Guiding Light (1990–1999)

Pam Long, headwriter from 1983 to 1985 and again beginning in 1987, left the show in early 1991 and was replaced by a triumvirate of writers, Nancy Curlee, Stephen Demorest and James Reilly, the latter who went on to write Days of Our Lives and create Passions for NBC.

The realism of the early 1990s was in stark contrast to the mid-1980s, when self-described "Slut of Springfield", Reva Shayne (played by Kim Zimmer) was Guiding Light's central character and storylines tended to be more campy.

Chelsea nearly lost her life twice, once when she was attacked by someone wielding a pair of gardening shears in a park gazebo, and once when her coffee was poisoned.

Reintroduced to the show was first a SORASed, Samantha Marler (Suzy Cote) (who got involved with Dylan Lewis, and ended up being severely injured and for a time in a wheelchair, when she threw herself out of the car Reva ended up driving off the bridge to her supposed death), and then Dr. Justin Marler who had since broken up with Helen Manzini returned from India to help both his daughter and his brother, Ross.

On the election eve, 1992, episode, Ross had a very interesting dream where he couldn't even buy a vote from anyone in town, including the women characters he had formerly been or currently involved with still on the show (Vanessa, Holly, Nadine and Blake).

Also presented by then-headwriter Nancy Curlee was a great story that still showed the capability of the acting of Maeve Kinkead, when Vanessa charged and rightly so, a fellow businessman, Jack Kiley (Tom Tammi), of attempted rape and sexual harassment (this was shortly after Anita Hill had charged Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas of nearly the same crimes).

Maeve delivered great lines, from Vanessa to Billy, about the unfairness still existing in many businessplaces about the "good ol' boy" network that excluded many otherwise hardworking, well-educated, and capable women—especially those with children or older family members who needed their care.

This was a great loss to the show, as McKinsey was part of a triangle of sorts, as the interfering party between her newly found son, originally named Nick McHenry who ended up being the twin of Lujack; and also was a newspaper reporter who was later ensnared to be involved with the corporate intrigue at Spaulding, Enterprises) and his new girlfriend Mindy Lewis.

It is widely believed that Phelps didn't read McKinsey's contract and thus allowed the show to lose the legendary actress.

And a little later a great mystery was had when Roger was shot and left for dead (he later showed up back alive after getting Holly to treat his wounds and coercing Eve Guthrie to attend to him), at the Country Club's potting shed (this was later revealed to be Billy Lewis, at the time being played by Geoffrey Scott, after Clarke had been arrested for drunk driving in Florida and was then fired by Procter & Gamble; Clarke returned in 1996).

But by the spring of 1994 storylines aimlessly wandered, many revolving solely around characters played by new hires who were close friends to Phelps (several episodes featured nothing more than Justin Deas yelling on a rooftop).

In spite of their talent, some of these actors, such as Marcy Walker (Tangie Hill; formerly a ward of Roger Thorpe's), Scott Hoxby who later changed his name to Derek Hoxby (Detective Patrick Cutter) and Veronica Cruz (Gabriella Lopez Grant; who married David for a short time to not be deported), were enormously unpopular with viewers.

The storylines themselves were often stagnant and silly, such as Alan's (by then played by Ron Raines) return from prison involving his hiding his face at all times and affecting a fake Japanese accent (he was pretending to be a foreign businessman so he could regain his company), Nick becoming more and more distracted by the power of Spaulding Enterprises, Alan shooting and wounding Alan-Michael (and Tangie acting as Alan-Michael's nurse, but caught in a romantic triangle between the father and son).

Matt and Vanessa keeping their romance a secret from family and friends, and Alan and Jenna using a look alike of Ross' named Howie or "Hoss" (Jerry verDorn in a great dual role) to get to Blake's shares of Spaulding stock.

From early-April through May 1995, A storyline involving Reva's ghost tormenting Josh and his new love Annie Dutton was panned by fans and critics as one of the worst in Guiding Light history.

In spring 1996, several months after the Brent/Marion storyline ended, Zachary Smith was introduced as a mysterious man trying to repair the lighthouse (which had caught fire several times before this), and later it appeared as though he was an angel who got involved with Michelle Bauer because of her resemblance to Mary who was Meta, Bill and Trudy Cousin and the daughter of Karl and Alice Bauer.

One of the mayor goofs in this storyline was Jane–Marie's alias and married name Jennifer Richards appearing on Amanda's birth certificate.

Annie became a raving lunatic who got artificially inseminated to keep Josh at her side, and pretended to be Reva's long-lost sister to guilt her into staying away.

When that didn't work and she also lost her baby, she pushed herself down a flight of stairs at the Spaulding mansion, framing Reva for the death of her fetus.

Watros left the show in early 1998, after Annie was arrested for her past misdeeds at her and Alan's aborted wedding (and also having her attempting to be defended by another recently new character, attorney and also Ross, Justin and Lainie Marler's long lost surprise half-brother, Ben Warren), leaving a big hole in a show that had been largely centered on the Josh/Reva/Annie storyline.

During the January 1997 60th anniversary episodes, Mike Bauer (Don Stewart) returned for a few cameo appearances which delighted many longtime fans.

(Showing great chemistry together, Aleksander and Ehlers were written into having a full blown romance, for Harley and Phillip, after Jeffrey was arrested).

Rick got involved with and eventually married a hearing impaired woman named, Abigail "Abby" Blume (Amy Cox Ecklund.

Other less well-received storylines in 1997, included Nola's stalking of Buzz (Lisa Brown left in January 1998), Vanessa's pretending to be dead (and briefly running off and hiding in a convent in Switzerland), and Michelle's finding of the recipient of her deceased mother's heart, Jesse Blue, and then falling in love with him.

It was strongly hinted that the identity of Ben's long lost father had connections with both Brandon and Alan Spaulding, and possibly their late henchmen Bryan Lister.

Possibly Stanley Norris (Holly, Ken and Andy's late father) Vickie was involved with the controversial clone story and was a very under-used character for much of her time on the show before all together disappearing back to Barbados in 2001.

In 1998, Esensten and Brown wrote a hotly debated story arc that generated considerable controversy around Guiding Light.

When Reva was found alive, the lonely clone (named Dolly, like the sheep) committed suicide by drinking too much aging serum.

Holly became an alcoholic after Roger and her husband Fletcher abandoned her, and as the "Nursery Rhyme Stalker" and was partly responsible for the death of the popular Jenna Bradshaw Cooper when Jeffrey Morgan came back to town and Holly let it slip that Jenna's youngest son, Rocky, was really Jeffrey's son and not Buzz', she then kidnapped the children of Springfield, with the help of her older brother, Ken who returned to town in September 1998 and left for parts unknown in February 1999.

Holly and Ken's mother appeared back in Springfield from July 1995 to November 1996 leaving town for parts unknown later to be referenced to have returned to Switzerland.