September 12-16, 2011

[TeamEric]

I tuned into GH to check it out recently and I don't see any difference. The main 3 airhogs are still insufferable and ITA the show is even more dull and boring.

The writing for GH is soul-less.

[Saving ATWT]

GH needs stunts to survive. Wolf is dull dull dull! Junkie Lucky is the only story but is nonetheless dull

[DRW50]

GH bled ratings even with stunts. What the show needs is good pacing, characters you want to see, and a heart. Guza took those all and they aren't coming back.

[TeamEric]

I adore JJ and TG together but Luke's intervention just sucked the last piece of Luke's soul out and destroyed the bond. Guza forgot Lucky always makes Luke a better person.

And I am tired of JJ's constant sniveling, too... he's a great actor but give me instead smart, clevel, wise-cracking Lucky for a time OR a raging Lucky not this hapless victim.

[Cat]

Y&R is in horrendous shape. B&B is great at the moment so I'd like to think that the fall in its numbers are because of its lead-in: Y&R. It will be interesting to see if the Bells choose to support their DIL or their shows... something tells me MAB ain't going anywhere.

[DRW50]

I just wonder how many viewers are still interested in the same conflicts between selfish whiners who struggle to move their faces.

[vote4llama]

YES! OLTL finally beat B&B in total viewers!

[JaneAusten]

Eh I never thought Lucky made Luke better. Laura did. Luke has been this nauseating pathetic drunk since Laura was written off this show. She also was the one who made this version of Lucky tolerable. JJ is back to the same acting gimics he had his first run which was sniveling, yelling, and crying. Like any other mediocre actor without better writing he's useless. Laura probably made him more tolerable too. The Spencer family unit had their best and most heartfelt writing under Labine an era TG vilifies now.

[TeamEric]

I enjoyed the Labines Spencers with Lulu's birth and the Foster stuff too.

However, my favorite Spencer story of the 90s was Rape Revisited under Guza. That was brilliant from start to finish. I felt Guza got Luke/Lucky right with Luke calling Lucky his hero just before his "death" in 1999. Lucky represented the BEST of L&L. He should be written with Luke's cool street smarts and Laura's heart.

I don't agree on JJ. He is just one of the actors that is not being written to his strengths on GH.

[JONNYSBRO]

Teameric that was brilliant gh stuff. Is it safe to say wendy riche was huge part of making Guza great. She really was a very tough pushy executive producer who pushed a vision out of her head writers. The labines didn't take off in other soaps as well cause they didn't have Wendy riche.

[JaneAusten]

Off topic but Claire Labine created and wrote for Ryans Hope for its entire run I believe.

Wendy Riche was great. Not only did she reign in the writers but also the actors

I do love the story about how Geary told Labine how he wasn't happy with her writing for him. She told him he was welcome to leave the show.

Of course then Labine got the axe years later.

[TeamEric]

GH in 1998 was brilliantly written, directed, acted and produced. I was riveted as I hadn't been to GH since the original days of L&L. I do give Riche a lot of credit for leashing Guza's mob obsession. Guza demolished the Qs and The Cassidines/Spencers after Riche left so all that was left of 98 GH was the mob, mob, mob. Ugh.

I thought the Labines wrote some meaty and good material at OLTL, too, but CL only true understood certain characters like Todd, Dorian, RJ...

[Saving ATWT]

I never watched the old, pre-Guza GH aside from a few times as a child, so only know the show from 2009 onward. I've read some great posts on here that provide insights but have always seen GH as married to the mob, and this must be typical of many viewers. Even with the loss of vets and lack of heart, GH still holds (fairly) steady with Y&R in demos, meaning that Guza must have done something right so to appeal in demos and please Madison Ave advert sales. Since HH doesn't matter, why bother paying fan favs when low-cost newbies garner about the same ratings return? Why would Y&R fight to retain MTS when her employment has no impact on ratings? Why would Wolf bring Allan or Bobbie without a corresponding ratings return? Fan favs returning did nada for AMC.

I just don't buy that a Bell, Laborne or Marland come again clone could boost ratings, please all of us posters or save the genre. Our culture has changed so much over the last 20 years and soaps got lost in the shuffle. Viewers, as well as characters, have become homogenized and glamour is pretty much dead. Melodrama is now see as camp and over-the-top by cynical viewers and TPTB. Watch the style of 1970s soaps, contrast them with today, note the difference.

[TeamEric]

For all of the Labines success at GH, AMC was the #1 ABC soap. When Guza came back at the end of 97, his stories were credited with soaring GH to #1 in 18-49 demos. ABC held a famous 98 party for GH celebrating over-taking #1 in demos. GH stayed atop 18-49 demo for years under Guza until floundering so badly and falling below Y&R.

As for the mob domination? In early years, Riche kept Guza under a tight leash but it was also Guza relished writing the Spencers/Cassidines feuds. In fact, in 1998 Rape Revisited was really GH's A story not the mob. Alas, after JJ left in 1999 Guza lost his interest in writing he feud and without Riche to leash him, devoted more and more airtime to the mob.

Guza left, McTavish took over and her demos were dreadful so Guza was welcomed back with open arms with even MORE power than before. This last stint is when he reaped the most destruction. All that saved Guza's neck for years was the higher demos. JMO, the only reason ABC really fired Guza was b/c he messed up VM's return so badly. ABC was counting on that return to boost GH and it was an epic fail. I don't think ABC sees the mob focus as the big problem to be honest because that hasn't changed one whit with Guza gone.

[EricMontreal22]

Nah, ABC pushed her out fter they sold the show to them. Claire and Paul HW to about 81, then Paul Avila left (I never got why) and she went solo for a year, then they were kicked out and their associate Mary Ryan Munisteri (ironic name) was promoted for a year or so in 83, then Claire got her job back for about a year (oy, drama), was booted again and Pat Falken Smith (talk about a weird fit) was put in place (JE Reilly was on her team), till late '85 or so, Tom King and Millee Taggart till '87 and finally ABC realized the ratings weren't increasing despite their efforts and as a last resort Claire Labien was back till the end, co HW with her kids Eleanor and Matthew.

Likewise Labine and Avila were only EPs when they owned the show, till 81 or 82