AMC: Why didnt Debbie Morgan return to AMC in the 90s?

[Cheap21]

Debbie left her role as Angie on AMC back in 1991 only to come back to ABC in 1993. But instead of going to AMC, they had her reprise her role on Loving. What was the story behind that? Was that her choice bc I remember her being upset with AMC for ending her interacial pairing with Cliff. Did she ask to come back or did hte network seek her out? Was she placed on Loving bc they didnt feel they had anything left for Angie on AMC? Was it to help boost the ratings of Loving? Also how long after she returned, did they get Darnell to join the show? Thanks to anyone who can answer my questions

[NYC123]

I think Debbi just needed time off from AMC. The reason why she joined Loving/City was because Agnes Nixion and B&E want her and Darnell. But this time Darnell would play Jacob. I think she joined it also because she was asked to. She did not come back to AMC in the 1990's because AMC did not ask her to come back. Like she said in a reasent interview when AMC called her she came back in a heartbeat. Also I think that when Megan McTavish/Brodrick were writing in the 1990's everything was great. So i think she was not needed at the time.

But I am glad she decided to come back! She and Darnell are the best things on AMC for a long time!

[Sedrick]

Morgan's 1990 departure was somewhat stormy, as she left the show abruptly to join GENERATIONS. The handling of the Cliff/Angie romance played a big part in her decision, as well as the fact that she believed she would have more storyline opportunities on GENERATIONS being part of a fully-integrated cast. Agnes Nixon was infuriated by Morgan leaving, and she gave an interview to SOD declaring that Morgan had mishandled the situation.

Well, Morgan moved to California for GENERATIONS and stayed there after that show's cancellation, as she married actor Charles C. Dutton, who at the time had a successful sitcom (ROC) airing on FOX. Morgan went on to expand her horizons in primetime and films, including her highly-acclaimed performance in the movie EVE'S BAYOU, which came in 1997 following the end of THE CITY.

Whenthe offer was made by ABC to her to reprise Angie on LOVING, it was as a part of the network's several last-ditch attempts to jumpstart its perinally low-rated sudser bu adding proven star-power. As far as I recall, no discussion ever occurred of Morgan taking Angie back to Pine Valley.

[EricMontreal22]

Don't forget that Angie was briefly recast before the character was written off AMC (in 91?)

As for the Loving return, I always thought it was Agnes Nixon's doing, even though I think she came in late '93 and Agnes didn't return to headwriting Loving officially till '94 (one of the last ditch efforts to save the show--she had a great short tenure on it that led to her continuign as official creative consultant with B&E HW). I know Agnes had always bemoaned the fact that Loving was the "whitest" of her soaps (already by that time AMC had fairly strong black onscreen presence with the Fryes who I THINK came on the scene after Angie left--it sounds awful to say that a soap only needs one major black family on at a time but at the time this was soap logistics I think)--back in the 80s when the actress who played Carla was fired by Rauch on OLTL Angie tried to get her to bring the character to Loving. Anyway I think that was part of the impetus, plus of course it was a fan favorite so they hoped would bring some of AMC's audience overm which I don't think really happened ( a year earlier they had had the fun Carter Jones long crossover--which is how I became a fan of Loving)--but Agnes was at least as involved at Loving as she was at AMC at the time so I think any hard feelings between the two ladies was gone by then

What I felt was badly handled was Angie didn't make a stop in Pine Valley on her way to Corinth/Loving--so fans would be sure tto know she was back. In Canada where AMC was carried on Canadian networks and Loving just on ABC, we never got any soap ads during AMC, so no one here would know about Angie's return. Agnes Nixon WAS headwriter for most of the Jacob stuff I think--at least the end of it (Addie Wash may have been at the start).

Oh and EVERY fan of Debbi should watch Eve's Bayou--it's a wonderful film and a great performance. How logn was she' on Port Charles anyway? It seemed like not too long

[Cheap21]

Oh thanks for the info! I figured you'd know. Debbie was only on PC for a year before she left and then was recasted with Marie-Alise Recasner, the WORST recast that show had seen.

[Vee]

They also never adequately explained what happened to Ellen Burgess. She was in love with Matt the doctor, then she fell for Rodney Van Johnson for no good reason, then it turned out she knew Rachel Locke (Kimberlin Brown) somehow, and then Rachel mysteriously disposed of her with an abrupt "transfer" that only she, Rachel, was privvy to. No exit scene, no goodbye, Rachel took Ellen's apartment. Many characters felt Ellen had either met with foul play or been abducted or forced out of town. I think Scott or someone tried to find her but never really did. It was never resolved. I think that was B&E too!

[Ryan]

I believe it was LML was writing at the time. B&E didn't join until 2000.

[Cheap21]

There was a reason. Sebastion was her old love and when he came to town, it reawakened those feelings and she ended up acting on them

[EricMontreal22]

I have to admit I kinda never watched Port Charles--partly cuz I was so mad about City ending--if they had merely transplanted the character of Angie (another doctor) to it--I woulda. But before I knew it Debbi seemed off the show anyway, so... She hasn't had the best luck playing other characters on soaps (but does anyone even remember who recast her on AMC as Angie? Actually wasn't it the actress from Mr Cooper?) However in 1983--right aroudn when she was starting as Angie, she played a college student in the 2 hour primetime pilot of Loving (which had some b level movie stars and was only very loosely related to the actual soap opera--introducing a few of the characters while having a seperate story with characters not on the serial--you used to be able to find it at rental video places apparantly)

[Vee]

Yes, Angie was recast with Saundra Quartermain from Hangin' With Mr. Cooper. I have always found her incredibly annoying.

[R Sinclair]

Debbi didn't leave Port Charles, ABC chose to recast her. After Eve's Bayou's success, Debbi wanted more outs in her contract to be able to pursue films, and they wouldn't allow it. She talked about it in TV Guide shortly after the whole Ellen Burgess recast. I don't have any hard copy so if anybody wants to verify what I'm saying, that's the best I can give you for now. I think it might've been an interview with Logan. Anyway, what I remember was that she expressed being upset that ABC chose to replace her after being with the network, at that point, for almost seventeen years.

Her performance in Eve's Bayou was fabulous! I was a teenager working as an usher at the movie theatre when that movie came out and I used to sneak in and watch it.

[R Sinclair]

It's one of those weird things where I was totally into the show during Quarterman's Angie... but until Debbi brought her up during her segment on The View last month, I completely blocked her out.

[EricMontreal22]

Ah I missed that View--good on Debbi for even remembering It sounds like by then they didn't know what to do with her anyway (and, as awful as it sounds, had started to switch focus to the Fryes...)

R you're right--I specifically remember at the time of Eve's Bayou, Debbi making it clear that its success (relative success) meant she was interested in persuing more similar projects. I was a bit miffed they didn't bring her immediately to AMC when City finished (or any of the City characters) especially when they brought over the EP but...

I have a question though for those who did watch back in the 80s--did we ever see this Remy who Jesse gave his life protecting--and did he date Angie on screen?

[EricMontreal22]

Also interestignhow much younger Sandra Q was--12 years younger-0-which woulda made Angie a doctor and (the actress) only 22 at the time fo the recast (Debbi of course always looked younger than Angie--I believe she played nearly 7 years younger than her age as a teen on the show)

[LoyaltoAMC]

As I remember it, Morgan was pretty upset about the ending of the Cliff/Angie romance. Right after that ended, Agnes (with Wisner Washam in tow) returned to the show as HW, taking the reins from Margaret DePriest, in time for the 20th anniversary. Agnes was planning a love triangle between Angie, her mom Pat, and Cal Cummings, played by Count Stovall, who had recently been brought on as Adam's physical therapist following his stroke, but then Debbi quickly bolted to join Generations. She joined Generations at the behest of that show's new EP, Jorn Winther, who had hired her when he was the AMC EP. She left AMC in 1990, not 1991, as one poster pointed out, since she was in the falling pics opening, which debuted in January 1990, very very briefly before leaving. When Saundra Quartermain took over the role, the Angie/Pat/Cal story got very little play before being aborted. They then tried a romance between Derek and Angie, before finally dumping Quartermain in 1991.