Maybe seven or eight years ago, TV Guide named GHas the best soap of the 80s, and the best soap of all time. As a tried and true resident of Port Charles, I'm not one to disagree. I think that we sometimes forget that the reason we spend so much time complaining about story lines, or actors, or couples is that it is our show. We all came in, and fell in love for a reason. These days, with our busy schedules, we don't watch/tape just to have something to do. We do it because we're devoted, because we loved the Q's, the Spencers, the Cassadines, Sonny, Jax. We're not puppets, dragged by unseen strings in front of the TV for an hour every day. Based on my limited experience with non-ABC fandoms, I dare say we have a much higher percentage of intelligent, articulate, opinionated fans than other shows. So we've stuck it out through Richard Culliton and Miranda, through Lily and Miguel, and through Sarah Webber and Hannah (though you might as well insert any two names into any of those positions) for a reason.

I know why I do it. If you can bear with me through a slightly insipid list, please do. If you have beef with something I say, tell me. If you have something to add, please do. Maybe this little exercise will help us all remember.

Why I Love GH:

1. Because at its best, it's one of the best shows on TV. You all know exactly what I mean by this. There is that little tingle that comes about five minutes after the opening credits when you realize that it's going to be one of those episodes. One beautiful hour of programming which can capture and hold our attention just as well as The Practice, or The X-Files, or Buffy.

2. Because at its worst, it's still one of the best soaps. No matter how low the show sinks--and it has sunk lower than it is right now, though we might not like to admit it--it's still more watch-able than 9/10ths of the other dreck.

3. Wendy Riche. I know that's bound to be an unpopular choice, but I can't help it. I cannot read about her promising Lee Mathis at least one day of work a year for as long as he lived without it bringing tears to my eyes. In interviews, Maurice Benard has said her faith in him--during the early days of Sonny when Benard's bi-polar disorder was flaring up so horribly--all but saved his life. She does a thousand little things for the cast, which she doesn't flaunt, and that we only know about because they talk about it. This woman has a heart the size of the hospital. She may have been a raging egomaniac when she started, but she's gotten more humble as time has gone on, and despite what others might say, her hits far outnumber her misses.

4. The casting department. There have been missteps, to be sure. But the incredibly talented fresh faces that have been brought in, the Rena Sofers, Sarah Browns, Johnathan Jacksons, Ingo Rademachers, Michael Suttons, Tyler Christophers, and Becky Herbsts far outweigh them. And when consider the incredibly talent folks that get supporting roles--folks like Ron Hale, or Lois Nettleton--it's even more remarkable.

5. The Nurses' Ball. The only show all year to make me laugh and cry in equal measure. Unlike other shows, which tend to make the Day of Compassion take up only about a scene or two, GHturns into something we look forward to every year. While we've all had some criticism this year, 3:00PM on June 21st was still the highlight of my week.

6. For the most part, the powers that be treat us like the intelligent people we are. Watch The Young and the Restless, with its slow-moving storylines. Watch Days of Our Lives, whose characters constantly talk to themselves. Watch Passions, with its insipid dialogue. Then watch GH, where the stories move faster than molasses, where we are allowed to figure out the characters' actions and motivations without having it explained to us (by the character, no less), and which constantly has fresh, funny dialogue.

7. Genie Francis, Sarah Brown, Nancy Lee Grahn, Becky Herbst, Leslie Charleson, Constance Towers, and Anna Lee. There are good soap actresses, and then there are good actresses. Deidre Hall is a good soap actress. These ladies are good actresses.

8. Tony Geary, Maurice Benard, Wally Kurth, Billy Warlock, Stuart Damon, Stephen Nichols, and John Ingle. Ditto what I said about the women.

9. The little gems that display the show's basic faith in humanity. What I mean is that this show is not nearly as cynical as we the viewers might think (or indeed, as we, the viewers, are). Alan and Monica are still together, in spite of everything, Bobbie managed to forgive Carly for all the wrongs done her, and there seems to be a firm belief (see: Tony, Lucy, Kevin, etc) that no character is ever truly beyond redemption (except maybe Helena; that remains to be seen).

Back to Front Page of Issue

Back to Top