"AMC's" Best and Worst from "Soap Opera Digest" Quiz

Answer: 1989

"Soap Opera Digest" gave "All My Children" the top honor in their Best and Worst issue of 1989 when they named the show the "Best Soap." They cited that "AMC" had several great storylines that year, such as the Brooke/Adam/Dixie triangle, the relationships between Jack/Erica and Travis/Erica, and Brooke reeling from the news that her daughter, Laura Cudahy, died.

In 1989, "AMC" had gotten a new Executive Producer in Felicia Minei Behr.

Answer: Tad and Dixie

"Soap Opera Digest" gave the show kudos for the realistic way they approached the breakup of popular supercouple, Tad and Dixie. What led to the breakup was Dixie finding out that Tad cheated on her with Liza Colby. The magazine said that Michael E. Knight (Tad) and Cady McClain (Dixie) did some of their best acting and made it easier for fans to get through the angst of the breakup.

Answer: Vanessa Bennett

"Soap Opera Digest" was very pleased with how "AMC" introduced villainess Vanessa Bennett, to the show, in 1999. They noted that the show cast the role with a very capable actress in Marj Dusay and Vanessa already interacted with many established characters (primarily David Hayward, who was her son).

The magazine stated they could not wait to see what Vanessa would do next and she was another love to hate baddie on the show.

Answer: The plane crash

"Soap Opera Digest" gave the show major props for giving the popular character of Maria Santos a gripping exit, in 1997, when Maria was presumed dead in a plane crash. They liked how the show kept the door open for Eva LaRue (who originated and portrayed Maria from 1993 to 1997 and from 2002 to 2005) and how the plane crash generated much more story for many months.

The magazine made mention of how the special effects, for the plane crash, looked very realistic.

Answer: Most Improved Show

"Soap Opera Digest" was very pleased to see "AMC" make a turnaround, in 1987, so they named the show the "Most Improved Show." They cited that "AMC" got back to what it did best and that was social issues and got rid of all the action adventure stories, they told, from the mid 1980s.

They highlighted how Mark and Ellen reunited after Mark kicked his cocaine habit, Cindy Parker battling AIDS, and the fallout of Natalie's rape. Other things the magazine liked about the show, in 1987, were Travis and Erica's relationship as well as the relationship of Adam and Brooke.

Answer: 1998

"Soap Opera Digest" was displeased with the storytelling from "AMC" in 1998 and ranked it as the "Worst Soap." They did not like how veteran actor James Mitchell (Palmer) was tossed into a silly story about Palmer stealing Nazi art pictures. The magazine, also, did not understand why the show decided to kill off Harold the Dog and felt it was an unnecessary move.

The other years listed (2001, 2003, and 2004) were all years in which "Soap Opera Digest" named "AMC" as the "Most Improved Show" in their annual Best and Worst issue.

Answer: Skye Chandler

"Soap Opera Digest" did not appreciate how "AMC" reintroduced Skye Chandler, in 1996, since they felt she was too much of a hellraiser and not so much of the scheming vixen, with likeable qualities, that fans grew to love. They also disliked how the show had Skye be inactive, for several months, as she lived in Dr. Jonathan Kinder's attic as a prisoner.

The fact that the show recast the role of Skye with Carrie Genzel did not help matters for the magazine. Despite that nod, Genzel was a popular recast in the eyes of many "AMC" fans.

Answer: Galen Henderson

Galen Henderson came to Pine Valley, in 1991, as the ex-wife of notorious wife beater, Carter Jones. She was on the show, for a couple of years, and was portrayed by two actresses. Despite two different actresses bringing something different to the role, "Soap Opera Digest" was not fascinated or interested with the character. Galen was, also, not a popular character with the "AMC" audience as well.

Answer: Jamie wanting to be a doctor

The magazine did a write up on the show's lame storyline of Jamie telling everyone he wanted to be a doctor. The magazine noted that it was predictable of Jamie wishing to have a career in medicine, since three family members of his (Grandpa Joe Martin, Uncle Jake Martin, Uncle Jeff Martin) were doctors. Also, Jamie's adoptive maternal grandmother, Ruth Martin, was a nurse.

The story involved Phoebe Wallingford leaving an inheritance to Jamie but, in order for Jamie to get the inheritance, he had to break up with Babe Carey. Jamie really wanted Phoebe's inheritance so he could pay for medical school. Jamie and Babe broke up so Jamie received the inheritance Phoebe left him. "Soap Opera Digest" wondered why Jamie would have to get money from his Great Aunt (that was Phoebe's relation to Jamie) to go to medical school when his biological parents, Tad and Brooke, had plenty of money. Tad had a huge fortune since he still saved a lot of his inheritance from Nola Orsini (she left him Orsini Vineyards, in her will), as well as from his job as a private investigator and Brooke owned Tempo.

Answer: Gillian Andrassy as a ghost

The magazine was disgusted with the entire story, in 2001, surrounding Gillian Andrassy sticking around Pine Valley as a ghost. Gillian was shot in the head, pronounced dead, and her ghost did not want to go to Heaven. She finally made peace with what had happened and went to Heaven.

The magazine disliked how the show used Ghost Gillian to inhibit Opal's body just so Ryan could "kiss Gillian." The magazine, also, did not understand why the show had to kill off Gillian, a popular character. They saw her death as meaningless.