Patrick Erwin compares OLTL with GL's Curlee/Reilly/Demorest Era

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Yeah, as I've said, it's surface only. Carlivati's OLTL doesn't have the same emotional dept, style, and sophistication of Curlee and company's GL.

In fact, since I have such an emotional attachment to that era of GL (the first real soap I ever really loved), I think it's higly offensive to compare someone with less than a year of Head Writing experience to people who had several years of greatness at another show.

[Sylph]

I think Reilly had no say in storylines. At least the major, big ones. I don't know for sure, it is just my opinion. But I respect your respect for the man, Toups.

And where is my amazing Lorraine Broderick in the title?! It is a crime to omit her.

[Toups]

Oh I agree. Nobody's putting Carlivait in the same category as Nancy, Stephen and Jim. Patrick was just pointing out what OLTL reminds him of. I'm pointing out that OLTL reminds me of 90's DAYS - but I'm certainly not putting Ron in the same high ranking as Reilly. It's going to give a few years (assuming Ron's still HW) before I even considering doing that.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

You mean Reilly, dear.

I know, shame on Toups.

[Toups]

People have mentioned they noticed some Reilly-isms, and many people have said Reilly came up with the blackout. So of cousre he has some say in storylines.

We're talking about the early years of that era, so that's why I didn't include Broderick, and Patrick didn't include her either.

[Sylph]

Fine, fine, whatever. You adore him, I knew that. To compe up with something, a to write/develop it is - something completely different.

Lorraine is one hell of a writer, fifty gazillion times better than Reilly. They are just two different universes. I think she deserves a place in the title.

[JONNYSBRO]

Curlee's writing on GL was amazing and the best tenure on soaps period. Curlee also had a way bigger budget to work from, less network interference, ratings were sky high, and a load of vets to write for. Soaps were soaring back in those days and Curlee's GL was not the only good soap on the air. These days soaps are dying with no budget, vets have to take paycuts/recurring, constant network interference and micromanagement. How Carlivati is producing the show he is today under these restraints is unbelievable. I had given up on OLTL when Higley was writing it and was tired of one bad regime to the next. We had the JFP OLTL years which were chock full of her favorites in place of the core vets. It was a flash in the pan and bells and whistles type show which I hated. Then Tomlin's OLTL was had some okay parts but had too many teens and became the comedy hour. Then Malone returned with Griffith but there much ballyhooed return was a dissapointment. The show was very convoluted and it showed there was a power struggle between them and Frons. The show just was nothing like in the early 90's. Higley's tenure was the worst. Carlivati has come back brought freaking vets front and center, strong females, wonderful history being used, great dialogue and just producing a wonderful soap under today's soap constraints. Curlee could never do the same GL now that she did then. Also there was something telling about how important Ron Carlivati is to OLTL. When Ron was gone during the strike and Tomlin took over the show dipped way down in quality. We had some stupid Talia-Tonio-John triangle, cliched writing and it lost that Carlivati stamp. Could anyone tell the difference when Carlivati was no longer writing for the show. Just to let everyone know guess who discovered Ron Carlivati, it was CLAIRE LABINE. Labine loves Ron and he is paying her homage for his Mel mentions.

[Vee]

The only thing more tiresome than the overwrought hyperbole (like this) that causes a Carlivati backlash, is the backlash itself, not once but twice now, where people scramble to say, "oh, I was never that into it..."

No. Sorry. No backtracking for me. I've watched for long enough to say that AFAIC, this is the best the show has been in at least eleven years. Despite others' complaints, I find the dialogue to now be far superior to anything in OLTL's scripts since at least 2001 and certainly superior to most other soaps today. I think it's up to par with GH's dialogue people now (usually that show's only saving grace). I think the stories are painstakingly and gracefully put together and executed by RC. And while no, it's not perfect, it doesn't have to be to still be IMHO, very good, and not just in comparison to itself or others. It's a good soap, it's getting better all the time IMO, and I'm proud to watch it.

I don't believe it is on par with Nancy Curlee's GL, which was incredible, but few things are or were. I can understand why some would compare and contrast them, though, since I think like Curlee's crew, this OLTL is extremely focused on family and human stories, with a touch of the 'out there' mixed in since we are dealing in OL and not GL.

I don't think it at all resembles JERk's DOOL. Yes, OLTL has some camp, but DOOL did not have the corner of the market on that back in the '80s when OLTL last dabbled in these particular storylines. I also think the writing overall is utterly superior to Reilly's Days. Which I watched then as a child too - and despised.

I don't think Ron C. is a god. I don't think he's infallible. I do think he and his show are very good and deserve more respect and less hyperbole and knee-jerk reaction therein. This is about the whole show, not just playing favorites like Dena Higley.