It was perfectly obvious to me that P&G made a concerted effort to kill AW so it's not a stretch to think they did the same for GL. MY GL viewing is spotty at best when it comes to post-Ellen Parker's firing. It always felt that when the show would get back on track that the EP or the hw would then be fired. I have said this before, but on an episode by episode basis, Conboy and Weston's GL could be extremely compelling. They could create fantastic episodes. In context to the show's history, the stories just didn't make sense and could be insulting (Ben Reade for ex.). I'm not going to deny that the Ben Reade episodes were not fantastic and that Bomer was robbed of an Emmy nomination. 

Edited February 12Feb 12 by chrisml

7 minutes ago, chrisml said:

It was perfectly obvious to me that P&G made a concerted effort to kill AW so it's not a stretch to think they did the same for GL. MY GL viewing is spotty at best when it comes to post-Ellen Parker's firing. It always felt that when the show would get back on track that the EP or the hw would then be fired. I have said this before, but on an episode by episode basis, Conboy and Weston's GL could be extremely compelling. They could create fantastic episodes. In context to the show's history, the stories just didn't make sense and could be insulting (Ben Reade for ex.). I'm not going to deny that the Ben Reade episodes were not fantastic and that Bomer was robbed of an Emmy nomination.

Have you ever read his blow-by-blow beat by beat explanation of his "storyline"? To be as succinct as possible it makes soaps, and their fans, appear moronic.

 

1 hour ago, chrisml said:

It was perfectly obvious to me that P&G made a concerted effort to kill AW so it's not a stretch to think they did the same for GL. MY GL viewing is spotty at best when it comes to post-Ellen Parker's firing. It always felt that when the show would get back on track that the EP or the hw would then be fired. I have said this before, but on an episode by episode basis, Conboy and Weston's GL could be extremely compelling. They could create fantastic episodes. In context to the show's history, the stories just didn't make sense and could be insulting (Ben Reade for ex.). I'm not going to deny that the Ben Reade episodes were not fantastic and that Bomer was robbed of an Emmy nomination. 

The only time I think that was the case for GL in the years I've seen was, possibly, Millee Taggart at the end of 2002/early 2003, although I'm not a big fan of her spring or summer work with the show. I think P&G veered between letting people go too early because they weren't getting ratings up enough or letting people stay too long - JFP stayed at least two years too long, Rauch stayed two years too long.  

I think P&G slowly strangled their shows rather than actively killing them. They still felt some use for them but they no longer tried to step in the way they did up to the mid '90s. It was only by the late '00s that they moved out of the daytime market, so when CBS also wanted rid of GL and ATWT, they didn't care. 

 

2 hours ago, Contessa Donatella said:

Have you ever read his blow-by-blow beat by beat explanation of his "storyline"? To be as succinct as possible it makes soaps, and their fans, appear moronic. 

This is not what I was looking for but it gets the idea across.

 

Too bad there isn’t consistency in blame. 

Let's put it this way: if GL were a person, then John Conboy (and Ellen Weston) was the drunk driver who struck GL down as it crossed the street, and Ellen Wheeler was the overly stressed nurse who (accidentally) pulled the plug on its' life support machine.  No one is letting either party off the hook, or downplaying/exaggerating their role in GL's ultimate fate, because they BOTH played a role in pushing GL off the air for good.

(...although, even John Conboy would've done a better job in Peapack, I'm just saying.)

Edited February 12Feb 12 by Khan

3 minutes ago, Khan said:

Let's put it this way: if GL were a person, then John Conboy (and Ellen Weston) was the drunk driver who struck GL down as it crossed the street, and Ellen Wheeler was the one who (accidentally) pulled the plug on its' life support machine.  No one is letting either party off the hook, or downplaying/exaggerating their role in GL's ultimate fate, because they BOTH played a role in pushing GL off the air for good.

(...although, even John Conboy would've done a better job in Peapack, I'm just saying.)

This is more like a Murder on the Orient Express. You could go all the way back to 1983 for the decisions that ended GL - or maybe even a few years earlier if you count P&G's ageism. 

At least Conboy could have found the baseball diamond in Peapack.

1 hour ago, DRW50 said:

The only time I think that was the case for GL in the years I've seen was, possibly, Millee Taggart at the end of 2002/early 2003, although I'm not a big fan of her spring or summer work with the show.

Take it from someone who never really stopped watching GL until they had to for the sake of their own sanity: after Nancy Curlee's decision to step down as HW, the ONLY TWO times that GL showed any hope of recovery were during the first half of Barbara Esensten and James Harmon Brown's run, and the latter part of Millee Taggart's run, with Carolyn Culliton as her co-head.

1 minute ago, DRW50 said:

This is more like a Murder on the Orient Express. You could go all the way back to 1983 for the decisions that ended GL - or maybe even a few years earlier if you count P&G's ageism. 

👍

1 minute ago, DRW50 said:

At least Conboy could have found the baseball diamond in Peapack.

Wait, you're saying that as if it were a good thing????!!!

8 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

You could go all the way back to 1983 for the decisions that ended GL - or maybe even a few years earlier if you count P&G's ageism.

You could, although, I'd argue, not all the decisions made after 1983/84 were bad. 

I think GL remained watchable throughout the '80's, even as the Bauers and others were phased out, because the quality of the day-to-day writing remained very high (kind of like much of Bob Guza's last run on GH).  It's only when Nancy Curlee exits and JFP exerts more influence that you realize that the chickens have come home to roost.

Edited February 12Feb 12 by Khan

1 minute ago, Contessa Donatella said:

👍

Wait, you're saying that as if it were a good thing????!!!

A joke. Sorry.

3 minutes ago, Khan said:

Take it from someone who never really stopped watching GL until they had to for the sake of their own sanity: after Nancy Curlee's decision to step down as HW, the ONLY TWO times that GL showed any hope of recovery were during the first half of Barbara Esensten and James Harmon Brown's run, and the latter part of Millee Taggart's run, with Carolyn Culliton as her co-head.

I think B&E were watchable the whole way through (even if San Cristobel and the Santos both stayed too long), but their first half was definitely better than the second half.

Just now, Khan said:

You could, although, I'd argue, not all the decisions made after 1983/84 were bad. 

I think GL remained watchable throughout the '80's, even as the Bauers and others were phased out, because the quality of the day-to-day writing remained very high (kind of like much of Bob Guza's run on GH).  It's only when Nancy Curlee exits and JFP exerts more influence that you realize that the chickens have come home to roost.

I don't think all the decisions were bad, and some didn't have to be bad but were never rectified later on, but some of the characters who were killed off and the huge shift the show made in 1984 took it to places they had a hard time shaking off. When I watch 84-86 GL it sometimes doesn't even seem like the show I knew, it's just some of the cast who keep things going. Then around 1987 they do start pivoting back in a better direction.

1 hour ago, DRW50 said:

A joke. Sorry.

YEA, just joking!!!!!

1 hour ago, DRW50 said:

I don't think all the decisions were bad, and some didn't have to be bad but were never rectified later on, but some of the characters who were killed off and the huge shift the show made in 1984 took it to places they had a hard time shaking off. When I watch 84-86 GL it sometimes doesn't even seem like the show I knew, it's just some of the cast who keep things going. Then around 1987 they do start pivoting back in a better direction.

What happened '84-'86? Remember I was a late bloomer to finding this lovely soap.

1 hour ago, Contessa Donatella said:

YEA, just joking!!!!!

What happened '84-'86? Remember I was a late bloomer to finding this lovely soap.

A lot of cast changes , weird Recasts and some questionable stories. It had a good Portion of storylines but u lost a Lot of core cast Members and some of the familiar feel. 

6 hours ago, Reverend Ruthledge said:

I can only offer my opinion (for what it's worth) but I think the 30s-60s were the glory days for GL. However, I would say that the 70s were great and I found a lot to like in the 80s and 90s. While it wasn't GL at its best, I wouldn't classify the whole decades of the 80s and 90s to be garbage, although a lot that went on during those decades I WOULD classify as garbage. The 00s, however, is a different story. I struggle to find any redeeming qualities of that last decade. 

Thank u for answering. Your opinion is worth a lot. I really like hearing other Peoples opinions and different takes.

I Can See why Long time viewers struggled with the last decade and I won’t repeat m love for that decade again Right now but I do get it.

I was too Young for the 80‘s and 90‘s but I Loved 83 Where I started when I got my First GL Dvd‘s. I’m surprised Some Say This Is the Starting Point of the decline. I mean the Four Musketeers, The Lewis Clan, Kelly +  Claire Ramsey, Early Reva, Eli Simms and Tony Reardon+Annabelle Adventures, Bradley Raines, Alan-Phillip‘s Story. There was so much going on and everyone was involved and it really had a strong Community feel and a lot of those cast changes helped that show in my opinion. But it started to Change drastically Late 84. 

I wish there was more available from 1937-1952. I Can Only assume It was a Great time coz Irma was into her Show with her whole Heart. The 100 Radio episodes that are available are so amazing and I listened to all of them. I’m just surprised that nothing more from GL‘s Radio episodes are available especially after 1950. Every other Radio Show from Late 40‘s Til 60‘s are available. 
I was able to get my Hands on the GL Books that were released like that Reverend Ruthledge book or the Novel about Paul Fletcher from 67. Those made me so fascinated by those Old Years from GL. 

16 minutes ago, AMCOLTLLover said:

A lot of cast changes , weird Recasts and some questionable stories. It had a good Portion of storylines but u lost a Lot of core cast Members and some of the familiar feel. 

Thanks. Feels familiar as an AW fan.