Members Scryber96 Posted June 28, 2009 Members Share Posted June 28, 2009 While I think Marland is the greatest writer daytime ever had, he had his clunkers of a storyline, too--the Carolyn Crawford murder for instance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Y&RWorldTurner Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 Mark, how many times do I have to repeat HUGE PROBLEMS with this regime which have been occurring since the start and are only getting worse now? And then people accuse me of repeating myself. Yes the show was more watchable in the beginning of the year, but there were still major problems even then and during the more watchable period, the show wasn't that consistent. As brimike pointed out, this regime can only seem to tell one good storyline at a time, and right now, I personally believe no storyline is good on this show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members typoprone Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 Sooo true. I bet Sabrina's not really dead and she and Adam are working together! And Sabrina's baby isn't dead either! Adam is gonna pass off Sabrina's baby as Ashley's! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Y&RWorldTurner Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 Marland had his clunkers, but there weren't consistent clunkers, IMO. He wrote a well balanced show that offered something for everyone, and the stories going on at one time all tended to be different, there was great variety. I do not see that type of writing on any soap right now, especially not on Y&R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MarkH Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 I think you might not have seen my question. I asked: "But, other than spots of greatness, do you really feel this genre was ever more than mediocre? Really? I'm sincerely interested. I'm not talking about your "Camelots", like Curlee's era at GL or Marland's at ATWT. Do you feel the genre and most shows were ever truly great?"I'm asking beyond Y&R and 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Y&RWorldTurner Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 It may not have been Shakespeare or anything, but there was a time when the genre took its time to tell storylines, told a variety of storylines at one time, strived to break the mold, didn't play it safe, and set the trends not only for itself, but for the rest of television to follow. Something seemed to change in the mid to late 90's and it's only gotten worse in time. Stories are now being rushed, they aren't delving into real human emotion or touching upon something of resonance much, they try to "shock" the audience and it doesn't work, there's less variety, daytime no longer takes real risks, and therefore, many invovled no longer take what they're doing seriously. Yes, I know stuff like budget and network interference comes into to play. Let's not forget soaps were produced on a much less budget in the beginning of television, and they were able to accomplish many of the things I listed that they used to be able to do. Nothing is ever going to bring the ratings up to what they were in the heyday of daytime, I think now is the time to fight for more integrity in storylines and attempt to do what soaps used to do. I don't feel like many of those invovled seriously fight for creativity anymore, they just let what happens, happens. Exactly. There is no "strong" vision at this show. When you have to go to message boards for inspiration, well, that says it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ann_SS Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 I loved that story. Maybe Marland had me mesmerized. LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Soapsuds Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 The CC murder mystery was good not great. It had some great moments in it and so not good moments. Overall I enjoyed the story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ian Posted June 29, 2009 Members Share Posted June 29, 2009 and Kay and P2 have been in cahoots for years, he faked his death so many years ago and is living cushy off the life insurance money. He'll return in time for P3's return and to meet his grandson P4 so we can have 3 Philips we can't keep track of, then Cane will change his name to P5 and they'll become a traveling barbershop quartet: The Philips Revisited. Compelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CSF Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 I know you're asking Alvin, but I wanna put my two cents in here. I think that the genre was more than mediocre, I think it was spectacular, and true to each decade up until the mid-90s. Had soaps been just boring and mediocre for the past 50 years, they would have never survived past the 1960s. Boring housewives in their boring suburbs would have turned their televisions off decades ago and P&G would have come up with another way to market their products. Soaps prior to the mid90s really had an identity. Regardless of the super couple craze GH sent spiraling out of control, each network had their brand of soaps. ABC had it's soap about social issues, AMC. They WASPy land of Llanview on OLTL where the upper class Lord daughters struggled for love and you had the Woleks and Carla Gray. There was the medial drama of GH would did great things. The very close knit Ryan's of Ryan's Hope. The burning family issue of the Alden's on Loving. CBS had it's stalwart Search for Tomorrow where Jo was on a life long struggle for happiness and peace. There was Guiding Light which give stories of hope and family and friendship. As the World Turns conjured up every earth shattering thing that could destroy a family. The Edge of Night where malicious crimes took place, where the MOB was done right. The Young and the Restless, those beautiful young people just struggling to make their place in life. The Bold and the Beautiful with it's fashion wars and backstage and even family betrayal. Capitol was the political powerhouse soap and the only soap surrounding politics in America. NBC had it's very melodramatic Days of our Lives and The Doctor's, Another World and the beautiful Santa Barbara and many others. I don't understand as a fan, how you could ask if this genre was ever more than mediocre. Sure there are definitely spots of greatness, but the same can be said for primetime. Whether this genre dies in 2 years or 20 years, it will never be mediocre. Daytime was the first and it's still really the only place on mainstream television where everyone can tune in to see real social issues and topics addressed that other mediums don't touch on. I know that barely happens today, but just like other things in America, corporations have destroyed soaps. The poor choices at ABC destroyed their great daytime. CBS is just a mess and NBC barely exists. Had soaps never been taken over by fools, this genre would have still thrived no matter how the times change because broadcast television still reaches more people than cable. Soaps were a market place of ideas and great entertainment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphanguy74 Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 CSF, in my opinion... soaps have ALWAYS been mediocre, in every decade. I tried watching ATWT with my grandma during the Marland era, and I could never get interested. I would go down to her house, and watch it daily for 2 weeks, and when I went back home, felt no need to tune in again. I DID watch Search For Tomorrow for a while, from about 78-82, and it DID manage to capture my attention, and while I liked it, not too much stands out in my memories. Y&R was the only one I watched from the time I had meemories until today, because it wasn't like the others... there was just something that set it apart. I know now it was the production values and the acting talent. Even today, half the cast was cast by Bill Bell. I've known alot of people who always thought soaps looked cheap and stupid, and I'd be one of them.... for me, Y&R was just a jewel in a sea of ca-ca. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CSF Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 I understand what you mean, Alphanguy, there have been times when I've found shows to be boring, but I don't know if the genre as a whole is mediocre. Yes, stories dragged on and yes they may not have been the most plot driven, but I think that's because for years, a lot of the storylines were not only an escape for the viewers who had the chance to look into someone else's problems, but many of the stories were real and touching. Production values in soaps may have sucked and still do, but AMC had one of the worst sets in the early days, but Agnes Nixon's great story telling made the soap number 1 within 8 years. Guiding Light is ending after 72 years of broadcast, no other show, daytime or primetime will ever surpass that. I don't think mediocrity has kept the current soaps on for as long as they've been airing. They may all suck today, but there are still people out there who may view them differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted June 30, 2009 Members Share Posted June 30, 2009 I think ATWT at the time had its own identity, as all soaps did. Some viewers could get into the show, some couldn't. When I started watching soaps I initially had a hard time getting into Y&R because I was so much more used to a pace like Gl, or a quirky, weird universe like what I saw of Santa Barbara. Then I grew to appreciate Y&R for itself. Now everything in daytime is the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Soapsuds Posted July 1, 2009 Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 Nina and Paul realize that the blood Cane 'donated' was frozen, so Cane has to confess he's not P3. That is when the real P3 arrives, causing Kay to faint. P3 and Cane explain that P3 was using the name Langley and he met Cane, who was a street kid. P3 felt bad for faking his death so he sent Cane to Genoa City to pretend to be him so the Chancellors could have a family again. Lily leaves Cane and gives back her wedding ring and P3 had a hard time getting Kay, Jill and Nina to understand. P3 came back because he likes Cane and doesn't want him in anymore trouble. Thom Bierdz says P3 has one more secret to reveal. He says: "Phillip has got to work things out and so do I. Phillip and I have merged so much and I'm really looking forward to [playing it]." There's also some news about Cane knowing all along that he wasn't the father of Chloe's baby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chris B Posted July 1, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 1, 2009 Oh god. It's that second secret that is going to tank the story for me. Such a shame because those second set of spoilers pretty much confirm it. What an obvious and unnecessary twist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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