By 
MOST DISAPPOINTING
Photo: CBS
The Young and the Restless (CBS) and Days of our Lives (NBC)
What is there to say about these two shows that everyone hasn’t already said a million times over? The Young and the Restless is the number one rated Soap Opera in the United States and has held that title for the last 24 years, yet if you look at the show over 2011 to say the show was deserving of that title would be an absolute lie. This is not a slam on any of the cast or crew which continuously goes in and attempts to make the ridiculous storylines that they are given plausible, but this award goes straight to the head writers and executive producers that allowed this iconic show to fall so far from its former glory.
The once character driven drama was transformed into a plot driven mess. There was no need for the numerous murder mysteries that occurred in 2012, from Diane Jenkins to Ricky Williams to Tim Reed and those are just off the top of our head. The character of Daisy Carter (Yvonne Zima) continued to plague the residents of Genoa City with her meaningless presence, heck even her mysterious exit, in which it was implied that Ricky killed her, turned out to be meaningless because she returned a few weeks later just randomly in a psychiatric hospital.
Then there is the character of Sharon… Where do we even begin with the utter destruction of this character that occurred in 2012? Oh yea her atrocious romance of her former father in law Victor. Like really. Victor Newman is old enough to be her father, if not grandfather, and yet here Sharon is sleazing her way into his bed, getting married, and then going completely and utterly insane. While Sharon Case knocked each and every performance out of the park, there was absolutely no way that the character of Sharon should’ve been running Newman enterprise, she was a model for the company NOT an executive capable of running an international multibillion dollar conglomerate, but atlas she did for a hot minute in 2012.
One would have thought the new regime change would have fixed all of the issues that we had with Y&R under Maria Arena Bell, but while they have shown marked improvement, the show isn’t quite there yet. We have newbies teens driving very plot heavy storylines, the poor Winters family isn’t ever going to get cut any slack, and Jack’s pill popping and downfall has been painful to watch to say the least. We are really hoping that Griffith and Phelps turn things around in 2013, but Y&R was definitely one of the most disappointing shows in 2012, but it certainly wasn’t the only one.
‘This is a female driven storyline – Liam isn’t the one “choosing” between the women, it’s the women who are choosing him.’
Really? I cannot fathom finding this storyline anything but completely offensive to women. You’re absolutely right that Liam isn’t “choosing” between the women, because he wants to have it both ways AND THE WOMEN LET HIM. Both of those women should want and demand better for themselves, and yet it’s a torturous, never-ending merry-go-round that is wildly demeaning to the characters of both Hope and Steffy. I wish they’d both kick him to the curb that he deserves to be dropped on and then go out and find someone worth their trouble.
If they’re bores you, then why you’re watching them?
Will and Sonny are good together as friends…only. As a couple they are boring.
Your choice of Melissa Claire Egan as best supporting makes me realize why I agree completely with the naming of Y&R as most disappointing soap. I’ve been a major fan of hers since forever, and love her work. I only wish the show’s writing was worthy of her. It managed to make me despise her character, and that is so frustrating! I wish I could’ve seen Chelsea and Adam’s chemistry and instantly forgotten how she came on the scene, but I needed a whole lot more than that to forget everything she did. The writers constantly opted to take the easy way out with her, and her redemption and entry into respected GC circles happened overnight – totally unbelievable, and now it’s too late to rectify that in my eyes. MCE’s acting is fantastic as always, but the character is a fail for me, and the writers are entirely to blame.
Totally agree with one of the choices for Best Couple: Will Horton and Sonny Kiriakas of Days of our Lives (Chandler Massey, Freddie Smith). In my opinion, these two actors are simply amazing in their portrayal of a young couple who start out as friends and end up in love. They portray Will and Sonny as a real couple with real problems and struggles, just like any other couple. This is a true love story between these two characters, and Chandler and Freddie are both talented actors who make this relationship seem real.