Soaps are like football. It is fun to watch a game if you have a team you really want to win OR if there is a team you really want to win. But if enough don't care enough about a team to be loved or hated, that is a team on trouble.
The number one commandment for a show is: "Thou shalt not be boring" I understand not all episodes, storylines or characters can be excellent, but overall it must be interesting.
If overall that commandment is fulfilled, the audience commandment is "though shalt be a good sport."
This means being a good sport ... for example ... when they take their time finally having a couple get together ... as long as the payoff is there.
The problem GH has at times -- and Austin and Cody suffered from this -- was premature introduction!!! Both characters were brought on long before the show really had solidified who they wanted the characters to be and where they wanted them to go storyline wise. It has literally been years of stop/start scenes that don't really go anywhere.
As far a I can see The show is going with Cody and Sasha because they don't know what to do with either character. It is possible they will work, but the writers are going to need to give them something interesting and exciting that makes the audience who don't just care about their romance find them entertaining.
Both Austin and Cody were seriously undeveloped, with occasional hints to a past that was never followed through on.
Bottom line, the writers and show didn't care about either character, so there was on reason for the audience to care either.
Karen L.