Vee

It's nothing to apologize for lol. I don't think any of us are arguing that except for his skill with budgeting FV is long past his creative prime. And yes, you're absolutely right. There isn't any forward thrust to a lot of GH over the last decade - just getting through the day, with occasional jolts of energy when it comes to the faves or pageantry specials FV enjoys (like the Nurses Ball, which has gotten more and more painful and cringe in recent times with the threadbare budget).

What is she doing these days? I am reminded of when Ginger Smith and Jennifer Pepperman were speedily promoted from within to run the PP soaps. I have no idea what Smith is up to now (she did a very good job with AMC 2.0) but Pepperman is now riding high producing for pro wrestling, which isn't far from soaps. Curtis is of course leagues above both. And the thing is, Frank is not a neophyte. He has seen it all before he became EP but he also does know how to produce for drama and emotion, because they did it a fair amount in his tenure at OLTL with scenes that stuck in the heart and mind and yes, at GH early on. But I feel like the last decade in particular has largely been about just basic subsistence, survival and not rocking the boat or jeopardizing his own position. There feels like there's little passion left for anything but his personal friends and favorite things - not much for the show itself, outside of special occasions like Jackie's death. I would love to see an EP change, I just fear the only way that happens is if ABC kills the show while doing it.

I think all we can do is accurately critique a soap because we care for it and cheer it on when it improves or makes real strides. GH is in a very in-between place right now for me, but it's also the most engaged I've been in years. I don't pull punches because I think it deserves more, but I also am willing to talk about what I think really works or really doesn't day to day. I think FV probably does hate seeing a lot of friends, etc. out of a job, which is odd since he also has a rep for being a total iceman when he wants to be to many people. I think he's in love with actors when he's in control of them, and when he's not the problems begin. (Melissa Archer told a story on Twitter recently about him calling her in during contract negotiations in the Higley years and pleasantly informing her she'd never get work in LA so why not just stop fighting and re-sign? When she kept pushing they began running the character down onscreen.) But the truth is almost all people are nuanced, all are more than one thing. He did a wonderful thing for the show at large in 2012 by saving it (as well as for John Ingle personally that same year), and I think its simple televised survival and keeping the trains running on time is his first priority, whatever the actual day to day quality. The second is his personal preferences, social connections, etc. And I think both factors are interfering with the quality in their own ways. He's said to be a good director, but that is not the same thing as having a vision. And I'm not sure there is money or time at ABC for a vision now. I think he and Ron had one in 2012, however deeply flawed - keep the show alive, keep the spirit of the lost ABC soaps alive with various crossovers, fuse them together, etc. But these days I think it's mostly just keep GH on, keep the show unproblematic and utilize/employ his preferred people and favored actors or kids as much as possible. I would love to see someone with vision come in who can also keep the show's budget healthy. I don't know that anyone can. But I agree with much of what you're saying. I remember well when FV was interviewed in the mid-2000s by Logan or someone, during the Dena Higley interregnum at OLTL. The fans hated the show at the time, Logan or whoever the reporter was hated it, the cast hated it and we learned many years later from Erika Slezak that FV hated it too - hated Dena's work, hated that she never wrote a long-form bible he could plan for, etc. But when repeatedly pressed in this interview on the lessons he had learned from the difficult year for the show or what he had to say re: fan complaints over Higley and her stories, FV never wavered or gave an inch to criticism. He said they were pleased with the stories they were telling and looking forward to next year. That's his public face and it's never going to change, because IMO he is always about survival.

Oh, absolutely. But it's FV's halfway house at this point. I hope that can change.

I do think she's looked and sounded a lot better recently. One of the last times I came in this thread there was some mortifying appearance I couldn't take my eyes off of, so it's nice to see her improved. She will always be exactly who she set out to be and you can't fake that these days, no matter how many try.

There was a whole subplot at least at one point with a heavyset young woman who was a friend of much of the younger set who he was trying to help with her shame issues, etc. Richard was all over that show for quite awhile.

I think a lot of the Deception stuff I've seen in the early '90s with Scott, Dominique, Julia, etc. is actually a lot of fun. And I think it's fine to do more with it. But it can't be governed by the likes of Sasha or the QVC shít FV keeps going back to because he likes employing Morgan and Susan Batten. There are ways to have fun with this stuff. It's what FV has been doing for many years. I remember Hillary B. Smith, Brian Kerwin and others talking about it at length at OLTL for the oral history, saying they had no idea whose funeral they were at, what was going on, etc. On the one hand I get it - Frank's piecemeal method kept that show under budget and vital, allegedly paying for much of the rest of the overages of the other two soaps. It's done much the same for GH's survival. For all we know it may be the only way now to do a functional soap at these numbers without ending up looking like Y&R, with everyone having 'meetings' at the coffeehouse or greenscreening it up. But I have to think there is a better way to thread the needle at least a little bit. If you can expand the scenes as they have done, you can experiment a little with the flow of production so it doesn't sometimes feel like the William S. Burroughs writing method. I don't know who disrespects Lucy but it has been going on for many years. I knew when she was first reduced to roaming the docks as a realtor(!!) maybe 7-8 years ago it was bad news. At least she has a more central role now, but I still want much better for her even if I suspect Lynn is always having fun. I am open to Lois doing more at Deception, but I've always said I want her music business in the mix somehow. Otherwise it's Employment Mad Libs (again like Y&R). I don't really care about Willow so I don't mind if they try to make her go the young Lila route as a wealthy charity queen for a storyline purpose, which is what I have to assume this is, but regardless I don't need her or Michael around. I do agree more doctors are needed, especially if we shed Finn, Willow, etc. soon. I'm not worried about Becky Herbst's place on the canvas, which may be famous last words but I'm just not. I do think the Gregory/Tracy material is often elegiac, smart and touching, and GH is doing a good job. But ultimately this guy has been hobbling around and lecturing people for what, a year or more and I'm just tired of him. It was a waste of talent.

I think that diversification is a great idea, especially where Lucy is concerned for the older branch. Though I think if you get too in the weeds you run the risk of emulating classic Y&R, which while I'm not dogging it I don't know that GH would ever be great at. I do think you could play with that stuff a bit though. But in order to do so you'll need more compelling writing than the current makeup, and probably some more interesting players. If it was me, it'd be Trina co-opted as a fish out of water into the main line Deception and possibly a WOC offshoot, thinking it will be good money in the bank and a fun experience only to find it pulling her away from her true passion (art studies) more. She'd be mentored by the returning superstar of course - Brenda - who is beginning to come to grips with her age. Maybe you'd have Natalia still in the mix trying to actively sabotage them both for Blaze, maybe she'd be gone by then. Lois would be the general emcee, Maxie (who is reenergized as is) would be in control, maybe BLQ is still at the job, maybe not, while Lucy would be working on the product for older women. And then maybe bring back Serena (noted in many recent mentions to be a bit of a hippie-dippie heiress with environmental interests) to get involved and have her idealistic aims for the product line make things difficult for some of the others. Then you have a lot of women involved in different things. The problem is Blaze is about as edgy as ultimate frisbee. Gia was the real deal.

Synclavion??

That's been an issue for years tbh, not just this regime. It baffles me what they end episodes on these days.

He was that bad everyday! Just grinning his way through every scene because he's happy to be on the teevee. We're probably gonna need a third.

I think Trina out of school is just a temporary drama thing re: her grief, or it really should be. Unless she ends up the Face of Deception or something, which is an obvious choice IMO. I don't dislike Trina and Joss' whole dorm/college thing but they need more people to play off of. Not Dex.

Joss as a doctor also never made sense to me at all (and seemed an obvious attempt to inject her into what is still often the center of action) so I am happy with that changing. I don't necessarily have a problem with Lois at Deception but I'd like them to reference her music situation. Lucy disrespect is just a thing this show has done for years now. I would very much like it to change but I'm fairly numb to it at present.

I have never claimed to do anything but put easy marks on Ignore.

Nnnnope! And Frank precedes Gary at OLTL. He had been there since Rauch.

FV is well-loved by so many actors, and there's no denying he kept GH on the air ten years ago. I think those folks who love him should always be bore in mind for all my deep criticisms of him. I also think other producers like some of the people you've mentioned could possibly run it at cost and on or under budget, but I have my doubts ABC is at all interested in looking. I'm not sure there's that many left frankly who know how to put the puzzle pieces together in the same way BTS money-wise, even as his methodology of taping has become so messy. And at the same time as he's got such a beloved rep, there are also many stories of Frank freezing people out for random slights or for pushing him on creative issues. He'll talk a good game out of one side of his mouth, promise them the world and then cut them loose. It's happened many times. He'll assume exiting actors can't or won't go anywhere else and then get sullen when they do. And we know he wanted Genie to go recurring. When he doesn't get his way he can turn cold on a performer (VM, many others) or become very stubborn (ME, RH). And I think, as I've said before, after he and Ron became the toast of the town it went to his head. I think he began to believe he was one of the saviors of soaps (because he was) but more than that, that he was The Savior, that he had a 'vision' for salvaging the genre on ABC under his own aegis. And everything since he let Ron get cut loose has too often felt utterly micromanaged to within an inch of his life for his private fiefdom, his tastes, his budgetary restrictions and considerations and his often very banal casting choices and preferred characters vs. anything truly risky or exciting. Because risky might risk getting the show cancelled. And in the end keeping it on is what FV cares about above all. I would be happy to see him go, if someone is capable of keeping the show financially solvent. But right now my interest is in seeing him reduced to his former, best role: Facilitator for other creatives. We have a ways to go to see if that gets there.

That's a Frank thing and will likely never change as long as he is there. As for dropping viewers, I frankly just expect all the soaps to keep doing so good or bad on network at this point, whoever the writers are. I barely pay attention at this point without some massive crash.

That's just a nice statement to quiet the crazy fans claiming NAC is ungrateful to the show, etc. I highly doubt he'll be back any time soon. A recast is the most likely option down the road.

They just don't want to be bothered with the show period. Too bad. Perhaps The Gates will light a fire under them, if it goes well.

I just don't think they are interested in bibles at the networks anymore, tbh. Many times it's just been 'hop in!' and work with all sorts of constraints. I hope that changes here, and I'll be curious to see how The Gates turns out.

It is indeed. And it would be nice to see that kind of speed applied with so many other things on the show. I'll admit I am waiting for an inevitable Sonny/Nina scene again sometime, just to see how the new team handles that dynamic. Which never made much sense to me beyond "Maurice enjoys Cynthia's company". What I'll be amazed by is if they let it get as far as Sonny having another foolish mob wedding to Ava Jerome. And they should tbh. A fatal mistake he made with Claudia before and is completely inclined to repeat, because in the years since he has learned very little and he proved that many times, starting with letting Brenda walk out. And Ava is a lot smarter than Claudia.

I ain't updated it either lol.

I think OG Kate came closest to something bigger - no one was more surprised than me that that worked. Then Guza (or someone) killed it in the crib to advance the Dante saga with Olivia in Kate's place, needlessly IMO.

I just couldn't care less about this phantom subplot right now. The show has enough to deal with before they can find an Aiden who can act.

That's because they're mostly Sonny/Nina fans. And stupid!