| Controversial Storylines and Fan Campaigns | |
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Lately I have been receiving lots of email concerning the latest storylines and the effectiveness of fan campaigns. So let's take a look at these issues further.
As fans, we may not always agree to the way certain storylines are heading. Take for example the current storyline surrounding Jen's pregnancy. This seems to be one of those storylines the fans are either loving it, or hating it; there does not seem to be any in between. Some of the letters I have received in the mail so far have been very much opposed to it, but then again, most fans only take the time to write when they disagree about something.
One of the biggest issues fans are bringing up
on the "Jen pregnancy" storyline is the "safe sex" concern, especially since
this involves young adults. Is it okay for soaps to ignore such a serious issue?
Some say yes because it's only television, and if young people are watching the
shows then parental guidance should be in place anyway. While others feel it is
the responsibility of TV to be considerate of young viewers and not allow such
activity such as unsafe sex to be shown. In either case, it is one of those
issues which is up to the individual viewer to decide the moral implications of
and decide to take action or not.
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Another hot topic centers around a second Llanview pregnancy. Racy, outrageous, exciting, disgusting - these are the words I'm hearing about the storyline involving Keri, Antonio, Liz and R.J. Talk about your moral implications; this storyline will probably push it to the limit. A daughter carrying her own mother's baby, and probably her own finance's baby as well. Wow, talk about confusing, not to mention the possibility this storyline can lead to down the road. Will Liz convince Antonio to keep the father's paternity a secret from Keri? If so, will R.J. find out the truth and use this information to once again try and break apart Keri and Antonio? Will R.J. and Liz become involved again, and if so, once the baby is born, will Antonio let R.J. help raise his child? Boy, poor Carlotta is all I can say. Her head will be spinning after she finds out the mess involving her sons this time. I did find it interesting that Antonio's first response to Cristian after he announced Jen's pregnancy to him was "Didn't you use protection?" Whoa Antonio....who's the one who didn't use protection with Liz?
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Now if you think these storylines are hot, you haven't seen anything yet once Todd Manning hits home. First on Todd's agenda will mostly likely center around his children, Starr and Jack. How this will all play out is anybody's guess at this point, but I can bet Blair won't take this sitting down. Next you have Sam's role in Blair's life. TPTB made the decision to play around a bit with a Sam and Blair pairing, which viewers will see more of in the weeks to come. This might not have been the smartest move the writers have made in a while, especially considering the huge TnB and TnT fan bases, and poor Sam Rappaport will mostly take the brunt of this one no matter how nicely he treats Blair. But hey, perhaps the writers know what they are doing, and Sam and Blair will live happily ever after. Nah, what I am I saying, this is a soap opera. And speaking once again about Todd, I wonder how is he going to feel about his old pal Sam making the moves with his wife? I have a feeling Todd will mostly likely return to his old ways and seek revenge on those who "ruined" his life once again. A big factor in how this storyline plays out will also depend on the availability of Roger Howarth. As some of you may already know, Howarth will be staying on for the entire season of the WB's series Dawson's Creek. Will this affect his schedule with One Life to Live? My guess is it will some, but I'm sure both shows are doing their best to coordinate his shooting schedule.
So do fan campaigns really work? This is usually the first question a fan asks when they decide to take action once they become unhappy with a storyline. Unfortunately there is no easy answer to this question. In my own personal experience I can say that yes, I have seen fan campaigns make a difference, at least partially. However, you have to keep in mind one very important factor, One Life to Live is generally five weeks ahead of their shooting schedule. So what you disagree with what you are seeing now on the screen may already be well over, or heading in an entirely different direction by the time you even get a stamp on your envelope. So even if you do decide to take action and write TPTB, it may simply be too late. However, I have always felt that it can't hurt to write in anyway. The Niki/Viki storyline, for example, was probably one of the most controversial ones I have seen in quite some time. I myself received hundreds of emails from dissatisfied fans, and I can only imagine how many TPTB must have received also. This storyline may not have turned out the way many fans wanted, but I can tell you that I heard from a very reliable source TPTB did admit they may have made a mistake with how long it took to play this one out. So did all that fan mail make a difference? I believe so. We probably won't see Niki Smith in Llanview again.
There are fans who have watched OLTL since the day it first aired back in July 1968, and there are new viewers seeing the show for the first time. But no matter how long you have watched the show, it's important to know your opinion counts! You may be perfectly happy with the current storylines, or you may be on the verge of tuning it out for good. Either way, remember the old saying, "You can't win 'em all." I'm sure TPTB try their best to keep fans entertained and pleased with their favorite shows as much as possible, after all, without the viewers, they won't have the ad dollars, and without their ad dollars, there won't be a show.
Take part in these latest voting polls and
let us know what you think of the current storylines:
| NEW What do you think of Sam and Blair together as a couple? |
| NEW What do you think of the storyline centered around Keri's pregnancy? |
| NEW What do you think of the storyline around Jen's pregnancy? |
If you do want to write TPTB, here are some addresses to get you started:
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Gary Tomlin
Executive Producer, One Life to Live
ABC Daytime
56 West 66th Street
New York, NY 10023
One Life to Live
c/o ABC-TV, Audience Information
77 West 66th Street
New York, NY 10023
Brain Scott Frons
President, ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime
500 S Buena Vista Ave
Burbank CA 91521
Or you can e-mail One Life to Live at: netaudr@abc.com
Disclaimer: This article is of my own personal opinion and does necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Soap Opera Digest or Soap Opera Weekly magazines.
