Lorraine Broderick as AMC head writer

[R Sinclair]

I don't want to see JR and Scott in a rivalry. JR needs a brother who is a CHANDLER! With all the back and forth Jamie did with whether he was brothers with JR or not was way too easy for him. He was never a Chandler and always had Tad and that gaggle of hypocrites to fall back on. Not to mention, I like Scott more than JR. Scott is a Chandler. He has clearly shown that despite whatever inner turmoil they may have, he's loyal to his family. JR -- not so much. The minute Adam looks at him funny, he goes running to Tad, disowning Adam and wanting to do some kind of traitorous act to "stick it to" Adam. If anything, the writing team needs to repair JR. It would be cute to blame it all on Pratt, but realistically, this JR is just a découpage of McTavish, B&E as well as Pratt.

[DRW50]

I think it started around the time Jesse McCartney took over, when they had Adam terrifying JR into doubting his perfect father Tad, because Adam was jealous of their bond. Since then it's usually been one version or another of ADAM BAD DAD. I guess because we didn't already get enough of that with Hayley.

The funny thing is in the long run, Adam was right about Tad. Tad was not a good father, and his influence has harmed JR. I would like JR to realize this someday.

[R Sinclair]

Well, I don't count that because JR was an adolescent. I count the Jacob Young version brought on by McTavish. The "I hate you and want you to stay out of my life while I live in your houseand off of your money while you constantly clean up my messes" version.

But, don't get me wrong. Junior thinking Adam was eeeeeeeeevul because Adam wanted to send him to a boarding school with a championship soccer team to get him out of Tad's influence was obnoxious. Even to go so far as to compare Adam to Ray Gardner over that?! Ugh! Please! Again -- Tad's wonderful influence. Warping that boy's mind with comparisons of abusive, rapist, homicidal Ray Gardner and Adam. And, as you said, Tad's the one who did more damage to JR in the long run. Adam didn't get JR until after Dixie died and he was 17 years old. The damage was already done by then.

[sonyab1974]

Wait who won the emmy? Lorraine or Mctavish?

[Adam]

They both would have in 1998 because each were part of the writing team during the eligibility period. Lorraine also won in 1996 and 1997. God those were the days. Three consecutive writing emmys for AMC. I believe one year they tied with Y&R?

[MichaelGL]

A few nitpicks and questions:

What was the reason behind Broderick's departure in 97?

ATWT, AMC, even GL have all been discussed here, but what about Broderick's brief time on DAYS? Of all soaps. I wonder what possessed Ken Corday to bring her on and suddenly fire her? With all the critical acclaim and praise, Ken must have, for a brief second, desired to make DAYS a serious soap that told social issues and etc. (Broderick as HW automatically means you'll get a social issue or two tackled barring network interference or an abrupt firing.)

I would have loved to have seen Broderick take on the Horton, Brady, Alamain, and DiMera clans.

[Adam]

Ratings mainly I believe.

[EricMontreal22]

VERY well said. I know in a number of soap books from the late 70s and 80s the authors have admitted to finding AMC's mix of styles kinda confusing--how one scene can be traditional soap, the next campy comedy etc--and these authors were largely ones who worshipped the style of ATWT (which was just starting to be successfully updated around then but kept its core elements). of course it's those elements that really drew me to AMC.

[You're Soaking in it]

As head writer, all three went to Broderick.

McTavish took part in one award year as a member of the writing team, which was in 1996 (and not '98). She was not a recipient as a head writer in any of those years.

Broderick received and accepted the awards on stage, along with Nixon, in 1996, 1997, and 1998 because the episodes submitted for judging were all credited with Broderick as head writer (each during the previous year eligibility periods).

McTavish walked up on the stage for the 1996 award, along with the writing team, but stood in the background - since her work as head writer had actually aired until April of 1995. Again, her work was not submitted for judging - though it may (or may not) have been considered in AMC's nomination that year.

And even though McT was head-writing AMC at the time of the 1998 Emmy ceremony, she was not a recipient of that year's Outstanding Writing Team Emmy - as she had only resumed position at tail-end of 1997 and her work just barely began airing during that year's eligibility period.

[EricMontreal22]

Totally agreed and I think if she (or someone) works fast it's not a lost cause, but they need to work fast on the families. I'm one of the few who lieks Jake (though I like the idea of him working at a clinic or shelter or something) but otherwise I agree with all your ideas except Jr and Scott being ennemies. That's too obvious--I don't mind them as sorta frennemies--but the flat out rivalry is too cliched and has been done too much

[EricMontreal22]

I'm nearly certain it was all ratings. Kinda ironic--ratings began to slip (after AMC had been a very very strong number two for about 5 years) in 1995 when McTavish started to get more whacky (more doubles, more bombings, stuff we now realize are McTavish staples) and the fact she was starting to get nuttier, as well as the fact that ratings were starting to slip allowed FMB to get her off the show it seems. The ratins slip though was partly to do with DAYS' quick rise as it got more wacky--and ABC didn't giove the FMB/Broderick team much of a chance as since the ratings were still slowly and steadily falling FMB was replaced as EP. Ironically in 97 I remember noticing that the only ABC soap that didn;'t have consistantly slightly dropping ratings, and they were slowly, by tiny steps, but steadily climbing was The City which had already been canceled by then. Anyway ratings still fell (even with AMC agreeing it seems, by submission, to do some whackier DAYS type stuff) and so McTavishm

, who I guess ABC thought "well last time AMC was number two was under her" was hirred back. I'm not sure if GL had already fired her by then or not

I wonder what year AMC stopped placing Nixon's name first on theri Emmy Writing Award submissions...

[DRW50]

I believe that the material which Susan Lucci got her Emmy for was written by McTavish. I'm not sure if that's what Kubla Kahn was asking.

The intervention was one of the strongest parts of the anorexia story and some of Susan's strongest dramatic work. I had mixed feelings about not seeing Bianca again for such a long period of time, but it was probably for the best.

[You're Soaking in it]

I'm going to take a wild guess that when Kubla Khan said "which won her the Emmy," that was actually in reference to Susan Lucci's win - finally, after 19 (right?) nominations - at the 1999 Emmy ceremony.

AMC didn't win for writing team that year. I forget who did.

[DRW50]

I think Luza did.

[Sylph]

I am still gasping how Eric from Montreal shipped Wisner Washam to the Underworld before due time and not suggested he become the show's story consultant or something.