January 12-16, 2009

[marceline]

I've had a few days off and caught a couple of episodes of GL. It was enjoyable enough but I still find the production off putting, not horrendous, but definitely distracting, specifically the nonsensical amount of time spent outside.

I'm just not sure that after all these years, GL deserves to go on. I feel like they've run out of chances and maybe it's time for a merciful death.

[rsmith2k2]

*raises hand* Me, too. But I did like some of corporate espionage stuff with R&C.

I only started watching GL since about Sep and the writing and production have improved since then, imo. The sets are still a distraction sometimes for me. My gf has been GL with me a bit over the last few weeks. She's had more trouble getting over the sets, etc than I. She's a long time DOOL watcher butwatched GL for several years back in the Lujack era.

[saveGL]

I disagree.... i love the show... if you dont like it... DONT WATCH IT... pretty simple!

[SteveFrame]

I liked Culliton's time on the show too.

Of course the only tenures that I ever quit watching the show under were McTavish (the last one) and B&E. I have watched the show since January 5, 1970 and it is sad that out of numerous head writers (some good, some not so good) that they are the only ones to ever make me quit the show.

[marceline]

WTF? Dial back the freakout. I said I caught a few episodes. That's all. I'm hardly trashing it. Like I said it was enjoyable enough. If they can pull it out, more power to them but it's been 70 years. If they die, they die.

[SteveFrame]

I got to thinking about my previous answer to AMC and I realized that there have only been 7 writers in the history of 39 years of soap viewing who ever made me quit watching any show:

Megan McTavish - AMC

B&E - AMC

Jean Passanante - ATWT

Tom Langan - Days

Hogan Sheffer - Days

Dena Higley - OLTL

Lynn Latham - Y&R

Needless to say I consider them the biggest hacks and worst writers to ever grace daytime soaps. there were other writers who had stuff that I didn't like. But none of them ever made me tune completely out. But those 7 did. To me they did worse damage to the shows during their tenure than any other writers ever.

[MarkH]

I'm mixed. I have said before, in agreement with you, that the soap model that has them being "worlds without end" cannot work anymore.

But GL was conceived in that "endless story" vein. I guess my thought there is that...as long as it is economically viable...as long as there are loyal viewers who still love the old girl...there is no reason to cancel. Because, when GL is gone (even if it is now a pale, faltering shadow of its former self), we shall not see its like again.

GL, IN PARTICULAR, might deserve as much life as they can squeeze out. My wish, actually, is that they plan an end date, and try to write a satisfying conclusion.

[miajere]

I've met a good number of "old time" viewers who've hardly noticed the new production module. They've been watching long enough to take whatever comes GL's way and could care less about the sets, the location shots, or the shaky cams.

[Supersage]

Mark, a few months I would have agreed 100% with you (matter of fact, I posted along those same lines--end date), but there has been a renewed feeling come over the show. Characters are acting like themselves, storylines are making sense and those same storylines are entertaining. Headwriter Hurst has given the show back its groove. Now, we all know that a "groove" doesn't last for years (unless you were Doug Marland or Bill Bell, Sr.), so there should be some idea of where to go when that time comes.

About the new production model, that one stark move gave long time viewers the excuse to stop watching. Combine that with poor writing, the show almost was canceled this past summer. No one really believed the show would make it, thus the experiment last February. The biggest lesson learned from this is to GRADUALLY change and not all in one day. If Wheeler had been allowed to plan, she would have had entertaining writing along with the steadied changes. Alas, that wasn't the case.

[MarkH]

I find all these comments to be excellent and insightful. It is a real nail-biter, what will happen to GL. I hope it works out!

[Phoenix11]

<---- I don't know how much of an "old time" viewer I am, but I've been watching for well over 25 years (does that qualify me for old time?)... but I love GL... good or bad... and I don't want to see a "merciful conclusion" as so many are calling for. I want the show to go on for as long as I do! I feel like GL is back on the upswing and people should give it a chance again. If they dropped the Mallet/Marina pairing and sent Marina, Grady, and Daisy away, the show would only have good parts!

[juniorz1]

No offense, but clearly you don't know our Jill Abbott very well. Jill does what she wants, sticks to her own beliefs, and doesn't worry about the future ramifications of her actions. Everything she's done with Karge is perfectly in character.

I don't know, call it a hunch. I think he could make the show interesting again and I'd be interested to see what he'd do with characters like Carly, Jack, Janet, Brad, Katie, Meg, Craig, Dusty, Lily, and Holden. I also have a feeling that his writing for Nuke would be miles better than what we've gotten thusfar. I believe that the ATWT canvas is more suited to his strengths as a writer, as opposed to AMC. Honestly, AMC should ALWAYS be written by a woman- I know it sounds sexist, but it's how I feel.

Only because you can't throw things in your sleep.

[miajere]

I'm speaking more to offliners. The people I have talked to about the soaps "in person" don't know a damn thing about spoilers, Ellen Wheeler, Kim Zimmer's cries for story line....and they don't care. They love GL good or bad. They don't talk about slow build of new characters, bad stories....they take each episode as it comes and for what it is- "the stories". It's as if what has happened on screen is accepted as fact and "just the way things are."

Sometimes I think the online soap world is tantamount to being the last stop before quitting a show, because many offliners could care less about these backstage antics. Most people have no clue these shows are "in danger of cancellation" and merely comment on the amount of women in the workforce.