DAYS: Sheffer Out!?

[Drew]

Days would be stupid to fire Hogan Sheffer. He's a proven writer with a proven track record for success, and emmy wins. If Days has budget issues, its not something he can help.

That said, I'll bet they will fire him. Days is notoriously stupid like that. They'll fire Cwikly & Brash or Hogan Sheffer because they hit a momentary dry spell (and regarding Hogan ... December 2006 anybody??? Brilliant!), but they'll let people like Tom Langan and James E Reilly drive the show into the ground, and leave them there. JER should have been fired by the end of 2004 when the show went to hell and the ratings went with it - yet he stays till 2006.

And when(possibly if) Days goes off in 2009, I'll always point the finger back to them demoting Cwikly and Brash. The show, creativly, has never recovered from that decision. And the same can be said for the ratings, despite JER's peaks during the SSK the weeks the characters died. C&B brought Days up in ratings, and were regularly occupying the #2 spot. The show then, early 2003 had a chance to go on to greatness, but Days has never recovered from what Higley and Reilly did to it.

[sema608]

I don't know what to say. If Corday fires Hogan, he's an idiot. I believe he's the one interfering with the writing. If he would let Hogan write, Days' ratings would be in better shape. Hmmm, if this Hogan firing is true, would Goutman ask him to come back?

[sema608]

ITA. Hogan always follows his previews, unless upper management intervenes. I can't say I wouldn't be glad if Goutman asked him to come back to ATWT. Hogan is what made me fall for ATWT and I wouldn't want it any other way.

[pranji]

Thank you MrsMahany for the TvGuide blurbs.

Could it be the reason Sheffer has been so quiet is because he knows he majorly fucked up? Corday is such a damn liar that I have trouble believing anything he says, but if you read between the lines, Sheffer did say that he wanted to bring the younger generation forward. That's exactly what he's been doing. Corday's comments about letting Sheffer have free reign may not be him passing the blame to Sheffer like I initially thought. In fact, it could be Corday's way of sticking it to Sheffer for this disaster.

Sheffer delivered some good stuff after Milstein left so I think he's very capable of writing the show so I'm going to give him the benefit that he can turn things around. My only reservation is that he fired Brash, and the other Days writers and brought on his team which, IMO, has not helped at all. The show no longer "feels" like Days, and I believe that's why.

[Vee]

I don't think there's anything wrong with bringing the younger generation forward, in moderation. Phillip should be growing into his role, Shawn and Belle should grow up, Chelsea should mature, Sami and EJ should carry on the diMera/Brady feud (and I don't think Stefano would add anything at this point) . But the key is moderation, and whoever's decision it was to leave the vets out, it wasn't smart.

[pranji]

Totally agree. It was a major mistake. Of course, I also believe all the exits hurt the show. If the vets had to be put on the backburner because of the budget, the younger and new characters are the only ones there to take up the slack.

[bellcurve]

THE CITY's ratings were getting better before its cancellation, if I'm not mistaken. Jane Elliot's Tracy Quartermaine really juiced this show and kicked it into high gear.

The biggest problem is that ABC wasn't willing to give this show more than just a year on the air. I liked, overall, the IDEA of THE CITY. I hear the Morgan Fairchild days were slow-paced and snoozeworthy. I remember Michael Logan did a piece on the show and labeled the article "THE CITY That Always Sleeps."

I think with a more daring writer and a more lengthy time on the air, THE CITY could have gained a new audience or at least made an effort to chip into Y&R's audience. You can't kill Y&R overnight.

ABC failed THE CITY, not the other way around. I even read somewhere that the show was doing better in the graveyard hours in some larger markets and that doesn't surprise me. The show was just perfect for that kind of timeslot.

[billyjill]

I think Sheffer was right to pinpoint the reality that no up and coming characters were good enough to carry the show in the future, and so in that sense the younger generation does deserve attention, but they needed more quality improvement over longer time overall before their screentime should've increased this much. In any case, sometimes I wonder if its less about the younger ones and more about the fact that some actors had to be off, thus requiring the dependency on the younger ones.

His firing Brash as well as SLG, those I do not like at all. I feel this writing team may be competent but that Days-specific continuity is interrupted.

[ChiTownBoi03]

yeah after firing C&B and hiring Higley...I'm sure Corday did not expect her infamous 'long-term vision' for the show to be what we actually saw. i have to just throw it out there how interesting it is that *if* Hogan is let go when summer ends, that is right around the time when JER will be on the unemployment line... Just an observation

[DH23]

double post

[DH23]

Chi, please bite your tounge (or computer) - just kidding but If JERk returns the show is dead in the water

[R!ck]

My thoughts exactly Pranji, Sheffer did exactly what he said he was going to do, and it FLOPPED

[Gray Bunny]

AGREED!

[psychofan]

Thank you so much for that!!! How can Sheffer be totally blameless in all of this?

[sungrey]

I agree, and I'm afraid NBC would foist JERk back on Corday. If that happened, I would stop watching after over 25 years. I don't think I have to worry about that, though.