Y&R: Should LML Stay Or Go?

[heatherwebber]

I'm happy with the show. I don't think they should make any changes.

And that's a lot more than I can say about any of the other soaps.

[Ann_SS]

LML should stay. There is no point in changing headwriters again. Just a couple months ago the ratings for Y&R were high as 4.6 some weeks. Disgruntled fans always think that a headwriter will magically turn soap around and it rarely ever works. LML has good story ideas, but the pacing is too fast and there is poor character development. If CBS can hire a strong consultant with some power to work with LML on this aspect of her storytelling, Y&R will improve.

[Toups]

LML could stay, but she needs to have less power and less newbies running the show. Right now, Y&R has 4 newbies in control: LML, Scott Hamner, Benard L, and Josh Griffith.

What I would do:

- demote Griffith to either Script Writer of Associate Writer

- take way LML's EP status

- promote Ed Scott to Executive Producer

- demote Scott Hamner to Associte Writer

- bring back Jim Houghton and Joshua S. McCaffrey as Script Writers

- bring back Trent Jones and Jerry Birn as Co-Head Writers to help LML

- get rid of 3-4 of those new writers

[ReddFoxx]

I think Lynn Marie Latham is a very good writer and should stay.

[heatherwebber]

Well they're not really newbies. All of those people have lots of experience, years of it, on various other shows. They may be new to Y&R but they're not new overall.

That said some of the script writers do appear to be newbies. And dumping lots of the other script writers which worked for a long time on the show does seem to have been a bizarre move. I'm not sure what happened there.

As to the issue of a good headwriter fixing a show, well yes it can happen but the headwriter needs to be good and know what they're doing AND have no network interference.

Right now ABC is a complete disaster. Days is better but not where it should be. B&B needs major assistance. I'm not sure what to say about the P&G shows but both of them appear to need some help.

Y&R, I like what I see and have little or nothing to complain about.

I do suspect at least some of the ATWT complaining is coming from agenda. Someone doesn't think their character is getting enough airtime or isn't in the right couple onscreen all the time and complaining to fire the writer or producer or both starts up in bulk.

It only serves to cloud issues when a show REALLY needs major help as pretty much everything on ABC for the past few years especially GH.

Right now Y&R is rebuilding in an attempt to address some of the complaining but it seems to be headed in good directions. I'd like to see more of Kay & Jill and there's a few other thing I could say but I have no problems with what Lynn's done. Maybe the loss of John & Ashley and the mess which was made of Sheila/Phyllis but they're done and they're not beyond fixing. John's ghost, Ashley on B&B, and the Sheila fiasco might still be salvaged somewhere. But overall I've enjoyed it all along and it's still interesting. And right now I'm excited about what I'm seeing. I love seeing Nia Peeples even if it's still in the background. I love the whole poltical scene. Nikki rocks. Now, they need to have Casey show up. I'm glad Maggie's back alongside Paul. I've always liked Gloria's shenanigans though I do think she needs some fall because of the face cream incident. Maybe Janna will pop back up for more trouble.

I say keep Lynn. But fix all the other shows.

[Ann_SS]

CBS has got to act fast to help LML steady the writing because if they do nothing, the ratings are going to continue to decline. Now is the time to intervene. There is still time to turn Y&R around.

[winterguy125]

I think she should stay, but she needs to work on alot of things, because as alot of posters are saying the show is a hot mess, but it is not all bad, I do love the faster movement of the stories, but I also don't like that some storylines just disappear one day and show up again 2 months later. I also don't like when only one storyline is being featured yes this week as been great, but we are only really getting one storyline instead of incorporating the other storyines in as well.

[sheilaforever]

Exactly. That's why this mess called Y&R has no identity anymore.

It's generic, it has absolutely no direction, it's good one day and pure crap for the next month...

I might not like GH as much as I used to, but with all its faults (and there are a lot) the show still has some kind of feeling/identity. Even if it is for the major part wrong. Y&R hasn't anymore because of all the behind-the-scenes stunts LML has pulled.

And that's just the icing on the cake because as it is nearly admitted by everyone here, even the stuff that gets onscreen and is directly visible for viewers is one hot disaster.

Further, I don't get where you get your knowledge about B&B from. It might not be perfect but the show overall is pretty much fantastic for at least more than just 5 % of all days like Y&R. I'm not attacking you personally but part of your statement got me riled up.

[operagirl1]

Why does everyone think Alden was such a prize? Ashley as spermPig, Heather Tom forced out, Jill is Kay's daughter, creamTainting and Shelia (and her months of stupid disguises) distroying Lauren's wedding, are all her crap. Yeah, LML's pace is uneven, but Alden's shows moved at a snailpace AND she isolated everyone, AND was incapable of introducing anyone new. Korbell, Cane, JiMin are welcome additions to Y&R and have been brought in very well. I love Cadrian.

No it's not perfect. But compared to anything on ABCD, it's Shakespeare.

In the last year LML had made me fall madly in love with Jack - And now I'm getting a big payoff - And she's made me hate Brad - and now I'm getting a big payoff. Throw in Korbleen, and I'm a pretty happy soap watcher.

Gloria needs to be taken down, though.

[heatherwebber]

GH is a hideous mess. But it does appear to be slightly better lately than it's been since Guza & Pratt returned to destruct everything.

"" I don't get where you get your knowledge about B&B from. It might not be perfect but the show overall is pretty much fantastic ""

Well I find B&B to be all over the place. Sometimes as in the Betty White stuff back in December it's fantastic. Sometimes as usual when it's obsessed with Brooke & Ridge, together or apart, it's annoying as all get out. Everyone else is sacrificed on the altar of Brooke & Ridge.

Then there's that very annoying twin. Steff? Or Phoebe? I never can tell which. She's not written terribly interestingly. She's duller than Brooke was at her worst. Not that Brooke is always dull, but she sure can be annoying. Well this twin is even more annoying. But she sure can sing extremely well, I must admit.

Other than that, Taylor is still floundering, several other characters mysteriously back-burnered, and I just don't have that burning desire to watch it every day as I do Y&R.

I find Y&R compelling. I don't understand all the criticism. I've read it all and find it most of the time baffling. It is definitely not what I'm seeing when I watch the show despite the few problems I mentioned (Sheila, John & Ashley.)

[Sylph]

Well, as for the new writers, and I mean dialogue writers, I'm not sure I would get rid of them. I think the only good thing about Y&R right now is dialogue. While Kay's team was writing the dialogue, it was the most shapeless, stiff, unnatural and unrealistic dialogue I ever heard on any daytime serial. Now the dialogue is very good but the stories are pure sh*t.

[Ann_SS]

I like Y&R's dialogue right now also. I thought Alden was crappy as Y&R's headwiter and don't want her back. I do think that Y&R has an identity under LML. Her vision of the show is corporate intrigue with the characters engaged conflict and romance with the occasional adventure. The problem is that LML writes the show as if it is episodic tv and not a daily soap opera. She needs to slow down the pace so we can enjoy the emotional pay off when secrets are revealed or characters get their payback. Another problem is that she focuses on stories for one or two characters like she did with Brad and the reliquary story which results in too many stories. Consequently, she struggles to tell too many stories at the same time. She starts two or three stories, stops in the middle, starts two more stories, stops in the middle ... The cycle repeats itself over and over again making the show disjointed and confused. LML needs an experienced soap hand to help her integrate characters into several of the ongoing stories. For example, have Daniel and Colleen volunteer on Jack's campaign, while Devon, Lily and Adrian work on Nikki's campaign. Have Cane and Victoria become friends making Amber jealous and pulling Victoria and J.T. into Cane's con game. With so many characters sharing scenes, there would be less of a time crunch and the stories themselves would be more nuanced. Y&R needs to be tweaked not overhauled.

[Drew]

Go completely! She's completely changed the feel and identity of Y&R, and I don't like it!

I was more invested in watching an episode from 1998 dubbed in french which I don't understand, than I am watching anything current. That is SAD!

[Chris B]

If Y&R continues to drop, we can kiss soaps goodbye. The one thing we had in our favor was Y&R's high ratings and consistancy over the other soaps. Now it has none of that and has hit it's record low with Latham. Her ratings rise during her little stunts, but she can't maintain over a long period of time.

She does not know how to write a daytime soap opera. Look how things come and go for months with no explaination. Romance is only used when it fits her plot. Lucky for Phick fans she loves Michelle Stafford so they are regularly featured, but no one else. She has absolutely no regard for history and doesn't even do the most simple research.

I have never in my life seen such a plot driven SOAP OPERA where character motivations change each day. She's worse than McTavish, JER, etc. because at least when watching those you were still watching a soap. She's bordering on procedural and certainly doesn't care about Y&R.

I hope the ratings continue to drop (as they will) so they can get her ass out of there. With Bob Barker leaving Y&R needs to be in top shape.

[Casey]

She can go...I can't take her or her blatant favoritism or her inability to actually tell a story from start to finish.