The Doctors

[NothinButAttitude]

Doesn't Liz Hubbard take another break from the show real soon?

[jam6242]

I don't know about taking any other breaks but she was let go in 1977, and then returned in 1981.

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Oh OK. Wasn't Marland headwriter then? 

[jam6242]

He was there around that time period but I'm not 100% certain that he was writing when LH was let go. 

[DRW50]

I think he was as I could swear one of the soap magazines from back then said issues over the direction of the character or the show with him was a reason she was written out. I'm not 100% though. 

[~bl~]

Bit of a spoiler, they didn't know what to do with Althea after Penny left again. Marland was rearranging the show based on the two major families: the Powers and the Aldriches, and Althea didn't have a spot in that reorganization according to this one magazine I have from that era. (One of the few I have pre-1980.)

[NothinButAttitude]

Odd how Liz Hubbard would then go on to be one of Marland's crown jewels & solid performers on ATWT. Weird how things come full circle. 

 

I read somewhere else too that Carolee's amnesia story under Marland is one he'd later use on ATWT with Holden. Is that true?

[victoria foxton]

I've been enjoying the introduction of Toni's mother Barbara. How long was Barbara on?  The whole Althea/Nick/John/Kathy quad was a slow moving mess. I do like the Doctors but the slow pacing and repetition makes it hard to watch. 

Edited December 1, 2016 by victoria foxton

[NothinButAttitude]

The pacing is a bit slow but at least they provide you good, new content each day when it comes to that quad. 

 

If the writers are GH were smart, they'd be watching this show (and old episodes of GH) and try and get back to this. This is how a medical drama should be written.

[slick jones]

GH needs new writers to make that happen!

 

I'm dying to hear all of Barbara's secrets come out--especially the fathers of her children....

[SoapDope]

I hate the way Steve keeps defending Mona and her treatment of Carolee. Mona clearly thinks Carolee is beneath them in social class and is calling Ann on the phone. She's lucky Carolee doesn't go ape crap and catch her napping and give her an injection or hold a pillow over her freaking face. 

[NothinButAttitude]

 

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Now you know that'd occur on soaps nowadays. 

[robbwolff]

Yes, he was the one who wrote Althea out. In the interview that Carl referenced in this thread, Marland also described how Liz would frequently rewrite dialogue, which apparently didn't sit well with the scribe. He also complained about Julia Duffy leaving the role of Penny so abruptly and said that it was very unprofessional since he and the show had invested a lot of time in the character and had major story planned for her. I guess once Penny left, the feeling was there was no room for Althea.

 

I remember reading that interview and feeling dismayed about Marland's opinions of the show. He felt it needed to be retooled to focus on family. Hence, the show focused on the Powers, Aldrich, and Dancy families. Reading that article, I got the impression that Marland truly didn't understand the concept of The Doctors.

[DRW50]

 

Given the ratings he probably didn't. I remember when saynotoursoap used to post here, he said The Doctors was the worst HW job by Marland. And that Marland was much more suited to hour-long soaps. 

[Paul Raven]

I don't know why they didn't just recast Penny,if she was so important to the story.

 

I remember Afternoon TV reviewing Marland's stint and saying that as interesting as the stories were,they were not connected to the hospital and the show was not living up to its title.