Y&R: One Big-Ass Angry Letter

[ian]

The English major/writer/long-winded ranter is coming out in me now.

Everyone talks about writing letters to shows and what not... but - I doubt anyone at Sony, nor Maria herself nor her Dream Team have ever been face-to-face with an exhaustive list of everything they've done wrong. A big omnibus letter that refutes all of their apologist tendencies and calls them out for EXACTLY what they are: Show-wrecking hacks.

What if we wrote our case against MAB and co... and sent it to EVERYONE - if need be more than once... CBS, MAB, Hogan, Roach, Sony, even the actors cause they'd probably agree in spades... if you send the same big nasty letter out copious times, someone's gonna have to read it somewhere along the line, or even parts of it and then compare notes...

I say we write the ultimate Face-palm EPIC FAIL letter to TPTB... and if each of us who contributes sends 5 copies to the people they choose/whoever we decide...

I don't think they'd ignore us.

Campaigns have never been this thorough, sure beats sending soap that ends up being checked for anthrax by the FBI. If we are critically minded and write a well-informed theorized critique, the vocal portion of soap fans might just move up a few notches in the eyes of the establishment.

Let's first prepare a list of grievances: "wrecking the show" is too general.

[NorrthCafe]

That link was just one more reason to despise daytime brass and the idiots who speak for them. Does P&G not realize the stupidity of claiming that BARS of soap look like suspicious, possibly bio-toxic, products???? REALLY? Fans didn't send baggies of powered soap, but bars of soap?

What's the issue? Fans didn't send P&G products?

TIIC do everything they can to humiliate and maltreat soap fans. This is just absurd. Fans don't need to send letters, they need to stop watching (er, even more than they have). I know that YnR's IIC didn't call the feds (the feds, geez) but they're just as bad at treating soap fans like a joke. All soaps do.

[BadBoy93]

despite not being a fan of Y&R i am determined just to RANT & RAVE on All BAD Soaps right now.

Bring on the HATE

[Jay]

Soaps are dead. No one is coming to rescue them. The "writers" and producers are just the people CBS, P&G, etc., chose to be the executioners.

[Leia]

I don't want to say this sometimes but it is starting to really become apparent that soaps have lost their way.

[Saving ATWT]

The daytime soap, as we know it, is done. In order to garner viewers you need to be in step, have your finger on the pulse of the viewers, and TPTB haven't got a clue. My first thought is that they are doing this on purpose: Writing bad story in order to get shows cancelled; however, this suggestion isn't realistic because people like Chris Goutman, Ellen Wheeler, MAB need/want pay checks. I think the problem is that TPTB have focused too much on 'modern' storytelling without even developing a 'modern' mode in which to present a soap. I love clever storytelling, Lost is a good example, and would love seeing a great writer play around wit format; however, it is time for a return to basics, some soap 101, and stories everyday viewers can relate too.

There are so many topics Y&R could be addressing and, by doing so, avoiding clones. I suggest all soap writers watch old episodes from the 1970's and 80's for pointers and then look at today's society and see what issues, problems and situations stand out. There are still so many great stories to tell.