latest masterpiece from Paul Rauch Productions will have the staying power of the first two – or if Braeden will keep walking.

A view available only in the rearview mirror

I know that this is a minority opinion, but I am so over Victor Newman as a character. I am all for featuring vets and putting them into front-burner stories, but Victor is the Ridge Forrester of Y&R – an indecisive playboy who happens to be pushing seventy.

Victor, like Ridge, has bounced between women for decades now. He’s damaged Ashley and given Nikki nothing but grief (though apparently Nikki is a masochist).

Victor worked as a ruthless businessman (it can be said that Victor’s most combustible chemistry is with Jack) but business stories on soaps are unpopular and widely unsuccessful these days. And that makes Victor’s vendetta against Jack seem less about business or competition and more about some creepy, criminal urge on Victor’s part.

Yet the show continues to position him as The Great Victor Newman. (I prefer another Internet nickname for Victor: Father Time.)

I realize he’s got a lot of history, but I think a Victor-less Y&R would be a positive. I’d much rather see something new than have them repeat the same cycle of Victor-is-God-and-a-total-stud stories that have been running for thirty years. How they’d ever bring him back from the unforgivable place he is now (re: Patty and Colleen) is a mystery.

Personally, I’d like to see the show focus on Newmans: The Next Generation. Nick vs. Adam is a rivalry that should get more focus and that could go on for years. And a more viable Victoria than the one in place now could be a real boost to the show.

JONATHAN JACKSON BACK TO GH

Another big splash by GH. On paper, this looks fantastic. Jackson was the original Lucky, and a fan favorite. But his return begs a few questions.

Two actors have played Lucky in the interim – will he be able to pick up where they left off?  When Jackson was on GH in the 90s, he was blessed with words and scripts by Claire Labine. Will his Lucky shine in a Guza-led GH?

And, when the hell is Genie Francis coming back? Make no mistake, GH – putting Geary, Francis and Jackson together again on screen is your Triple Crown. Just do it, already.

ALL MY CHILDREN ANNOUNCES L.A. CAST LIST

This one wasn’t too surprising. The biggest shock is that AMC appears to be losing its biggest supercouple, Zach and Kendall. Thorsten Kaye is definitely staying in New York, and although nothing has been confirmed, it appears that new mom Alicia Minshew is as well.

Ray McDonnell is retiring, which means we’ve likely seen the last of Joe and Ruth Martin. And Jill Larson is apparently not part of the list, so we may also have seen the last of Opal and Palmer (since James Mitchell is apparently ill). That’s a huge chunk of AMC history that’s being left behind.

I’ve only been an occasional AMC viewer for the last decade or so, and only a handful of stories (Leo and Greenlee, early Bianca) have really captured my attention.

A big chunk of “classic” AMC walked out the door with Julia Barr, and most of the original, quirky Agnes Nixon touches have long since been replaced by hair models and baby-swapping narcissists.

The saddest part for me to read was that Beth Ehlers was let go. This was big news, but fell under the radar with all of the other cataclysmic changes this week.

It wasn’t completely unexpected – Taylor simply hasn’t caught fire – but it’s sad that Ehlers wasn’t around for Guiding Light’s end. I don’t blame Ehlers or co-star Ricky Paull Goldin for jumping ship when said ship looked like it was about to sink. But we didn’t get to say a proper goodbye to Harley, and now Ehlers will be out of work.

A recent promotional photo had Ehlers wearing a T-shirt reading “Harley Davidson.”  That makes me think Ehlers was feeling a bit melancholy about her old role.  Here’s hoping we’ll see Ehlers again soon. I know Y&R was interested in her last year (I suspect it was for Patty/Mary Jane); perhaps there’s a place for her there under Paul Rauch, who was her GL boss for many years?

HEATHER LOCKLEAR RETURNS TO NEW “MELROSE PLACE”

Watch your back, bitches!

SARAH BROWN SOAP HOPS

Sarah Brown’s dissatisfaction with her role as GH’s Claudia led to GH agreeing to let her go and to release her from the rest of her contract, which originally ran until January.

Brown quickly landed a role at Bold and the Beautiful. The role kinda sounds like Morgan and/or Sheila, take 2. But congrats to Brown for landing the new gig!

SOAP VETS ON THE WEB

That sneaky Crystal Chappell is quite the trendsetter. The deafening buzz around her upcoming Web soap Venice has opened the market for other Web soaps.

Martha Byrne announced Gotham, her upcoming Web soap. As The World Turns fans will be happy to know that the actress who played Rose’s best friend Mitzi (Anne Sayre) will have a leading role on Gotham, as well as current ATWT star Michael Park (Jack).

And GH star Tristan Rogers is also launching a soap, Reality Bytes. The show’s lead, Trevor Rains, seems to be tailor-made for Rogers to play.