A great soap has murder, mayhem and madness. It is not so good when those things are happening behind the scenes.

Most of those stories have gone unreported. In the 1980s, soap producers would ply the cast with cocaine. Actors really worked 12 hours a day, starting at 5 a.m. and ending after midnight. Not all, but many producers thought a quick snort would get the actors looking fresh. I remember walking into a bathroom while an actor was indulging.

"Lynda, please do not report this in your column," they said. I never would have. I have always felt a few lines in a column are not more important than someone's drug issues.

My favorite was when I was doing a live stand-up with a very popular actor. He started having a cocaine crash. Oh please, lord, let me finish this before we have to scrape this actor off the floor. I would get calls from the tabloid press. They wanted me to out the actor. I was offered $10,000 just to confirm. No thanks. Now we have social media. Twitter, Instagram and Facebook posts can, and has, cost people their jobs.

Last week, an actor filed suit against Sony and "The Young and the Restless." Yep, that Sony that also produces Jeopardy. Yes, Michael Richards, the game show host and producer. One day, he was producing for Sony. The next day, he was pounding the pavement looking for a new TV job.

Anthony Morina, the showrunner of "Y&R", is being sued for sexual harassment by Briana Thomas, an actress who claims she was basically told, "Give me what I want and you will have the job you wants for as long as you want it." When she would not give the man what he wanted, she was pink-slipped. In a 22-page court document, Briana Thomas reveals the pain he costs her monetarily and professionally, and in a true soap twist, her lawyer, Carney Shegerian, is the same attorney that represented Sony.

General Hospital's Genie Francis (Laura) is taking off for a few months. Do not panic; she plans on returning. She needed a timeout. Michael E. Knight's soap character is also to be on hiatus. The characters will be joining a witness protection program because they conspired against Cyrus. Knight, who won Emmys and the hearts of many for his work as Tad on "All My Children," pitched himself for his "GH" job. He said he contacted the show's producers and only asked for a few days of work, and they said yes. Those three days turned into months. He is no longer around just to be a sleazy lawyer; he discovered he and Laura are siblings.

Charles Shaughnessy (Shane in "Days of Our Lives," Maxwell Sheffield in "The Nanny") is back in daytime. He has signed on for six months as Victor Cassadine. That Victor, whose soul purpose is to destroy everyone in Port Charles who stands in his nefarious way. As for how long he will really stay checked in at General Hospital: Knight only asked for a few days, and he is not going anywhere.

Matthew Ashford (Jack) has gone from contract to noncontract. During his stay, the character did not retain any of the wackiness he was known for. This time, he has shown his acting chops include romance, adventure and loyalty.

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Activedia at Pixabay