All Soaps: Were There Writers/Producers Who Disliked/Hated A Character?

[Khan]

IIRC, though, a big reason why Dakota eventually left was due to TPTB not caring at all for Christopher Durham's diva-ish attitude off the set (although, whether that included Claire's own opinion of the actor, I've no idea).

What's surprising to me is that she didn't even retcon the retcon, if you know what I mean. She could've easily written it where we found out Meg Smith either lied about John fathering Dakota or was completely mistaken, but I don't think she did.

[John]

I believe CL didnt like rewriting histories so even though she hersel;f never would have created Dakota, she didnt wanna undo what was done. CL liked the actor but didnt like that Dakota was Johnny's kid.

I didnt know about Chris Durham being a Diva. Hmmm

[You're Soaking in it]

He clearly didn't get her at all. I wasn't at all surprised at Karen Witter leaving... Remember the "story" he gave her about feeling frumpy and heading off to the city to get a makeover? Tina, frumpy? Other than that, under Malone, all she did was run around with Cain and waffle between him and Cord. As trite as her stories were under the Rauch era, Witter's Tina was still so much more "alive" at that time. And as terribly vacant and unmemorable a recast as Krista Tesreau was, while she wasn't Tina, I could far better buy Tesreau than Witter simply as someone who would be dumb enough to have sex with her own (supposed) brother.

Linda Gottlieb clearly didn't care as much for Sarah Buchanan as viewers did, either. First, she turned away a meeting with Sarah's originator Jensen Buchanan, reportedly because she didn't recognize the actress or character at the time. Then she recast Sarah with Grace Phillips, who was otherwise successful but for having to overcome off-writing that depicted Sarah a fragile bundle of nerves. When Phillips voiced to Gottlieb that her fan response was to make Sarah a strong, feisty woman again, she took offense and canned her - much to the dismay of Bob Woods. She was going to recast again, but Woods urged her not to - and Sarah was killed (with a broken neck, no less).

[DRW50]

I'm probably wrong but I could swear at one time Claire Labine said she didn't really get Sean and Tiffany on GH.

[DRW50]

That's interesting about Grace Phillips. I found her neuroses annoying, so I'm glad she did too. Sarah seemed to have no story for the last 4-5 months she was on the show. I guess that's why. I wonder if Sarah essentially causing her own death (by taking off her seat belt) was also a punishment.

SOD named the makeover scene "Worst Makeover" for 1991 and suggested someone just wanted to rip off Pretty Woman.

I did like Tina/Cain (when they were scheming) and Tina/Luna, but the ditziness was a bit overboard and ultimately sank Krista Tesreau.

I also don't think anyone on the show at that time had much use for Cord...although that might have just been bad timing. They would keep starting and then very abruptly dropping his stories. He deserved better.

[BingCherry]

Wouldn't surprise me. They pretty much became glorified extras under her watch and were gone once their contracts expired.

[John]

That may be but at least they had story for a while before being let go. Producers/writers now just can folks at the drop of a hat

I believe who Killed Jessica and Tiffany's Miscarriage etc was Claire Labine

[You're Soaking in it]

Who is Jessica? That's not ringing any bell... but then again, I'm inconsistent-to-none as a GH viewer.

[Skin]

That wouldn't surprise me. There were comments made that she really loved and wanted Rendell but the surprise support for Zendell and Frons need for Greenlee to be in a successful couple mandated that Rylee and Zendell were endgames. My guess is Zach was originally supposed to be paired up with Maria and leave with her when Eva La Rue left and Ryan and Kendell were supposed to be together while Greenlee was eventually written out. I honestly think that would have been a better soap. LOL.

[John]

Tiffany was pregnant but high risk. Jessica was the DA and had an affair with Sean. Tiffany found out & lost the baby. Jessica ended up Dead. tiffany had a breakdown. In the end it came out ryan chamberlin killed Jessica

[DRW50]

Some of it may have been based on the ego of Frank Runyeon (who basically said later that his Santa Barbara failure was probably a good thing since it had humbled him), but I thought Marland had a lot of issues with the Steve Andropolous character, to the point where Steve was put in a Greek prison for drug smuggling and asked never to see Betsy or Dani again. Some of the story of Steve's pride and paranoia I could see as just good storytelling but towards the end there I wondered if something about the character or the actor just got on Marland's nerves. Indeed he wrote out Steve's cousin too, and poor Maggie (the cousin's wife, never mentioned again, in spite of having a close bond with her sister Lyla and niece/nephew Margo and Craig).

[soapfan770]

Yeah, I think JER hated the character of Jack and Matt Ashford. Firing him the first time around and then having Jack always dying the second time around, sheesh. Not sure about Victor though.

Even though he revitalized the Hughes family, Marland really disassembled the Stewarts didn't he? Except for bringing back Susan and Emily, he got rid of characters like Stewart Cushing, stopped writing for Betsy, got rid of characters in the Stewart circle like Cal Randolph etc.

[DRW50]

I say Victor mostly because he just had Vivian and Kate fight over an increasingly feeble Victor until finally Victor had a major stroke and was sent offcamera to a care home. Jennifer Aniston ended up going on TV and asking NBC to hire her father again. I can't remember what he did with Victor during his second run.

I don't know if Cal had any ties to the Stewarts, but you're right that Marland didn't do a lot with them. Stewart left, Dee and Annie only made a few appearances, and while he did write for Betsy when Lindsay Frost was around (although it was more of a supporting role), he just wrote her out for good when Lindsay left.

[Sindacco]

DAYS

James E Reilly: Jack (when played by Matthew Ashford), Tony, Victor.

Hogan Sheffer: John, Lexie.

Dena Higley: Marlena, Chloe.

[Skin]

Pratt:

He decimated Bianca's character by having her go behind Kendell's back and ask for sperm from her husband. Destroyed her love story with Reese and just in general completely butchered the character to the point where Eden permanently vacated the role and never comeback. Talk about burning your bridges there.

He killed off Greenlee, Babe, Josh and Stuart as well.

Zach was written ruthlessly here as well. He killed one of his few friends during this time period and said that he planned on killing Josh as a way to find a heart for Kendell.

Krystal retconned her history into including a story where she sold one of her children on the black market in the form of Marissa. Pretty much underscoring her past relationship with her daughter Babe Carey where she was portrayed as being a protective mamma bear willing to do anything for her daughter. Also turned her into a pill popping, drugged up addict as well.

Didn't write for long-time vet character Adam and wrote out Marian all together.