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The Soapy Stuff We’re Most Thankful for This Year: General Hospital’s Backstage Mystery, Young & Restless’ Goodbye Guy, the Stiffest ‘Actor’ in Daytime History and More
Thursday, November 26th, 2020
We’re setting our attitude on “gratitude.”
Is there anything that can make ya feel more reflective than the scent of pumpkin-spice everything, the sight of Christmas lights that have been hung too early and the taste of stuffing that your mom will swat you if she catches you snitching before dinnertime?
Don’t answer that; it was a rhetorical question.
More: Soaps’ all-time greatest supercouples, ranked [PHOTOS]
Since as always we’re feeling so thoughtful on Thanksgiving, your friends at Soaps.com decided to put their minds to singling out the daytime stories and stars, characters and curveballs for which we’re most grateful this year.
To put it mildly, it’s an eclectic list — no surprise, though, if you’ve ever glanced at our bios. We’re an eclectic bunch.
Among the soaptastic people, places and things for which we’re thankful in 2020 are a guessing game that a General Hospital leading man played out entirely on social media, a Young & Restless hunk whose appeal contradicts the saying that less is more, a Days of Our Lives vixen who makes any scene more fun just by entering it and a Bold & Beautiful “actor” who’s never once been seen grabbing a snack from her soap’s craft-services table.
Wanna see who and what, exactly, we’re talking about? Or think you already know? Find out by clicking on the photo gallery below. And be sure to also check out this article’s “evil twin,” in which we reveal the things you told us you were most grateful for. (C’mon, it’s not like you thought we could keep a secret, right?)
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Image: CBS screenshot
1/20
<p>Finally, Emmy winner Jacqueline MacInnes Wood got a gritty plot into which she could sink her teeth. It turned out to be more of an appetizer than an entree — Steffy got hooked on and weaned off drugs in about a week — but hey, it was gripping while it lasted.</p>
Image: ABC screenshot
2/20
<p>Not since Port Charles High enrolled the likes of Jason, Brenda and Robin has the ABC soap — or <em>any</em> soap, for that matter — had as appealing and talented a group of youngsters. Heck, Josslyn & Co. might even be our favorite junior set since the days of <em>All My Children</em>’s Greg and Jenny, Jesse and Angie. On a related note, RIP, Dev; you will be sorely missed.</p>
Image: CBS screenshot
3/20
<p>We’re all for the show’s depiction of formidable females presiding over companies, running businesses and achieving their dreams. We’re <em>not</em> all for them undermining each other’s efforts, but that’s another story for another day.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
4/20
<p>We will never again complain that the show tapes too far in advance to course-correct if a story is a dud — because it was the show’s accelerated production schedule that kept it on the air with new material after the other soaps’ ran out during the shutdown. </p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
5/20
<p>You might say that our favorite new cast member is a bit stiff. But what do you expect? She’s a mannequin. Nevertheless, we’re all in on the bonkers plot that headwriter Bradley Bell cooked up to not only further Thomas’ infatuation with Hope but allow Matthew Atkinson to safely (brilliantly!) play it.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
6/20
<p>After rumors began to spread in October that the <em>General Hospital</em> star had been let go as Julian (along with Emme Rylan as Lulu), he promised to deliver a statement but instead invited fans to play <em>Clue</em> with him, dropping hints about his status in tweet after tweet… that we could never be sure were really hints at all. Brilliant!</p>
Image: CBS screenshot
7/20
<p>Weird as it feels to say, we’re grateful that Elena betrayed Devon with Nate. It’s not that we don’t adore “Elevon.” However, there was what seemed like a long stretch when we started to get afraid that nothing soapy was ever again going to happen on the show.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
8/20
<p>It’s been a delight to see Hope, Liam and Steffy not only working at being but working <em>as</em> a blended family. In particular, it’s been refreshing to watch Hope and Steffy truly caring about each other instead of just tolerating or sniping at each other.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
9/20
<p>No explanation necessary. Isn’t <em>everyone</em> thankful for Paul Telfer’s endearing former villain?</p>
Image: ABC screenshot
10/20
<p>Dominic Zamprogna and his alter ego are such comforting presences, it almost doesn’t matter what the scenes are about — we’re just glad to have ’em around. Now if only we weren’t so upset about <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/general-hospital/news/582695/general-hospital-emme-rylan-addresses-exit-rumors-lulu-sudden-trip/" target="_blank">Emme Rylan and Lulu</a>…</p>
Image: CBS
11/20
<p>We’re not just thankful, we’re delighted that after <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em> cut loose Courtney Hope as Sally, <em>The Young and the Restless</em> said, in essence, “Finders keepers, losers weepers,” and snatched up the vixen to fill the void left in Genoa City by Phyllis’ focus on snarking around her hotel and Chloe’s transformation into domesticated sitcom character. </p>
Image: CBS
12/20
<p>We’re thankful for the time that we had with this good-looking, complex character who had both attitude <em>and</em> vulnerability. Tyler Johnson actually had us yearning for the bad boy to find the love of a good woman and plant roots in Genoa City that would’ve allowed his heritage as a Brooks to be explored. We hate to see him go… and hope to see him again.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
13/20
<p>Wanna make any scene more entertaining? Drop into it Emily O’Brien as the snarky Brit who’s singlehandedly turned the DiMera mansion into a funhouse. The actress is so good, she even pulls off her conniving character’s many (many!) gab sessions with inanimate objects.</p>
Image: CBS
14/20
<p>Even if we didn’t love Tanner Novlan — and we do — we’d still be thankful for Steffy’s hot doctor boyfriend, if for no other reason than his introduction to the canvas has given us a break from the Steffy/Liam/Hope merry-go-’round.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
15/20
<p>We wouldn’t wish heartbreak on our beloved Valentin, but… now that ya mention it, he <em>has</em> been extra fun to watch since losing Nina. Besides hooking up with Brook Lynn, he’s been there for Alexis and Anna in a way that’s only made us adore him more. </p>
Image: CBS screenshot
16/20
<p>Because some of us like our couples a little more Passionflix than Hallmark. </p>
Image: ABC screenshot
17/20
<p>We know not everyone is into the villain brought to sleazetastic life by Jeff Kober, but we kinda dig his vibe. Cyrus doesn’t shout or even make menacing threats, but rather manages to make casual compliments and comments — “You have a lovely family” — sound downright scary. Plus, it’s nice to have a bad guy on the canvas that we’re pretty sure will, for a change, actually pay for his crimes. </p>
Image: CBS screenshot
18/20
<p>Not only is Henry Joseph Samiri an adorable and talented young performer, but the show actually lets his character be a real kid, from playing with robotic hands to asking awkward questions like “Why can’t Daddy live with us, Mommy Hope?” </p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
19/20
<p>Now that her tears have dried, Linsey Godfrey’s character is a blast. It’s also especially gratifying — <em>and</em> sexy <em>and</em> fun — to see her and Xander team up to overcome an obstacle (named Philip) instead of let it come between them.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
20/20
