titan1978

What excites me the most about Mulcahey/Korte and possibly MVJ is that the show might feel familiar again, it might actually elicit emotion again. Frank has spent his entire tenure trying to keep the show alive, and I do appreciate what he has done. The show looks good IMO, it’s just boring/lacks emotion. I know this is 2024, and nothing will compare to the best days of daytime soaps. It is a different landscape in every way. But I have sat through generic opening credits, total investment in his friends vs characters that should be here (Howarth and Easton), his diminishing returns on an ABC supersoap, and characters just blandly existing. He even changed the General Hospital font. It is wild to me that we sat through several characters for his friends, and yet Adam Huss wasn’t given a real chance to keep Nikolas vital. Maybe it wouldn’t work- but the attempt should have been made. It is beyond due for fans of this show to see something resembling GH.

One thing I will say for Ron at DAYS is that the young people are bed hopping! Their lives are messy. It’s not good television, but it’s at least more realistic than GH’s young people.

There is such a driving engine from the affair starting in season 3 between Abby and Gary through the first couple episodes of season 7. The whole show is just entertaining. Then it just kind of stalls out and people start acting off in season 7. I do think it wasn’t a bad idea to move Val off the frontburner for a bit after the babies- she drove years of story and deserved a little time in supporting. I ended up loving Paige as a character so the years she becomes a focus aren’t bad for me. I do think the worst season of Knots is still more watchable than those later Dallas seasons.

I hope he keeps some of the newer hires as well, at least long enough to see if they will learn from him about more specificity in the writing. That’s part of what we need- the good writers sharing their mentorship with newer hires to the genre.

I followed her closey during the strike. I don’t think she would be ready to retire based on everything I saw her posting then. Based on her fan interactions she clearly loved GH and the cast.

Come on back to GH lady!

They should absolutely do this, and Bob Guza would be very proud if they did and Sonny got to call Nina a whore. About Frank Valentini- I don’t think he is trying to control the writing out of ego like JFP. I think it’s more practical than that. It’s about maintaining control of the production. As in he has this model down to a science. Deeper scenes and more dialogue means longer taping, more emotion, and he can’t just chop everything up to pieces to maintain any sense of story within an episode. I do not see Frank Valentini as someone who would deliberately sabotage a show, especially in this daytime economy.

When did Nathan Varni start posting again about the show? Because that seems to be a pretty good indication of timeline for when they were making a change. I think the hastily put together ABC special and Varni actively commenting on the show are when Chris and Dan’s goose was actually cooked. As many of us have speculated, Mulcahey is not anyone FV would have come up with. I can see Korte being approached and her playing a part in talking to PM. I can also see him wanting Korte by his side for many reasons as HW. This is very reminiscent to me of Guza and Pratt being rehired and forced on Jill Farren Phelps. They got producer credits to give them more $ and better control over their material, and Jill lost the total control she had been used to since OLTL. She wanted to be Monty, but lacked Gloria’s storytelling and directing abilities that served her well on her original GH run, no matter who was writing the show.

It could lead to an actual story too. I don’t watch B&B but I know the basics. It would have been interesting for Spectra to have invested in clothing and modes for all sizes, and actually come out on top of Forrester.

the show agreed and that’s why they went back to Stavros being his father. I didn’t like Stefan being the father either.

The intention was that he was dead when they brought the Cassadines back. His resurrection and that entire terrible JFP story was just awful, and almost cost her the EP job. Plus, it was inherent in the story that Laura and Stefan had a connection right from the beginning. As time went on that connection was revealed to be her only happiness on the island, and possibly that Nikolas was his son. If it was Stavros, Luke kills him and any jeopardy to Luke and Laura’s marriage is gone. The point was to give them emotional material to play that could rock the foundation of the Spencer family. Stavros gives Luke and Lucky a direction for their anger, and Nikolas would have seen through his family conditioning about Laura much sooner. Luke’s simmering anger without release is what killed their marriage. Laura’s ability to connect with Nikolas would have eliminated some of her desperation, which was what broke her family apart from her side as far as Luke and Lucky.

I agree! I don’t want all that chit chat surrounding news about genocides and major political news.

IMO there was still mileage in his story too. Truthfully the entire cable storyline was underutilized. Think how important media became. It was a missed opportunity not to let Joshua’s ministry grow much larger before it blew up around him. Also to really invest in Ben’s work as a journalist. I think it would have even been interesting for Ben and Abby to come down on the same side of an investigative piece. Something to do with Sumner. What would them working so closely and well together have done for all those character dynamics?

I agree!!

That’s it! I remember that being a fun little bit for Felicia. And he really was a gem, such a cutie too. Gone too soon.

He was fun in the boxing Jagger story too, with Felicia after them for being sexist. Didn’t she protest the gym? It’s been a long time. I loved Marco and Gerald Anthony anywhere we could get him.

A premature Burton. It happens.

Truthfully that gaunt face could use some buccal fat put back in.

Could not agree more. The OLTL 3 didn’t save GH from possible cancellation. Telling a huge GH style action story, dangling Robin being alive for a year, and the influx of vets for the 50th did. Bring me some GH characters that matter with their best liked portrayers, not more characters from other ABC soaps. I loved them too, especially OLTL. But it’s over and not the duty of GH to keep them alive in diminished returns. I do agree it is time to decide and stop the half assed Frank super soap nonsense. His chance to do it is long passed. At this point I would much rather see someone like Erika Slezak play a nasty villain than Victoria Lord on GH.

They froze the head!

I don’t disagree, Lily was frigded to give Sonny and Brenda angst. She had little agency for herself as a character beyond her father, Miguel, Sonny and Brenda. Although I remember her being manipulative of the situation between Sonny and her father in order to land Sonny. She wasn’t as innocent as her legend after death. It also brought out the worst in Brenda at times. So many iconic moments in that story. Sonny always leaving Brenda in the rain. I was so invested, and when that slow motion started I remember thinking are they going to kill Lily? Then boom.

It was absolutely the right decision to do Clink/Boom. It was everything you said- real stakes, and it was an unforgettable moment.

So much would have been different had Lily lived for Sonny’s character. The Sonny that existed before that explosion would not have left her, even for Brenda I don’t think. Nor would he have been as self destructive, which means no Carly either. It’s a classic for a reason. I would rank Lullaby higher than Amazing Grace simply for the fallout being so important for so many characters. But I agree those are the three best slow motion shootouts.

And both complete! Unlike so many other classic soaps gone to history due to tape wiping and other limitations of the times. As far as the new writing regime- I am tempering my optimism by recognizing this will not be the same as it was 20+ years ago. But I do think it will be an improvement as far as character, day to day episodes, and stories with more depth and more beats played out. With GH I believe the complete episodes begin in maybe 1979? I know that it’s very spotty before that. It might be 1980 when the actual full archive begins.

If this bothers you, you should get a look at Anna as police commissioner in the late 80’s. Her hair was well past her waist.