Y&R: Should LML Stay Or Go?

[SeanM]

LML should get at least a Co-Head Writer ( the best thing would be Kay Alden). The show needs it's old feeling back and it should be slower. This is the majestic Y&R we talk about, it would be a shame to ruin this show.

On the other hand, Y&R is still better than any other CBS soap and probably better than any other soap on the air.

To make it clear, Y&R was most of the time soooo much better than other soaps, now it just better than the rest. We need our old Y&R back!

[MoTheGreat]

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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.

I hoping for the ratings drop too so she can go back where she came from.

[durk]

For some reason I think her husband Bernard mite do a good job as HW. I felt his episode that he wrote on monday had the old Y&R feel to it and you could tell that he at least tried to put the emotion in the characters

HW's should be: Kay Alden, Bernard, Trent Jones

Writers: Jim Houghton, Paula Cwikly, Richard Culliton, Jack Smith, Natalie Slater

EP; Ed Scott

[sheilaforever]

Except for Ashley's sperm theft none of this was written under Alden's helm. She was was just co-writing the rest with John F. Smith who got the bonus of being executive producer and was the leading force behind the scenes.

Alden's tenure includes the Abbot's fight for Jabot, Victor in New Mexico, the revitalization of Jill&Kay as co-owners of the Chancellor estate, Daine ighting Victor for all there is after their divorce, Kay being homeless, making Michael Baldwin more human, Jill being mother & lover, the introduction of Billy & Macy, Malcolm/Olivia/Neil et all, Victoria's stalker, bringing back Lauren, crazy Tricia and so much more.

Speaking of the dialogue: I find it horrendous and so generic. People are now talking about made-up stuff from their childhood we never saw instead of having senseful conversations. Why was Kay exactly visting Phyllis yesterday? Because they are best buds? Did the writers even adress it? No. I would have been so easy though: good writers just had to stress that Kay had lost TWO husbands in the course of her long life and could totally empathize with Phyllis.

I also loved that Y&R had such stilted dialogue, it fit the show perfectly. And even if they thought they had to tone it down a notch, that's no reason to bring such incampable thespians to Y&R because the sole effect has been dumbed down dialogue. Sylph, I get your point though: At first I also loved the modern allusions to contemporary TV shows and such stuff but it simply pales in comparision to the overall DRASTIC decline in quality among written words as much the overall quality of the headwriting.

[Sylph]

Sheila, I agree on stories, goings on, made-up stuff and so on. But I was talking about dialogue on a sentence level. Before it was so stiff and unnatural. This one at least has some life brought into it. But the problem with this team is that they don't look like a team at all, the thing Alden was talking in her MIT Q&A — yes, you're not supposed to sound like an individual, but like a part of a coherent group. Alden's writers were all very "even" or how should I say, you could confuse one with the other.

I co-sign.

[R Sinclair]

I think she should go, but for purely superficial reasons... I hate her hair.

I have to agree with King on that one. When McTavish was fired from All My Children back in 1999, the show went from the co-head writing team of Nixon/Page/Passanante (1999-2000) to Passanante (2000-2001) to Richard Culliton (2001-2002) to Gordon Rayfield/Anna Cascio (2002-2003) back to McTavish (2003-2007). So the show went on an 8 year merry-go-round of writers. All of them had distinct egos and voices and marinated the show in them. And you might even get a writer with a good agent and wind up being stuck with them for 18 months or even FOUR YEARS!

So, I think Y&R fans have lucked out over the last 30 years, and unfortunately, they're now experiencing what the rest of the soap world goes through -- when a writer with an ego comes in and butchers a show into something you don't recognize.

[Sylph]

Well, we are in that situation now! Lynn is repped by the famous Paradigm along with her husband.

[Cat]

I was on the fence about LML until I read this thread.

IMO, there is no denying that Y&R's current stature as #1 shines through... the production design, editing, music and top-notch actors make this show head & shoulders above the rest.

The dialogue can also be very good.

I love the addition of somebody like Ji Min to add something different to the proceedings -- especially when he interacts with Jack or Jill.

But the pacing is crazy fast -- for no reason other than to be fast for the sake of it.

I miss the days when the writers took their time with a story, usually an umbrella SL, and let ALL the beats play out. Like, when Matt (Rick Hearst) pulled the IV out of his throat and thrust it in Nicholas's hand, thereby framing him in a crazed act of suicide. And then Tricia kept seeing his ghost? The story took its time and it not only impacted on Sharon and Nick, but Victoria, Ryan, Victor... everybody.

Yes, Y&R did pull out some SLs for longer than necessary, but what I would like to see here is balance -- fast paced in some scenes (where the story WARRANTS it), mixed with slowing it down other scenes in order to let a story -- and the characters -- breathe.

At the very least, I would want LML to share writing duties with, say, Kay Alden. No EP duties whatsoever. But, as Kay said in her MIT speech, Y&R made a conscious decision to get rid of ALL of the old guard in their crew. Producers, writers, editors, everybody.

[PJA]

I've been reading for the past few weeks how the ratings under LML are worse than when Alden was writing which is not true. The ratings fell under a 4.0 several times during Alden and Smith's reign and they barely saw some 4.5's and 4.6's during the end of their boring reign. I'm sorry but there stories were so dull and boring please do not bring them back.

On the other hand I do see several things wrong with LML's writing. I will say that I am enjoying the show. If you would have asked me that a couple of months ago I would have said no because of the reliquary mess but she has redeemed herself somewhat. I wish they would delve more into Dru's death but that was a storyline she came up with just to write Dru off so that maybe why she didn't get that deep into it. The Amber mess is trash. The porn story line is okay sometimes. But the senate/Clearsprings/Blackmail storyline is good and since that is the majority of the show right now I'm enjoying it.

[Sylph]

We talked about Kay's thesis on letting everyone go. Not actually everyone was let go... You can read it in the MIT thread.

When we're talking long storylines, who here liked the George Rawlins murder mystery?

[Sylph]

I said it in the MIT thread. Kay also pointed that ratings took a dip, which isn't true.

[Sylph]

I uploaded the ratings chart for all soaps; you can download the JPEG image from here:

http://uploaded.to/?id=qoyi58

[Ann_SS]

Y&R sucked under Alden and Smith. The ratings were erratic, but definitely trending downwards. CBS hired LML is hopes of stemming the tide. The chart that Sylph made shows that for awhile LMLwas able to get the ratings up. She hasn't been able to keep them up. They are definitely steadily declining. Now is the time for CBS to act again. Give LML some help before the ratings dip any further.

[heatherwebber]

Sylph, please explain what you mean about the stories being lousy. I'd like to know what you think. I have been enjoying them but perhaps you might be able to help me understand the criticism.

[Sylph]

Heather, I've been planning for a long time now to write something about that, but I just don't seem to find time. Sorry.

For example, I can say that I hated the plane crash thing, but the cast was incredible. Especially, MTS and EB, she in her final scene with David, eg. Monday and Tuesday. The way Victor murmured "my boy, my boy"... But that doesn't save the show, and that is the problem, you have certain episodes that are quite good (both acting and dialogue), but the whole storyline is just...

I hate one death (Drucilla's) after another.