GL: Ellen Wheeler

[Dan]

I have to credit JONNYSBRO for this thread because despite the fact that his recent hypothetical situations involving this woman have been utterly and completely ridiculous, they have succeeded in making me think critically about Wheeler and her tenure at GL. Most importantly, I've been thinking about its context in GL history.

To illustrate, I'll use a anecdote. When the stock market crashed in 1929, President Herbert Hoover received the blame for the economic situation, despite the fact that fissures in the economy had been growing since after World War I. In the same vein, GL's economic situation had been growing for years, leading to a bubble burst during the Wheeler administration.

This leaves me with several questions:

1. How much blame can we assign Wheeler for the economic situation and her response to it? Surely her hands have been tied during much of her tenure.

2. In 2002, Wheeler was rumored to be replacing former EP Paul Rauch. Hypothetically, how would she have done had she replaced him and the Conboy situation never happened? Would the show be in the same state and would we be criticizing Wheeler so vehemetly?

3. What would make the current production model work and how could they have sold it to the audience?

4. Have the changes to the show's core (and unarguably there HAVE been huge changes) been worth it to keep the show on air?

5. What could Wheeler do to make the show viable again?

[bellcurve]

I can't blame Ellen Wheeler for what happened in 2005(when they had their budget slashed in half and were forced to negotiate people at their cycles and fire people, etc). Seeing what she, ultimately, did with the show during that time and during all of 2006 made me return to the show and I was a huge supporter and advocate of Wheeler's. SpritualJunkie and I both were, in a way, the Rakesh and jfung at that time, constantly defending Wheeler's cost-cutting and her response to having the budget shrink. And I won't make apologies for that, because the show turned out very good episodes, some conventional, others unconventional(i.e. Dinah doing the Ally McBeal thing on her first date with Mallet).

I can't even blame her for what has happened now with the budget being slashed. But I also think she's now more concerned about her own ego and her own paycheck than the people who work at GL.

Maybe we would still have Maureen Garrett, or other vets. I know one thing that is really good about her(that SteveFrame is so quick to point out in his defense of Wheeler), is that she hardly ever uses people over guarantee and somehow, some of those vets still drive the story. She has "gentleman's agreements" with actresses like Beth Chamberlin who don't want to be tied down to a crappy contract, but would still like to work on GL.

The budget would have been slashed under Wheeler too, but not nearly as severe as it was. I think Conboy's hiring also came with his artistic freedom, which means pretty people and pretty objects at any and all costs.

Part of this involves the writing too: What would make the current production model work is if they stopped showing us all these different, random places. It's so annoying. If Coop and Beth are in bed together, why aren't we spending time exploring who they are as people and as a couple? What is the motive behind Beth's desperation to sleep younger men? Does this stem from Lorelai? Why can't the writer's slow down and focus on these characters instead of having them here, there, and everywhere?

And let's not even get started on the CONTINUITY issues. I always bring it up as a example, but it's absolutely embarassing and Wheeler needs to be called out on it constantly: during Mallet and Marina's wedding, it was raining, then it was snowing, and in the in-studio exteriors of Company, it was sunny and there was no precipitation on the ground or on the building. And during the big "Marina sees Mallet talking to his crazy ex, Dinah" moment, the shots were mixed between rain and snow.

If Wheeler and the TeleNext Brass are SO dedicated to e-mailing those bloggers, why couldn't she tell her Coordinating Producer to check the weather in Peapack before the shoot? Why couldn't she have more than one plan for shooting? Why couldn't she shoot everything she needed to shoot in the rain, shoot away from the snow when it was snowing, and add sound effects into Final Cut...I mean....AVID? These are things your basic, beginner film student would know?

Would have been WAY better if she had just done what she and Kreizman wanted to do all along: focus on the Coopers and the Spauldings. There was really no need for any remnants of the Bauer family to be there. And, despite my respect for Michael O'Leary, he and Rick Bauer haven't been relevant in ages. I would have finished off the Bauers by moving them to Africa and focused on the Coopers, Spauldings, and the Lewises and worked on strenthening those characters.

I really don't think she can do anything to make the show viable again. The damage has been done. I think the only way they can make GL viable again is to put the show on CBS.com with a cutting edge EP and Writer with no restrictions(i.e. nudity, violence, etc). There are tons of young, fresh talent that(with an Executive in Charge of Production and maybe someone there for continuity) could breathe life into an internet-driven GL. I think Wheeler's religion also gets in the way of the show exploring the evil of its characters. When she told Bibel or Roger or whoever it was that took the field trip that her being of Mormon faith doesn't allow her to play a character who smokes, drinks, or does anything against the Book of Mormon, it was very telling. Which is why I still think the show will chicken out on Olivia/Natalia.

[Shakur]

Excellent questions!

1. I don't think we can assign her too much of the blame. She had to pay for years of mismanagement of GL's budget. Her hands were tied when it came to the budget, cutting salaries, and putting some actors on recurring, etc. I think Wheeler would have wanted to put more focus on established characters, and the history of the show. We saw a glimpse of that with the death of Roger story, which started out really promising.

Wheeler does hold some of the blame for how the outcome of the budget cuts were handled. Once the first budget cut happened, the show went into a tailspin, and rather than deciding on a long-term plan, they kept digging themselves into a bigger whole, by focusing on the wrong characters, and not planning out long-term story. Without knowing if any mandates were given to her from CBS or P&B, Wheeler also carries the blame for who she chose to fire or put on recurring (i.e. Ross).

I have to give her credit for being creative enough to think of ideas like the new production model, but I wish she would have had more time to plan an effective implementation. But again, how much of that is her fault?

2. It's hard to say. I think the show would have been in a better position than it is right now, because we would have been spared the damage inflicted by Conboy and Weston (budgetary and creatively). In 2002 Wheeler would have had a budget, access more characters, and better writers to put together a great show (imagine Wheeler working with Millee Tagart putting together the Roger storyline?).

3. I've given a lot of thought to how the current model could work, but they need money to make some of the following changes:

> reduce the number of sets: this would allow for a few larger sets, and more focus on where the interior action in Springfield should happen (i.e. individual homes like the Bauer kitchen, the Spaulding mansion, and a Cooper home; public spaces like: the Beacon, Company, and Towers, and I think they should build a loft-type space, where some of the younger set could live).

> use GL production offices mainly for workplace settings. The size of Ellen Wheeler's office is better suited for the main office at Spaulding, than as a chapel that's currently there. There would be enough room for a desk, conference room table, etc, and we could do away with the closet-sized conference room they currently have for Spaulding

> create "removable" or "sliding" fourth walls. GL doesn't have enough studio space to have spacious four-wall sets. I would create sections of wall space that could be removed or slid to the side, so that camera operators could shoot certain angles from outside the set (similar to how sets are shot with the old 3-camera system). This would give the illusion of having larger sets, because you're not squeezing everyone on to one small set.

> create "corridors" between each set, and use them for the space outside of the windows for each set. We could have lighting in these spaces that could mimic day AND night, show weather (rain and snow etc, instead of just daylight). It would make the sets that much more realistic.

> eliminate the "exterior" parts of the interior sets. For example, redesign the doorway to Company, which no longer looks like it's outside. Make it the doorway to the boarding house. Then they could make the door that used to lead to the bathrooms, and have it look like it's leading to the exit, or the patio (the one they shoot exteriors at). Another example would be to eliminate the patios at the Beacon, and turn them into useable space, like new doorways, hallways etc.

> If they want to keep using the leased home for Reva's set, utilize the rest of the home for bedrooms etc. for other characters

> keep some "open" studio space for temporary sets, based on story needs - that is if they have money to build them

> if an area of the set doesn't get good lighting or sound quality (and it can't be improved), don't shoot scenes there. The area behind the stairs of the Spaulding study come to mind.

> stop shooting random scenes outside - just because they are outside. Roadside meetings, middle-of the field types of things need to stop.

4. I think it is worth keeping the show around. See the answer to question 5 for some ideas how it could work.

5. The show needs to realize that it's not going to be what it used to be. It needs to focus on it's next generation, and create stories that work within the production model:

- more realistic stories, similar to the British soap model (get rid of the jewel theives, and if they can't make Springfield looks like a metropolis, get rid of Spaulding Enterprises - or have the head offices move to Europe under Alan Michael.

- focus on the children of legacy characters, and use them to propel new stories (both on their own, and with their parents). There is so much potential to do this with: Marah, Maureen, Buzz's other son (can't remember his name). These are all characters that the audience (old and new) would care about if they are introduced within the sphere of characters we already care about.

There are so many possibilities. The problem is time, money, and writing. If GL does go off the air, Wheeler will inevitably be held responsible, but the truth is that in some ways she's done a better job than another EP would have done at keeping the show on the air. Her biggest fault is not having the proper creative team in place (specifically the writing). That could be because the show couldn't afford any big names, but hopefully Hurst's promotion keeps the momentum going in the right direction.

[NorrthCafe]

I don't know if that Peapack shoot could have ever worked. I have to believe that it's one expensive town if the GL location shoots are the best they can afford. GL has to be the most unattractive show in daytime (the sets, not the cast. The cast is beautiful).

It's such an ugly show that it kills any hope of getting the audience to buy into the characters. The Lewises live where, exactly? The hotel and hospital sets are mindblowing unattractive. There's not much difference in standard of living between the richest and poorest citizens of Springfield. I'm always distracted by how horrible the sets are (as with Bill and Billy's scenes, today).

Springfield's Peapack is filled with faux stone and cheap paneling. I fault Wheeler for not knowing how bad the location shoots would look on camera. If with the change in storylines, GL LOOKS like a show on it's last legs. I wish she'd thought to cut the unnecessary and pointless cast members to save cash, rather than inflict the 'new format' on the viewers.

[bellcurve]

I believe Wheeler has had this "plan" for quite sometime, before the official announcement was made. This is why this "production model" is all the more frustrating for me to accept as a viewer. Does anyone remember Reva looking like Mrs. Kool-Aid in that Red Dress, drugging Lizzie, dragging her to the tattoo parlor, and then getting her absolutely wasted at some cheap hotel in Red Hook with a bunch of horny extras they picked up at a community college, and then taking her to the dentist's office...I mean...the doctor's office to get her bone marrow extracted. That was really bad and embarassing.

Then, there was the test episode they did during the middle of the summer when everyone was being drugged with some sort of memory erasing drug and thrown together in random situations(I think Lizzie and Remy were in the CBS Center Bathroom stall, which was supposed to be Spaulding Enterprises, I think).

Not to mention the test show they did over Halloween and the show they did at "The Mall," which looked like the CBS Center's loading dock, commissery, and gift shop.

Wheeler does NOT get a free pass for the lack of cohesion and planning. She spent alot of 2007 doing these test shows and test scenes that made it to air, all of which were of subpar quality. But still WAY better than anything Wheeler passes off as high stakes drama on GL today. It's like she slaps it all together at the last minute.

[Shakur]

I agree that Wheeler does not get a free pass. I think her two biggest faults have been not focusing on the writing, and getting too caught up in the "idea" (whether it was Inside the Light, Peapack etc), without actually planning on how to make it work effectively.

It seems that she went about it backwards, and is focusing on those things now. That may be because she had to make the drastic changes quickly to keep the show on the air, but I agree that quick changes didn't have to mean poor quality and general sloppyness.

[NorrthCafe]

The mass drugging scene was the birthplace of Beth and Coop (remember Alan thought he was pregnant Beth's father, and that Coop was the child's father - he wanted to know how Coop would be able to care for his child and grandchild). Even still, Beth and Coop came out of nowhere and are incredibly poorly matched.

[RoseVioletDaisy]

True, however Hoover's part of the blame isn't that he created the situation, he didn't, but he did make certain decisions that prolonged and deepened the Great Depression. Such as tightening the money supply, halting spending, and waiting too long to get involved, hoping that the free market would work itself out without any regulatory or stimulative intervention. He was clearly wrong, as proven by FDR's relative success after changing those policies.

Wheeler carries a similar type of blame: she didn't create the situation, but once in charge, she did make bad decisions that made the situation worse. Those bad decisions, coupled with the situation she inherited, forced her and others to make even more radical decisions down the line.

Agreed. However I do think that she made some very serious mistakes early on that drove a large wedge through the viewership, which alienated fans, lowered the ratings, and thus spawned even deeper financial problems. For example, letting Peter Simon, Jerry VerDorn, and Maureen Garrett all go and outright firing Grant Aleksander. Not only were every one of those actors playing vital characters, but they were the very sort of subtle, natural style actors that would've worked extremely well in her new production model.

The decision to basically perch almost the entire show on the backs of Gus & Harley and Jonathan & Tammy was another huge mistake, as evidenced by the complete and utter storyline breakdown that occurred once all four characters were off the canvas because the actors playing them left the show.

It's impossible say to for sure, however I doubt that she herself would've been any more intuitive or responsive an executive simply because she might have had a little more money in the coffers.

There's no point in wondering how they could've sold it, they need to sell it now.

The model isn't a bad idea. I like a lot of the exterior work now, when it makes sense, and they need to do a lot more location shoots in NYC as opposed to Peapack. Many neighborhoods in the NYC area look far more like the vibrant mid-sized city that Springfield needs to be than anything we've seen in Peapack does and the city itself just infuses an energy that Peapack can't. They certainly need to nix the concept of having people wander around parks and fields for no reason though.

What really needs work are the interiors. I love that the preview videos seem to indicate the upcoming wedding is being shot in a real church instead of EW's office. Using more real interiors would be a good idea. All of those tacky little "sets" built out of three pieces of IKEA furniture in the corner of somebody's office need to go. They suck, especially that hideous tiny apartment that Mallet, Remy, Grady, and now Shayne have all lived in.

Overall, no.

I'm not sure that she can do much on anything. The writing has been the weakest link and now that the writing is improving lately, the show is at least worth watching again. That's a start but the writing and certain parts of the production model need to continue to improve. For the most part, GL would probably be better off the less she did. She may think she's a visionary but her vision hasn't been good the show overall.

[jfung79]

The hotel and hospital sets were worse before the new production model. The Spaulding set is expansive, expensive-looking, and multi-leveled. Bill and Billy today were supposed to be in a cabin in the middle of the woods where Phillip was -- it wasn't supposed to look good.

The show has explored why Beth is so attracted to Coop. Lizzie and Lillian both believe it is because she sees him as a younger version of Phillip, an idealistic romantic writer saving her from the world, although Beth denies this. Coop sees Beth as an inspiringly strong, complex, capable woman.

I disagree with most of the premise of these questions because they assume the show is in crisis and needs to be "fixed." The show is great, people just need to find out how good the writing and directing have been getting and start watching again.

I like the idea proposed by someone in this thread to focus on the children of legacy characters. But that's actually exactly who the show is focusing on -- Bill and Lizzie, Shayne and Dinah -- and yes, also drawing in those characters' families.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I don't see how one can argue that GL isn't in "crisis." Pulling in household ratings ranging from 1.4-1.6 isn't something the other soaps are clamoring for. If anything, GL's situation is as precarious as ever. Television is a business, it's about the ratings, not about the quality of the material, sadly. Though the directing has improved a bit on GL, it's still not enough or on par with anything else on daytime, or anything on network television for that matter. The picture quality on this show sucks, and makes it hard to enjoy the actors when you have to see it. The cameras are still too shaky for my taste, and they still have MAJOR problems with the audio. Who is the boom operator on this show? They should be FIRED. I've seen cheaper student films with better audio quality, and that's saying something.

These production problems hinder the storytelling for me. It's just all too distracting for me and incredibly un-soapy. I don't even feel like I'm watching a soap when I watch GL, it feels like a poorly put together reality show. Production of storylines has the ability to make or break a show, IMO. If it looks cheap and poorly planned, then so does the story. I can't enjoy these stories under this format. And it's not so much the production format, it's just the way it's being handled. I watch international soaps that rely 100% on location shooting, the only difference is, they KNOW what they're doing and how to make it look good. GL still hasn't gotten very far with this format, and I don't think they ever will.

[jfung79]

I should clarify and say that I think the show is not in a creative or production crisis.

The things that need fixing to me are mostly scheduling, promotion, publicity, etc -- not the quality of the show itself -- and even the scheduling/promotion/publicity problems seem to me to be primarily network or P&G-level issues or things that are part of the daytime or television erosion in general.

[rangethatrover]

I don't know how you guys can watch a soap that looks like that. And embarrassingly, I LOVE my reality tv. But I like my soaps to look like a soap.

In some ways, I wonder why GL gets such a bad rap for its ratings considering it is on at seriously messed up times throughout America (Here in Boston it is on at 10 or 11 am)-- Doesn't it also have a lower "clearance" than all of the other soaps, meaning it doesn't even air in some markets??

When OLTL is at a 1.9 and GL is at a 1.5 - and GL costs peanuts to produce- the difference in viewers is not much at all. At least in my mind. Its kind of scary actually.

And after GL is gone, both ATWT and OLTL will in all likelyhood have the dubious "honor" of being called America's "lowest rated soap opera"....

It is a shame all the way around. And I have said it before- based on Youtube videos- how such a well acted -and at times- well written soap like GL could fall this terribly is beyond me.

As far as every soap other than GH, B&B, and Y&R- I say enjoy it while it lasts. Next in line ATWT and OLTL.

Its really disappointing all the way around.

[NorrthCafe]

There have been plenty of 'out of the way' sets for GL characters, and none as dirty looking and dark as the cabin Bill and Billy were in. If the cabin was supposed to be a sign that Phillip is still unstable ... SOLD, but I'd hate for the writers to bring him back that way.

A cabin in the middle of no where doesn't have to look like a shack - and many of GL's current sets look pretty bad. It's hard to sell the fantasy of fabulously rich people living the way they do. Someone like Phillilp, growing up in the lap of luxury, would never live that way - again, unless he's still mentally ill, broke, or both. Remember Reva and Kyle's cottage in the woods? It later became Holly's home, and then whoever else after her. The cottage was in the middle of nowhere, as well. It was gorgeous and only added to the romance of the Kyle/Reva... Holly/Ross storylines.

The Spaulding library is about as good as it gets for GL and that place makes me claustrophobic when more than two people are in the room.

Didn't Edmund hold Dinah (or Michelle) hostage in a replica of the Jessup farm? With windows nailed shut and covered? THAT place was better looking than the cabin Bill and Billy were in today.

GL's 'live' sets distract from the storylines. I use to be grateful for that, but now that the storylines are picking up, it's a real shame.

[bellcurve]

How much more promotion and publicity does one soap need in a year? The show was featured in several non-soap publications and websites prior to the "poor me" press tour she gave all the bloggers. They've completely altered the structure of their show in hopes that they would revitalize the genre. If you ask me, GL has gotten more mainstream press than any of the other seven soaps on the air. At least they haven't been humiliated on The Soup.

Also, as much as GL fans complain about scheduling, if it is airing after the Early Show on CBS, I'd say it's better than airing against juggernaut GH(which, apparently does really well on the East Coast). It's early morning competitors are probably The Today Show and Regis and Kelly. If GL were really good, I'd rather watch it than either of those shows. And if it is airing against GH(which is really bad right now), if GL was a really good show, it could easily win its timeslot with counteractive programming. Not everyone wants to see mobsters. GL, at one point, even bested AMC for a few weeks and garnered a 2.6 household. I remembered being really proud of those numbers. With more solid storytelling back then, Wheeler could have easily made that success into something other than a fluke.

[jfung79]

I'm not talking about mainstream press so much as the soap press and promos during other CBS soaps. The only promos I have seen are in the "Phillip returns 2/9" vein, nothing about the great storylines that have been happening now already leading up to Phillip's return.