titan1978

Truthfully, I feel the same. Even though it wasn’t as strong, I credit Riche getting the ball rolling with Levinson, and then between Labine and Guza/Harris and Culliton using their outlines, it was nearly perfect from late 1992-1996. Good casting, romance, action based around reality, medical stories with a lot of depth and heart, an economic structure again between the wealthy Q’s and everybody else, character based humor sprinkled in. An honest to god Black family with major ties to the core of the show, which GH had never done well before. I recently rewatched Guza’s portion of 1996. I forgot just how good that show was, and why I stayed hoping his team and Wendy would ever recapture it when he came back. I think there was a lot of great stuff from 1998 on. But every piece wasn’t working like that run of years. The casting wasn’t as strong, and the stories started to get hopeless, dark, and more gimmicky (Roy back from the dead, Lucky recasts that were to sex him up, Faison skulking around for a year doing nothing, etc). Well he certainly treats his female cast members better than their last bosses, Frons and JFP did. Must be nice to be able to feel safer at work. Look at what they had to deal with on DAYS and Y&R with those EP’s.

Pretty close to what I would do too! And I think it is beyond necessary. The way he likes to rotate people in and out is fine, if it meant we had 7 months of solid usage for those folks like Vanessa and JJ that don’t want the grind anymore. Great! They did it for Tony and kept Luke in story plenty! Give them the time they want and others can fill those 5 months. KMc should pop in, even if it’s just her voice on the phone with Anna or Robert. Again, something they can accomplish easily that fans would enjoy. The only other soap character/performer I would accept in this reset would be VI as Dr David Hayward. He is a conflict generator at the hospital (which needs it) and his ties to Anna make him way more suitable than Jackson Montgomery as an ABC daytime refugee on GH.

When Monty tanked the ratings in 1991, she did a course correction and the show was getting better. She moved the Q’s off the backburner and told one of her adventure stories . When ABC/Riche got Luke and Laura back, every story had a connection to them. Riche had been there a year, and she knew that stronger writing (Labine) and using those marquee characters would be good for the show and lapsed viewers. What is Frank going to do? Re-hire Roger? Flood the show with bland white men? This show is in a creative and ratings free fall. No longer just stagnant, it’s a mess we can all see onscreen. GH needs to feel like General Hospital again, even if he doesn’t want it to. Do what is right for your show, not your ego.

Thanks for the info on the Dobsons. Of everyone involved in bts soaps, I think Bridget’s life would make an incredible tv show. That relationship between her and her parents is so harsh and complex.

In some ways, hard not to agree. But members of the cast liked him and said he was more innovative than Young. Denise Alexander said he updated the studio and made it more functional, including improving the sound and cameras. Having come from DAYS she was shocked how bad those things were at GH. Lesley Charleson (a friend of his and hired by him) also described him as being very strong, similar to Monty without the attitude. He had terrible writers. If Marland had arrived when he did I wonder what GH would look like today. Or if it would even be on? It has coasted many times over the years on that cultural impact it had from Monty/Marland/PFS. Were the Dobsons fired or did they quit? They have such a singular style, but it really comes alive on GL from everything I have seen/read. Maybe Bridget felt more constrained to keep GH as it was as far as tone due to her parents? I agree 100% with this @victorlord75! We need perspectives like yours to bring those times to life. Soap fans carry a torch for their shows, especially the ones not airing anymore. There is so little reliable information about the earlier eras, let alone someone sharing how the shows made them feel, connect with characters and stories. Please continue to share!

And in name only. Let’s throw the name Jackie Templeton or Jagger or Paul Hornsby at a character that doesn’t evoke the original and call that history! Let’s mention Eckerts Bakery! We finally got Jeff Webber back, and I didn’t hate the casting for either parent, and the story was all about Finn and way too brief. Lois has worked out for me, but that’s mostly because Rena is engaged and clearly game to do anything. Same with Felicia. But both of them are played by their original actors, the history is there without a gimmick.

I am looking for something like he experienced at GL. Curlee and Reilly generated more story ideas than Demorest based on everything I have seen. But he was still very involved as a HW, fine tuning etc. and doing the business stories, because Curlee didn’t enjoy them. Anything that needed meticulous plotting his hands were all over. They would all three be HW, the current GH set up just needed something extra to push through. We needed some action surrounded all that lovely character work that has been happening. He made me like Nina, and almost enjoy Drew. That’s a miracle truthfully.

In my dreams, they would have a third HW that is an actual story generator. Someone that can add movement, while Korte kept up appearances for continuity and her pets, and Mulcahey concentrated on making the day to day and characters stronger, and mentoring new script writers. I do not have a specific person in mind, but it would have to be someone that has not had a HW position on a soap in the last 20 years. And couple that with an executive that sat Frank down, and said what we have been saying. The show looks good, we are not trying to replace you. But your creative instincts are out of touch and have been hampering any attempt at growth again on the show. You have every advantage, and the show isn’t working. So the decision is do you (Frank) stay and help the show by producing the hell out of new material by stronger writers than you prefer, or are you ready to retire? Because the change needs to happen or we are absolutely entering into the last one to two years of the show.

This was me shortly after the show botched keeping Vanessa in 2002. With both Brenda and Laura gone, because of the network and JFP, I was just done. I have dabbled on and off since, but never every day like I have from Bobbie’s funeral through today. It’s back to dipping in and out for me unless I see something going on that might make me watch regularly again. As I am still watching the show, I thought Gio was cute. Liz is really mean mugging in her scenes lately, even at the funeral. Becky just looks pissed to me. And everyone around here seems to like nice Tracy. But I miss the edge. There can be a balance between this version and the one we have had since her 2000’s return. Go back any further and she is back to being more villain at her core.

Way before 2020. We had Ryan Chamberlain back killing contract players, stalking Ava, etc and it lacked any suspense or thrills. The Peter August debacle started in 2017!

I have been harping on this for some time too, so I agree with both of you. The show sometimes feels more like an assembly line production. It looks good, it’s out on time, but there is no soul, nothing emotional to hang on to. I do think Frank brings more to the table than just the budget. Tomlin got DAYS under budget, and it showed. GH looks like it still has the kind of money JFP would want in 2011 for the most part, except the lighting. He lights the show like Rauch lit Guiding Light- so bright! After watching the last couple days, I feel for NLG. She showed up to work, and has been the most emotional part of Gregory’s death. The show is lucky to still have her because she is trying to make the emotions of the scenes work. Most of the vets do, but she’s been kind of pushed away for several years. It’s a shame they don’t use her like they should. Finn is in the best story of his time on the show (as this character). Unfortunately, I don’t care about him, so it’s wasted on me. I can appreciate ME is doing good work even if overall I would rather watch other characters.

From stuff I have read about those times, it seems ABC was also kind of embarrassed by how bad the show had become compared to what it had been. AMC and OLTL, while dated compared to today in aesthetics, were both considered modern for the times, including more complex characters. GH was kind of old fashioned in a way the network didn’t want to maintain. if the history can be trusted (which we know is hit or miss), the switch to 45 minutes caused the flood of new stories/characters, which helped destabilize the ratings. Monty arrived just as they were going to an hour, and they didn’t want any more losses like they had at 45 on top of just wanting the show to be better.

My FF button is back to getting liberal use on Hulu. I was willing to stick out scenes with some of these people when they suddenly had dialogue worth watching. Not anymore really. The only thing that actually makes me want to tune in is Anna/Valentin/Jason. And to get to whatever Ava is up to. The rest of the show is just there again. I might let scenes play that feature other favs, like Liz and Laura, but I’m not really invested in their stories right now.

It’s amazing to remember that Monica (and ultimately Gail too) came from that disaster. Different actress than LC at first, but still. I am glad I was old enough to at least see Jessie from time to time, and know characters like Lee, Steve, Audrey, etc. I have read recaps and plot summaries for that period of time and it reads dreadfully. Marland and Monty’s 1978 is interesting even as a summary, their new characters much more dynamic. The original Pollock stuff with the Webbers is just awful. Putting Rick with Lesley, Monica with Alan, and Jeff with Heather (and making him Steve’s son) at least made their stories more entertaining. Jeff is insufferable most of the time though from what I have seen.

The only thing that makes me believe it was that dire is that she was allowed a lot of freedom, including throwing out completed shows and reshooting them. My feeling about it has always been close to what I read from her once- ABC wanted the show to either improve greatly, or at least enough to go out with respect. I think the legendary 13 weeks was how long she had to move the show into being better, not a firm cancellation date. If it wasn’t getting better by 13 weeks they would have announced a cancellation at a later date, not immediately. They had already hired Marland. Pairing him with Monty was giving the show a chance. They both moved quickly to center focus around characters they could use to bring in viewers- Lesley, Laura, Scotty, and the newly arrived Alan and Bobbie. It also gave the network 13 weeks to start looking for a replacement, for an eventual launch down the road when the actual end date was near. In 1978 they were not going to turn that time over to affiliates.

FV does produce the best looking soap on the air right now, no doubt. I just wish for once he had exceptional (or as close as we can get nowadays) writing in place to make a complete package. Because I don’t think his creative instincts help the show story wise very often. Thank you @Errol and @Toups for being so direct about how you feel about the show, it reminds me more of the old days when both of you were more active in these kinds of discussions.

It’s such an interesting story and almost a line in the sand for the show. This is the last time Jessie Brewer was central to a story, not to mention the death of Phil. It proves to be popular, and gives the show a ratings spike. Within less than two years of the start, the longtime GH producer and writers are gone. Bridget had been there writing from nearly the beginning, and her parents show was never the same. Tom Donovan arrives, modernizes the stage/equipment, has a measure of success at first, but ends up tanking too. Monty arrives with the legend of 13 weeks to save the show. That is a lot in 4 years!

If the genre was as healthy as it was in the 90’s, Cody would have already been broke or was being blackmailed about Mac, and we would have our first daytime OnlyFans storyline.

Much better. Unfortunately the person I was with still battles their addiction, and has a relapse every couple years. I am lucky, I got therapy and came out of it much better at spotting the signs earlier and not ending up almost being consumed by someone else’s addictions again. They have to save themselves. We can help, support, etc, but only if the partner has gotten healthy enough to handle it too.

And the Finn apologists are mad at her! I thought her reaction was perfectly in character, and appropriate. She started by asking the question, he got defensive, so did she. Then it got nasty. I have been in a relationship with an addict. You have to be tough about protecting yourself, but fair and still feel compassion once it gets to a certain place. No kids were involved in my situation thankfully. But Laugh Don’t Cry, I KNOW She’d Want it That Way! The healing power of easy listening! Seemed to me yesterday it was leading to a breakup. Praise He who walks behind the rows!

Someone refresh my memory please? Who was the person Liz and Finn were talking about that still has a drink every so often but is in the program? And dear god in heaven, not them kissing. It’s like anti-chemistry.

I think both your points hit the nails on their heads- this one especially. She was created solely to generate conflict for an already underdeveloped character. Your first point rings true too, because these shows are nothing if not old fashioned and often cliches for how conflict and real issues exist between real people.

It was present from day one to anyone watching the show. No regime change for what we all saw and commented about. The whole point of casting the character was clearly to inject some conflict and background for Blaze and Kristina. She wouldn't be on the show except to be against her daughter having a relationship with a woman. Her interviews did not match anything we have seen onscreen. They do match if her character believes she isn’t homophobic but actually is, which is what has been playing out, and Eva was choosing to keep the story to herself until it unfolded. She has been playing the classic homophobic parent that otherwise believes she isn’t because she thinks she has no problem with LGBTQ+ people. Except for her child to be one. As it appears more and more that Blaze and Kristina are going to continue and she is losing control over Blaze, her facade is slipping. The only thing I think they added after she was cast was the Sonny flirtation. She could be concerned about Kristina’s cult past, her dangerous in a car mother, or her well known mobster father. But nope, she’s worried about anyone knowing her baby is with a woman.

I do not get this lone wolf narrative about Mulcahey. He has been an active partner on soap writing teams since he worked for Marland. He was on multiple teams and has people im his corner that are well respected, from Marland, Curlee, Alden, Michele Val Jean, etc. We know nothing about the details of what his agreement with ABC was, because nobody has been talking. He comes from an era of soaps when network interference began killing the genre. As many of us have suspected due to years of watching Valentini’s work, this was a shotgun wedding that one party clearly did not want. My money is more on Frank not wanting it because real changes that are needed haven’t happened. We got character upheaval but what was needed was cast upheaval, in several pink slips. The last two days have reeked of Mulcahey not being very involved/overruled. The scenes are back to being shorter (maybe not as short as before, but clearly not what we were seeing). Both were filled with plot and little character development. And neither had that signature set piece with a character having a deeper conversation. I am not saying the last two days were bad, or that movement wasn’t sorely needed. But it is also clear that something has changed again. As we also suspected, no matter what Eva LaRue thought, her character is homophobic.

Watching Friday’s episode, and it feels more like an episode by the prior team than anything has since Dante was shot. There was a lot of plot regurgitation and a lack of some of that deeper humanity that had been there since PM arrived. At least to me.