Is It A Shift in Genre or Thinning the Herd?- The Big Names Take a Tumble

There has been a really interesting topic of discussion this past weekend and I want to address it head on.  There's a trend to move on from the "Big Names" in all suriving soaps. Is it a purge or an amputation of diseased tissue to allow the organism to live?

Ya know, that Marlena De La Croix wrote a piece I thought was interesting about how all the shows may be axing their major lead actors.  Here's the link: http://marlenadelacroix.com/2012/08/sunday-reflections-7-central-actors-leave-takings-on-days-of-our-lives-bold-headlocks-and-diction-on-b-one-strange-interview-from-bb/  I'm an academic. I have to cite sources.  You're lucky I didn't use the APA format!!

At any rate, if you don't hear the Burton clock ticking, you're living under a rock. This could go either way, but it's bloody likely he'll be out unless he plays Frank's game.  I'm sick about Reckell, but what can you do? DOOL is a nightmare right now.  Braeden can go as I think he sucks but I do recognize his value as an icon for Y&R. I just find him unappealing in every way.  Ron Moss- well, I don't watch B&B but I know he's been there a long time. And has a funky fashion sense. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more.  That's about all I got on him.

But, really, what does it all mean?What's it about and could it be telling us something good instead of something bad? Should we expect these shows to evolve and change over time? Should this be a sign of something that's been needed for years?

I doubt it can be summed up as one specific trend, really.  Every show has a reason for cutting who they're cutting and why. I think there's  an economic incentive here and it's not story-driven. I think it's about saving money, not a genre. Can a better bottom line buy time? Sure, but what does it accomplish in the long run?  We all have to deal with change and these shows are not immune, but there's change and there's upset.  Which is this?

I don't think it can be taken as a trend as it's not happening everywhere. It's occurring with only some individuals who don't want to roll with the new environment.  Is it the shows that change or the stars that refuse to do so?  I don't know. I don't know any of them,  their agents, or have any inside info at all. But I'd say there's enough blame to go around.

I admit that I'm biased. I'll shout it from the rooftops as it should be obvious by now anyway.  I AM BIASED!! But this is my blog and I don't get paid for it and I do it for my own amusement, so if you don't like it, you can bite me. But feel free to speak your mind as many do. It's always welcome. I am a civil libertarian and I might not like what you say either but I'll fight for your right to say it.

At any rate, I think some of these changes have to happen but I'm fascinated with who they are, meaning the ones that are "going". I was disgusted when David Canary left AMC. Really disgusted. But they moved on and supposedly didn't want him anymore....Not sure if that's true, but it was rumored. It actually made me NOT watch that show as I didn't appreciate the treatment of the other  male leads of value- Tad and Jesse, to name a few. AMC had long ago thrown any worthwhile female lead under the bus or off to pasture, IMO.

But I didn't bitch and moan to the network about it. I didn't rant or rave much about the alleged behavior of the network- okay, I did some but it's in my DNA, I can't help it.  It was not the best move, IMO, but maybe DC wanted it, too, and it was something that happened. Adam couldn't shoulder that show forever.  And his send off was glorious. But I  missed him, still do, and it was what it was. But it killed that show for me.

These departures may be different. Braeden is a mainstay on that show. I don't like him or Victor even  a little, but he's an icon over there. I won't deny that. But maybe he needed to be put on backburner a bit more. Not everyone likes his antics and maybe there should have been less Victor as he almost always is in an "A" story. Maybe we needed less Victor. The Sharon story was appalling, and still is, and shows there's nothing left to do with this guy. He needs to marry that slag Nicki and ride off into the sunset for a while. Sorry, but it's what I think. Let Adam be the new Victor. Muhney's a helluva lot more appealing.

Reckell is a head scratcher to me, I admit it. I love that guy and his character isn't overplayed or redundant. He's a mainstay. He's the old school soap hero who has aged gracefully, has his supercouple wife, and can still be pretty hot.  I hope it's his idea and based on money or time off because I'd hate to see this type of character be undervalued. He's needed. I call him the "Bo", as in Bo Buchanan and Bo Brady. They're the great guys who make you smile just being around. I'm smiling right now thinking about them. They're the guys who you want in your own life but hardly exist in reality. You know what they are? Old Hollywood Heroes.  And there aren't enough of them anymore. Too much angst nowadays. John McBain or Ronan Malloy will never be a Bo. They're too conflicted.  I hope the Bo isn't being phased out as he's so needed all around. Like the matriarchs, they're the heart of these shows.

Burton, well, I've ragged on that guy enough. I don't like him. I don't like the character. I don't like anything about him except his aunt and his father and his brother. Other than that, he sucks. So, he can leave. But I think it's interesting. If he does leave GH, it's the shift I've been yelling about for months. It's the move away from GH as it was, to GH as it will be, meaning more emphasis on OLTL.  Even if he stays, he won't be front and center all the time as his time will be reduced, rumor has it. The focus of that show has changed and will change more as time goes on. How much, we'll see. But I haven't been wrong yet. And the Laura Wright rumors are really making headway. Yet, if you heard that she's looking to move on, it would make a lot of things make sense.

If Burton can be out, she can, too. That show is going in a direction that Valentini wants to take it. Like it or not. The Trio of  Terror's reign is looking like it's over.  Not only is Jason floundering but Carly is headed for a massive slap with the reality stick and it will knock her out.  If you don't see this coming, you're blind. Or refuse to see. If she sticks around, she'll be changed forever. She's a chump.  Top dog status is about to be relegated to the younger crowd.  She's now another middle aged broad on ABC. And that's never a good spot.

Yet characters of quality remain in some cases.  Jack Abbot sticks around and Michael Baldwin, we hope. Todd Manning survives cancellation and I still have crossed fingers for my boyfriend David Hayward and maybe even a Jesse Hubbard somewhere in the future. Could it be we get a Bo sighting again sometime in Port Charles to lead McBain in the right direction?

Oh, I get breathless with the possibility. Could it be true? I don't know. But, as I've learned this year, it ain't over till it's over. And death is never final in a soap....there's always the potential for resurrection.