V: THE SOAP OPERA
By Alina Adams

As previously confessed, when I was 10 years old, my favorite TV shows were General Hospital... and Lost in Space. When I was 13, they were General Hospital... and V. The Original Miniseries, The Final Battle, and the Series (which aired Friday nights, opposite Dallas. How do you think it fared.)

And it is the nostalgic 13 year old in me that continues to watch the current incarnation of V. Despite it, you know, kind of sucking.

Last night, Jane Badler, Diana of the original, made her debut as this version's baddie, Anna's, mother. (I actually knew about it back at Comic-Con, when the Executive Producer spilled the beans about her coming on, much to the rest of the cast's surprise.) Apparently, the human skin that Visitors wear also require the periodic touch-ups of a plastic surgeon.

Badler, who lives primarily in Australia, hasn't been seen much on American television over the past twenty years since her role in the 1990 Mission: Impossible came to an end. But, she does have a pretty extensive soap past, having played Dorian's sister, Melinda (Kelly's mother) on One Life to Live from 1977 to 1981, and Natalie on The Doctors in from 1981 to 1982.

She also played Meredith, the evil nanny with an agenda on Falcon Crest. The character was originally supposed to be the lover of Miss Jones, whom Richard (David Selby) had spirited away and locked up in Borneo. Meredith infiltrated Richard's household in order to seek revenge. But, CBS got cold feet and, at the last minute, Meredith became Miss Jones' sister.

That's Jane Badler with Jane Wyman as Angela, and Selby, below:



Another original V cast-member, Michael Durrell (real-life husband of Charlotte Savitz, a one-time producer at GL, Capitol, SB, and Another World) played Peter on Guiding Light from 1969 to 1971, and Alex on Santa Barbara from 1987 to 1988.

Here Alex is burning the diary of his very, very crazy adopted daughter, Elena. (Actually, Alex's devotion to Elena despite her obvious obsession with biological father, CC Capwell, and her Eden-directed homicidal tendencies, was the character's most endearing trait.)



The 21st Century version of V is lighter on the ex-soapers, though Elizabeth Mitchell did play Dinahlee Mayberry on Loving.

Blink and you'll miss her at the 6:12 mark, below:



Roark Crichlow, who plays Paul, had a much bigger role on Days of Our Lives as Mike: