The Half Year In Soaps

Port Charles Will End In October

The cancellation of "Port Charles," one of two soaps that I tape, has to be the biggest soap opera story of the year thus far. My original plan was to do a brief overview of the first half of the year in order to avoid trying to cram things in at the end of the year. I was going to start a review of the half year in soaps soon, anyway. PC's untimely demise moved things up a bit.

I've only watched Port Charles since the latter part of 2002--toward the end of the "Naked Eyes" story arc/novella. Unlike some viewers who had watched the show morph from a sister show to "General Hospital" into a new version of "Dark Shadows," I had no real interest in what had come before. I read two soap mags and had followed PC's storylines since its inception in 1997, but only became interested in watching the show after reading about its turn toward the supernatural a couple of years ago. Being a neo-Luddite, I only recently purchased a VCR. I couldn't wait to start taping the show.

It is hard to explain why the vampire storylines intrigued me. I generally don't like SF and fantasy books or movies. I am not a fan of "Buffy." And I grew up watching traditional CBS soaps such as "Search For Tomorrow," "The Edge of Night," "As The World Turns," and "Guiding Light"--back in the days when it was called "The Guiding Light." But there was a brief period, when I was too little to even tell time, when my older brother and two older sisters started watching "Dark Shadows." I don't remember much about the show, other than Barnabas Collins, Angelique, Quentin, and a bunch of stuff about parallel worlds. It was my assignment to tell my sibs what time it was (the big hand is on the five, the little hand is the three), so they'd know if there was more to come or if the show was over. My best friend and I developed a crush on Quentin. We even named a favorite pillow after him--don't know why. Perhaps it was PC's taking up where "Dark Shadows" left off that made me want to watch. I'm glad I did watch--and will watch until October 3, 2003, the day PC airs its last episode.

PC never really had a chance. It airs at 12:30 p.m. in most markets, a time slot that puts it in direct competition with "The Young and the Restless," the highest rated soap opera. YR has been number one for years. The ABC soaps that previously occupied PC's time slot, "Ryan's Hope," "Loving," and "The City," did not do well in the ratings, either. RH had a fairly long run, no doubt due to critical acclaim and Emmy awards. "Loving" and "The City" did not do better than RH, perhaps they did even worse. ABC should have learned a lesson when it killed off many established (read "older") characters on "Loving" and moved the younger actors to a new version of the show--"The City." Soap fans, no matter their ages, are not necessarily attracted to shows that attempt to be younger, hipper, fresher, etc. "The City" floundered. Soon enough, rumors surfaced that ABC wanted to replace it with a new version of GH. There were supposedly two competing concepts. In one, Ned and Lois, a popular couple, would leave Port Charles, GH's fictional upstate New York setting, and move to NYC. "Port Charles," a show that would focus more on the hospital than "General Hospital," got the go ahead. PC was to focus on the lives of seven interns at the hospital. It was to be, in essence, a younger, hipper version of GH. At least one soap website still refers to PC as GH2, a reflection of its ties to the venerable and still highly rated "General Hospital."

PC was always a weak sister to GH, however, at least as far as ratings go. Lynn Herring and Jon Robert Lindstrom took their characters, Lucy and Kevin, over to the new show. They were an off-beat couple, but very popular. Their popularity did nothing for the ratings, which should have been a clue to ABC to shore up the show by sandwiching it between its other shows, rather than using it as a lead-in to their afternoon soaps. Crossovers of GH characters, occasionally crossing over storylines, and even transplanting wise-cracking lawyer Scott Baldwin from GH to PC (for a time) did not improve the ratings, either.

In desperation (well, one can only presume it was in desperation), the show took a major turn away from its origins by changing from a traditional American soap opera format, where stories can go on for months or years, to a telenovella format. The storylines would be made into books that would last approximately twelve weeks a piece. Each book would have a definite beginning and ending. About two years ago, vampires were introduced in one of the books. After having flirted with supernatural in earlier books, PC went full force into the fantastic, complete with angels, vampire slayers, magic candles, etc. Although the show is nominally set in the same city as GH, the two shows may as well be taking place on different planets. A truncated taping schedule has made it just about impossible for GH and PC to share storylines or have characters cross over from one show to the other without major planning ahead.

I found myself watching PC out of more than just habit. Although the sun never shines in Port Charles, and the characters never seem to go to work or deal with normal, everyday stuff, I have to admit that the show has hooked me. Michael Easton, as the charismatic, husky-voiced vampire-cum-rock star Caleb Morley is fascinating. He can be funny, dramatic, tender, angry. But he never goes over the top. He's made Caleb's shifting motivations and ever changing backstory believable. (It was revealed a few months ago that Caleb was a reluctant vampire--he never wanted to take on his family's heritage. However, he hated being mortal--he was turned back for a brief time--so I guess he revels in being a vampire now.) His great love was once Olivia, then Livvie, then Tess (a kinder, gentler version of Livvie), then Livvie again. Livvie is played by petite brunette Kelly Monaco. She's a find, a beauty who can act. She and the dark-haired Easton are the antagonists to the fair-haired hero and heroine of the show, Rafe--a vampire slayer and former angel--and Alison, his spunky good-hearted girlfriend. Brian Gaskill as Rafe and Erin Hershey Presley as Alison are also strong actors. PC's cast proves that being young and good-looking does not necessarily mean being untalented. Lucy and Kevin, now estranged, are still on the show. But it is the four characters--Caleb, Livvie, Rafe, and Alison--representing darkness and light in both physical appearance and roles, whose relationships form the heart of the show. PC, no matter what supernatural wanderings it takes, is at its heart a show about relationships: friends, family, exes, lovers, husbands and wives, vampires and mortals. And of course there is good vs. evil here, too.

There is a lot about PC that can be annoying, too. The arc format means that storylines are often dropped from one novella to the next. Alison has a long lost sister. That storyline was completely dropped during "Desire," the arc that just ended. Jack, a former vampire who has been burned by Caleb taking both Livvie and Tess away from him, recently went over to the dark side (kind of). Yet we've seen little of the consequences of his choice. Victor was made the building commissioner and then turned into a vampire. It seemed as if his position of power would have lots of storyline potential. We've seen little of him since he was turned. As mentioned before, few of the characters are ever seen going to work, shopping, etc. Soaps have never shown the work world realistically, but at least most shows have characters involved in the real world to some degree. And of course, for the fans of GH, it must be strange to watch PC. No one on the sister show seems to be aware that vampires have taken over the town.

PC's cancellation came on the heels of several nominations for Daytime Emmys. Unfortunately, PC was shut out. The show was favored to win for best drama, but lost to As The World Turns. It seems unfair that the fate of the show could have rested on the shoulders of the few members of a blue ribbon panel that picked best daytime drama. In this case, being nominated was not enough. It is a shame too. The episode that aired on Monday June 30th was nearly Emmy worthy (except for a few abrupt scene changes, it was one of the shows best in months). It stands as a rebuke to the suits at ABC who don't think PC is worth the expense of continued production. Lucy was dying, the only thing that could save her was the blood of an angel. This blood was provided by Karen, one of the original interns (played by recast actress Marie Wilson). Lucy was saved at the last possible moment, of course. Angel Karen kept her vampire ex-boyfriend from killing good guy Jamal, Casey--not your grandma's ange--led Karen up to heaven. Lucy had to tell Scott Baldwin, Karen's father, of his daughter's death. Frank, another original character, said a heartfelt good-bye to Karen's body. The episode was a mix of the new and the old--vampires, angels, interns, GH characters, PC's original characters.

Alas, PC won't have the chance to air a finale. The cast and crew were due to return for production in August. The final arc, "The Gift," is already in the can and will be PC's epitaph. I can only hope that it will be a fitting end to the series. Long live "Port Charles" in reruns and on the internet!

A good PC website is The Port Charles Explosion. This is not only a good PC website. It is one of the best soap opera websites I've come across. There is a forum--very active right now, as one can imagine, recaps, history, petitions to save the show and to have the songs of the show's fictional band, The Stephen Clay Experience, released as a CD. Nice people, very welcoming.

Update: The Port Charles Explosion website has recently changed to encompass all the soaps currently on the air and "Dark Shadows," "Ryan's Hope," and Another World, three defunct shows that still have loyal fans. That group will soon include PC. I was a bit surprised to discover that the site is now covering all the soaps, but it makes sense, given PC's pending demise.