This week we have Gary Barker from The Average Adventuring Party Podcast joining us to talk to us about a TV Character crush on someone from a show that premiered in my absolute favorite year, 1999. So I thought, why not also talk about a character from that year…and low and behold, it happens to be one from a soap opera that was so ridiculous, it’s stuck with a generation. Yes, we’re talking ‘Passions,’ and the crush is on none other than Fox Crane.
Today, Justin Hartley is known for playing one of the Big 3 in ‘This Is Us’ AKA the NBC drama that made viewers weep uncontrollably week after week for six straight seasons. And while some may know him from ‘Smallville’ before that, the real OGs know that Justin played one of the reckless characters on the daytime series, ‘Passions.’ Now for those who are unaware of what that soap opera entailed…it was sort of like if Bill Hader’s Stefon was allowed to greenlight a series because IT HAD EVERYTHING. Not only did it have the usual suspects of a soap opera like affairs, backstabbing, love stories, and family drama, but there was also a witch named Tabitha for some reason.
So yes, that show was bananas, but what kept me tuning in was the relationship between Justin Hartley’s Fox Crane and Brook Kerr’s Whitney Russell. They were so incredibly cute together and anytime I got even the slightest bit of interracial representation on the small screen, I attached myself to it. Actually, that’s what really drew me to the show as a whole. It seemed like they were always mixing it up on this show at a time when most soaps felt incredibly white to me. Plus, Fox Crane was the hottest man in daytime to me. Sorry to the guys and gals over on ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘General Hospital,’ but none of them were doing it for me like Fox Crane was. I mean, look at the material…
Now, was Fox Crane the best guy in the world? I don’t think so. You know how these shows go – there are always twists and turns, breakups and makeups, so you can’t really get too attached to anyone or a relationship for too long because one day that character could very well be played by someone else. This is what happened when Justin Hartely eventually stepped outta the wacky world of ‘Passions,’ and was replaced by Mark Cameron Wystrach. To which I say, why? Oh yeah, he went on to ‘Smallville.’ However, I would not reunite with Hartley until he was Kevin Pearson on ‘This Is Us,’ and while still hot as could be and in a little relationship for a split second that reminded me of Fox and Whitney, the passion I once felt for him was pretty much gone.
That’s the thing about falling for a TV character, you don’t always love the person that plays them. It really is all about that one role. Does Gary Barker feel the same about his TV Character crush? Well, you’ll have to listen later on this week to find that out, and who the crush is! So stay tuned, and if you can find ‘Passions’ anywhere in this world, please put it on whenever you need a healthy laugh because it truly was a wild moment in TV history.
Crushgasm 