Wisner Washam interview

[DRW50]

She didn't create Josh (that was Doug Marland), but she did create the Josh that most people remember (the bearded version who was the family rebel, his love/hate relationship with Reva).

Long and JFP did provide a burst of energy and momentum to OLTL after several years in the doldrums. A lot of people liked the energy of their first few months.

I don't know whether Long or JFP was to blame, but stories I didn't like:

- Todd Manning holding everyone hostage at the Buchanan lodge, an episode full of overacting

- Todd punching Tea in the face and all this stuff leading to a tacky story where he faked DID to get out of major charges

- JFP favorite Sonia Satra as a recent rape victim, having sex with the new, unimproved Kevin Buchan (FOJ Tim Gibbs) during the hostage crisis. She went nuts, shot Cassie, then was written as the victim when Cassie gaslighted her. This ended in Cassie forgetting years of her life and being shipped off, as JFP fired the actress on her maternity leave

- Drew Buchanan was also shot and killed by Barbara, leading to an embarrassing Emmy bait week where Bo dragged his son's body here, there, and everywhere, ending up at a cabin

- Nora finally got a major story again, which was great, but this story involved losing 50 IQ points as a doctored photo (of her own body with a psycho named Georgie's face!) made her believe Bo had cheated on her. Her character was then further degraded when, to stop Bo from committing suicide over Drew's death, she claimed she was pregnant. She falsely believed Bo was sterile, so she had sex with FOJ Kale Brown/her old college love Sam Rappaport. This story was so damaging that Hillary B Smith asked the show to kill Nora off in childbirth

- Jessica Buchanan, who for years had cautiously waited about her first time, got drunk and had a one-night stand with her stepbrother. This was her first time. And naturally, she got pregnant.

[You're Soaking in it]

You see, I'm currently wondering if Jessica "remembers" this event. Because she certainly seems in hormone-overdrive for Cristian right now.

[DRW50]

She doesn't remember anything starting sometime around when Patrick "died" in August/September 1997.

I remember when Will used to go around in his tight white boxer briefs. That was probably his high point as a character.

[You're Soaking in it]

Yes, it was, Carl. Yes, it was.

[Steve]

That's a perfect description of the shift in style under McT! Nixon's version, which Washam and Broderick tried to emulate, always had an optimistic undercurrent while McT's plot-driven crap was always dark and depressing.

Screencaps please!

[DeeeDee]

With GH & the actors playing it straight.

Fighting with scarves?

Chloe being strangled?

Angel & Sorel?

Who Is Skye's Father?

Ugh.

And Edward putting her in his will.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE.

[Khan]

I say the same whenever I watch her and Regis.

[Khan]

Hey, I never said Long was perfect, or that her and JFP's take on OLTL was the best-ever. Like Carl said, the first few months, and the "Who Killed Georgie Phillips?" mystery in particular, gave the show a much-needed shot of adrenalin. Unfortunately, everything turned to crap once characters began to act totally unlike themselves (and yes, I'm talking about Nora w/ Sam in the cabana). In Long's defense, however, it seemed as if she was poised to bring back the Buchanans in a big way, replete w/ a return from Cord and Clint and Lindsay's ultimately disastrous marriage. Also? From what I've heard over the years, those story mishaps were more JFP's and ABC's doing than hers.

[EricMontreal22]

They did in the 80s too But yeah, I appreciate what you're saying.

[LoyaltoAMC]

Actually, that's pretty accurate. He and Lorraine were credited as co-HW's late winter to early spring 89, just before DePriest came on board.

[You're Soaking in it]

Ok, it must have been very brief - maybe 3 months, tops? The Christmas episode from 1988 credits Broderick as HW, with Miller as AHW with McT & Sloane (as do various epsiodes throughout 1987-88, but that's the latest one I know of). So DePriest's run must also be shorter than I remember (9 months at the most?)... Before, I'd thought she came aboard the same time Behr did as EP, with Behr's eps airing around late January of '89 - but from what you're describing, it was probably more like March.

[DRW50]

Khan, I didn't know Long was going to bring Cord back. I can see where she would have liked the Buchanans. I know they had more of their fire back (aside from Bo) when she started writing. I know Clint Ritchie wasn't happy with the writing for Clint but then Clint had been eased out for several years anyway. I still miss Ritchie and Phil Carey, they were the Buchanans to me, but JFP and various others were smart to use Carey as much as they did in that poor period.

I can give JFP a lot of the blame for the issues with OLTL during Long's tenure. With another producer things might have been different.

Sorel -- I'd forgotten about his GH run. He was played by the crossdressing mobster from JFP's run at Santa Barbara wasn't he?

[LoyaltoAMC]

Yes, Behr and DePriest came on the same week, I think. I'm a total credits nerd for recalling this, but I actually remember their names appearing in the credits around the third week in March. I remember that spring had just begun. Broderick was still solo HW for Christmas 88. She and Miller shared HW duties from, I want to say, end of Jan and definitely all through Feb and March, when DePriest arrived. My guess is that TPTB knew in Jan that DePriest was coming aboard and they wanted to position Lorraine and Victor, who would remain associate HWs under DePriest, in some kind of even-keel arrangement in preparation for working under DePriest.

[R Sinclair]

Yes, Joe Marinelli.

And his death led to another McTavish cliche... a sloppy murder "mystery."

[Adam]

Someone pointed out something very interesting a few pages back on what saved McT ratings wise during this time were the popular couples (Tad/Dixie/ Maria/Edmund and later on Noah and Julia). I had never thought about it that way, but it makes total sense. Megan McTavish is the head writer that brought me on as a full time viewer of this show, but I credit that more to my age than her actually being atop the credits. I mean I was barely 7 years old in 1992, and would become a daily watcher in mid 1994 right when Robin Mattson came on as Janet/Jane Cox.... I always look back fondly on the first storylines I watched on AMC and maybe because of that my outlook is skewed a bit.

I absolutely HATED what McTavish did following Broderick.... other than Bianca's annorexia story (which Broderick started) her 18 months were chalk full of pure CRAP! I think it was much worse than the majority of the 2003-2007 fiasco...

McTavish, when she returned in 2003, reminded me once again of the AMC I began watching in 1994.... which is why I enjoyed her first year, year and a half back.... I guess what I am trying to say is due to my positive feelings on her first stint, I was bound to find enjoyment in some of the later things she did....

Obviously though, in the long run.... this woman did far more damage to this show than any individual in its 40 years of existence.