A Shout Out to All the Soap Opera Actors

We are entering week three of living with my folks. Our house is still being worked on, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. They placed concrete where the new room will be, they were putting up 2X4's everywhere, and there is only one big excavator in our yard, as opposed to the three that were there last week. They're moving along. And I am not complaining about living with my mom and dad. We are close, my wife gets along with both my parents swimmingly and my kids adore their mimi and papa. It is getting to a point where it is fine, but I would still rather be in my home. Unfortunately, for the time being, that isn't on the table.

One interesting thing I have noticed in these two plus weeks is the shows my folks watch during the day. I usually do not have the TV on during the day until my son gets home from school. But both my parents are retired, and they like TV. In the morning it is news or "The Middle". Side note, as soon as I get back in my home, I am going to watch the entirety of "The Middle". That show is solid, at least the bits and pieces I have seen thus far. But every weekday at 1pm both my parents watch "General Hospital". And if they are not home at 1, they record it and watch later. I have never been much for soap operas. It is not my thing. It is too dramatic and silly and wild and ridiculous. The stories are like what you see on "Maury Povich", but with beautiful people. This is not to say that I am some kind of fancy TV watcher who only likes "real" TV shows. I watch mindless reality TV. I am all in on "90 Day Fiancé" because it is so trashy. I love cartoons. One of my all time favorite shows is "Aqua Teen Hunger Force". I like weird, absurd TV. I am not above soap operas, they are just not for me.

In watching these shows, well they only watch "General Hospital", I have a newfound appreciation for the actors on the show. I have to assume they know how ridiculous the plot lines are, how insane some of the stories can be, how funny some of the conclusions are, but they all commit. I remember when James Franco was on "General Hospital" because I would go back and watch only his scenes on YouTube. And you know what, the character he played, named Franco, is still on the show, someone else plays him now, and all the actors act like it is totally normal. I respect that. They could make weird inside jokes about it, but they don't. They just all accept the fact that "Franco" is still on the show, even though it is some random actor. And for the actors, this has to be a plum gig. I'm sure they get paid very well, they get to do wild and crazy things, they get to chew as much scenery as one can imagine and they can stretch their acting legs. Yes, it is crazy, but if you are trying to break into Hollywood, what better way than to start out on a soap opera. Or, if you are someone who has achieved James Franco level fame, why not take a chance to do something different? Or if you are an older actor, some of the people on this show look familiar to me as far back as when I was in my 20's and they are still on, why not stay with a job that you are comfortable with, and one where you can make a nice living? My mom has even informed me that this show wins all kinds of daytime Emmys. I think award shows are lame, but when shows win, that usually means they have some kind of value, some level of achievement in Hollywood. It is nothing to scoff at, that is for sure. And my parents follow the many different storylines like I did when I watched "The Wire" or "Breaking Bad". They are just as involved. I asked my dad about a week back to explain the show to me, and he went on a 15 to 20 minute long speech, telling me the entire plot of the show over the whole year. He may act like he doesn't like the show, but he at least pays attention, and that says something to me about this show.

So while I am not a fan of soap operas, and will most likely not revisit them when we get back in my house, I do respect and appreciate what the people who make shows are doing. They have a tried and true method, and it has never stopped working. That is important.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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