Why did the Quality of the Bell Soaps go down in quality like the rest??

[VirginiaHamilton]

Out of all the soaps, I think Y&R held on to their high standards longer than the rest before eventually falling prey to catering to the ADD generation. While I certainly can't speak on the the show pre-early 90s, I can say that a large part of the reason why I was so crazy about it during that decade was because they'd taken the time to develop the characters and explain their motivations behind the things that they did. I think what truly chapped my ass was watching such perfection slowly unravel into a rancid mess without anyone having any intention of steering the ship back to where it belonged (and thrived in) for so long.

[quartermainefan]

Don't get me wrong. Takei is a great speaker with an excellent speaking voice and can really sound impressive. Peter Bergman however wants to sound impressive even if he is just singing along to oldies radio. He sounds like a complete schmuck on Y&R at all times. "Ham" doesn't even begin to do him justice.

[soapfan770]

Lazy writing and ideas did both shows in.

Y&R always did rebound, even from Bell's own missteps or even that nasty Alden/Scott feud. Y&R's drop in quality goes back to the lazy pen of Jack Smith who's poorly executed and sometimes bizarre storylines of those two years lead to the complete dismantling of Y&R. The biggest culprit is the fact that nobody seem to bother to actually get a sense of Y&R history or understand what the show was all about. See Latham or the whole MAB/Sheffer/Rauch/Hamner debacle. Y&R became #1 because it was different than the rest, trying to the make the show like any other soap pretty much ruins the whole Y&R experience. Think of it as tampering with the James Bond formula.

B&B fell apart in the mid-00s by Brad Bell's own lazy writing and I think really, really poor story ideas like Brooke's rape and Taylor carrying around Brooke's embryo really turned off what was once an entertaining soap to watch.

[will81]

Bell ran a tight ship and everyone was in line under him. Unfortunately Alden didn't get the same respect and the power struggle that occurred damaged the show, I say that because if it hadn't happened Alden would still be in charge today and I think Y&R would still be of the same or similar quality to the Bell era. Jack Smith was the beginning of the end, LML and MAB were the nails in the coffin. Y&R was not an easy show to write, it was a delicate balance of a lot of things that only Alden (besides Bell of course) seem to really understand. Not to say she was perfect, the whole sperm fiasco was a bad story, I still hate it to this day.

I don't think Brad was a great writer, but he learnt a lot under his father, and I can't help feel Bell Sr. still had a big hand in guiding the show after he stepped down as HW as for me B&B started losing steam around 1998 when Bill Bell retired. Sure there was some good things happening until 2002, but not of the same calibre. Actually both B&B and Y&R lost some of the quality around 1998 and took a dive around 2003.

[KMan101]

I totally agree Will81. I noticed a steep decline in both soaps (and not even watching regularly in their heydays ... too young) around 2003. Totally agree. I watched pretty regularly between 1998/1999 and 2004/2005/2006 (sporadically through those last three years, and LML totally lost me). So for even someone without the history to notice the decline? I'm sorry but that says something. It's not hard to see and know what made this show work. Granted, it WOULD be a terrifying show to write for, actually.

I thought Kay Alden was alright as HW. I though the sperm storyline was awful.

Jack Smith was bad for Y&R though. I actually liked some of his work but overall you could see the shift starting. And I understand his personal life led to probably some very dark writing, however, I agree he was the beginning of the end.

[allmc2008]

Which Bell are you talking about here? If it is Bell Sr. I didn't realize he treated Alden this way considering she was with the show since the early 70s.

[Cheap21]

B&B went downhill for me when they killed off Taylor and the show revolved around Brooke's vagina. She was always lead but things felt so unbalanced in her favor in the early 00s. It became very predictable and writing she as Ridge's one true love changed the show and not for the better

[frequentsoapfan]

B&B really shouldn't be that hard to write. They need to expand more to include aspects of the entertainment industry( it's set in Los Angeles!) include some movie or music producers and more characters with aspirations to act, sing, direct or producer. Actually draw from their setting for something beyond just location shoots. Take the focus of Brooke's tired and worn vagina

[Cheap21]

B&B has done several music based storylines, going back to the early days with Macy and Thorne. They currently have two aspiring actors and a producer. Fashion is its core but they've branched out quite a bit over the decades

[frequentsoapfan]

Everytime I tune in it's more about Maya vs Caroline than her acting career. Well between Katie vs Bill and Brooke's powerful vagina I guess it's hard to squeeze anything else in.

[EricMontreal22]

I think she meant that once Bill Bell was no longer in charge, the Y&R crew, Sony, etc, didn't give Alden the respect they gave Bell.

I still think it's crazy she's stuck writing under Bradley Bell (though he probably hired her out of his own admiration) and Bold and not at least co-HWing Y&R.

[cassadine1991]

it's interesting since Kay Alden was story consultant for the ABC soaps from Dec 2006 to April 2007.. I wonder how AMC would've been if she took the HW position

[will81]

Yeah Eric is right, I meant once Bell Sr. stepped down and retired Alden had a bit of a struggle from what I have heard. I believe Bill Bell was Alden's mentor and groomed her to take over one day, hence why she was given the Co-HW position in 1997 as Bell obviously knew he couldn't do it alone and within a year had retired.

Not that it is a big deal, but I'm a man. lol. okay a man-child, but still.

[JWDrama1980]

Honestly, the cast is what held Y&R together for the last 15 years. Maria Bell truly did a lot of damage to show after 2009.

B&B went downhill for me around 1995/1996 with Brooke on the island with no memory, Sheila return's to prison and became a cartoon and Taylor "1st death" and return.

[y&r_fan]

Maria was without question the worst thing ever to happen to the show. The horror began with Phillip's return and Colleen's death and only worsened over the next 3 years.