OLTL: Could Jean P. be an improvement over Ron C.?

[SFK]

I agree with the above three posts, the talent pool is there, it just keeps getting peed in. I think FV and RC are largely responsible for the crap being churned out, while I also agree that Frons is doing a crap job if he can't see this, is partly mandating it, or worse, is apathetic. They share blame.

[DeeeDee]

:lol:

[Quent]

When Hogan Sheffer took over ATWT, he was proclaimed The Messiah. His first two years were great, winning Emmys galore for ATWT. But then , like most writers, he ran out of ideas. So when Jean P. took over, she seemed refreshing, with a GREAT baby-switch storyline that involved most of the cast. But when that s/l ended, she got pretty bad. So, if history is any judge, she'll start off good, but quickly peter out.

If she's smart, she should take one or two of the best ATWT actors (NO MORE, or OLTL fans will resent it) with her to OLTL, and shake up the current pairings.

[Soapsuds]

The baby switch was NOT great. It was was critized by many on here and all over the place as lazy ass writing..copying( I forget at the time which soap had one going on too) another soap. I hated the story myself...lol

[Ann_SS]

I wasn't posting here during the baby switch and wasn't online much then, but I hated that story, then again, I hated Roger Howarth's Paul and that Jennifer Munson character all together. I think the only story I ever liked under Passanante was Mike and Katie's romance. It was painful watching the show under her and Goutman. At his worse, I thought Sheffer was better than Passanante and he was horrible to the end of his tenure. Thinking about it, if I had to take a recycled headwriter for OLTL and Richard Culliton was not available, I would take Sheffer over Passanante.

[Quent]

I am not a fan of Jean P's AT ALL, but I thought she did a great job with the baby-switch. Instead of the isolated stories we get now, we had something that included Craig, Rosanna, Paul, Emily, Gwen, Jennifer, Carly, Jack, Meg, and Casey. That was must-see TV for me.

She's been awful as a writer since then.

[ChiTownBoi03]

I don't watch OLTL regularly, and I love ATWT despite Jean P.'s questionable storytelling (it's really ATWT's actors who make some of that *ish believable). But my two cents? Sometimes the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Homegirl may go to OLTL and be even worse than Ron C. I thought Sheffer going to DAYS would be like the greatest thing since fried chicken, but he came in and totally ruined DAYS for me. It hasn't been what I consider 'itself' since.

Perhaps a show just needs to generate some new ideas instead of a new writer altogether.

[MoTheGreat]

If Jean P. didn't have an record writing [!@#$%^&*] for other shows. I say give her a chance but since she wrote [!@#$%^&*] for other shows. Jean P. just going to bring her [!@#$%^&*] to OLTL until it's cancel.

[Mr. Vixen]

Anyone would be better than him, IMO. I mean, I have been loyal to this show for almost a decade, and have watched so many storylines online that I feel like I've been watching ffaithfully since the 70's...And this is the first time I really stopped watching. I watch once or twice a week, and have a hard time even doing that...The show has thrown a bunch of new, unknown characters to the front...But what they seem to not understand is that the viewers want to have storylines with characters they KNOW and LOVE, and we dont know enough about the core teens of this show to give a s*it of they're shot in the chest, or whatever.

What the show needs, IMO, is a good, dramatic umbrella story involving Viki. EX: Charlie falls off the wagon, Viki has had enough and throws him out. Then Viki finds out she has breast cancer, and Clint becomes her biggest support system. Seeing his sister sick, Todd realizes what a good person she is and how he is a waste of life. He vows to change, and leaves town to rediscover himself. Starr, realizing she was never close enough to Viki, begins to bridge the relationship, and the two become close....Jess finds out Brody and NAtalie sleeps together and cuts them out of her life. Viki, sicker than ever, asks Starr to help bridge the two. Starr reaches out to her cousins, and becomes like sisters to them, and helps them reconcile and forgive.

Brody finds out his mother is dying, and brings her to Llanview to be with him..Jessica has forgiven him but will not be romanticaally with him again. NAtalie and Brody continue to bond, both feeling the pain of knowing they will lose their mother. Eventually they fall in love and begin a secret affair. Starr wants to start a foundation for cancer in Viki's honor. She asks Dorian to help her, knowing she has the money. Dorian puts her beef with Viki aside and goes along with it. They have a benefit for Viki, and everyone in town congregates. At this party, Rex gets drunk and sleeps with a girl he meets. Gigi walks in, and is heartbroken. She leaves town with Shane. Rex, feeling guilty, follows her, hoping to make amends.

Jessica finds out about Natalie and Brody (again), and plans to get revenge, but Starr tries to talk her down. However, Jessica is distraught while behind the wheel of a car that she and starr are in, and she crashes. She is fine, but Starr is seriously hurt. This brings Cole and Starr back togehter, and Blair vows to get revenge on Jessica.

As Viki grows closer to death, her and Clint decide to wed in the hospital chapel. Their loved ones gather for the wedding, and the doctor tells Jessica her mother might only have days to live. Roxy is admitted to the hospital with alcohol poisoning, and her and Viki form an unusal friendship...As loved ones prepare to say goodbye to Viki, she makes a sudden turn for the better, and the doctors call it a mircale.

Eventually, Viki returns home, seemingly completely better. Clint moves in with her, and they begin to enjoy a regular married life. However, while drunk, Dorian kisses Clint and realizes she has feelings for him. Viki asks Roxy to move in witth her to get her life tgether, and she agrees. Dorian wants Clint, and begins planting seeds of doubt in his mind about his marriage. This enragees Viki, and gives a viable and current reason for Viki and Dorian to feud now.

Charlie returns to town, completely broke, having blown all his money on alcohol and gambling. Viki takes pity on him, and moves him into the house. Roxy and him fall in love, and help each other throw their addictions.

And then there would of course be side stories involving Layla and Christian. They are married, and begin having marital woes. Layla loses her job and begins working as an intern for Viki at her newspaper. Joey Buchannan returns to town and tries to woo Layla, but she wants to be faithful, but has some feelings for him. Theres a triangle there.

Any headwriter could do that, or so you would think. A simple umbrella story involving a character that is connected to everyone. Then you still have your teens and all, but in a way that appeals to old time viewers.

So if Jean P can do something that encompasses the shows history, then bring her on.

[Vee]

Let me cap the thread off. No.

On his worst day, and Ron can be pretty [!@#$%^&*] bad, he's still better than Passanante.

[DRW50]

Sheffer would probably just be what JFP was at OLTL, only with less music montages and more comic relief rape and more animal killing.

[Ann_SS]

Better than Passanante's repetitive poorly written stories, I think. I know that you are not a fan, but I loved Sheffer first two years at ATWT, loved. He made some huge mistakes, but overall the show was entertaining and watchable. It was the best that the show had been in years. Even the ratings (including demos) rebounded and trended upwards for awhile. Good writing can't stop, but it can slow down the ratings erosion and Sheffer was able to that until he burnt out.

At this point, I don't think it matters who is the headwriter of OLTL. I think that OLTL is done. It is has passed the point of saving. ABC will continue to cut its budget to make as much profit as it can before it is able to find cheaper replacement programming for OLTL.

[JackPeyton]

Yeah, but when he burnt out h burnt out hard. His entire overall days run sucked, save a few episodes, and Y&R - tho not just under him, but he def has some say so - has been the worst its ever been.

[DRW50]

I know a lot of people loved Sheffer's early work at ATWT, but I think that most of the interest it attracted in terms of increased viewing was more about how different it was than what ATWT had been. It wouldn't be that different from what OLTL has been for years. High profile serial killer stories (the stuff with John James - KAD, Music Box, et al). Leading men who are cold and dead and nasty and everyone around them is trashed to make the sociopath seem like more of a "man with balls" (Craig - Todd, Ford, Spencer). Hostility towards families and friendship. (Hughes - Buchanans, Cramers, et al). Wooden, sometimes laughably bad teens (Allison/Aaron/Lucy/girl in a crate - Cole, Dani, Nate). Sci-fi gimmicks (women put in a spa - 1968, Eterna, Wild West, Heaven). Random psychotics (Julia, Dahlia - Ross, Eli, et al). Casual killing of legacy characters for shock value (Bryant - Duke, Drew, et al.).

Something like look at crazy Julia, she killed a horse and raped Jack, isn't she hilarious, if that was told on OLTL, people might just think of Margaret and flip the channel.

[NYC123]

NO!!!

Jean just STINKS! That's it. I could NOT deal with her writing at AMC. I don't think she can do any better then Ron.