In about a week the 'World' will stop turning over on CBS. Even as I write these words it's difficult to believe that "As the World Turns" will no longer be a part of the daytime line-up, as this was one of many soaps I grew up watching. I must admit, however, that I haven't followed the show all that closely in quite a while. In my opinion the quality of the storylines and overall tone of the show deteriorated to a point where the characters I had grown to love became virtually unrecognizable. Unfortunately this seems to be a growing trend shared by many of today's soaps and I suspect this may at least partially explain the steady decline in ratings. However, I'm not writing this post as an evaluation of ATWT's shortcomings. That would be like kicking an old friend while they were down. And of course any problems the show has had doesn't negate the many years of great storytelling and superior acting that will surely be the hallmark of its legacy. After all the show boasts an impressive list of now famous actors whose careers essentially began with this show. For this reason alone it's a shame that "As the World Turns" is now coming to an end. One would think some sort of historical preservation would be in order here, but alas no such protection of this nature exists. And so it's time to say goodbye to a show that has been a part of people's lives for over fifty years. Like Guiding Light, it is another institution that has come and gone, leaving a legion of supportive fans in its wake.
If ever there was a storyline or a character over utilized it would be the saga of Lisa Niles. I am both mentally and physically exhausted by the constant back and forth between Lisa & Robin, Lisa & Patrick, Robin & Patrick, and Robin & everyone else. Now new doctor Terrell has been thrown into the mix as another man powerless against Lisa's charms. It is difficult enough at this point to watch Lisa create a path of destruction all by herself, but now that she has help I'm not sure I have the energy to watch any more of her schemes. Lisa had the potential to be an intriguing soap villain; and for a while it seemed like she may have had the potential to be a redeemable villain (see Miss Diagnosis ). However her crazy behavior as well as the motivation behind this behavior is too much to grasp, particularly for someone who supposedly passed her psych evaluation at Shady Brook. Moreover it doesn't make sense that she could talk someone like Terrell into helping...
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