User reviews

John James "Dr. Rick Decker" was one of the funniest elements on this show since Christopher Goutman took helm. It was a bit ridiculous that no one, except the tv audience, figured out the culprit was Decker - no mystery whatsoever. Since James is an accomplished actor, he did a smashing job as the evil serial killer. He should be commended for his performance!!

As The World Turns started on my birthday in 1956. I was in high school and since the show was only 1/2 hour, I was able to watch it on my lunch hour. I have watched it all these years and really love it. ATWT has produced some great actors and actresses. I loved Meg Ryan as Betsy and Julianne Moore as Franny. I thought Brian Bloome was terrific as Dusty. I was very saddened when the Judge and then Christopher Hughes died. I feel I have grown old with Bob, Kim and Lisa. I wish some of the older actresses could be brought back. I really miss Frannie and Betsy. This year (April 2, 2006) I will have been watching this show for 50 years. So, happy birthday to me and to As The World Turns.

It is such a shame we don't get to see As the World Turns anymore. It was such a great show. It should never have been canceled! It ran for 54 years. It had great characters and great actors and actresses who portrayed them. The show has such an impressive history, it is legendary. It was never boring, so much happened and we got to see a lot of epic story lines. If you have never watched it, you really have missed something. I am only 21 and I've watched the show for 11 years, in the Netherlands. It will always be part of TV history and the show should never be forgotten. If you have the chance, watch some clips on Youtube. You won't be sorry. The world will always turn in my heart.

As the World Turns is a piece of Americana culture. Cast members like Helen Wagner, Bob Hastings, Eileen Fulton, Kathryn Hays, Colleen Zenk Pinter, Marie Masters, Elizabeth Hubbard, Larry Bryggman etc. have really helped make my days sometimes. The show was created Irna Phillips, the creator of daytime television. From her ideas, she created the world of Oakdale, Illinois. Helen Wagner should be given many honors besides a Lifetime Emmy Award. Next year, she will be celebrating 50 years of playing the same character on daytime television. Where are the accolades that go with such an achievement? She deserves a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and even to be an honoree at the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Center Honors. Don't stop there! She should be inducted into the television hall of fame for her contributions to television. I think CBS is the best, most supportive network of the three. While Guiding Light needs ever viewer, this year will determine both Guiding Light and As The World Turns future. If you want to know where Desperate Housewives' ideas came from, this is the place and it has been there for most of our lives. I just wish more people would appreciate the fine quality of work that these cast of brilliant actors do for daytime. I would like to see prime time players do the hectic schedules of any daytime player. It goes unappreciated. The story lines have not been the same since Douglas Marland's death but his legacy is his creative contributions to the show like the Snyder family. I will never forget the Angel incest storyline as the most shocking entertaining informing and brilliant portrayal ever anywhere else. Marland weaved stories like his predecessors Irna Phillips, Agnes Nixon, Bill Bell, etc. He is sorely missed even now. I hope As the World Turns and Guiding Light live on television forever so please give daytime a try. You might like it better than prime time, I usually do and I have watched it for 20 years.

I have been watching As The World Turns since it started in 1956, and when I was working, I always scheduled my lunch hour, so that I could watch the show. However, I have been so disappointed in the show, that I do not watch it with the same enthusiasm. It has become weird, ridiculous, and unbelievable in the past few years. I tune in occasionally, to see if it has changed back to the older cast, and better writing. I thought that when the summer was over,and the teenagers were back in school, you would not direct the show to the younger audience. My mother also watched the show everyday, when she was alive. She also would be disappointed in it now.

If you have never watched ATWT, do yourself a favor and check out this wonderful program. I have been a faithful viewer of this show since 1986 when the legendary Douglas Marland penned those well-crafted stories that incorporated the show's history and kept the viewer glued to the television set. Actually, if you count the time that my mother watched when I was a little kid, then I have been watching a lot longer than that! Incredibly, there are still many talented actors (and their characters) whom I remember from that time who are still on the show today: Helen Wagner (Nancy), Don Hastings (Bob), Eileen Fulton (Lisa), Kathryn Hays (Kim), Larry Bryggman (John) and Marie Masters (Susan). There have also been many great actors who have appeared later who are equally as brilliant and have been on the show for more that 10 years: Elizabeth Hubbard (Lucinda), Colleen Zenk Pinter (Barbara), Benjamin Hendrickson (Hal), Tamara Tunie (Jessica), Scott Holmes (Tom), Ellen Dolan (Margo), Kelley Menighan Hensley (Emily), Jon Hensley (Holden), and Martha Byrne (Lily/Rose). Other notable actors who just grab your attention in the current storylines include: Maura West (Carly), Lesli Kay (Molly), Michael Park (Jack), Mark Collier (Mike), Lamman Rucker (Marshall), Scott Holroyd (Paul) and Hunt Block (Craig).

The entire cast is great and the stories are more rooted in reality than most other shows (no aliens, demonic possessions or stereotypical mobster types here!) and this is exactly why I watch this show! Yes, there have been people coming back from the dead (remember James Stenbeck?), the premature aging syndrome of children (Bonnie is supposed to be 11 years old in "real time"!) and some things that seem odd to the very astute viewer (I must have missed the episode where Ellen Stewart left town and entrusted her home to Susan Stewart, her ex-daughter-in-law with whom she never really got along!), but, for the most part, things make sense and characters behave in ways that are logical and therefore help to maintain their integrity. Hogan Sheffer is doing a fine job of writing and developing stories. Actors Marie Masters and Courtney Sherman (Dr. Susan Stewart and Dr. Lynn Michaels, respectively) are also on the writing team.

Another thing I appreciate as a longtime viewer is characters who come back for brief visits and are played by the original actors. Caleb Snyder and his wife Julie recently came to town to visit their son Aaron and the rest of the Snyder clan. And Iva Snyder returned when the Lily/Rose story was initially unraveling. It would be great to see other old favorites come back to visit or permanently move back to town. It was a real disservice when Patricia Bruder, who played Ellen Stewart, was let go in 1995. She joined the show in 1960 and was the last remnant of the Lowell/Stewart family. She should move back (and reclaim her house!) and then get involved in the life of her granddaughter, Emily. She might even help Alison (she needs it!) who would be both her step-granddaughter and great-granddaughter. (Too long to explain here!) It would be great if the other Snyder family members would return. Or, perhaps, the other lost members of the Hughes family--they've been in fictional Montega long enough! Personally, I would like to see these actors and their characters again: Allyson Rice (Connor Walsh, Lucinda's despised relative & a great business foil for Lucinda); Greg Watkins (Evan Walsh, Connor's brother & Rosanna's old beau); Scott DeFrietas (Andy Dixon, son of Kim and John & Paul's cousin); Lindsay Frost (Betsy Stewart Andropoulos, Ellen's other granddaughter and Emily's half-sister); Anne Sward (Lyla Montgomery Peretti, mother of Margo, Craig, Cricket and Katie); and Robin Morse (Pamela Wagner, John's niece who was a no-nonsense, independent student nurse trainee). Allyson Rice (Connor) and Daniel Markel (David Allen/Stenbeck) should never have been let go! It would be great if Trent Dawson (Henry Coleman) and Anne Sayre (Mitzi Matters) were given contracts and more air time--their characters are really outrageously funny!

So, watch this soap opera that will soon be turning 47 years old this year. What other program--daytime or nighttime--can boast that it has a character (Nancy Hughes McClosky) that's been played by the same actress (Helen Wagner) since the premiere episode for the last 47 years??? Not one!

There's also a book called "As the World Turns: The Complete Family Scrapbook" by Julie Poll that was written to coincide with the show's 40th anniversary in 1996. This will help new viewers get the entire storyline (up to 1996) of the members of the Hughes, Lowell, Stewart, Montgomery, Walsh and Snyder families and all of their friends and enemies.

Being of the older generation, Bob & Kim ARE the show, I love them, however as write-ups in the T.V.Guides state, you are only interested in the younger generation. Too bad because we are the ones at home in the P.M. when the soap is on. O well, such is life, like the older actors we have served our time!!

We all know how soaps are. Over dramatic, cheesy and completely unrealistic. But this is one soap, I find, that does it in a more clever way. It's actually enjoyable to watch, and sometimes even funny. I never liked day time drama. Sure, I'd watch for the sake of laughing at the awful writing and acting. But then I watched an episode of As The World Turns. And then the next day. Soon, I was addicted to it. The characters intrigued me and there story lines often made sense and were logical. The Luke and Noah story line made the show for me. Not many times do you find a day time drama with a gay couple on it, and the fact that ATWT took the risk, really impressed me and I enjoyed the show ever more. If anything, watch this show for them. I am a new viewer of this show, as new as they come. 1 months to be exact, but I've heard many people say that it's not as good as it was back then, when it first began. Well, I wouldn't know. As I see the show right now, I would say it is the best day time drama on television today.

For me, ironically enough, it was '84, when Meg Ryan left and was replaced with Lindsey Frost, that I started watching.

Doug Marland became the writer and suddenly this show was truly different from the other soaps.

We got the Snyder farm family and Lily Walsh was recast.

The standout situation to me was Lucinda Walsh shoving Susan Stewart into that Christmas tree and injuring Susan's back. Susan is in the hospital and the gloating Lucinda pays her a visit.

Susan, a recovering alcoholic, becomes addicted to the pain killers for her back. Kim Hughes is helping her son, Andy Dixon, deal with his alcoholism after the bad girl he loved, Julie, has dumped him for Tonio Reyes.

Turns out it was Lucinda who brought Julie to town to begin with.

Kim's husband, Bob Hughes, feels ignored by Kim. He aids Susan with her withdrawal, and next thing you know, the pristine Bob Hughes is having a one night stand with Susan, whose husband Dan had had an affair with Kim decades earlier.

But the fun didn't end there.

Bob and Kim learned they had a long lost daughter, Sabrina Fullerton (originally played by Julianne Moore).

Sabrina (later played by Claire Beckman) was not the most welcoming person. She would feel sorry for the villianous Tonio Reyes (Peter Boynton), giving him all her inheritance from her adopted parents.

Bob would learn of Tonio's evil deeds, and attempt to stop him.

Tonio shot Bob in the back, then fled to South America with Sabrina.

As they drove across the outback, Tonio began confessing to Sabrina all he had done; the lies, the thievery and even shooting her father.

Tonio would say very calmly "Don't try to escape"

Sabrina would respond "I have no where to run to. You've seen to that."

I couldn't believe I had just heard such a powerhouse line in a soap opera.

There would be more, with Julie on the rebound from Caleb Snyder and Holden broken up with Lily, Julie and Holden would have the infamous one night stand that would rebound throughout the show with Julie getting pregnant.

Andy would deliver the baby with Snyder sister Iva, who would adopt the baby.

It was all amazing to watch.

Then Kim would have to trust Bob and Susan again when they went to South America to do medical duties and they vanished. Turns out they had been kidnapped and had to operate on the wounded Tonio Reyes!

Remarkable show.

When Conor Jameson was recast, and Neal Alcott (Mary Kay Adams) left the show (she was murdered), it was losing its fun.

Doug Marland would die as the murderer was revealed, but it wasn't exciting.

Then Iva Snyder would suddenly marry and leave the show, and so did I.

Ah well. The moment was gone.

But what a moment it was!

I'm a long time viewer and enjoy the show. However, at this time I am very disappointed with the writers. The story line with Carly and Jack has always kept my attention. They have wonderful chemistry and should be together, and never been parted. Problems with their marriage and getting back together has always kept me watching them. Carly and Jack should have remarried, and absolutely not married to other people. They still love each other and belong together. Carly does not have to marry Craig for security, because she should be reminding him that he owes her a million dollars for paying the ransom to the kidnappers to get his son (now deceased) back years ago. The writers seem to have forgotten this. Carly's horse died and the insurance money was the million dollars that she loaned Craig. This needs to be brought to the attention of the show's writers. I think they need to review the show over the years before they write their TV show segments. To a long time viewer it is distressing to watch mistakes that are so obvious. Thank you for the opportunity to give my views about one of my favorite shows.

Kay Newsome Baier, Duncan, SC

During the period of 1983 - 1984, when Justin Dees portrayed Tom Hughes and Hillary Baily Smith portrayed Margo Hughes, they were held hostage in a house of horrors by a diabolical midget who had a woman bodyguard, which I THOUGHT was portrayed by Darlene Conley???? My question and inquiry is.... am I correct or was this Bodyguard portrayed by someone else that reminds me of Ms. Conley. I would like to put this question out to anyone that might be able to answer this question. I have watched ATWT since 1956, but it's hard to remember that far back. Anyone wanting to contact me about this can email me direct at turtle5517@hotmail.com. Thanks, Marie Tuttle

I am an ATWT Lifer as well, though I missed the First 28 years due to being in the womb, a toddler, childhood, resenting my Gramma for taking over my TV to watch ATWT, But Enter Brian Bloom as Dusty Donovan & I was Hooked, Just like Mom & Gramma! I have seen all the greats, Meg Ryan, Marisa Tomei, Julianne Moore, Steven Weber, Laryn Hill, Jason Biggs, Parker Posey, Jordana Brewster, etc..... I Love this show for better for or for worse, For Richer & For Poorer, In Sickness & in Health, Forever & Ever Amen!!!!!!! it is the one thing that always brings the joy back into my life after a rough time, To grow up with these characters & see their day to day exploits, it really takes you away from the problems you may be dealing with on any certain day & I am grateful that a show like this is still on the air!

I grew up watching the show. My grandmother, mother and two aunts watched it religiously. Of course, as a boy, I didn't care for it, but I saw many episodes anyway.   

I remember November 22, 1963 very well. I was nine years old and out of school that day for some reason. I was sitting in the floor and the TV was tuned to the show when Cronkite announced that the President had been shot.   

I recall when my grandmother got her first color TV for Christmas, 1971. We hooked it up and the very first scene was of the show. It was a scene that took place in a car.   

I probably hadn't seen a single episode since the early eighties until the 50th anniversary show in April, 2006. I watched it for old times' sake.

Then, when Helen Wagner(Nancy) died a few months ago, I began recording it every day, hoping to see some old clips of her. They finally did a tribute show to her a couple of weeks ago.

 I must say that I was disappointed with today's finale. I was hoping they would show a lot of old clips, but they didn't show a single one. It would have been nice if they'd invited all the old actors(that are still living, of course) back and let everyone pose at the end and say "goodbye" to the home audience.

 I read that Helen Wagner delivered the very first line back in April, '56. I think it was "Good morning, dear" or something like that. The producers had planned for her to repeat the line on the last show, but of course, that wasn't meant to be.   

It's very sad to see it go. 54 years is a very long time for a TV series. BTW, I saw a commercial that said that "Carly" is now a character on "The Young and Restless."

This show, the first half-hour soap opera, had the classic soap opera setting - a suburb with two families who were good friends. Three and later four or five generations of these families were featured. The two families were the Hughes (middle-class) and the wealthier Lowell family. Chris and Nancy Hughes had a more secure marriage than did Jim and Claire Lowell. In fact, Chris's sister had an affair with Jim, who later divorced and was killed. The show was the first to offer the teen romance of Penny and Jeff. Penny's friend Ellen, after being rejected by Don Hughes, had an affair with a married, older doctor and bore an illegitimate son The Hughes family's storylines were more conventional and less plot driven, but those of the Lowell family were daring for their time. Penny and Jeff eloped, but the marriage was annulled. Later, they had a grand wedding to which the viewers were actually invited to attend at the end of the program. The show moved very slowly in the early days. The ratings were not the greatest, but eventually this show became the number one rated soap opera. 1960 proved to be a good year for the show. Don Hastings, Henderson Forsythe, Patricia Bruder, and Eileen Fulton all joined the show that year. Ms. Fulton, as Lisa, was the first great bad lady who was hated by the public. The role was originally intended to be a minor, short role, but the performances of Ms. Fulton insured that the audience would immediately notice the character. In 1965, the production company and network spun-off Lisa to a twice-a-week primetime soap opera called Our Private World. Irna Phillips, the show's creator and headwriter, left the show in the late 1960s. The show struggled creatively. Eventually Ms. Phillips returned, but the ratings had suffered. Ms. Phillips killed off a lot of the Lowell relatives during a short period of time. She was eventually fired from the show herself. Two other headwriting teams (Robert Sonderberg and Edith Sommer, Ralph Ellis and Eugenie Hunt) were able to keep the show interesting. (Others had failed.) But, later, a former actor from the show, Douglas Marland, became the headwriter on two occasions. By the time of his second term, the show had lost so many of the previous characters and had failed to add any new, interesting ones that the show seemed lost. Mr. Marland allowed the unthinkable to happen when the sister-in-law of the show's leading physician (Kim) who had once had an affair with the doctor, was allowed to marry him after the death of her sister. The show continued its downward slide while Mr. Marland and his successors wrote the show. Helen Wagner (Nancy), Don Hastings (Bob), and Eileen Fulton (Lisa) continue on the program today. And the show lights up whenever these performers are given occasionally good storylines or even scenes. But the show has continued to stray away from the core families - always a bad sign for a soap opera.

I remember watching this coming home from school with my mother. My mother worked nights and when I came home, she would be awake in the kitchen making lunch and dinner for her boys.

Gosh I loved this soap from the mid 90's till early 2000s. I loved Holdyn and Lilly and just terrific memories.

Yeah Soaps are hokey and cheesy but that's why its fun. It's made for mothers and sons and it's a wonderful show.

It was actually very good and MOST of the characters were likeable and at some point in your life, you can relate to multiple characters in the show.

Created by Irma Phillips

September 17, 2010...........................

The final curtain falls down forever for the longest-running daytime serial "As The World Turns",which debuted as daytime television's first-ever half-hour serial premiering on CBS-TV on April 2, 1956. It continued to be an half-hour serial until November 28, 1975. On December 1, 1975,the serial expand to a full hour,making it the first soap in the history on television and the third daytime soap to make the transition. The first was "Another World". The second was "Days of Our Lives". When "As The World Turns",expanded to a full-hour in December of 1975,CBS moved the soap opera around during various time slots in order to face stiff competition from both ABC and NBC for the battle of daytime supremacy. In its 54 years on daytime television,"As The World Turns" dominated the daytime ratings for two decades,and even prompted a prime-time spin off "Our Private World"(which debut in 1965); introduced daytime television's first gay male character(Hank Elliott) in 1988 and won four daytime Emmy Awards for best show.

"As The World Turns" created some of daytime dramas greatest super-couples and from there had fans tuning in each weekday afternoon to see what happens next. From "Holden and Lily",to "Jeff and Penny", "Steve and Betsy","Luke and Noah"(who made history in 2007 by sharing to first-ever gay male kiss on U.S. daytime television),and "Tom and Margo",and many more.

But what made this hugely popular daytime serial stand out from the rest of the competition was the famous faces that made their mark on "As The World Turns". These actors went on to bigger and better things in their careers due to this show. From the list of actors included: Richard Thomas, Swoosie Kurtz, Mary McDonnell, Dana Delany, Meg Ryan, Marisa Tomei, Julianne Moore, Thomas Gibson, Amy Ryan, Parker Posey, Jason Biggs, John O'Hurley, Jordana Brewster, Gary Sandy, Joyce Van Patten, James Noble, Ruth Warrick, Gloria DeHaven, Lisa Loring, Kristanna Loken, Rebecca Holden, Lucy Deakins, Peter No one, Michael Nader, John Wesley Shipp, Linda Dano, Mark Rydell, Paul O'Keefe, Richard Roundtree, James Earl Jones, and many, many more.

I grew up watching this show with my mother, my aunt and grandmother. It was truly a family affair. We all loved the Hughes family. It brought a little bit of their world into our homes. I miss it a lot. Would love to see them put this on the air as reruns!!! Surely there enough episodes stored somewhere where do we could enjoy them once more. They are showing Gunsmoke and tons of old westerns, ladies would like to see As the World Turns as reruns. I started watching this show when I was a small child in the late 1950's and watched it until the day they took it off the air. The daytime soap operas they have on today do not compare.

ATWT has been on the air, television that is, almost as long as I have been around. My mother started me watching "As the World Turns", (in black and white) before I went to Kindergarden, at age 4. I watched it after morning Kindergarden, in Elementary & High School (when I was sick or on vacation), in College (in the Student Union between classes), as a young adult (thank God for VCR's) and now a mature adult (I work nights so I can watch during the day)! In fact, I probably can recall all the inter-family relationships between the major characters better than most fans, all the plot twists and the famous actors which have had parts on the show. In all these years, I have never failed to catch a show, synopsis or preview, or a death, wedding, or last appearance, of a character from the show. These folks are like a second family, with all their quirks and peculiarities. I have talked to other fans, but no one I found has watched as long as I; anyone else with a longer continuous viewing record than myself? Anyone?

The number of nominations this soap opera received at the 2001 Daytime Emmy Awards is just one indicator of how excellent this show has been lately. The writing has been especially good, and the acting seems much better than most daytime fare. Of particular interest is the dual roles of long-estranged twin sisters Lily/Rose played to perfection by the talented Martha Byrne. Her scenes opposite herself are brilliant.

This soap opera's best feature, though, is the pace at which story lines move along. There is no spoon-feeding the audience. You have to watch consistently to get involved in the plots: there are no recaps of the past month's twists. Conversely, there have been incredible flashbacks and memories using real original footage from as far back as the series first season (1956). This really adds a warm sense of continuity for characters like Nancy Hughes, played since the beginning by Helen Wagner.

The head writer that created those beautiful story lines you mentioned in your comment was Douglas Marland.He died too soon at the age of fifty-seven. For his work on As the World Turns and Guiding Light, Mr. Marland was nominated(and won)Emmys and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993. As the World Turns and Guiding Light may not get the ratings that the Califonia-based soaps(The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful receive but they certainly get the Emmys!I just think the New York soap operas are better acted. If you look at the resumes of the adult actors on the New York produced shows, you will find Tony awards and nominations, Obies, Drama Desk awards,etc.. I have watched these shows since I was born(I am 49). The other shows I watched as a child were Search For Tomorrow, Love of Life and The Edge of Night. These shows were canceled to make room for The Young and the Restless, Capital(which later evolved into The Bold and Beautiful)and talk shows. I hope the viewers of As the World Turns and Guiding Light will keep watching and make sure that CBS keeps these shows on.

In 1967 I got hooked on As The World Turns because it represented a town where all the story lines seemed to interconnect.Lisa Hughes was an early favorite and has held my interest for 40 years.Barbara Ryan is the best bad girl ever on daytime.She is a lady with fangs.What a treat to watch the actresses.You know soaps are really a woman's medium.They always spin the show.I also really like the family part of As The World Turns.The writers keep the focus on that.Many difficult topics can and have been dealt with.I am proud that As The World Turns has led the way.Always first class too.I will be a fan and follow it always.kenolting

I can recall watching this during summer vacation when I was a kid. My mother loved it. That was when Lisa was still in high school and hadn't even married Bob yet. Back then, Bob and his brother Don (the lawyer) had a sister named Penny. My mother always said she liked Nancy because, although she was usually found in the kitchen, she also seemed to really pour coffee instead of other shows where it was obvious the cup held nothing. Over the years, I watched Lisa marry just about every man in town and, like Erica Kane on All My Children, age never seemed to be a hindrance to childbirth. I know they say men don't like soap operas, but believe me, you can get hooked on them. In the 70's when I was in college it even became sheik to watch AMC and GH with the whole Luke and Laura thing. I don't know any of the characters on the shows anymore but there was a time when I knew them on The Edge of Night, Guiding Light, Search for Tomorrow, Another World, Days of our Lives. They didn't have any TV judges then, so just soaps and a few game shows to watch back then. Of course things don't change that much: staples are still hospitals and courtrooms, whose baby is it, and the ever-popular coma. You gotta love em.

Ah, yes. I can remember when I was in high school. One thing I would do during my junior and senior year when I was home from school was watch this classic soap opera. From that moment on, I was hooked on it. In addition, If you ask me, Lucinda (Elizabeth Hubbard) really is devious. You would have to have seen some of the things she's done if you want to know why. I also enjoyed the days when Dan Region was the announcer. Ever since Molly (Lesli Kay Sterling) left the show, I haven't watched it as much. You'd have to have seen the show between 1997 and 2004 if you want to know why. However, this is still a good soap opera. In conclusion, I highly recommend this classic soap opera to all you die-hard CBS fans.

I am an aspiring soap writer, and I have watched most of the shows on the air as research. Somewhere along the way, I discovered As The World Turns. When I first caught glimpses of it, Carly was just home from The Spa, found in a carnival fun house after Hal was brainwashed by James Stenbeck. Emily was being kept in a trunk. Bonnie was a duchess. Molly's family was being threatened by an evil babysitter, eventually resulting in Jake's death and the near-death of Oakdale's neighbor, Bay City. It was sort of weird and awful at first, but I would tune in just to see the Oakdale hunks, especially Jack Snyder. Woof!

I can't remember when the tides really turned with this show. All I know for sure is, I discovered Ben Harris when Bonnie finally came home. Not only Grade A prime soap beef, but he and Jessica were electric on the screen. These were clearly two people who deserved much more screen time, and eventually got it. Margo, a staple character for years according to the ATWT scrapbook, got to be on the front burner for a week or two when she discovered she had hepatitis, contracted during a rape she was now being forced to relive. It would take a while, but eventually she moved back to the front burner again as well. In short, this show has an incredible pool of talented actors, and the writing team, receiving back to back Emmys for their work, have a knack for utilizing the vast talents of their cast.

It's not always perfect. The Oakdale 3 were awful. But from that terrible plot we eventually got a (somewhat) reformed Allison, who is now one of my favorite characters on the show. And, as with most shows, an emergency rewrite for a departing or pregnant actor can yield some substandard plots. Of course, I blame a lot of that on the soap fans, who can be pretty unwelcoming of temporary recasts (and that means you especially, Passions fans!) But As The World Turns is honestly the best soap on TV, and that includes the primetime dramas, and reality shows which are nothing more than soaps with real people for characters. I would love to see another attempt at Our Private World, a primetime spin-off featuring the amazing Eileen Fulton, following Lisa Hughes as she moved from Oakdale to Chicago. Imagine a revamped Another World, where Molly goes back to Bay City to fight for her daughters Bridget and Michelle. With enough shared writers, I'd watch both series faithfully. In the meantime, I will have to settle for the five hours a week of ATWT I have now and hope a few other writing teams can tune in and take a few notes.