AMC: Will Pratt Make It Better or at least Watchable?

[Adam]

I remember during the Writer's Strike there was stuff being floated around that Agnes was somehow involved in writing the show, but there was no substantiated proof that she was.

I will say that while B&E deserved to be fired, and left the show in a very sad state, it did not compare to the scars Megan left on this show. B&E's plots didn't leave a lasting effect on AMC like Megan did. We still bring up the unabortion, Madden in a box and the pontification of Babe Carey on a regular basis.

[Sylph]

I think that Brown & Esensten would have fared a lot better if they hadn't executed the vision(s) of other people, specifically Frons. I'm not trying to defend them, they should be blamed for a whole lot of stuff, but... At times, it just felt as if what they were trying to do was either vetoed or "modified". And then they lost the will to do anything and just wrote what they were told.

[Kylie]

It's nice to see you guys with some hope. I won't be watching, but I'd like to see AMC back on the map as the once great show I used to love.

The only thing with Pratt is that things look good on paper with them, but he tends to lag with the follow through. Maybe the AMC cast having such good actors will help, though it only did so much for GH.

Anyway, here's hoping.

[AddictedToSoaps]

[R Sinclair]

Yes. When something that happened on AMC during the spring (such as Angie and Jesse's wedding) that certain viewers enjoyed, they attributed it to Agnes Nixon ghost writing the show, because clearly, Brown and Esensten are "hacks" who can't write ANYTHING good at ALL! So, what I'm saying is that from these same fans' mouths who said it was Agnes Nixon writing the show in secret (I'm sure there were armed FBI guards at the door to her secret writing room where her secretly written scripts were secretly delivered to the AMC studio) they are saying Pratt is cleaning up B&E's mess. How can you say Pratt's cleaning up B&E's mess when you've been saying B&E were in name only for the last eight months? Something just doesn't click. Either you believe they were there writing this whole time, or you don't. This wishy washy, picking and choosing, "I like this, so this is Agnes. I hate this so this is B&E" crap is basically going to start rearing its ugly head again once people start getting dissatisfied with Pratt's work. "Ooh, Pratt's a hack. Agnes is back secretly writing because Pratt can NOT write material THIS good..."

I'm sorry. It's just crap like that irritates the hell out of me.

You know what I'm sayin'?

[Adam]

For the majority of their time they lacked any real coherent vision for this show. Whether that was because they were puppets or what I don't know. I think for them, much like McTavish, they are only as good as the people around them are.

Frons and Carruthers using that logic than counteracted any progress they or could have made.

Basically after the initial 2 weeks of CRASH, the same stuff was rehashed over and over again for basically 6 months.

I felt once we got through CRASH and the after effects i.e whitewashing of St. Greenlee, the show began to retain more focus and vision. Whether B&E were behind that or Agnes Nixon like some hoped who knows.

I agree with R Sinclair that you can't go assuming an uncredited name such as Agnes was writing anything you "liked" on screen.

B&E were still credited, so as far as I am concerned it was their material. I believe Agnes possibly was consultating or at least had a finger in the pie but not to the extent where B&E were just writers "in name only"

That's hog wash, and only was used to the benefit of certain agendas that certain fans have regarding this show.

[EricMontreal22]

Ok this drives me crazy too--and I'm one of the few who do give B&E a lot of the credit for doing so well with Angie and Jesse's return. to be fair some have been saying that since 2002 at least

As for B&E I still love their work on City (you be quiet, Sylph ) and their last year at Loving and I think they have talent but I agree there was little way to show that under Frons anyway. It was odd though--they set up stories--like Richie way bac,k in Sep with him working the Comeback, or Dre casually mentioning 9/11 upsetting him way back, etc, etc and then the follow thru would NEVER happen. Or it would finally happen in a rushwed way like 10 months later after we'd all forgotten abotu that character. There was definetly something going wrong with what they wanted to do and what we saw--but I mean this has been true of ABC soaps for a while. Maybe Frons "trusts" Pratt more cuz he's a bigger name?

[Kubla Khan]

It doesn't sound like ABC was too thrilled with B&E early on. Remember Sara Bibel said that the network wasn't impressed with the story direction and their breakdowns were usually torn apart at the network meetings.

[EricMontreal22]

I didn't read that--but I'd believe it. It did feel like, the initial Crash storyline aside, they never were given a chance--i think that's one reason so little seemed to happen on the show the year they wrote--and then somethign BIG would happen and then the follow thru would completely disappear. I'd be lieing if I didn't say that this past month under Pratt has been overall miles better--but I think it's obvious B&E never got to work at their full potential.

[Adam]

Do you think there was actually ever a long term story bible ever created? We know Alden had one and Frons spat on it (wanted to change alot of things) and then we get word of B&E being hired.

From what transpired on screen, it appeared most of the time they were making it up as they went along.

Where is with Pratt, you get the sense there has been some long term storyline projection here.

[EricMontreal22]

Surely there musta been.. something. Were they at OLTL before AMC as breakdown writers? I know someone (Bibel?) who'd know said she thought that was where their true talent lied.

As for people giving credit to Agnes whenever somethign they like is on screen--as I said that's happeend for years, particularly anytime McTavish is writing. I find it kinda amusing--there's certainly some truth that Agnes getsinvolved when she can--I have no doubt of that--despite her age and lack of power in an official sense (Remember the A&E Biography on AMC? it was from 2002 i think when Cullitonwas headwriter and the show was having all those dropped stories--yet the Bio showed Agnes actively talkign away in story meetings--and I don't think it was just staged for the amera--and when McTavish returned Minshew reported seeing Agnes at the studio "a lot"). I think the thing is some people just have a hard time accepting that a writer that they've decided they dislike so much could do something they felt was right and good for the show--

Either way no matter Agnes' involvement, it's clear she hasn't had control over the true day to day storyline since she briefly returned as co HW to pen the Bianca coming out story (when for a wonderful 6 months or so--till Passanante got more control--the show felt liek Pine Valley fully again) That's where her real strength lies--not in just suggesting that a story devlopment is a good idea or not but in the overal character interaction, etc. I simply think at her age she doesn't have the energy--or the desire to be fair-0-to devote herself to the show to that level anymore and I can't blame her.

I've been watching a LOT of early 80s AMC the past few days while home sick with flu and it's interesting that some of Pratt's "new developments' feel like early 80s AMC--specifically him upping the pace of an episode by having more character sinteract and more time pass in one episode length--this was common in the early 80s, almost to the same extent it is now, and not all that modern a change after all. It's true that AMC was always known as one of the faster moving soaps something that the past few years of it have not shown.

[Steve]

I know what you're sayin' but I didn't attribute it to Agnes at the time, I said it was Daran Little, who was known to be consulting.

Based on the rest of their stint, I still refuse to believe that B&E came up with the material during Jesse & Angie's wedding and Ghost Dixie reuniting Tad with Kathy.

[EricMontreal22]

I still find that shortsighted--since B&E wrote for both actors so beautifully at Loving AND at The City-- However, either way I think it was clearly their suggestion that brought the characters back (who hadn't been mentioned for years--since Ghost Jesse was running around anyway)--especially since one of the few interesting things they said when hired was aluding to wanting to bring back some old vets who would also help the diversity aspect of PV.

I would like to know more about Daran Little's contributions--though I have to say I am pleased he's on the team.

[Adam]

It will be interesting if Daran starts writing scripts, then we will really see him in action.

[EricMontreal22]

He was known for his quality of scripts in the UK wasn't he... I really need to learn more how the writing team at AMC operates right now--I recognize the script writers and their strengths and weaknesses but that's about it--havign jus t re-read All hEr Children where agnes Nixon explains in HUGE detail how scripts were written back in 1975 when it was still 30 mins I get the feeling it's now utterly diff.