Cross posted from Thoughts in Progress Blog

Like a book, a television show tells a story, but it is a story more easily shared. My mother always told me that the tube would rot my brain, and maybe she’s right, but I thought I’d list a few of my favorites:

Supernatural. When it comes to dark, twisted, paranormal pleasures, you can’t beat this show. Clever writing and fantastic acting have carried a brilliant storyline that has spanned five seasons. Demons, angels, and monsters of every variety are a constant, but it’s really a story about two brothers and their love for one another. It doesn’t hurt that there’s lots of eye-candy. I might be more of a Dean girl than a Sam girl, but they each have a special place in my heart. Ultimately, what made me fall in love with this show is the guts it has. It tackles the hard issues and goes where you wouldn’t predict!

The Tudors. Okay, so I know what happened with King Henry VIII and his wives. I’ve read a bunch of books about the Tudor court and you probably have done the same. And yet, they remain fascinating. Especially when brought into super-sexy focus in Showtime’s series. I love the costume and pageantry, even when the history is a little off. I don’t mind that Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is a skinny King Henry. Somehow, in spite of his crazy coked-up eyes, the whole show works.

Big Bang Theory. So this sit-com might be the worst-acted show on TV, but I don’t care, because the writing is hilarious. The show is centered on two physicists, their geeky friends, and the pretty girl who lives across the hall. The main draw for me is Sheldon, a self-absorbed brilliant uber-nerd whose Obsessive Compulsive behavior is out of control! Still, I love him. What does that say about me?

General Hospital. This daytime drama is my guiltiest pleasure of all because I’ve been watching it since I was about ten years old. It was the one show that all my grandmothers watched, and even all these years later, I still chat to my Nana about her “stories.” This particular soap opera has had some classic moments and some brave storylines and innovative writing, but it also has the power to enrage its fans by masquerading as a low-rent version of the Sopranos. There’s been more than a few moments when I’ve told myself that I’ll never watch it again…but then the next day, I get sucked in again.

Okay, look. I’m not proud. When my sister and I were kids, we spent a summer with my grandmother, who got us hooked on ABC’s General Hospital. As an author, I freely admit that soap operas are often smutty, trite, poorly written, and mind-boggling in their stupidity. However, I’ve been watching this show longer than I’ve been married and probably know some of the characters better than I know my husband. The residents of the fictional city of Port Charles are like those high school friends on Facebook that I never see in person anymore, but still manage to keep up-to-date with.

What’s more, I’ve learned a lot about writing and story arcs from watching soap operas–and not just in terms of What Not To Do. Soap operas are braver than prime time television when it comes to tackling social issues, and probably more influential. General Hospital has taught me alot about the concept of legacy, and it has also helped me avoid “the sagging middle” problem in storytelling.

More as a fangirl than a writer, though, I have seen stars born on General Hospital. One of those stars was Jonathan Jackson, the young kid who created Lucky Spencer and went on to win a billion well-deserved Emmy’s before he was out of puberty. When he left the show, over a decade ago, I actually stopped watching for several years. That’s how invested I was in that kid’s portrayal of my very favorite soap opera character ever.

I only started watching again in the past few years because my grandmother begged me to do so, so that we could chat about the show like we used to. And armed with a Tivo and a fastforward button, who was I to say no to an old woman?

Anyway, when I heard that the incredibly talented Jonathan Jackson (most recently of the Terminator franchise) was reprising his role on General Hospital, I should have kicked up my heels and squealed like a giddy girl. But instead, my first thought was, “Oh no.”

This is not just because I’d grown accustomed to Greg Vaughan’s portrayal of Lucky, but also because the character has been so warped beyond recognition that I can only think Jonathan Jackson is going to run, screaming in horror, within six months. And then we’re going to lose this legacy character altogether. My greatest fear is that the writers are going to destroy not just my favorite character, but also destroy the career of an actor who was otherwise destined for great things. In short, I don’t trust the writers over at General Hospital and haven’t for a long time. And as an author, that teaches me a great lesson.

I have to earn the trust of my readers with every new character, and every new book, or they’ll cringe against something new even if they’re a fan.