Y&R: I sure do miss Jack Smith and Kay Alden.

[a2sassy]

I ranted and raved about how much of a hack Smith and Alden were, but that was NOTHING compaired to what LML and Co. has done to the show. At least with Smith and Alden, the characters somewhat resembled themselves, but now so many characters are acting out of character that it's crazy.

I don't know what exactly is going on with Y&R, but whatever it is, it ain't good.

[DruRocks]

LOL, I'm in the same boat. I think they sucked too, but in comparison to LML, they are loads better. Atleast both can say they had successful stories. Kay Alden had the "Take over" and "Tricia/Ryan," and Jack Smith had "Tuvia vs. Safra" and "Kevin/Lily." These were fantastic stories IMHO. To single out the "Tuvia vs. Safra" one, it was fun and exciting. It incorporated many of the cast members and was written well. It was nothing compared to Alden's takeover, but it was almost as good. I also liked the Kevin/Lily predator story. And I don't care what anybody says but Christel Khalil SOLD that story. She was damn good and deserved her nomination. The chemistry between Khalil/Rikaart was all sorts of strange (in a good way). And let's not forget Jack Smith brought us "Phyllis & Dru," and the infamous "Elevator Drunks."

ETA: LML is a hack and has to GO. We're approaching a year, and already MANY fans are upset with her work.

[Darn]

I loved their run in the first place, I'd take them back in a second.

[DrewH]

Agree with everything you say, well, except for Alden's days. I wasn't watching back then, but I loved all of Smith's storylines, even Sheila's return *waits for tomatos*

[DruRocks]

Yeah, you WILL be getting a tomatoe from me *SPLAT*

LOL, sorry but I hated that story it was too contrived, plot driven, and full of holes. I did love Roscoe Born though who was mesmerizing. Sheila as 'darth vadar' was silly.

I think most fans got upset at Jack Smith because he went against Bill Bell's wishes "Lily being Malcolms'/Cassie's death."

I also loved that he gave Melody Thomas Scott a story. MTS was just great. That scene in Bobby's office where she said nothing, but the emotion was conveyed through her facial expressions was great stuff.

He also did a good job at the little things like:

Kevin being Michael's brother. That reveal was all sorts of brilliance.

JT saving Colleen from the fire at Gina's.

Ashley breaking down at the Gala

Ashley's flawlessly directed car accident

Isabella drowning Christine

Lauren/Michael's wedding

etc etc etc

[winterguy125]

Nope don't miss them at all, Alden was good before 1998 but after that the show went to hell and to a boring hell at that. Smith made is some what better but it was still boring. LML may not be the best writer in the world and Y&R might not be at it's top game right now, but it is a lot better than it has been for years.

[DruRocks]

^I used to believe that, but now I thoroughly disagree. The last time Y&R was REALLY good was 2003/some of 2004.

[a2sassy]

ITA. I watched the clip you posted in the video section and the show has changed so much in a few short years.

LML just isn't bringing it. She's turned the show into a plot driven mess. If I wanted to watch nothing but plots, I'd watch only ABC soaps. Y&R has lost it's identity and it won't get it back until they get some writers that know and understand the history of the show.

[Faulkner]

Everything on the show just seems so sloppy and tentative, as if long-term plotting isn't being done. Like what the hell do they have planned for Ji Min, and why did they give the guy a contract if they aren't gonna use them? Where the HELL is this reliquary story headed, and why should we care?

[a2sassy]

Let LML tell it, she plans her stories out a year ahead of time. But I really think she writes like a damn fanfiction writer. SHe starts one s/l and then gets bored, so instead of finishing that one, she starts another one and the cycle continues. Some of the s/ls she's come up with I think she got the ideas while sitting on the toilet taking a crap because that's what most of them have been, CRAP.

[BadZoe]

I wish Kay Alden would come back but Y&R can be cancelled before I'd consider watching that Jack Ass in control again.

[crc]

Something I'll always have to give Jack-ass Smith credit for... back in 2003 or 2004, I don't think I've ever seen so many Black characters at a given time on a soap. Passions might rival this, I don't watch the show, so I don't know. But at one point, we had Drucilla, Neil, Lily, Malcolm, Devon, Olivia, Damon, Damon's former colleague Vanessa Lerner, Mamie was still recurring, and Det. Weber was strongly recurring, so was Lorena Davis as Victor's probation officer and Devon's social worker. I believe this was around the peak of the Safra/Tuvia battle. I feel like I'm forgetting somebody, but that was just amazing to me. I remember reading that this was all in reaction to Y&R or CBS having done research on their ratings decrease and found that they lost a lot of Black viewers. Prompting them to get Victoria Rowell & Shemar Moore to return and creating a story that had both Newman Enterprises and Jabot Cosmetics create cosmetic lines for "people of color."

[Chris B]

The most frustrating thing about Latham is that she isn't a complete loon like McTavish or JER. She has really good ideas which always get me excited, then the execution is pure cat shyt! Look at Jill and Kay's storyline, GREAT idea, but where are the fireworks? Why not bring back Nina/Phillip IV for a short run to spice things up? Why not have Jill press kidnapping charges on Katherine? This should be a HUGE, high stakes story, but it's so middle of the road.

I imagine most of the success of last year was having Alden/Smith on hand to research and better flesh things out. Scott Hamner is also not helping, he has been a major failure in all of his writing jobs. He wrote Dynasty after the Moldavia massacre, this is when the show went from #1 to an absolute joke. He also wrote with Latham at PC, then by himself which is said to be terrible. His one season of Knots Landing has mixed opinions from fans. Latham's success has only been with her husband Bernie, so why isn't he the co-headwriter?

[sheilaforever]

I never wanted Smith & Alden (especially her, she wrote THE most classic Y&R - only using core ensemble people) to get demoted in the first place and therefore complained for some time. Yet, now that we’re stuck in LML’s reign of terror - and probably will for some time judging the ratings (Who is deliberately watching this crap and finds it appealing in any way!? Seriously!? I for one simply watch out of habit and love/pity for the actors) - I still will give her credit for some of the most creative storyline ideas these days. She tries doing new things and most ideas have some appeal: Brad being Jewish, an adventure style story, social relevant stuff, a murder mystery.

BUT the execution is piss-poor and all the people she hired do not make things any better because Y&R has now some of the most dumbest dialogues on television. This is piss-poor writing. Further it creates a very sh*tty style lacking any form of actual pacing where the bad lasts months (e.g. Brad SnoozeCarlton, who shrilled Carmen Messed-Up) and the good (e.g. Lauren’s depression, the Kay/Jil “story” which is unfortunately none) is done in five seconds without any form of climax. LML can stay but everyone surrounding her or responsible for the way her ideas reach the screen needs to be fired ASAP.

[Darn]

It's so weird to me that I can't seem to avoid people who defend Reilly/Latham/Guza/McTavish yet rarely do I find supporters of Jack Smith or Kay Alden. It's odd.