How to Fix Y&R

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Also, can I just say that Steve Kent at Sony is a f-u-c-k-i-n-g moron when it comes to running soaps? All one has to do is tune into both DAYS and Y&R at the moment to see why...

I know the Bell's are more actively involved in Y&R again too, or else Maria wouldn't be there. However, their golden touch seemed to die when Bill died in 2005....

[Sylph]

Bill Bell was the touch...

[MoTheGreat]

Very colorless! Y&R have the highest rated black watchers. & No next generation of black character. thanks very much for cutting my viewership short.

[DrewH]

Y&R is one hot mess, but I do have many ideas to help this show. This will probably take a while though, so here it goes.

Fire Josh Griffith. I'm not going to blame him for the boring writing that we're currently seeing. That's the head writer's fault and we'll get to her later. But he is responsible for keeping this writer, who apparently has no long-term idea for this show. He's also responsible for casting decisions, and with the bloated cast that Y&R currently has, most of being LML created characters that after 2 years have not caught on with fans. Why are they still here? Yes, I know some of the actors in these roles are big names in daytime, but no one seems to care. There's no point paying them a lot of money when fans have lost interest about a week after the character debuted. And some of the decisions that Griffith seems to be making aren't taking Y&R back to where it used to be when it was successful. You would think that would be the top idea in his mind. Take the show back to what made it successful. The horrible rock music that's played in scenes (albiet less than when LML was there) is not the old Y&R. Ending the show with stupid pointless cliffhangers (if you can even call them that) is not the old Y&R. Paying money for that stupid Restless Styles set while you have character having to live in the GCAC because they're spending money on stupid and pointless sets is not the old Y&R. Decisions like this are being made and they're stupid and call for Griffith's pink slip.

Now onto Maria Arena Bell. I wouldn't necessarly fire her. She seems to know these characters and even has given us shades of history during scenes. However, she should not be head writer. She has absolutely no long-term goals for this show and the stories. That's very evident in the slow pacing we're receiving. It's like the writers are trying to keep everything at a slow pace so they can figure out what the hell they're doing because they really have no clue. Some of the current storylines have been going on since the strike, and they're stories that could be told successfully in a couple of weeks or a month. But when they take this long to tell the story that when drawn out becomes nothing but boring, we have a problem. I say keep her as a writer for the show, but she needs to be downgraded immediately.

As for Griffith and Bell's replacements, you need to hire those that have history with this show. So many fans call for new blood in daytime. Well, CBS tried that when they hired LML. She was something new and fresh and it was supposed to be this big huge success. Well, it flopped. That's because Y&R is one of those shows that has been under one person's supervision for so long and it was the same from the first episode until LML came in and ruined everything by firing everyone that made the show a success for 30+ years. So I say go back to those that made Y&R a hit.

I would bring on David Shaughnessy as the Executive Producer. Ed Scott would be better, but he's currently at DAYS and I don't want him going anywhere because I'm a DAYS fan first and foremost. Shaughnessy should be a successful EP. He's been with the show since the early-80s as a director, producer and then EP for a few years. He knows the show and he knows what made it a success. He worked under Bill Bell and that's what is crucial in making Y&R successful again. You need to bring on people that worked with the great Bell. They know what his vision was and they know what made the show a hit.

For Head Writer, I would bring back Kay Alden and Trent Jones and have them work together. It would be my dream for the show to bring back John F. Smith to help on that team, but I think three head writers is a bad idea, and I also believe that Smith and Alden may have a bad time working together. It's when Jones was taken out of the Co-HW position and left it to Alden and Smith that the show started declining in ratings. Alden's been with the show since the 70s and Jones had been writing since the earl-90s. And like I said, I would keep Maria Arena Bell on the writing team. I'd also bring back Joshua S. McCafferty, Mike Denney, Janice Ferri Esser, Sally Sussman Morina and Jim Houghton. Those are just 7 writers with actual history at Y&R. Throw in 3 or 4 new writers, just out of college so that you can start training them to take over when the time comes. No more hiring outside, at least not with this show.

Those are just the business decisions I would make in order to fix this show. I'll be back with my creative ideas.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I should mention something else....

I think Bradley needs to send Patrick Mulcahey to Y&R to write scripts. He might be a relative "Bell outsider," but I think Y&R is his type of show. Y&R's characters are more 3 dimensional and larger than life than most characters on B&B. I'd love to see Mulcahey write dialogue for Victor, Jack, Jill, Phyllis, Katherine, and others. I think that's why Mulcahey's work at B&B has gone relatively unnoticed when compared to his work at SB, GL, and GH, he simply doesn't have many well-defined characters to work with.

Also, I wouldn't mind *some* "outsider influence" at Y&R, just as long as its the right person and a traditional soap opera writer. I think Y&R does need some of the old people who made the show a success back, but some positive outsider influence shouldn't be a bad thing. The thing with Latham, she was just a bad choice and she was given WAY TOO MUCH POWER, WAY TOO FAST. Latham had no real experience in daytime (outside of her short stint at PC) and Y&R was almost the complete antithesis of her type of work. If they brought a Bell writer back and paired him/her with someone new and with a traditional soap opera approach, I think it could work. Even if they just hired a consultant, it could also work. I'd love for someone at Sony to beg Nancy Curlee ( ) to come back to soaps. On GL, she told stories about community, corporate intrigue, social issues, and family. I think she could be a great outside influence on Y&R, but that won't happen.

[DaytimeFan]

Patrick Mulcahey would be a kid in a candy store with Y&R. His scripts would be heaven sent. Can you imagine Jess Walton with a Mulcahey script...paradise.

I do think that since Sony and CBS (and perhaps the Bells) feel that Y&R didn't move into the 2000s (which isn't a bad thing as the ratings suggest) there is always going to be the necessity to have someone 'new' on the show. For that reason, I think Sally Sussman Morina is an ideal choice. She worked with Bill Bell in the 1980s but went on to write for Generations, Another World, Days of our Lives and Spyder Games (on MTV). SSM is not a perfect writer, she has a tonne of flaws...but I think she is the right mix of old and new to keep everyone satisfied. She would have to be paired up with Kay Alden or Janice Ferri Esser or Jim Houghton as a consultant for certain, but I think it could work. In fact, I was under the impression that she and LML were in competition for the HW gig at Y&R and that Sony chose LML. Big mistake Sony!

I'm not familiar with Nancy Curlee's work at all. I've seen half a dozen clips of Beverlee McKinsey on GL that appear to be during Curlee's reign and they are good. But then that might just have been because it was Beverlee McKinsey.

Whatever happens better happen fast. The numbers have bottomed out and I'm afraid that I'll end up dumping Y&R in favor of the splendid B&B permanently.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Sally Sussman Morina can come back ....AS A SCRIPT WRITER.

I hated her HW stint at DAYS, yes I know, Langan and Corday were there and screwed things up, but she still sucked ass there. I also didn't like what I saw of Generations. I admire it for placing African-Americans front and center on daytime, but the storylines didn't grab me from what I saw of it. I don't think she's a good match to HW Y&R because of that. She appears to be too inconsistent, something Y&R already is.

I assure you, the Curlee/McKinsey clips you saw of from GL, were a combination of great writing and great acting. Curlee's a very character-driven writer, something Y&R could use. I remember reading an old inteview with her where she claimed to be a fan of all the CBS soaps, surely she's familiar with Y&R. I think the show would be great if she were brought on as an outside consultant or something or paired with a Bell writer. She told some really great corporate stories at GL, which of course appear to be what Y&R is known for. Also, no one in my experience of watching soaps wrote soaps with a community feel like Curlee did at GL. She also told stories about family and social issues, which Y&R used to be able to do well. Should they bring an outsider in, I hope they're as good as she is. I know she hasn't written for soaps in a long time, but I trust her. It probably won't ever happen, but I can dream, right?

And yes, Mulcahey would rock the characters on Y&R!

[DaytimeFan]

I liked SSM's HW run on DAYS...I know sacrilege! I think her writing is dark enough for Y&R. But you're right, she's inconsistent...let's call it even and have her return as an AHW.

I've just seen another McKinsey clip that is convincing me of Curlee's greatness. Alexandra announced to everyone at the country club that she's divorcing Roger. "You're fired Roger...Fired from the company, from the marriage and from this town if I can manage it! So long Rodge!" Verrrry interesting. However, her entire daytime career spans 1985-1993...what's up with that if she's so good? Too high standards to work in the corporate bullsh*t of daytime?

It's so frustrating because I think Sony wants someone 'new' so that Y&R can be 'revitalized' into something 'young and hip and fresh'....which is crap. Just promote Natalie Minardi Slater if you're so desperate for youth Sony!

[Y&RWorldTurner]

From what I hear, that was part of it. She hated a lot of the "mandates" P&G and CBS wanted, but also, she wanted to devote more time to her family at the time. Since a lot of time has passed since then, I think there might be a possibility of her coming back now. As long as those idiots at the networks/production companies promise to let her write what she wants to write. However, that is so unlikely to happen, especially in this age of corporate dominance.

Did you read Patrick Mulcahey's interview with Soaptown? He praised Curlee a lot in it, as did the devine Beverlee McKinsey in her exit interview with Michael Logan (calling Curlee her favourite HW, quite a compliment).

Did you see all the parts of Alexandra/Roger at the Country club on Youtube?

This is my favourite part:

Aw, yes, our dear Natalie Minardi Salter, she's a real trooper for sticking at this show with all the creative and backstage upheaval that has been going on for the past 3 years. I hope she's rewarded for her loyalty soon. I think she's an ideal fit to be Y&R's HW, or at least Co-HW. She trained with the old team, plus she's young and probably has a more contemporary outlook.

[MTSRocks]

Thank God you are not writing the show lol...If it's not the writers then blame the actors, and back and forth and back and forth. Eric Braeden can be astounding, but the people who RUN THE FREAKING SHOW should stop dropping at his knees. As for Melody, she was sensational in 2007 and should have been picking up her Best Lead Actress award in June, but I digress...

Who cares about fixing Y&R anymore. It's 2008, I've given up. When the writers, producers, dictators, whatever... are ready to start caring again, then I'll become a regular viewer again. Until then, I'm enjoying the extra added time on to my schedule, and with Summer around the corner, the blandness of Y&R doesn't quite bother me, as I'll be surely watching less anyway. I've already exercised the writers "Who gives a damn?" mantra on several shows, and now no longer aggravate myself by watching uninteresting things (on the daytime side that includes every soap but OLTL and sorta B&. Forget being loyal, when TIIC could care less about there own audience.

[Toups]

Word. LOL Getting rid of the patriarch and matriarch of a major family? That's the last thing Y&R needs right now.

You're absolutely right. Patrick needs better characters to write for. He would be awesome at Y&R.

[Sylph]

I made myself perfectly clear – key verb being would, not will. That's only in the first post... If you read the rest, you'd know what I was talking about. And, hey, look – many agreed Braeden and Scott are awful! Then there's also a note about characters...

I don't want this to turn into a discussion of any sort so no matter if someone replies to this, I'm going to stop right here.

Stephanie Forrester is not a good enough character? Or maybe Katie Logan?

[Sapounopera]

Bring back Sally Morina, Trent Jones and James Houghton to write for Y&R.

Bring back David Shaughnessy as EP.

THE ABBOTT FAMILY

It's time for Ashley to return from Los Angeles. She has nothing to do there and the Abbotts need to be reunited.

Recast Colleen with another actress or bring back Adrienne Leon.

It's time for Billy Abbott to come back home and work with his family.

Get rid of Gloria and Jeff.

Judi Evans Luciano would make a great Traci Abbott.

Jill has to be a part of the Abbott family. She should work with the Abbotts again. Change that horrible Kay-mother-Jill-daughter fiasco that has ruined both characters. It will turn out that this was a lie. Kay will accuse Jill of lying to her, Jill will accuse Kay etc.

Jack and Lauren would make a great couple.

Bring Jennifer Foster, Jill's niece.

Bring Scott Grainger Jr.

Bring Nate Winters. And Dru of course!

Bring some middle-class people to Genoa City.

Expose Cane as a fraud, have the real Philip show up. Philip will turn out to be evil, everybody would prefer Cane to him.

Just some ideas...

[DaytimeFan]

After discovering that Y&R got a 3.3 last Friday, ahem, I have reevaluated my position.

FIRE EVERYONE WHO WORKS BEHIND THE SCENES!

EVERYONE! Writers, Directors, Producers, Costumers, Makeup, Lighting, Music, Sets, Kraft Service, Assistants...EVERYONE!

[Y&RWorldTurner]

^LOL!

Josh Griffith and Maria Arena Bell are so gone. Sony, Bell, and CBS won't sit back and watch their once untouchable daytime drama sink further and further down the tubes.

Seriously, they'd be stupid not to fire Griffith and Bell at this point.

I know I said by the end of the year, but now I don't think Griffith and Bell will last until August...