I'm not much for conspiracy theories, but I have to admit, when it comes to soaps I've got a few. Here are 4 daytime firings that I think we never got the real story about - along with my theories on what really happened. This is a completely irrelevant and silly post, but what the heck. It's a lazy Sunday, I don't feel like doing anything productive, and I haven't posted in forever. So feel free to laugh at me and disagree (I don't think anyone has agreed with me on any of these, lol).
Rebecca Herbst is Fired! Rebecca Herbst is Fired?
When ABC announced that Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth, GH) was being let go, something seemed hinky from the start. Yes, she was the odd woman out in a Love Pentagon (Lucky/Siobhan & Nik/Brook Lyn seemed to be the go-couples) and the character had been written into a corner - alternating between snarky slut, town breeder and professional clipboard holder for years. But from what I've heard from a friend in the know, ReH is also cheap as h*ll, willing to be on the backburner, and has a fanbase. Plus, she's the mother of Saint Jason's baby and Luke and Laura's first grandchild (two paternity secrets that have yet to be fully revealed). Why bother getting rid of her now? And most importantly, Jake's death was coming up. Were they really going to tell a story about a child's death and have the mother leave when the story is just getting started?? So she wouldn't be there for any of the fallout? Does that make any sense? I don't think so... Not to mention the amount of rewriting & reshooting that would have had to be done in such short notice after they 'changed their minds' (it would be a logistical nightmare).
After this news broke, I told some friends that if she didn't have another soap job in a month, then she wasn't really leaving. And sure enough, one month later, she didn't accept another job offer and it was announced she's not leaving (this, despite reports in soap mags/blogs that ReH had been approached by other shows.) The conspiracy theories I usually hear about this 'firing' is of the "Brian Frons hates Becky and wants to destroy Liason!" variety. I don't think so. If TPTB hated ReH, her *ss would have been gone a long time ago. And if Frons really did want to fire her now, he would have done it and no amount of mail would have changed his mind. Believe me, Anne Sweeney doesn't give two sh*ts about a character/actress on a soap. My theory? Becky wasn't going anywhere, at least not now. I suspect they knew the reaction to Jake's death would be hugely negative, perhaps this was a bait and switch type situation. Fire her, then give the fans 'what they want' by rehiring her and when they're feeling happy and empowered, kill little Jake. And the attitude of TPTB? "Yeah, we killed Jake, but at least Elizabeth is still on the show!"
John is Dead! Oh wait, no he's not!
When Drake Hogestyn was 'fired' and John Black was killed on Days of Our Lives in 2007, there was a part of me that was devastated. "How could they kill off such a beloved character!? How could they fire an actor who had been the show's leading man for 20+ years!?" I cried. Then there was the other part of me that though TPTB were just f*cking with their viewers. It had a Salem Stalker/Melaswen stink to it, is what I'm sayin'... And what do you know? 3 or 4 months later, John's Alive and Drake is back! Wow, what a shocker - NOT. Listen, I loved that John was alive and that Drake was back on the show (at least for another year), but I would bet my Marlena barbie doll (if I had one) that TPTB never intended for John to really be dead. Call it a gut feeling, Soap Viewer's Intuition - it seemed like a lot of bull to me. In their defense, I get that TPTB wanted to surprise their viewers (something that's getting harder and harder to do these days), but I have to say that this nonsense and the Melaswen stunt made me feel cheated as a viewer and DAYS was just never the same for me.
3rd Carly's Not the Charm: Jennifer B we hardly knew ye...
Poor Jennifer Bransford - in 2005 she was hired to replace Tamara Braun in the high profile role as Carly Corinthos on General Hospital. Six months later, Bransford was fired and Laura Wright, who just happened to be at the end of her Guiding Light contract (as Cassie "Eating the Show Alive" Layne), was announced as her replacement. Funny how that worked out, huh? Such a coincidence that they let Bransford go at the exact same time Laura Wright was available, huh? I don't think so!!! My Theory: TPTB never intended for Bransford to stay on as Carly - I think they always intended for Wright to take that role. Firstly, casting Bransford was a head scratcher to begin with - it was a classic example of miscasting. But to go even further than that: Carly C is a very high profile role. You do two things when casting a high profile role: you either go with an unknown (like Tamara as Carly, or say...Dominic Z as Dante as a more recent example) or you get a soap star to play the role. You do not hire a D-list soap actress (her turn as OLTL's Georgie didn't exactly set the soap world on fire) who is clearly all wrong for the part. What I'm thinking is that TPTB knew there was going to be backlash over a recast no matter who was hired. They decided to cast Bransford, knowing fans would not accept her in the role, and let her take the brunt of the Recast Backlash, while at the same time keeping the seat warm (so to speak) for Laura Wright, whom TPTB really wanted to hire but who had 6 months left on her contract at GL. Fast Forward 6 months later: Jennifer B is fired (much to many fans' delight) and Laura W is hired. TPTB get who they really wanted and Laura W does not have to deal with Recast Backlash because viewers saw her as an improvement over Bransford. Think I'm crazy? Don't think TPTB at a show would hire someone wrong for the part just to make a recast transition easier? Well get ready for my 4th and final Conspiracy Theory...
Sweet Charity!
Charity Rahmer taking over the role of Belle Black from Kirsten Storms on Days of Our Lives in 2004 may go down in Soap History as the Worst Recast Ever. If you never saw Charity in action, believe me, it's as bad as you've heard. We're not exaggerating. My theory? TPTB purposely hired someone they knew would Bomb in the role. Think I'm crazy? Watch these clips and tell me how it's possible they didn't know how horrible she was. (Just to clarify, there's a whole lot of bad acting going on in these clips: Charity is the blonde girl):
My goodness, Charity even makes that guy from The Real World look good! You cannot tell me that anyone in their right mind would watch Charity in action and think "Yes! That's who I want in the role of fan favorite heroine Belle! She'll put Kirsten Storms to shame!" Uhm...no. What really happened? I think TPTB wanted Martha Madison, but knew she'd have trouble replacing Kirsten. To avoid the dreaded Recast Backlash and to give Martha a fighting chance, they hired Charity (for 3 weeks) knowing fans would hate her. Fans would unleash their fury on poor, lovely Charity and then happily embrace Martha when she replaced her. And it worked!
So those are my theories! Think I'm wrong? Possibly. Think I'm crazy? Definitely. Have any conspiracy theories of your own? Please share!
-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover
I honestly believe the Charity one. I mean. MARTHA AUDIOTION FIRST. But they turned her down for that mess that is Charity. But it still took me almost a year before I opened up to Martha's Belle.
ReplyDeleteEmmie, omg someone who actually agrees with one of my conspiracy theories, lol! Yup, you're totally right about the auditions. I remember when they fired Charity and hired Martha - Deidre Hall gave an interview saying that she preferred Martha during the audition process and I thought "Who *wouldn't* have preferred Martha?!" It took me awhile to fully accept Martha too, but I just kept thinking "Well, at least she's not Charity!"
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting! -Melanie