Jump to content

All: Did anyone love the Hogan Sheffer Years 2000-2005 on ATWT?


Recommended Posts

  • Members

I personally loved the Hogan Sheffer years on ATWT.There seemed to be more fast-paced storylines and more mystery and adventure back then.It seems miles above anything we get from JP now and her storylines drag out way too long.At least with Sheffer if the story was a clunker at least it ended quickly,but with JP she doesn't know when to end the madness and draw it to a close.Even reading the ATWT synopses from 2002-2003 on soapcentral.com seemed more interesting than what the show is spewing out now.What is everyone's take on this topic?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 45
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

Quite liked the first year, because it seemed like he was making sense of the mess Leah Laiman had made. Things that seemed like stunts under LL were grounded in the show's history: Andy faking his paralysis seemed much more rooted in character; Rose became less of a cliche dual role and there was a backstory with Iva.

But outside of a few good episodes here and there, the show really went off the rails around 2002 for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I liked parts of his tenure. Going back to that damn island for a third summer was absolutely ridiculous, and the Scottish adventure quite underwhelming(though it was nice to see people of color do something light and whimsical on a soap). I didn't care for the additions of Jordan, Celia or her boxer brother either. Sheffer's was probably the best example of plot-driven writing that I've seen though. After a long drought, it was the first time in a long while that I felt I couldn't miss a day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

You hit the nail on the head for me. Those were Shaffer's worst.

Toups you also nailed it mentioning Jean's arrival as Co-HW. I don't get Goutman's hard on for her. Some friends from his time on AW should just be left alone.

I gave up on ATWT shortly before the killed Bryant off, with the intro of that Billy kid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

When you look at the state of the show since he's left, it looks like gold.

I hated his last year or so but it was miles ahead of this. The women characters were still strong. Like Barbara!

Wtf did she go>?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

It definitely had its blunders, but the Who Killed Rose mystery was great (even though I was sad to lose the character). Wasn't that close to his last year? If it wasn't his last year, it was definitely his second-to-last year. First of all, it's the first time I can remember that the murder victim in a soap whodunnit wasn't some evil villain who had ruined the lives of half the town, which is original in and of itself. And second of all, the Will reveal was really powerful, and actually made sense once it all came out.

and I liked the concept of the Cabot story, so to speak. It was more poor Cady McClain being stuck crying about the damn kid all the time that drove me insane. But I can understand how it must have looked like a great umbrella story on paper.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

It seems like a lot of revisionist history here. Hogan had a great first year. His break-up of Hal and Barbara's marriage created an umbrella story that churned out story after story. Unfortunately, it was downhill from there. When reliving Hogan's "glory days", please remember classics like "Bonnie In Scotland", "Pilar Kills Katie's Rabbit", "The Dahlia Mystery", "Teens On The Run" "The Return Of Nikki Munson" "Aaron's Boxing Adventure"' and , of course, "Celia In An Orange Crate". Please. I'll take JP over Hogan any day of the week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

As I keep saying, Hogan is good when surrounded with the right people (i.e. people who are good writers and who KNOW and RESPECT the show that they are working for). His first year at ATWT were brilliant because he had Carolyn Culliton, Hal Corley, Stephen Demorest, and Richard Allen, plus scads of other talented writers that I don't remember. Once they won that Emmy in 2001 and MADD COW decided to screw around with the EMMY-AWARD-WINNING writing team, that is when things went down hill. Demorest, Corley, and Allen were fired to bring on the rank Craig Heller, probably one of the worst script writers ever (he was so bad on GH that Mulchahey was credited along with him).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Well, Lynn Martin is certainly in contention for "worst script writer EVER"...but that's hardly worth debating.

Hogan had better "highs"...but his lows were just as bad as Pissy's. JP can't seem to write anything remotely suspenseful. Neither the cliff confrontation between Craig and Paul, or Gwen and Jade on the railroad tracks seemed to have any energy to them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • I believe it. ESPECIALLY that last one. 
    • Aristotle Dumas. Just thought I'd throw that out there!  
    • Lol is that like an AI type of thing that popped up?

      Please register in order to view this content

    • Upton introduced a slew of new characters which must have had viewers heads spinning. And then Jean Holloway wrote all of them out. No wonder viewers switched off. And now we return to Love of Life... Charles, after a long period of refusing to admit he’s paralyzed, has had to accept his new life in a wheelchair, but insists that only Felicia care for him. Despite her growing exhaustion, he refuses to consider hiring a nurse, and Felicia, under the weight of her self imposed guilt forfeits her art work to accede to Charles’s demands and devote herself entirely tohis needs. She tells herself that being a prisoner in this house is her punishment and refuses to allow her mind to drift to Eddie, who had opened her mind to new levels. Despite Dr. Cusack’s insistence on additional help after Felicia’s first collapse, Charles continues to insist that only she can administer to him. But Felicia collapses again, this time with viral pneumonia, and a nurse is brought in. Felicia’s condition worsens instead of improving, causing Joe to speculate that it’s due to Charles’s subtle encouragement of Felicia’s guilt feelings and her own self-punishment. Eddie visits her, even though they decided not to see each other any more because of the emotional pull between them. In the delirium of a spiking fever Felicia calls out for Eddie. Joe feels she has reached a crisis and wants her in the hospital, but Charles is still clinging to her. When Felicia finally passes the crisis point and recovers, Sara warns her that she called for Eddie and must be more careful in the future.  The district attorney charges Ben with fraud and conspiracy. Meg puts up his bail. As Arlene, terrified of jail, is taken into custody, Carrie has an attack of chest pain. Ben continues to try to prove to Betsy that he loves her and has grown up, but circumstances continue to make her question his motives, and she rejects his overtures. Arlene, questioned by the court officer preparing the court report, cynically states that the rich, like the Harpers, always get away with everything and she will take the rap. She accidentally slips and mentions the forged divorce papers, and the officer notes this.Carrie is hospitalized. Joe suspects a dangerous thoracic aneurism, but then, all heart involvements are dangerous. Arlene wants to stay, but has to go to court for the sentencing. Ben, at his own insistence, makes a statement absolving Arlene of all responsibility, saying her only crime was loving him too much. The judge takes this into consideration and sentences Arlene to six months probation. However, when sentencing Ben, he explains that new evidence has turned up—the forgeries—and Ben is sentenced to one to four years. Ben asks to begin serving his sentence immediately. As Ben tried to arrange financial aid for Betsy through Jamie, she visits him in jail, saying the offer was “decent” but this is her baby. When he insists the baby was conceived in love, Betsy claims he was only pretending love. When Ben tells her to tell the baby that “there was a father who would have really welcomed him into this world,” Betsy rushes out in tears, and Ben starts to cry. Jamie, having waited patiently for Diana to recover from her emotional depressionn,now tells her he can no longer live with her as brother and sister. Diana replies that they have good memories and have taught each other how deep a relationship can be, but now it is time for them to go their separate ways. Meg, learning that the child of an annulled marriage is legitimate and the father has rights, sets up a trust fund for Betsy’s baby. Betsy doesn’t want her child ruined by money. Arlene is having trouble holding a job, despite help from her parole officer, and is under the twin pressures of having to repay Ray’s bail loan and the stunning news that Carrie’s necessary surgery will cost over ten thousand dollars. Carrie, discovering this, checks herself out of the hospital. Joe and Dr. Tom Crawford explain to Arlene that the money end of the surgery can be handled through the free clinic, but Carrie must have the surgery now. But Carrie’s past due hospital bill has been turned over to a collection agency, and Arlene is out of work again, so she goes to Ray for help. He would like to turn her down, as he has discovered that she was informing Rick of Ray’s attempts to muscle in on Skylar Mountain, but when his influential customer, Mr. Ian Russell, tells Ray he wants to meet that girl, Ray lets Arlene know he has a job for her. Meg asks Rick if they can start over together, but Rick has had it and is clearing out his desk. Learning that Ray has withdrawn his backing offer to Rick and that Rick has no available cash, Meg calls his bluff. She sets a price on her share so high that Rick can’t touch it, and sets her price for buying him out so low that he would have nothing left. Rick and Cal decide to elope and tell everyone afterward. But Meg gets wind of the plans and confronts them in Rick’s office. She blurts out that Cal is not the only one who loves Rick and that she and Rick were lovers as recently as a month ago. Rick tries to explain to Cal, but she is revolted and takes off in her car. When she runs it off the road, she takes off on foot, and is found, exhausted, by a hunter, who calls the highway patrol. When Rick arrives with Joe,. she refuses to let Rick anywhere near her. Cal refuses to believe Rick’s assurances that he’s really through with Meg, and makes plans to go to San Francisco. Meg, learning from Jamie .that Rick is severing their partnership, informs her lawyer that she wants all monies in both Beaver Ridge and Skylar _ Mountain tied up, and she wants Rick ruined. Rick follows Cal to California and tells her he has given up everything to prove that Meg means nothing to him. Cal insists that she feels nothing, but relents when Betsy calls, confirming everything Rick has said. She then admits that she loves him but says it won’t work. But Meg has followed them and confronts them in Cal’s hotel room. She informs Rick she’s bringing a suit against him for breaking up their partnership and this will ruin him. Rick quickly points out that Meg just defeated herself rather than him, because Cal had refused to marry him, thinking her mother loved him. Seeing what Meg’s “love” is, there is no reason for Cal to deny her own love for him.  
    • fyi. there is some discussion of the views of the new Pope Leo on the "politics thread". (Link) 
    • The poster said "update", so they were likely following up on their own post on this thread about Pope Francis' funeral.   That is all.
    • This is probably an unfair generalization, but I do say it with affection: I've always thought of Felicia (and by extension, Linda Dano) as "your mother's fabulous but slightly insufferable friend." Sort of a Godmommie Mame, you know?
    • Pope Leo of Pine Valley

      Please register in order to view this content

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy