When the producers of the CBS daytime drama As the World Turns decided to have the character of Luke Snyder (Van Hansis) come out as a gay teen, they had to realize that doing so would generate headlines and controversy. What they might not have realized was just how passionately some viewers, especially gay fans, would follow the saga of Luke's storyline as it unfolded. And that interest only increased last year when the show introduced Noah Mayer (Jake Silbermann) as Luke’s love interest.

Indeed, the pairing of Luke and Noah (commonly referred to as “Nuke” by fans) has caused a sensation. The teen couple has been voted the favorite pairing on the show by the CBS Daytime Fan Panel, was named one of “Soaps’ best super-couples” by TV Guide, and just this month landed on Entertainment Weekly’s list of “17 Great Soap Supercouples.” And to a large extent, fans and critics have praised the show for its sensitive and thoughtful portrayal of gay teens.

But all that popularity and passion by the fans can have a downside when those same viewers don’t feel their favorite characters are being treated fairly by the show. And such has been the case for quite some time when it comes to the handling of Luke and Noah’s romance, a storyline that has left many gay viewers feeling frustrated.

All of that fan frustration boiled over last December during a Christmas-themed episode when Luke and Noah found themselves standing beneath some mistletoe, a kiss clearly imminent as the two leaned in toward each other. Unfortunately, at the last moment the camera cut away to the mistletoe and before you could say “Happy Holidays,” angry fans were all over the Internet venting their anger and trying to parse the meaning of the show’s actions.

One AfterElton.com reader simply posted “COWARDS!” while another wrote “okay...now they're pissing me off. they deliberately cut away from the kiss, to the mistletoe. what are they going to do after christmas...cut away to curtains in an open window?”

Was CBS getting cold feet regarding the storyline? Was pressure from advertisers forcing As the World Turns' executive producer Chris Goutman and head writer Jean Passante to give the characters a lower profile? Were conservative viewers complaining? And if the soap wouldn’t show Luke and Noah kissing under the mistletoe, would they ever show them in bed together as they do every other heterosexual pairing?

When asked via email if the show was treating Luke and Noah differently by featuring them in only 12 of the 53 episodes that aired between Nov. 1st and Jan. 18th , (and not necessarily prominently) Brian T. Cahill, Sr. V.P., Managing Director for TeleVest Daytime Programs, the person responsible for the overall production of ATWT and Guiding Light said, “We are always pleased when our stories strike a chord with the audience and the Luke and Noah story has certainly done that. We appreciate all the feedback we’ve gotten from fans of the show, and we recognize the popularity of this couple.”

“As soap opera fans know,” Cahill wrote, “daytime is a cyclical medium, where storylines vary in screen time. As with all the characters on the show, Luke and Noah are sometimes featured more heavily than other times. For instance, in July, August and September, they were on-air quite a bit. Fans will be seeing more of Luke and Noah in the coming weeks and months, as their story gets more air time.”

Indeed, Luke and Noah have been slightly more visible in the past several weeks and their interactions have been more intimate, at least verbally as they have discussed attending a party that would include nude hot-tubbing and possible drug use, though they ultimately decided not to go. Luke has also discussed how special he wants to make his “first time” with Noah and the show has used the eating of sandwiches in several rather suggestive ways.