AMC and OLTL Will Move Online!

[Khan]

Given the damage that's been done to Tad and to Dixie over the years? Yeah, positioning them as the new Joe and Ruth is asking a lot from us. In a perfect soap world, though, I'd have no problem with it.

[Angela]

I think in a lot of ways the back from the dead stories were a mistake especially with the show being ongoing. I get why they did it, but...

Prospect Park appears to be offering these people pay equal to ABC, they seem to be cool with negotiations - letting them dictate story, too? I don't think the men behind PP have any interest in dictating story themselves. I think they're fine leaving both shows how they are (with who they are managed by) but I don't know if that's for the best. I don't know that Lorraine Broderick and Carruthers would do much to inject the show with the fire it's been missing for so long.

The storylines and characterizations for AMC do need to be rejuvinated because I get why so many of these long-term actors are now basically character-exhausted. It's the same reasons some of us are exhausted with their characters.

[Khan]

I think PP are fine with leaving these people in charge because they're new to this racket (soap opera, that is) and don't really know who to go to and say, "Hey, Patrick Mulcahey (for example), how's about coming aboard as AMC's new HW?" Like, I could suggest hiring Susan Bedsow Horgan or Michael Laibson to be EP, for example, but if they don't know who these people are.....

I mean, that's probably why they hired Frank Valentini as VP. Not only is he a budget whiz, but he might have connections w/in the industry that he could use to help these and other serialized dramas.

[EricMontreal22]

And that's just one example of why many actors probably found Pratt's material very hard to play.

[DRW50]

I just wish there was a way to, not make Tad an outsider, but make sure he isn't in a patriarchal role. I don't think the character suits that. I wish they could have just brought Jeff Martin in for a role along those lines.

[EricMontreal22]

She seems excited by new ways to attract soap viewers, though hasn't acted on it before--whenshe set up her website she pretty much promised it would lead to DVDs, etc, but nothing really happened to it. Still, it is great to hear her so connected on some level.

It's interesting to me how little Broderick seems to do interviews. Has this lways been the case? Whenever they get the people it's always Julie, and Agnes--who of course have more name appeal (well, Agnes does), but in the past HWs at least uusally say a few things to the press. Of course that interview seems to confirm that for better and worse, Agnes was very involved in the HW the past few months. I guess she didn't want the credit listed with Broderick though (to be fair in the past she often didn't have her name in the writing credits when she was named and accepting the Emmys for writing so I'm sure this has happened before).

And also a little bit shocking, I admit, that Agnes would still go to focus groups, etc, but didn't have the veto to tell them, even with ratings not being as good, not to kill Stuart, for example. In one way I'm not surprised at all, but...

[Angela]

I agree and I understand that. They saved the day, so to speak, but they don't really know anything about the machine, the business besides the sales and negotiations part and don't want to really interfere with the other parts until they learn from the people who know. As a viewer, I'm greedy. I crave the rejuvination and wanted it on my-screen days, weeks, months, years ago, lol.

[Angela]

I don't know if I had a problem with them killing Stuart as much as I had a problem with them focusing the story on Zach & Kendall and Annie's wild antics INSTEAD of on how this affected the Chandlers.

Lucci, the actors, Agnes mean Pratt first and foremost when they talk about AN being pushed out and horrible story causing horrible ratings. But, Pratt had good ratings for his first 8 months, really good numbers. It's when he slowed down with his quick-shot character assassinations that the numbers went down. I do think destruction like he did ultimately does and did drive away more of the every-day viewers over the long-term.

[TeamEric]

I gave up on AMC years ago but Leo's return lured me back... and those were heartfelt scenes precisely because he was still dead at the end. Greens had to wake up and realize (JMO) as much as she loved Ryan, a part of her soul would always belong first to Leo. That felt a fitting tribute to me.

Nixon/Broderick over-used the soapy back from the dead cliche to such an ABSURD extent, it sucked the soul from the reunions, IMO. They should have stuck with more Leo-like returns... a series of dream episodes, OR just create an entire alternate reality already.

I read on another site that PP matched the ABC per episode rate BUT they eliminated the guarantee clause and that is the hold up with AFTRA.

[Angela]

Interesting, if AFTRA can get past that this is beneficial to the actors who are exhausted and/or want to try other things. It would be a good forced learning curve for the writers. It may lead to rotating front-burner stories, writing for more of the cast, maybe more creativity due to less exhaustion from constant front-burner stories for the same characters. But then there's the actors who want a steady job and would like that guarantee so who am I to want AFTRA to get past that. If I were in those actors shoes I'd want the guarantee.

[TeamEric]

Exactly.

I remember the end of Rausch years well at OLTL, the show felt soooooo dated, and badly needed fresh cutting edge vision. Enter Linda Gottlieb who hired fresh voice in Malone and kept his worse tendencies under strict leash. Her 3 years were an amazing rejuvination period for OLTL. I remember feeling the same during the Labines/Guza/Riche years. The writing was so much more complex. Alas, without Riche, GH was destroyed by an unchecked Guza.

AMC and OLTL need fresh creative teams and alas PP is hiring the same old tired hacks. That breaks my heart.

[Angela]

I started watching OLTL for the first time right before or right during the Gottlieb/Malone run. It was maybe 6 months before the rape storyline, around the time of the Alex/Bo/Cassie storyline with Alex trying to drown Cassie. It really was a great few years for that show. Like you, I do credit that rejuvination to Gottlieb more than Malone because she left before him and the difference was almost immediate and not nearly as appealing and fresh.

[TeamEric]

He said cutting the guarantees was the only way PP could match the actors current per episode rates. If PP can get a cable network to pick up AMC or OLTL then perhaps the actors can get additional payments for repeat episodes, something Soapnet does not offer them now.

Anyhoo, no one is talking on the record why the unions are still not approving official contracts... PP must want some major concession.

[Angela]

That sounds like a reasonable addition for the guarantee subtraction.

[TeamEric]

Gottlieb left in 1994... then Griffith left in Jan 1995. The difference was nearly immediate as the Todd story went from gritty docudrama style storytelling to Gone with the Wind cliches.

I wish PP had hired a Gottlieb to EP OLTL as FV is no visionary, but a bean counter.