Skip to main content

Just When You Thought She Was Out...(GH)

Never underestimate the power of a fan campaign! I know I never will again after Friday's announcement that Rebecca Herbst (Liz) is indeed staying on GH. The buzz started early Friday morning that Herbst would be staying on the show when ABC Soaps in Depth tweeted the following: "Breaking news: Becky Herbst (Liz) NOT leaving #GH? You heard it here first! Details soon...." Then later in the day soapoperadigest.com confirmed the decision reversal.

I've seen a lot of soap opera fan campaigns come and go and most are unsuccessful, so the fact that one appears to have succeeded is quite shocking. However it renews hope for the future of this genre that fans still have a voice, at least given the right circumstances. It also proves that fans must provide feedback for their shows, both positive and negative. It can't all be left up to the ratings because as we all know once ratings drop past a certain point it is very difficult for them to recover and soaps get cancelled. In addition, fans must demand quality storytelling not just more screen time for their faves. Although feedback must certainly be provided about that as well or favorites may be cut out of storylines altogether. Herbst's near departure proves that.

The reaction from fans that Herbst is now staying on GH hasn't all been positive. Some worry that since she is staying someone else will be let go. Depending on your perspective I suppose this could either be a good or a bad thing. Just remember that in the future if one of your favorites gets cut you have nothing to lose by speaking up. And who knows, you just might win!
Labels:

Comments

  1. ta1231February 21, 2011 at 9:08 AM

    I'm glad that Rebecca is staying. There is so much potential story to be told with her character. Elizabeth used to be one of my favorite characters. They don't write for Elizabeth as well as they once did. Maybe that will change and she will have a good story soon.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Paula's SoapboxFebruary 21, 2011 at 4:47 PM

    Hi ta1231!

    You are right, the character isn't what it used to be. I hope that will change too. Hopefully with her staying we'll also get to see some sort of resolution from the Aidan paternity storyline as well. That secret has been kept long enough.

    Paula

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10 Ways General Hospital Could Improve

I doubt if I'm alone in saying that there is a lot wrong with General Hospital these days. While it continues to be one of my favorite soaps there are many changes I would make immediately if I had the power. Below is a list of the top ten suggestions I have for the way the show could improve. 1. The Claire/Sonny storyline needs to be dropped. It isn't working. Their conversations are boring and the context of their relationship is, well...icky. 2. Amp up Lisa's craziness. Despite my earlier distaste for a Robin/Patrick/Lisa triangle, the obsessed ex-girlfriend angle is working. It's interesting and very soapy. 3. Ronnie needs to be established as either a cop with a chip on his shoulder or someone who works for Franco. So far I haven't been able to tell whether Ronnie falls more on the side of good or bad because this character hasn't been clearly defined. 4. Brenda's life away from Port Charles and the people that surround it need to become an int...
15 comments
Read more

Darkness and Light: GH

Like many General Hospital fans, I watch the show everyday in a blissful state of denial, never acknowledging the fact that Sonny and Jason are criminals. I find it easy to denounce Mac when he is urging Maxie to stay away from Spinelli, and I cheer for Diane whenever she keeps someone from the Corinthos organization from going to prison. However, as I watched the events of the week unfold, knowing that they were inevitably going to lead to Dante's shooting, my rose-colored glasses came off and I quickly snapped back to reality. I found myself repulsed watching Jason standing in the church during Josslyn's christening, knowing that he had just signed Dante's death certificate without giving it a second thought. I was even repulsed by Spinelli, whose detective work set everything into motion. Moreover, I was sickened by his cavalier attitude regarding Dante's imminent demise, and the fact that he never showed an ounce of remorse or regret until Maxie told him that Lulu h...
15 comments
Read more

Crazy Loves Company: GH

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...
15 comments
Read more