ATWT: Time To Get Your Crap Together!

[Soapsuds]

I had heard of Lion but not Lube...LOL. How ironic...lol. Too bad we wont be seeing any Lube soon...LOL.

[bellcurve]

I like to think I coined the name at Daytime Royalty. But someone else probably came up with it before me.

I like the nickname Lube. I know the jokes are too easy, but seriously...at least it's catchy and less puritan than "Lion." When I first heard that one, I went, WTF?!

[All My Shadows]

LMAO! I pay all royalties to you, then. And I agree about "Lion." I hate most couple names by default (just give me Name1/Name2, please!), but I especially hate the ones where you have to go out of your way to make it work. There is no O in either Luke or Brian's name lol. They're Lian, not Lion!

Rawr!!

[DeeeDee]

:lol: :lol:

[Y&RWorldTurner]

But really, Goutman and Passanante should be using this time to think up a finale, but they'll probably plan that at the last minute...

[DeeeDee]

Pretty much.

[juniorz1]

Excellent post. ATWT was must-see TV for a long time for me. I never had watched the show religiously but became hooked. It's unrecognizable to me now.

I don't think DAYS is going anywhere. It's a flagship soap, it's undeniably the most well-known soap in pop culture. Plus, the ratings are trending up. DAYS will swap networks before going off the air, though for some reason I see it staying on NBC for a while longer.

As for ATWT:

They need to hire a capable head writer. Donna Swajeski will be available now that GL is bye-bye, so I say it's time to bring her over and pair her with Carolyn Culliton. I think that team would do wonders for the show.

Mark Collier needs to return. Period.

There needs to be more focus on Lucinda and Susan. Susan has barely been appearing for months now.

Recast Alison or dump her altogether.

A third party needs to be brought in for Luke & Noah, and it' Noah's head that needs to turn. I'd love to see a truly ruthless gay character come on and muck that relationship up out of sheer lust for Noah. Imagine the black comedy such a character could provide.

If Goutman were doing his job, I'd say keep him because he can be a very polished EP when he's up to the task. But he just.....isn't. DO NOT BRING ELLEN WHEELER OVER! Actually, I'd like to see Ed Scott or David Shaughnessy get the job, but that's probably very wishful thinking.

Just some thoughts.

[P.J.]

I really think nothing short of armageddon will save ATWT---at least in it's present form, at least on CBS. Unless Barbie Bloom's "replacement" for GL sucks sewage in the ratings (and honestly, some lame-o game shows could...) whatever they produce---cheaper and rerun-able--- will net them a few pieces of silver.

I think Goutman needs to dig deep, and prove to some other "network" that ATWT is able to attract eyeballs. I'd say "screw CBS and Bloom", and write EXACTLY the stories they want. Pimp Nuke like streetwalking trannies if necessary. Produce some "exclusive content" or webisode arc featuring them. Or something like "Carly in rehab" while Maura's on maternity leave. Or the teens.

Christ---he's got eighteen months. I just can't believe that some network somewhere wouldn't salivate over two-million-plus viewers. I can't imagine a world left to watch reruns of horrible made-for-tv movies.

[DeeeDee]

Pretty much.

[JackPeyton]

But what is to guarentee all, or even a good chuck of those people will follow ATWT.

Its been proven in the past that when any show - esp soaps - hop networks the ratings dwindle. Very few exceptions have been made.

That said, i could very much see Lifetime having ATWT & GL, however i am sure it would come with a severaly slashed budget, perhaps a cut down to 1/2 hour. A purge of the cast would be needed - top stars and vets would prob be cute first, start at the top like Days just did. Would people not only follow the soap but also adjust to a loss of top stars and vets?

[P.J.]

Well, no, there's no guarantee the entire audience would jump with the show. But the audience has changed since the last soap jumped networks back in the '80's. It's not going to matter to people who DVR, the DVR will do it for them. And the odds are against a five day a week new content. But the odds are against that anyway, even if PGP puts something on the web. New programs are now rerun multiple times a week on stations like Lifetime and USA.

The entire television landscape is changing. In a few years, CBS may not exist as we know it (as Sally Sussman pointed out in her comments on GL, at least I think it was her). NBC is already giving up the 9pm slot to Leno next season. Fox has only run two hours of original programming per day since it started, and that's still not seven days a week. The ABC umbrella of networks splintered itself to concentrate on specific demos (kids, sports, "family").

I guess my point is----if I was Goutman (and PGP) I wouldn't give up. ABC can't absorb all of GL's actors, and they'd probably make no effort for the older vets. And if they're sure ATWT is not getting picked up anyway---I'd take advantage of the lame duck situation, and throw them under the bus to anyone and EVERYONE who would listen. I'd bring back some diversity, I'd write some story "ripped from the headlines" for buzz. If I was PGP, I'd go to Brad Bell and try to work something out and try to sell networks a two and a half hour block of soap programming, including B&B (since they're the only other show not being rerun on Soapnet).

Something has to work. An America without soaps is well....unAmerican.

[Soapsuds]

Goutman should have done something long time ago by firing Pissant. Yet, he kept her and it seems like he is giving her awful stories to write.

[CSF]

I wonder, if PGP didn't eliminate the position MADD held, do you guys really think Goutman and Passanante would still be at ATWT? I have a strong feeling she would have axed them and replaced them with someone better, even though MADD herself was a hack.

I loved Scott Holroyd as Paul.

F'ing hilarious! :lol: :lol:

[All My Shadows]

Oh God yes that would rock! Silbermann would have to step it up a bit or the role would have to be recast, but I'd flove it if the badass character I described last week would, instead of falling for Luke, try to break up Luke and Noah for the sake of getting Noah away from that drama queen. I'd pay to see such a character ask Noah why he's even with Luke in the first place. I'd love it for this guy to completely mock the fact that Luke has a foundation named after him. I'd love for him to constantly dangle in Luke's face the "fact" that he sent his pregnant mother rolling down the stairs. I'd love it for him to begin each day by taking a hearty piss in Luke's corn flakes just because he can. Oh, the drama! Luke's whining would send Noah right into the other guy's bed, and it would be spectacular.

But alas, much too edgy for ATWT. There are no evil/fun queers in Oakdale

[CSF]

That actually would be a really intense, ratings grabbing storyline that would help ATWT immensely. It would also be really interesting to watch and would make me go back to ATWT and have me glued to the seat. Too bad they don't have the balls to do something like that.