The 10 Worst Soap Opera Storylines Of 2017

Published on November 8, 2017. Updated December 11, 2017

As 2017 winds to an end, one can’t help but reflect. The landscape of daytime drama has seen many ups and downs this year. General Hospital (GH) welcomed back prodigal son Steve Burton, and we now have two Jasons in Port Charles. Over at Days of Our Lives (DOOL), Nicole Walker fought furiously for her baby in an interesting plot twist that saw Chloe Lane as the surprise surrogate. The Young and the Restless (Y&R) was booming with two family feuds that pitted Newman versus Newman and Abbott versus Abbott. These are all great soap storylines that have kept daytime drama fans captivated and tuned into their favorite shows, but what about those not-so-great plots this year? Below is a 10 list of the worst soap opera storylines in 2017.

10. DOOL – Will Never Died

DOOL fans love the fact that Sami is back and the idea of having Will back, but the story around how he was not really dead in the first place is ridiculous. Throw Susan Banks into the mix and this storyline is more laughable than intriguing. Anyone wish that Days‘ producers could just fast forward through all this Memphis junk and get to a WilSon reunion?

9. Y&R – Cane and Lily’s Break Up

The affair Cane had with Juliet was shocking. The sexual harassment case that Juliet launched thanks to the one-night stand was scandalous! But all the aftermath around this storyline has been awful. Cane lied, which was terrible, but the idea that Juliet is pregnant and now falling for Cane is ridiculous. All of Cane’s actions as of late, including getting drunk and screaming outside of his family’s home, are just plain stupid.

CBS

8. DOOL – Brady’s A Bad Guy

Who is the Days‘ writer responsible for turning Brady into a bad guy? The character has always shone as a decent human being. After all, he took his son Tate and followed Nicole to Canada to ensure she stayed close to Baby Holly and then they switch him into a vindictive, menacing, meanie that runs her out of town? With Deimos dead, there is a need for a villain in Salem, but Brady is not the person to fill this void.

7. Y&R – Abby Falls In Love With Zack

The whole sex ring storyline in Genoa City has been an interesting watch, but Abby falling in love with Zack is the part that lags in this plot. She’s rich, smart, and beautiful while, Zack is just slimy Zack. Being a part of the Newman and Abbott clans makes it hard for Abby to find love. After all, she’s related to practically half of Genoa City. However, she should be raising her standards a tad. Maybe she should just move out of the town.

Howard Wise for JPI Studios

6. GH – The Scarecrow

The good news this year was that GH writers finally fully touched upon the idea that Jake Spencer might have been more than a little messed up thanks to his time on Cassadine Island. The storyline did shed light on the entire Jake and Jason’s time outside of Port Charles, but the creepiness around little Jake and the scarecrow symbolism was cheesy.

5. DOOL – The Fight For Theo

Niece Claire had a huge falling out with her Auntie Ciara over Theo. Both girls wanted him and neither was willing to back down. Teen drama can get intense in any soap opera, but this wasn’t the case when it came to this love triangle. Claire turned into a spoiled brat over the entire situation while Ciara was passive-aggressive. In the end, no DOOL fan really cared who ended up with Theo.

4. GH – Ask Man Landers

In this day and age where social media and the Internet offer information at everyone’s fingertips in the blink of an eye, does anyone believe that GH’s Ask Man Landers storyline would fly? Does anyone even care? Amy’s reasoning behind the book is compelling and it offered Nathan a distraction (and storyline) while Maxie was away, but it is time to move away from this and move on. It’s been ridiculous from the get-go.

3. Y&R – Devon and Mariah’s Relationship

It was nice to see Mariah with someone (anyone at this point) and it was even better to see Devon in a healthy relationship and not with Hilary. Sadly though, these two characters lacked a ton of chemistry and were a bore to watch. Good news is that Mariah seems to be moving on to an interesting storyline with Tessa and their relationship is sure to be ground-breaking in Genoa City. Devon may end up back with Hilary, but here’s hoping he can find someone else in the long run. There’s always Abby!

CBS

2. GH – Sam’s Mental Health Issues

Sam McCall is one of the strongest women in daytime drama today. It’s not that strong women don’t (or shouldn’t) have a mental breakdown every once and while — it’s just the entire storyline came out of the blue and was rectified just as quickly. It wasn’t in her personality to do some of the things she did, and the plot seemed entirely ridiculous and too far-fetched.

1. DOOL – The Bonnie Debacle

Imposter storylines can often be intriguing, sometimes humorous, and entertaining. This year, Hattie Adams decided to take over Marlena’s life, and Bonnie Lockhart decided to take over Adrienne’s life … at the same time. It was just too much, even for a soap like DOOL that is well-known for being over-the-top. Hattie trying to seduce Roman was an interesting watch, but Bonnie trying to seduce Victor was down-right disgusting and wrong on so many different levels. Her love scene with Lucas was a hard watch too. One imposter in Salem would have been a solid storyline, but two was simply too much.