Paul Raven

Thanks @JAS0N47 Didn't know about that feature.

Burt Metcalfe talks about the Days pilot and casting of Frances Reid, but wasn't Mary Jackson cast as Alice originally and taped the pilot, then replaced by Frances for the series?

Maybe Burt Metcalfe just forgot that detail. But trivial as it might be, its how misinformation is spread.

That's why the need interviewers with a lot of knowledge.

Like so many headwriters new to a show, Hogan's intial 6-12 months at ATWT brought a lot of improvements and positive reaction when he replaced Leah Laiman. But as time wore on things went south.

Is she  still listed in the contract cast? 

If so,most likely like others before, she has been moved to recurring but is still listed as contract for some reason.

Re Braeden. The role of Victor should be scaled back if he can no longer remember lines. 

It must be difficult for him to no longer be on top of his game but that is the reality. 

Texas didn't live up to the hype.

The comparisons with Dallas were a handicap. No 5 day a week serial could compete with a once a week primetime show, especially one that was a cultural phenomenon.

I don't recall location filming extending beyond the initial weeks. Despite what Rauch was claiming the lighting was harsh and unflattering.

Seriously, claiming to revolutionize daytime TV is setting you up for ridicule and failure.

I don't know why NBC took on another P&G show.

Better off developing something they could have greater control over.

And expecting Paul Rauch to oversee 2 shows, when one of them was already in the doldrums.

It would have been better all round to expand The Doctors, following the template ABC had used for GH.

Fran Myers grew up on soaps so should know the genre inside out. So if she is messing up what hope is there?

As for new writers , do they love soaps or are just cheap hires greatful for a gig?

Also, if they are like some of the posters here, their knowledge and understanding of the genre starts and stops with 90's soaps. Or maybe the vintage 80's stuff if they want to go waaaay back.

I'm holding off on watching. There's too much other good stuff around.

Especially when something that could be brilliant ends up missing the mark.

Daddy wanted his little girl to be adored by non threatening boyish men.

Kinda like those teen idols that young girls worship.

And all these plot points lead nowhere.

With no budget to depict business stories and inept writing, they need to steer away completely.

Have Victor retire.  Dispense with Newman Media. Jabot has to sell of Marchetti and Fenmores to stay afloat etc.

Scale everything back. Have most characters working at Jabot like the good old days.

3 hours ago, danfling said:

Yes, Connie certainly was more interesting!

 

I remember that the real Silver was eventually murdered, but I do not remember who killed her.  Part of the storyline was that Palmer rolled her dead body in carpet and disposed the carpet and dead body.   He and Erica remained friends due to this.

But, I think that a better plotline would have been that Silver did not die, and Palmer told Silver to leave town.   Palmer would have then told Erica that he dispensed with Silver's body (although she was not really dead).   Palmer could have used blackmail at times in the future storylines to get Erica to help him with all the things that he plotted.

Good idea. Too many characters are killed off. This would have allowed Silver to return at some point, leading to complications for Palmer and Erica.

Quinn was an attractive intelligent woman of color (played by a fine actress)who, through sheer luck I think,became one of the longer term characters at that point.

She had yet to wed so there was a lot of story possibilities open to her. She had an adopted daughter and grandchild so that story avenue was there along with business and romance potential. And she was a good friend to several characters. So the writers decided to drop her. Makes sense.

That continual revolving door of characters was one of the fundamental mistakes AW made.

Lauren can take time out from running an international department store chain to be an exec assistant. OK.

Meanwhile Tessa, a super successful performer and spokesmodel now works at a local restaurant.

I'm surprised Abby didn't open Society in LA, NY and London.

Does a drunk Griffith scribble this nonsense on the back of a napkin.

STOP the business stories!

11 minutes ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

She was the HW who had The Salem Strangler kill Marlena & caused such fan outrage that they quickly changed it to be Samantha.

Do you really believe that?

It was always intended to be Samantha and the 'fan outrage' -picketing the studio,was a publicity stunt that got the show (much needed) media coverage.

If Kin is troublesome, then he should go once and for all. It would be quite easy to ease him out.

I hate the  notion of women 'brought to tears' or made to cry. Unfortunately something women are allowed or expected to do.

I'm over this notion that actors have much of a say in story.

Especially the notion that Kin, a recurring player who's only there due to the generosity of his employers, could flex his muscles about who he's paired with...

As for wanting some young love interest, yea we all have dreams.

It is irritating when new headwriters come to a show and don't bother to research past characters/stories. 

They are always actors and backstage staff who have been around for years that could be consulted.

And if they do reference the past quite often things are changed and go against what has previously happened.

Were any of the Kennicotts on at the same time?

What about the parents-did they appear? 

Had Mary mentioned other siblings specifically or were they made up as they went along?

I think this might be the only time that a family was represented this way-one by one over several years.

On 2/4/2024 at 7:56 AM, soapfan770 said:

Phyllis devolves into lunacy

So business as usual

On 2/4/2024 at 7:56 AM, soapfan770 said:

Phyllis schemes to crush the Bug once and for all! 

Deja vu...

On 2/4/2024 at 7:56 AM, soapfan770 said:

Daniel and Heather find the walls are closing in as they come to cross an unthinkable boundary! 

They have sex.

On 2/4/2024 at 7:56 AM, soapfan770 said:

Abby starts a venture for herself

Hasn't she already done that with Society? 

On 2/4/2024 at 7:56 AM, soapfan770 said:

Nick & Sharon rekindle their past love.

Again???

What was the deal with AfterMash ?

The idea of continuing the show may have been ultimately misguided but you can't blame CBS for going with it. Some of the Mash creatives were involved I think and there was a lot of interest and good will there as evidenced by the show debuting at #1.

The show held its own initially in the tough 9pm Monday slot ranking in the Top 15 but in the second half it fell against big TV movies (something About Amelia) mini series (Lace) and specials (Anerican Music Awards,Olympics). 

And then Kate & Allie replaced it and did better. Nonetheless it finished #15 for the season.

So CBS renews it but moves it to one of its dead zones Tues @8 up against a hot show A Team. OK that was counterprogramming but it seemed like CBS just wasn't interested in After Mash. It was cancelled mid season.

On 2/2/2024 at 8:13 AM, AMCOLTLLover said:

Y&R: I know people will hate me for it but Devon. Bruh. He’s the most boring character and yet they throw so much work to him while others suffer. 
Elena… God she has been nothing but boring on GH and keeps on being boring on Y&R 

No hate from me re Devon. Y&R should have recast years ago when Devon was backburner.

As for Elena she has disappeared from the canvas.

It's been discussed elsewhere ...

The creation of Texas -Spinning Iris off to the new show and changing her character, in turn weakening AW. The debut of Texas was a lesson in how not to launch a new show.

12 hours ago, Khan said:

I don't think any discussion on "Tank Jobs & Sabotages" would be complete without the ongoing nightmare that was CBS's erratic scheduling of "WKRP in Cincinnati."

That comment prompted me to do  a deep dive into WKRP's scheduling history.

It debuted Fall 78 at a time when CBS needed to replenish their sitcom stock. Their last new sitcom hit was Alice, now into it's 3rd season. Good Times and Rhoda were on their last legs(that's another story)

Anyway WKRP was given the tough gig of leading off Mon night against powerhouse Little House on NBC. It got good reviews but was saddled with the dud magazine show People and CBS wisely moved it to 9.30 following MASH, where it flourished.

It kept that slot next season until mid season when CBS replaced it with House Calls and sent WKRP back to Mon @8 again to try and bolster Last Resort, another struggling new sitcom.

In Fall 80 CBS decided Flo would be a better Mon lead in (not the case) and WKRP was sent to Sat night to lead the night. It did well enough teamed with Tim Conway  but the rest of the night was a flop.

For it's final season ,as CBS had placed Walt Disney on Sat CBS moved it to We @8.30 following the kiddie sitcom Mr Merlin, which (surprise) flopped. CBS then moved WKRP to Wed @9 against 2 strong shows Fall Guy and Facts of Life and that was it.

Looking back the show never got the support it needed. Had they kept it after MASH for longer, to really solidify it's following it might have stood a chance when moved to another timeslot. 

Requests

Kimberley Farr

Rodney Raulsberry

Richard Kiley

Lawrence Pressman

Riptide I would call a timeslot hit. NBC were looking for a compatible show to follow their first breakout hit The A Team. Bare Essence bombed and Remington Steele was moved to Tues @9 and fared better but was still losing to much of A Teams lead in, so in went Riptide with Remington moved to 10pm. Riptide did the job, helped by the fact that 3's Company was fading.

But ABC quickly fought back and Moonlighting took off at9 pm and by season's end was dominate. NBC moved Hunter from Sat night and Riptide was shifted to Fri @8 where it failed and that was it.

4 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Now that you mention this it reminds me of Mork & Mindy. Wasn't that moved around a lot, with a second season choice that basically sealed its fate? 

In 79/90 ABC decided to move a few hit shows Laverne & Shirley, Fantasy Island and Mork & Mindy to new slots to shore up weak timeslots. Mork got moved up to Sunday against Archie Bunker, reasoning that anew fresh hit would see off the aging Bunker. 

The fight was tight at first but ABC didn't factor in the huge football overruns on CBS which flowed onto 60 minutes , Bunker and the rest of the CBS schedule.

Also Mork had no lead in, a couple of flop sitcoms and an incompatible untried lead out The Associates.

And Mork had the Raquel Welch episode which was a Jump the Shark moment.

Also in Mork's old slot Laverne was not doing as well as expected. By midseason Mork was back on Thurs but never regained the ratings or hype of the first season.

8 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

CBS seems like the most ruthless network in this category, at least as it pertains to primetime?

Charlie & Co—which starred Gladys Knight, Jaleel White and the late greats Flip Wilson and Kristoff St. John— a series that offered promise but never fully got is “legs” underneath it, by Season 2, was put against The Cosby Show, a ratings juggernaut. What were the programming folks at CBS hoping to achieve here? It doesn’t seem like they hoped to achieve success for the fledgling sitcom.

 

I think you are confused re Charlie &Co.

CBS scheduled it Wed @9 initially up against Dynasty and NBC's new drama Helltown. I guess they were hoping to offer an alternative as NBC did for years with Facts of Lif,. It ran for through Dec but never took off.

It returned 8.30 Tuesday in January  following Melba, the Melba Moore sitcom but they were yanked after one episode.

By the time it returned late in the season Fri @8 it seemed CBS had given up and was just filling the time period.

It never got a 2nd season season or played against Cosby.

EDIT Sorry somehow I missed the other replies!