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Best & Worst Soap Moments of 2017

best worst soap moments 2017

best worst soap moments 2017

Here’s a rundown of the best and worst soap moments that The Bold and the BeautifulDays of our LivesGeneral Hospital and The Young and the Restless had to offer in 2017!

Best: Ron Carlivati is Named Head Writer at Days of our Lives

ron carlivati days of our lives

The first big soap news of 2017 was when Ron Carlivati was announced as the new head writer for Days of our Lives, once again replacing Dena Higley. Fans had to wait six months for the new DAYS dream team’s (consisting of Carlivati, Ryan Quan and Sheri Anderson) material to hit the screen but it was definitely worth it. NBC clearly had faith in the new writing regime that they renewed the soap a month later.

Worst: B&B’s Spectra Revival

spectra B&B

Sally’s never-mentioned-before family hit Los Angeles… while the idea may have sounded good on paper, the execution was terrible. Macy’s off in a coma somewhere so why not bring Bobbie Eakes back and rebuild around her and CJ (Mick Cain)? I think that tying Sally Jr. (Courtney Hope) around two established veterans would have been much better.

Best: Eric Braeden’s “I’ll Be Damned”

eric braeden i'll be damned

While not an on-screen moment, Eric Braeden’s memoir is definitely a must-read for any Y&R fan.

Best: Y&R and B&B Update Their Opening Credits

bold and the beautiful opening credits

The CBS soaps updated their opening credits earlier this year. Y&R’s was due for a much-needed HD update while B&B’s was an iconic throwback to its original, in time for its 30th anniversary in March.

Best: Jill’s Heart Attack on Y&R

billy jill Y&R

While we may not get to see Jess Walton as much as we’d like to see these days but Jill’s battle with heart disease was greatly penned by then-head writer Sally Sussman and aired in February. The Y&R team worked with the American Heart Association to educate viewers on the number one killer of American women and a PSA encouraged viewers to visit the American Heart Association’s heart.org to learn how to manage risks and recognize the warning signs of a heart attack. In addition to Walton’s performance, the storyline also highlighted Jason Thompson’s Billy who has since been relegated to a rom-com type storyline with Phyllis.

Worst: GH’s Jane Elliot Retires

jane elliot general hospital

After a year of revealing her intentions to retire, General Hospital’s Jane Elliot retired earlier this year. While GH has improved towards the end of the year, Tracy Quartermaine’s presence in Port Charles will always be missed.

Worst: Chloe “Dies” on Y&R

chloe young and the restless

While we can’t really fault Sally Sussman for Chuck Pratt writing Elizabeth Hendrickson’s Chloe into a corner, surely Y&R could have come up with a way to salvage the character. Instead, Chloe’s death was faked and she’s off living in secret with Kevin (Greg Rikaart) — all while Esther (Kate Linder) has no idea her daughter’s still alive.

Best: Marla Adams Returns as Dina on Y&R

dina young and the restless

Marla Adams returned as Dina Mergeron on The Young and the Restless this past year and gave Genoa City a boost in the much-needed old-school soap matriarch department. Dina’s banter with Gloria (Judith Chapman) to rebuilding her relationship with her children, was pure soap. In November, Dina’s family had learned about her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. We hope that Mal Young and his team treat this storyline carefully and slowly. We don’t want to lose Dina quickly.

Best & Worst: Sheila Returns to B&B

sheila bold and the beautiful

One of daytime’s most iconic supervillain’s made her return to The Bold and the Beautiful this past June, surprising everyone with a Friday cliffhanger. “The Summer of Sheila” consisted of Sheila facing off with Quinn (Rena Sofer) over Eric (John McCook), or rather a portrait at the Forrester Mansion. The best reaction to Sheila’s return came from Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) who shot at her and they played a good beat with Sean Kanan’s Devon at the start but there were so many B&B players that were missed from Sheila’s return like Taylor (Hunter Tylo), Amber (Adrienne Frantz) as well as Y&R’s Lauren (Tracey E. Bregman) and Scott (Daniel Hall). They barely used Ian Buchanan’s James. It’s a shame that CBS didn’t use Kimberlin Brown’s return for a crossover event. Instead, Sheila’s serving tables at Il Giardino! It’s so embarrassing.

Best & Worst: Mariah & Tessa on Y&R

mariah tessa young and the restless

After weeks of teasing, The Young and the Restless had Mariah (Camryn Grimes) and Tessa (Cait Fairbanks) kiss over the summer… but that was it. It seems that the soap is too scared to do a same-sex relationship, which is a shame since Grimes’ performance as a young woman coming to terms with her feelings of sexual confusion was wonderfully done. Months later, we are so sure where things stand. Tessa’s still dating Mariah’s brother Noah (Robert Adamson) and their mother Sharon (Sharon Case) is perfectly fine having Tessa get away with leading both her children on… Seriously?

Worst: B&B’s Decline

bold and the beautiful 2017

Still nothing for Rick (Jacob Young) and Maya (Karla Mosley). Brooke’s gone from Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) to Bill (Don Diamont), to Ridge again. But hey, let’s recast Thorne with Ingo Rademacher even though Winsor Harmon is ready and willing to return.

Best: Steffy & Bill on B&B

steffy bill bold and the beautiful

It was nice that B&B finally acknowledged the history between Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) and Bill (Don Diamont). Now that she’s pregnant and isn’t sure if she’s carrying her husband, Liam’s (Scott Clifton), child or her father-in-law’s, it would be great for her to realize that she’s pretty much become Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang)… Or better yet, have Taylor reach that conclusion.

Best: Chris Van Etten Promoted to Co-Head Writer at GH

general hospital 2017

Jean Passanante’s retirement has done wonders for General Hospital. Chris Van Etten, who has worked his way up on the writing staffs at both One Life to Live and GH was named co-head writer, a position that he rightfully deserves. Although he serves under Shelly Altman, Van Etten’s work has improved GH considerably. For the first time since Carlivati exited, there’s continuity to GH and all of Port Charles feels very cohesive as if there was a plan in place to honour the show’s legacy and play story beats, which in turn continues to shape the show’s future.

Best: Judi Evans as Adrienne and Bonnie on DAYS

judi evans days of our lives

Judi Evans deserves a contract after her hilarious return as Bonnie this past fall. Why not have Adrienne discover that she and Bonnie are sisters?

Best: Drunk Lucas on DAYS

lucas days of our lives

Bryan Dattilo is also another recurring performer that deserves a full-time deal at the soap. Hopefully we’ll see a lot more of Lucas post-rehab, especially with Will (Chandler Massey) and some romance (even if it’s with Chloe).

Best: The Tale of Two Jason’s on GH

the tale of two jason's general hospital

We were all so worried at how General Hospital was going to handle Steve Burton’s return given the lackluster writing in recent years. Luckily, we were proved wrong. Burton’s back as the real Jason while Billy Miller gets to play flesh out a new character in Drew.

Best: Kelly Monaco at GH

kelly monaco 2017

Kelly Monaco’s Sam went from getting cat poop disease to being the center of the whole Tale of Two Jason’s all within a year. The biggest question isn’t about who was Jason, it’s become all about who will Sam choose: Jason or Drew? Monaco’s become GH’s MVP in all of this and it’s about time.

Best: Mishael Morgan at Y&R

mishael morgan

Transitioning from Sally Sussman’s vision of Y&R to Mal Young, Canadian Mishael Morgan has managed to outshine that god-awful GC Buzz/Hilary Hour. Hilary continues to become the power-playing vixen that Genoa City needs. Kudos for giving her a best friend in Phyllis (Gina Tognoni).

Best: Will’s Alive on DAYS

will alive days of our lives

One of Ron Carlivati’s first tasks at Days of our Lives was to right/write the wrong that was Will’s death. Chandler Massey returned to the soap this fall and they played out all the beats with Ben, Sami and the delicious return of Eileen Davidson as Susan, Kristen and Sister Mary Moira.

Best: Alison Sweeney’s Return to DAYS

sami brady 2017

Alison Sweeney’s return to Days of our Lives as Sami Brady DiMera for a three-month stint was amazing. She was finally written true-to-character after such a long time. While there are many great performers on the show, a full-time return for Sweeney would be great. Sami is much needed in Salem.

Best: J.J. Contemplates Suicide on DAYS

casey moss days of our lives 2017

I wish that some more focus would have been given to Theo’s (Kyler Pettis) actual shooting on Days of our Lives and the racial implications should have been more than just beats, but the handling of J.J. (Casey Moss) contemplating suicide was wonderfully written and performed. It was a treat to see Matthew Ashford back as Jack as well.

Best: Cane & Lily’s Marriage Problems at Y&R

cane lily 2017

Cane’s (Daniel Goddard) one-night-stand with Juliet (Laur Allen) on Y&R gave Cane and Lily (Christel Khalil) a much-needed shot in the arm. Juliet’s long-gone but hopefully if the writers are going to be repairing Cane and Lily’s relationship, they take their time. It’s been great seeing Lily with other characters like Abby (Melissa Ordway) and while it’s jarring to see Khalil play mom to teenagers, aging Mattie (Lexie Stevenson) and Charlie (Noah Alexander Gerry) has added a new layer to Cane’s latest blunder.

Worst: The Newman Family on Y&R

newman family young and the restless

The Newman family needs a much-needed overhaul on The Young and the Restless right now. Enough with the back and forth between Victor (Eric Braeden) and Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott). You’re supposed to get wiser with age, so let this supercouple age gracefully and be the wise matriarch and patriarch they should be. It’s also time to reunite Nick (Joshua Morrow) with Sharon (Sharon Case) for good as well. Nick and Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan) are beyond boring, which is a shame since Chelsea is sitting on the big secret that Nick isn’t Christian’s father. Noah should be the one going through relationships on screen. Regardless if they go there with Mariah and Tessa, the Newman scion should have a much more compelling on-screen counterpart? If they aren’t keen on reuniting Hilary (Mishael Morgan) with Devon (Bryton James), why not put Hilary with Noah? Imagine that triangle?

Best: The Abbott Family on Y&R

abbott family young and the restless

From Dina’s (Marla Adams) return to Jack (Peter Bergman) and Ashley (Eileen Davidson) feud over the Jabot CEO position. The Abbott family finally feels restored at The Young and the Restless. The continued presence of Traci (Beth Maitland) is always appreciated. Let’s hope that a Kyle return isn’t that far away after he cast a no-confidence vote for his father. It’s about time that Jack lets go of his animosity towards Billy (Jason Thompson) over Phyllis (Gina Tognoni). Why not let Jack/Phyllis reunite while Billy can cozy up with a newly-divorced Mac who returns to town?

For the latest soap news, spoilers and previews, you can always visit TheTVWatercooler.com/Soaps!

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