AMC: Do you think the new head writers will turn AMC around?

[Errol]

They better do good because I'm tired of saying "soaps suck," especially with regards of AMC.

[DevotedToAMC]

From what I have seen in news reports on the story ideas they have ready, it looks like they will do fine

[dragonflies]

Hope Angela doesn't mind me re-posting this here(if so, please feel free to remove it ):

SOD: A SNEAK PEEK FROM AMC'S NEW SCRIBES

When JHB and BE took over the head-writing reins of AMC last month, they were met with a mix of the familiar (actors and behind-the-scenes personnel with whom they'd worked at defunct ABC sudsers LOVING, THE CITY and PORT CHARLES) and the strange. Chuckles JHB. "This is the first time, in all our head-writing jobs we've gotten, that we've come onto a show that isn't on life support! We see this as an opportunity to take a show and see it really blossom, and we've never had that before."

Says BE, "This has always been the show that we wanted to work on. When I was growing up and raising my children, we watched AMC. So it's really, really nice to be here, and fabulous to be working with Agnes [Nixon, the show's creator and story consultant] and Julie [Hanan Carruthers, executive producer]," who was their boss at PC, and according to JHB, "our all-time favorite producer."

What are the scribes' top plot priorities? "One of the goals," Brown says, "is to bring back the show to the core characters. We're very strong believers in the story called umbrella story which begins with one thing and involves as many members of the canvas as we can put in there." To that end, "The return of Greenlee and it's impact [upon] not only Kendall and Zach and Ryan and Annie, but Erica and Jack and the many other branches, is something we are going to focus on immediately, with events that will trigger all of those characters into motion - and, we think, create story for the next year."

BE notes, "When we sat down with Brian and Julie and Agnes, [we agreed] that we also need to become more culturally and ethnically diverse. That's something that we're hoping to begin to make happen in the next couple of months."

What else can viewers expect? "We want to put more humor in the show because that's very important for balance," JHB offers. "David and Susan and Bobbie... There are so many people on this show who do comedy great and then turn on a dime and break your heart."

What won't fans see? "There will be no vampires in Pine Valley!" JHB laughs of one of PC's more out-there arcs. "And no mass murders!" adds BE of the serial killer tales that struck LOVING, THE CITY and, earlier this year, AMC. "No more mass murders!"

[alwaysAMC]

^^That sounds good to me. I really like their talk about bringing out the core characters and umbrella stories (as long as they have a charater-driven aspect to the story).

Also love how they are talking about cultural and ethnic changes coming to the show! This could be good.

[R Sinclair]

Well, that's all it is for now -- just talk.

I am, however, invested in their desire to make the show culturally and ethnically diverse. My black ass is tired of being invested in a show that has zero actors of color in any front burner storyline and/or significant role. Derek has tremendous history, and Danielle should come back. Reggie should be here dealing with Greenlee, Ava and Lily as well as being involved in the Jerica break up -- since Reggie was one of their biggest and loudest supporters initially.

The way McTavish broke up Reggie and Danielle for no good reason at all (please, don't get me started on Danielle being afraid to lose her virginity to Reggie, but gave it up to Josh in a hearbeat), character assassinated Mimi Reed, sent Danielle to the backburner, and made Reggie Lily's babysister (while Lily and her autistic behind miraculously got story after story after story), made me ill!

The Santos family is all gone -- and there's pretty much nothing that can be done about that, unless we're willing to subject everyone to a whole entire recast (except for Julia) Santos clan. Maria, Mateo, Isabella, Rosa, Anita... way too many familiar characters to be played by all new faces.

McTavish got rid of Henry, his mother and uncle faster than a speeding bullet. The Chinese food restaurant disappeared as suddenly as it had been plunked down in the middle of town.

The Staffords and their religious ways vanished.

Bianca, Maggie and Zoe have all taken their sexual orientation issues to Europe (and don't think I didn't notice how, at one point, McTavish made sure to have Maggie, Bianca and Zoe all wind up being attracted to the opposite sex -- no matter how "alternative" their orientations appeared to be).

If B&E can honestly bring this show back to being about the lives and emotions of the people in Pine Valley, then this show may stand a chance. So far, there is nobody on this show that I personally connect to and identify with, because they all flip flop on issues more than a Presidential Candidate.

[Adam]

What interests me the most out of that entire article is that it appears Agnes Nixon is still some what involved. As R Sinclair says it is just that talk, but if this talk transcends onto my screen even partially it will be alot better than the crap we've endured for the past 3 years. I am excited

I am curious as to how they will make it more diverse..... IMO McTavish dropped a goldmine by not exploring Reggie's past like his birth mother etc..

[Kylie]

AN means nothing anymore, IMO. Not after her Josh comments. She's either not all there mentally or she's their puppet. I don't trust her much either anymore.

[Adam]

She could have just gotten to a point and time where she has no energy or time to waste on fighting. Agnes may be "story consultant" but I don't think she has any power. What shocked me is that according to B&E, she was there at the meetings. I didn't think she was near the studio at all anymore. I sometimes think when Agnes sold the rights of AMC and OLTL to ABC in mid 70's it was the worse mistake she could have done but.... they probably still wouldn't be on the air today if she hadn't.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Remember when Kay Alden said in her interview that Agnes tries to get things through, but isn't very successful most of the time? I found that really low of both Frons and JHC. Also, it's well-known that Agnes is retired and living in Pennsylvania near her grandchildren.

[Adam]

Yep, I remember that well. Its too bad. I really don't think Agnes has had much storyline dictation power since she retired for the final time in late 2000. Whenever Jean Passanante was given the pen, which magically when it hit her hands turned into a hatchet!

[Kylie]

Sorry, I don't completely buy it. Erica is AN's baby. AN admitted her love for Erica more then a few times. Had this been any other character, I might have been able to buy AN not having power, or not fighting to the death to protect him or her. But it was Erica. And I don't buy it. Either she didn't know until it was already done and to late to do anything (bull, cause I knew in August of 2005) or she knew and let them. If it's the latter which I suspect it is, I'm not sure I want her invovled anymore.

[aMLCproduction]

I'm surprised as well that Agnes was in the meetings. Maybe this could be a good sign. And the fact that they watched it and always wanted to write it should be a relief to the fans. They won't write anything mad crazy. Let's hope not anyway. B&E are pretty interesting and I will certainly keep my eye on them. Good luck AMC FANS

[Jonathan]

I too am glad to hear that Agnes Nixon is still involved with the show. That woman is a genius and I hope her influence comes through with this new team of writers.

[Dan]

How do we know that she didn't fight it or that she didn't express her opinion against it to McTavish and/or Frons? If they aren't willing to even hear her ideas for the show, they sure as hell aren't going to hear her criticism. I doubt anything she said would have deterred either one of them from re-writing that storyline. As for the press, of course she isn't going to come on record against the show. Hell, had she done so, Frons might have taken whatever influence she had left away.

[Kylie]

I don't know that, but based on the interview she gave, it sounded like it was one phone call they gave her. Where they told her, not asked her about it. Didn't sound like she had much say either way, until it was to late. I don't like that she backed. Sue me. She could have blasted them in the media, absolutely. Why not? It's her so. It was her storyline, that she wrote for Erica. If she didn't like she could have told them to [!@#$%^&*] off. But she towed party line, and went with it, because she had to or not. AN coming otu against this to the fans might just been the backing the fans needed to actually make the change.