Thanks @Paul Raven

He wasn't wrong about those weeks long location shoots...

I'm surprised at the part about cutting down the length of scenes as I never felt like the scenes were very long under Slesar.

I think the pacing did need to pick up, but I think 13 week intervals was not exactly the right way to go.

I would say that Sheldon had a strong start with the Big Brother type story, but after the Haunted mansion story vignette with Raven/Sky... the show was spinning it's wheels for a bit until the next set of stories were ready to start (Chris' Wait Until Dark story, Jody's campus mystery, and the Standing Oak Mystery).

Out of those three, the only story that seemed to work was Chris' story while those who weren't involved in the three main plots were left to be talk to's.

Once the show returned from the two week hiatus in the summer of 1984.. Sheldon really seemed to find his footing and had the Logan Swift locked door mystery, and what was Beth Corral hiding. Both had excellent resolutions with the show ending sadly with a promise of an umbrella mystery involving the whole cast.

Here's my question: assuming Henry Slesar needed to be replaced as HW, who should P&G have tapped to replace him (instead of Lee Sheldon)? Should they have looked outside of daytime, or hired someone with actual soaps experience?

I can't compliment Sheldon on any of his plots. The Logan murder mystery was but a shadow of Edge's best and Tom Tammi had non of Joe Lambie's appeal. Joe probably refused to return once he watched an episode or two (or talked to Sharon Gabet) even though he took a contract role not long after at replacement SFT Lloyd. Sheldon poorly handled the aftermath of Nicole's death by having Miles get the hots for Chris (triangle with Derek). Jennifer again was a poor imitation of Frances Fisher/Deborah. When Sheldon developed the Beth story it was about a 40 year old woman virgin. It was juvenile. Erwin said what he said in the interview but the fact was that EON had severe budget cuts starting months before Henry left and Henry was being paid top dollar and you can be sure Sheldon was getting close to minimum for a daytime head writer at the time. This move was about budget in the final few years. At the time Henry was fired, the show also went from 17-19 contract players to 14 or 15. They lost Mark Arnold and Lori Loughlin within Sheldon's first six months. I remember watching during the final 18 months and screaming at the television. And I was young (in college). Each day I saw ways the stories could have played/characters connected etc. Imagine if Sheldon had tied Shelly and the Van Dynes to the Whitneys. Perhaps Alicia could have been Geraldine's daughter that she gave up for adoption and Shelly was Alicia's daughter who she gave up. Shelly and Alicia could have wreaked havoc on Sky/Raven and Jody/Preacher. I always thought the actress who played Shelly had potential as a vixen. She was a bit green but by far the best contract hire by Whitney Burnett (casting director who had done a phenomenal job over the years with the exception of the first gay Kelly oh Lord that child!).

As far as head writers, it is difficult to know who could have replaced Henry. Perhaps, if Sheldon was the best selection at the time they needed to promote Kibbee to story consultant or co-head (or bring in a former P&G head writer to train Sheldon on plotting and story arcs) and bring in qualified script writers. But ultimately Erwin Nicholson failed IMO; he was so used to Henry's sheer brilliance that he didn't know how to limit, advise and direct Sheldon. He also needed to update some of the key sets by hiring a new set designer. He tried with some sets but the main locations (police station, penthouse, Karr house were 70s) were drab. And don't get me started on the new opening/closing. That was the true sign that Erwin had lost his way, getting rid of the skyline for that ridiculous color splash and the sunset scene over the closing. Tragic but indicative of a show that had lost its soul.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by VelekaCarruthers