Two of my favorite shows...

So, I've talked a lot about Guiding Light, As the World Turns and Young and the Restless, but honestly, those aren't actually shows I follow all that closely.

No, my two favorite shows are One Life to Live and All My Children. Both shows, as of late, have been kind of lost in the landscape of daytime TV, and that saddens me, because that means people are missing out on two great shows.

Now, that isn't to say that both shows are perfect. They aren't.

One Life to Live, as of late, has become very dark, with very little light, fun stories or romance. Still, the storytelling on that show is strong, and shows great direction. There is focus, with very few plots just kind of floating around, waiting to pick up steam. Everything on the screen has a reason, and a purpose.

The current serial killer storyline is interesting, suspensful and well written. It shows focus that many other shows lack.

One of the more interesting storylines involves a younger character being injured in a car crash and finding himself paralyzed from the waist down. Now, this is soap land, so eventually Matthew Buchannan will regain the use of his legs, but for the time being it's nice to see a story where a character in a horrible position is being told to be hopeful. It's done with the right amount of heart, humor and intelligence. Now, the real risk with this story would be to keep Matthew in his wheelchair. Allow a character on a major television show to be disabled, and tell his story. Will OLTL do it? They might.

All My Children has introduced way to many characters, and has left a lot of them on the back burner without much forward motion to allow the audiences to catch on to. Still, the show has created a nice balance between light and romantice, dark and dangerous and serious but still sexy stories. They have also taken a lot of risks. The biggest one, and the one that paid off the most, at least in my eyes, is the character of Brot.

Now, I must confess, I am a total bleeding heart liberal, but I also understand that our troops were given a job, and they are going to do it to the best of their abilities. They do it with pride, and rightfully so. They are doing their damndest to protect us, and sometimes at the cost of their own lives. I may not agree with the war, but I'll be damned if I'll turn my back on those who have promised to serve and protect this me, my family, my friends, and most importantly, this country.

The character of Brot is played by an actual war vet. One who was wounded in battle and nearly burned to death. The actor, JR Martinez sustained burns to a good portion of his body, including his face. He now is a motivational speaker for vets in similar situations.

All My Children has used the character of Brot to bring one of those vets into our homes, into our lives, and both the show and Mr. Martinez have done a wonderful job giving Americans a face, a voice and a heart to those veterans some would rather forget.

Now if only they would use him more. When the character does get screen time I can't help but be rivited. His story is sweet, romantic and at the same time sad.

Any show that takes the time to tell a story like Brot's is worth my time.