Y&R: Week of November 23 Discussion

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Well, this rebroadcast of the wedding episode made me miss the Y&R of the old and made me realize just how much worse the show is in its current state. Let me start off by saying I thought the show was getting into a horrible state in late 2005, but looking back, it isn't anywhere near as bad as the show is now under Maria Arena Bell, Hogan Sheffer, and Scott Hamner and was under Latham (post Smith and Alden).

I miss the production elements Y&R used to have, even the stogy dialogue, and the utter class Y&R used to represent to me. I didn't enjoy Sheila's 2005 return, and if this was any hint about her possibly coming back, then this writing team really lacks originality and a planned creative strategy.

[soapfan770]

Today's repeat originally aired on Friday December 9th, 2005.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Bring these people back in a last ditched effort to save Y&R.

I'm not saying they would be the answer to all the show's problems, but these were people who poured almost their entire professional lives into Y&R, and they were dismissed and never brought back. Instead the writing team now is filled with a garden variety of recycled hacks who do it all for a paycheck. They do not "get" Y&R and the style the show used to exude.

If daytime is ending anyway, it's time to go back to the group of people who brought in more consistent ratings and critical acclaim, not the ones who are doing the opposite.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I know they have their problems, but it makes me sick how accepting and forgiving Lauren always is with Gloria, and how dimissive she'll always be with Joanna.

Joanna needs to make regular visits to put Gloria and her criminal family in their place. I liked her sparring with Gloria the last time she was in town and how she makes everyone around her go nuts.

Susan Seaforth Hayes hasn't been on DAYS this month (or has she?), surely Y&R could have written her into their Thanksgiving episode as a random visit.

[MarkH]

It sure made me miss the Colonnade Room. We last supposedly saw it during the Sudden Impact gala for PSArts...but that didn't look like the Colonnade.

Thank you.

I'm not necessarily objecting, except...they didn't provide consistent ratings...AT ALL. Steady linear decline since the mid-90s...some of them (Alden solo) at a rate faster than some of MAB's losses! You know I have the graphs to prove it .

She's given the most loving interviews about Bill Bell, and her mom's last stint as Charlotte...I think at WLS.

In that, she said that she and Bill will be in the Xmas episodes at DOOL. One hope--if Lauren is going to get more story (for any reason)--is that maybe Joanna might come back. (Who am I kidding? Doris Collins didn't even spend Turkey Day with Sharon, and Mary Williams is just gone and forgotten.)

[Y&RWorldTurner]

They never lost almost a million viewers in a single year, like Maria Arena Bell did and is still trying to make up for. No matter what you said about Sudden Impact, Y&R has never fully recovered over the long-haul from those massive losses in 2008.

Y&R might also be up a bit year to year over the past few weeks, but the show still lost viewers and in demos over the 2008-2009 season.

Their declines were on par with the rest of daytime, unlike most of MAB's declines.

This regime hasn't had a consistent trend, nor is the show as creatively stable as it was when the "old regime" was there.

It's time to bring Y&R back to its roots with people who devoted most of their lives into making the show the success it was.

You seem to be very protective of this current writing regime, even as you admit to the damage and bad storytelling they've done. Whose job on that writing staff are you protecting? I never saw you speaking out in defense or making excuses when Latham was getting rid of people who spent almost 30 years on Y&R and in many cases devoted their entire lives to the show.

The Hayes's are very close with the Bell's. I remember when Susan came back for Michael and Lauren's wedding in 2005, Lee Philip Bell and Bill Hayes were both on set that day to cheer her on. She said she obviously doesn't have the stature at Y&R that she has at DAYS, but it's always lovely to work with the Bell's and do Y&R.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Remember this exchange between Joanna and Gloria in 2006? It's from the beginning of the crappy Latham era (post Smith and Alden), but I loved how Joanna puts Gloria in her place.

Gloria: You know what Joanna, I've got a great eye and if I can't that it's not the real thing...

Joanna: Well, the widow of John Abbott is not buying the real thing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4gAz2eyp1U

Seriously, I'd rather have Joanna than Gloria on this show...

[DeeeDee]

Amen.

Joanna & Scotty over Gloria & Chipmunk any day.

[MarkH]

You're really going to make me chart this out, aren't you? TO BE CLEAR, I never had real problems with Alden & Smith (and I'll say more about that below), but we can't defend them on a RATINGS basis. Their losses, annually, we no better than MAB's. I'll try to prove that tomorrow, but for now, you've got to believe me .

I agree here. I totally agree on the issue of creative stability. You are 100% correct.

LOL. I wasn't here on SON during the Latham era...at least not till the tail end.

Creatively, I am in total agreement with you about the current regime. I don't think firing 'em all is necessarily the answer. I'd happily get a Jim Houghton back in exchange for, say, a Scott Hamner. So, we're on the same wavelength.

But I think you're on stronger ground when you make your argument from a creative stance than from a ratings stance.

For the record (not on SON), my affection for Latham disappeared almost instantly after Smith, then Alden, the Scott (and the others in that era) left. It became very clear what Latham was doing, and that her hiring philosophy was the opposite of Bell's (promote from within; retain members of your team). So I am in total agreement.

What I have heard, though, is that some of those legacy folks don't even WANT to come back...they consider themselves badly burned.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Money always talks, and I'm sure all the years of professional devotion they poured into this show doesn't go away just like that.

If Billy and Maria called, say a Jack Smith or a Trent Jones, I'm sure something can be worked out.

Once you get the top management secured, then all of the old staff writers who worked for the leads of the team before can feel more comfortable about coming back.

If someone from the old regime came back to take over the show, then firing them all and replacing the current team with friends and people they worked with before is sure to happen, and I'm not against it. Y&R needs people who know the show and its style, not people who think they know or people that worked for all the other soaps and are just doing this for a paycheck.

As it stands, all three of Y&R's Head Writers have had disastrous creative track records. Why should Y&R keep these people? Getting the old team back would be a step in the right direction.

LOOK how small the writing staff used to be with the credits you posted, and that was in 2005! No way in hell can anyone tell me that this current writing team is any better or more cohesive.

[Chris B]

MarkH, why would you only fire Scott Hamner? It seems to me that Hogan Sheffer is the biggest failure. He actually provided us with lots of entertainment but is a poor fit for Y&R and a bad writer overall. Maria Arena Bell's solo stint was terrible and showed no potential. Hogan saved her. Why are people so in love with her? What did she do in those months that makes her a great writer? The show was stabilized somewhat, but Sabrina was very damaging to the show and it was extremely dull and so many characters were on the backburner. I look at this three as one big headwriter with one vision and all three need to go. We kept Scott Hamner and look how that worked out. Why do these people deserve so many chances? What have they done to earn this?

It's like if AMC said, "Oh no Chuck we won't fire you, but Lorraine Broderick can be your second in command." You still have crappy Pratt around! I get goosebumps thinking of the horrors if ATWT dumped Passanante and replaced her with Leah Laiman, her CO-HW. I think when a show gets this bad they just need to go.

[Soapsuds]

Yes, and the show started sucking even back then. I tuned in to watch Shelia and realized which episode it was in like 5 min of watching it. It didn't take long for me to switch the channel to the View.

Seeing Lauren not recognize Shelia still looked stupid even after 4 years. The old regime was running out of stories to tell that didn't insult the audience. LML was EP but the same writers were writing this [!@#$%^&*]...lol.

The only one who knew Y&R was the late great William J Bell.

Btw...Phyliss and Nick were a couple at the time...ugh...another reason not to watch...lol

[DRW50]

The show will never have strong female characters again until Sheffer is gone. Or even women with a point of view. They are anathema to him. Strong female characters, family, friendship, and respect for history need not apply.

[DeeeDee]

And Rauch.

[JimTolkien]

Love most of your post..MAB is not doing well and I am sure people above her are not happy because they DO NOT HAVE THE SAME AGENDA!! The thing for me is I know she can write better but she is writing for the wrong characters and shoddily too.

Darn, I miss the Colonnade Room..but I can live without it. Until this show starts picking up and making some more money for the networks & Sony, flashy weddings will be a thing of the past. I don't miss the flashy weddings - tells me nothing about love. My Prince Charles & Princess Diana had one, look at how that ended up. They are only "pretty" and really don't mean anything especially if the marriage sucks LOL. Thanks heavens so far Michaael & Lauren has been an exception to the rule. I really loved that eppy and it was picked and shown for a reason. Let the games begin!!