AMC Tribute Thread

[FrenchBug82]

When was that floated? In 2006-2007 the Young and the Restless did that exact story of infamous on-and-off villain Sheila Carter getting surgery to look like a character she had only tangential interactions with prior (Phyllis) and impersonating her to get revenge on the ones that did.

Which fit even worse with YR than it would have with AMC.

 

 

Reverting Janet back to crazy Janet was an insult and they made it a cruel one by having her kill Trevor.
I enjoyed having KC back because I like KC and she looked like she was having fun but it was abysmal and there was no subtlety or layers to what was being written and, I am afraid, played. Janet was being used as a plot device.

[DRW50]

 

Spring 1996.

[FrenchBug82]

 

I wonder how that story ended up back in YR, whether it is a coincidence of bad ideas happening to different people or whether there was a writer in common.

Anyway thanks for the info. Had never heard of it

[Khan]

Even when AMC was doing silly stuff like the Silver/Goldie/Damon Lazarre storyline, there still was this sense that everything that happened on the show was within the realm of possibility.  However, the Natalie-in-the-Well storyline seemed to upend all that.  I mean, one sister assuming the other sister's identity (and husband)?  And they're not even identical twins, like Adam and Stuart?  In what universe, AMC?

 

AMC still had its' moments of brilliance afterward, but for me, the show never felt quite as "real" again.

Edited March 16, 2021 by Khan

[FrenchBug82]

It is interesting because, while my journey to soaps is complicated by the fact I grew up in Europe where the US soaps we had over there - of which AMC was not - were several years earlier (so while I was born in 82, I technically started watching many shows from their mid-80s output), when I later emigrated, the Natalie-in-the-well storyline is the first thing I ever heard about All My Children.

[KMan101]

 

Bingo! This. I think you and I have always had the same idea regarding Josh. He SCREAMED "Mark's Son". But noooooo ... McTrash wanted another Kendall and wanted the shock factor of undoing the abortion. All it did was undo her out of a job.

 

Agreed. During the quarantine last spring, I binged a ton of AMC and once I hit the Natalie in the well ... I could see McTavish all over it. I know she gets a lot of credit for 92-95 AMC and I will definitely give her some but the tone changes. It does become a bit of a parody at times. I feel like writers like Megan and, say, Ron Carlivati 'get' soaps but then write them as a parody. Or mean-spirited and ridiculously convoluted.

 

Natalie and Dimitri on paper seemed like a good idea but yeah it was hardly interesting. Shame.

 

Meanwhile, I can't get over thinking about Nina and Adam being paired together. Sigh. I feel like Nina could have really had a place in the 90s and 00s apart from guest spots. It was kinda crazy you introduce her adopted son but then don't use her. Same thing for Tara.

 

Like ... the show is clearly struggling from 92-97 BTS

 

And having seem some of the Damon Lazarre / Goldie Kane stuff ... yes it's a bit yikes and seems a tad contrived to have Travis play hero for Erica (who does a good job on her own) but overall it works because of the actors (Charles Keating can sell anything and I'd argue Shaffer is underrated as the "gone/aging starlet" Goldie). It's easy to make fun of but you know what, I'll be damned if it doesn't work because I understand everyone's motivations and no one seemed made to be stupid for it to work (though  I haven't seen all of the story of course).

 

The idea of Silver is good but they kept killing them off ... lol

 

I'd argue Barbara probably filled that "sister I hate" role and I'd argue Susan Pratt's best role is Barbara Montgomery. I love me some Babs.

Edited March 17, 2021 by KMan101

[KMan101]

 

Man, this just writes itself. Siiiigh. SO many missed opportunites for Nina. But then, sadly, Brooke was aged out so who knows how well Nina would have fared. AMC had so many leading ladies. It was a shame we lost them (Natalie, Donna, Ellen to name a few) and some of them could have been brought back later along with others (Hillary, Dottie, Cecily - though McTavish wasted her)

 

Early early Janet did feel different and more like a 'real' character. She definitely became a caricature instead and that's probably why the wheels fell off.

 

I can even see Nixon all for the idea, personally, on some level. It's not the worst. But somewhere along the way it became a parody.

 

I will say I was always mixed on Robin Mattson's Janet. I liked it on some level (I always kind thought McTavish was punishing Trevor by having him stay with Janet LOL and then I felt she punished Edmund; was it for the actors off-screen behaviors?) but I always missed having Natalie. I don't know, I felt it would have been nice to have them both but I'm assuming Kate Collins wouldn't have been interested with Kiberd there (I'd have kept Collins over Kiberd but that's just me and I think she chose to leave right?). No offense to Melody Anderson but they made a poor choice having her play dress up as Natalie. She wasn't the worst recast we've ever had though.

 

AMC always works best when steeped in realism. Yes you can do wacky [!@#$%^&*] but when they did, it was always steeped in some realism. It was believable on some level and they also made sure to do a good job explaining everyone's motivations. Even if you hated the character you could understand them.

 

I just adore how greats like Agnes and Bill and even Irna set up their soaps. They had a formula, it worked. They knew characters needed friends, family, careers ... when you lost a character, you replaced them while also developing new successors to characters. It's a shame those that get it and were the successors are now content doing breakdowns or retired. "Supporting" characters became too easy of a mark for shows that needed to trim budgets. I'd argue sets and supporting characters matter just as much as the writing. It all adds up to a believable and interesting show.

Edited March 17, 2021 by KMan101

[DemetriKane]

This!!!! And don’t forget Tad andTed it was too much all in one era.

 

@KMan101 Major missed opportunities too. By the 90s they knew it was no chance in ever getting Bergman back, so why not kill him off and have Nina back permanently. We could’ve had Nina thrive in the business world like I always wanted, Adam could have swept her off her feet and fell madly in love with her. I never liked him with Liza TBH. Yep, the show always had a large female ensemble, all those women needed to still be driving story in the 90s. Career driven women was the thing that hooked me. Nobody at ABC ever got what made AMC tick, they turned that show into a generic Days of our lives, and left it like that into the end. 
 

You know when McTavish was building The Montgomery clan, I was all for Tara crashing back into town to snatch Jack away from Erica. Only to bring things full circle and remind Erica who the heck she was. Erica never addressed things I believe would really bother her: almost everybody left Pine Valley but her. Hayley is off living the celebrity life she always wanted. Erica never should’ve stayed in PV. 

Edited March 18, 2021 by cassistan

[allmc2008]

I've always has mixed emotions about that story TBH. I decided to watch the SL just as Janet was introduced and I'm currently at the point in which Janet kissed Trevor.

 

It feels as if Janet could have gone in a myriad of other directions. For a split second, I was thinking that a Pygmalion story with her and Adam would have been  interesting (had they not reformed Opal with Palmer). I do like her general awkwardness that is barley on the edge of insanity and I feel that, at this point, she could have been a good long-term character. Basically a female Stuart. Hell, on that note, Janet/Stuart (before) we realized how nuts she was? They would have been a good younger version of Phoebe/Langley. (And now I can't get the image of them two on a double date out of my mind).

 

It could have been a really good story about mental illness.

 

That said, at least Natalie resented Trevor for going through with the wedding. So, the show at least acknowledged that this was out of the realm of reality (in some weird way).

[KMan101]

 

Exactly, all of those women should have been staples until the end. I adored all of the vast array of different women on AMC. I was so fascinated by all of them. And the men. Agnes made you care even if you didn't want to.

 

I agree on Erica. I think they were sort of going there when AMC ended and Jack walked out on her. Erica could have been living in Hollywood for the last 10 years ... 

 

You read my mind on Tara and Jack. Tara could have easily filled the Natalie/Laurel role.

 

I agree you'd of had to kill off Cliff (I still like the idea of him being Jeff Martin instead). It frees Nina and then you can recast Cliff in the future. I thought of that when they brought John James on as Jeff and how it annoyed me Cliff wasn't Jeff and Nina wasn't back. LOL.

 

AMC was butchered by focus groups and network interference. Megan's trash writing, lazy executives/writers didn't help either (I also think Brian Frons has some bizarre hatred for older women and soaps). Reading Washam's interview again reminded me of why I detest McTavish and helps me pinpoint the falling off point that started around 1987-1989 (with Jackie Smith heading things at ABC Daytime I believe), though I'd argue it wasn't as noticeable if you were watching everyday. It's easier to see binging.

 

I do think shifts were needed but by the time Francesca James became EP I think she just said to hell with being harassed about Q ratings and dumped expensive vets and those with low ratings (Washam pointed out Tom Cudahy and you can see the decline from 95-97 before they gave up on him). That whole Q system and the focus group nonsense irritates the hell out of me.

 

Washam was right that characters can't *always* be heavy in story. It had to be so annoying to be told to drop popular characters because they dropped in their 'rating' or twelve women said they didn't like them. Ridiculous.

Edited March 18, 2021 by KMan101

[DemetriKane]

@KMan101Yes, I felt the same way about those . Agnes had the magic touch in building rootable characters. I’m curious to know their Q ratings and why some of them were let go, they all aged it pretty well too! 
 

When Jack left Erica standing in the finale I immediately knew it was a mistake to have her staying in Pine Valley all this time. I found it believable for her to still be chasing that dream but also felt the character didn’t show any real growth. Having her away in NYC for the last 20 years of the show or at least after Mona die would have changed her. And effect her relationship with her daughters and maybe even Opal. I’m definitely intrigued about her whereabouts for the prime time reboot.

It’s just amazes me how AMC didn’t take advantage of their own shows history to entice future storylines. Tara is full of possibilities especially where Erica is concern. Jack definitely could have settled down with her and become the new Joe and Ruth. 
 

Yes, John James could pass as Cliff. I envision a incredible show when you add Nina to the cast in the 90s. Nina/Adam/Erica/Dimitri/Brooke/Edmund/Skye/Liza entanglements would be my main focus. 
 

If the focus groups where done by actual fans and/or the soap press I wouldn’t hate them so much. I get the purpose of them and think they could help coming from the correct group of people. I will have to take a relook at Washam’s interview. Agreed on Brian frons hate for older ladies. 
 

I wish Washam/Lorraine could have written the show at least for another decade. I noticed the changes too, I’m still rewatching that very peculiar era.

 

by the time Tom was let go I wasn’t against it at all. 

 

[KMan101]

 

I do think characters need to be rested. I also think many of the older vets by the 90s were run through the gamut, so I get it. But you transition them to supporting. Unfortunately, budgets, and so many other things, dictate what goes on. I do think AMC tried it's best to hold onto many of them.

 

And as much I detest her, Megan did bring back Tom, Mark, Benny, Livia, Mimi, Barbara, Janet (at least it was nice seeing Kate Collins have fun collecting a check), etc. (the writing was awful but still) and proved almost instantly how easy it was to re-insert them (even if some of them were visits). By that point, certain characters would be a little harder but still doable if the actors were available (and likely some weren't even if they were interested). I also wonder if they were ever blocked from using someone on a more regular basis. Probably.

 

I always low-key hated Skye was on GH for so long when I felt she should have been on AMC. Even if I liked her chemistry with a lot of the GH cast. In the 90s you had SUCH a diverse and great slate of characters (men, women, of color, sexuality, even if they were just talk-tos). It hurts to see the show by 98. God bless them for trying to recapture it in 99/00, but then it went to hell again in 01. 

 

Julie seemed like a big missed opportunity later on. 

 

Also agreed most of them all aged very nicely. Mark LaMura looked FINE in 2005. Kathleen Noone looked AMAZING in that Hallmark Home & Family reunion thing years ago (2010? 2011?). There has to be something about living in the north LOL. Almost all of the vets from say ATWT aged like fine wine too. It bothers me so many great actors aren't on my screen everyday.

 

I really missed Donna and Ellen in the later years. Sigh.

 

I agree that focus groups aren't the worst idea, if, like you said, were filled with fans and media. But I guess that's what social media does now. Yikes. LOL.

 

EDIT: I also think Washam made an excellent point in that interview that it was different in which they were a group, TOGETHER, at the studio, writing and collaborating. And it shows on-screen. Nowadays, writers aren't even together. And it shows on-screen. Zoom sessions aren't the same.

Edited March 18, 2021 by KMan101

[Soaplovers]

The show did have Erica living in NYC for 2 or 3 years...and visited Pine Valley...but she was basically islander of the show. 

 

I think a great story would have been Erica realizing her dreams of stardom hadn't happened...especially with Brooke, Hayley..etc living their dreams.  

 

And I did notice in the Hulu reboot Erica was off traveling and scouting out locations for filming..so it sounds like she had left to start anew and without Jack.

[Jonathan]

 

It was actually 2017 -- very recent.

[KMan101]

 

Ah, thank you! I'm terrible with that stuff LOL.