It's not even that Debbi's being Yolanda that's the problem. It's the fact that she's only there to cause problems for Tucker/Ashley & to LOSE to Ashley. It will be like OLTL casting Tony Winner & Broadway Legend LaChanze to play Baz's Mom.

And that was a wasted opportunity--LaChanze is brilliant--I've had the pleasure of seeing her live a couple of times, and her character had a ton more potential as a new addition to OLTL than that of her son... Of course New York soaps often cast Broadway stars in tiny roles (Charlotte D'Amboise as Llanview High's principal the other year), but this was just such a grand scale squandering of talent and obvious story potential... I get your point.

Edited September 30, 201114 yr by EricMontreal22

Right now Maria/Hogan/Sony are trying to figure out how to keep the most viewers while doing the least work.

They're just throwing EVERYTHING against a wall & hoping it becomes popular.

It's like the last years of Port Charles all over again.

Edited September 30, 201114 yr by DeeeDee

Yes,it's not like Bill Bell didn't write some clunkers along the way.

But Smiths decision to make Katherine and Jill mother and daughter was the first sign of what was to come-'shocking' twists that got attention but ultimately destroyed character and history.

It's not even that Debbi's being Yolanda that's the problem. It's the fact that she's only there to cause problems for Tucker/Ashley & to LOSE to Ashley.

ICAM! In fact, I can't decide what to be more p.o.'ed about:

the fact that Yo's gonna be saddled with T®ucker & Ash-Heap, or that she's going to lose her man and her dignity to a White girl

.

But Smiths decision to make Katherine and Jill mother and daughter was the first sign of what was to come-'shocking' twists that got attention but ultimately destroyed character and history.

Actually, I tend to go back-and-forth on that issue. I get the appeal behind making the two rivals mother and daughter; and trying to explain how that happened...please, GH had a more difficult time explaining how the Cassadines' weather machine worked. (Papa Foster, bastard that he was, dropped a baby on wife Liz's lap one afternoon and said, "Raise it!"? Okay. How he came into possession of the child is a big WTF, unless the baby is his, but whatever. And Kay got rid of it b/c the paternity would have ruined her marriage at the time? Fine. If Erica Kane can abort a kid b/c pregnancy is a bad look, then Kay Reynolds is perfectly entitled to give away a child she had with a man who was not her husband.) I just wish the writers had done more with that. Kay and Jill are now mother and daughter? Great. Now stand the hell back and pray to God neither diva burns down the mansion! Know what I'm saying?

Edited September 30, 201114 yr by Khan

Right now Maria/Hogan/Sony are trying to figure out how to keep the most viewers while doing the least work.

They're just throwing EVERYTHING against a wall & hoping it becomes popular.

It's like the last years of Port Charles all over again.

I wonder if they're even trying this. I think their main priority is their agendas - stuff like Hamner and his "mysteries," MAB and stunt casting and her PR tour, Hogan and his issues with women and his need to have "men with balls" like Victor and Adam dominating everything.

As for Kay Alden, I'd like to see her back with Y&R, although that doesn't seem likely. But I would also like to know who was responsible for some of the B&B stories in recent years like Storm's suicide and Beth Logan's Alzheimers. I consider those stories to be extremely offensive.

I dunno, it seems typical Brad Bell to me to attempt every so often to tell an "important" story, and end up doing it in an offensive, and/or glib manner... But maybe Alden deserves some blame--I don't watch close enough or have a good enough history with B&B (or Y&R for that matter) to farily say.

Everything was fine up until late 2003.

Heather leaving along with Victor winning AGAIN & "redeeming" Kevin (along with the Baldwin Fisher RappaDavidson Invasion) crippled Y&R.

I agree Heather Tom's exit left a void on the show and thanks to bad writing and the inability to find a suitable replacement the character of Victoria is now ruined and unrecognizable. Although I disagree with Victor winning, he may have won in legal terms(I mean I assumed he would anyways) but in emotional terms Victor lost big time, and that's what I thought was the most critical aspect of that story. I enjoyed the original Kevin storyline and found the prison torture story compelling but on the other hand Kevin was never actually punished for his actual crimes as he was put in jail for a crime he didn't commit(Britney's electrocution). Had the prison beating led to Kevin admitting his crimes, seeking help and being ushered off for a while the story would have been so much better.

Although I disagree with Victor winning, he may have won in legal terms(I mean I assumed he would anyways) but in emotional terms Victor lost big time, and that's what I thought was the most critical aspect of that story.

Victor totally won.

Not only did he get to choose who would run Newman while he was in trouble (Neil), Nikki, Victoria & Sharon (in spite of being angry) sided with him, ASHLEY forgave him, Nick ended up feeling somewhat sorry about his actions, Michael became his permanent sidekick (for no reason at all) & Jabot STILL lost.

PLUS he received NO jail time AND was allowed to dictate the terms of his settlement with Jabot.

I enjoyed the original Kevin storyline and found the prison torture story compelling but on the other hand Kevin was never actually punished for his actual crimes as he was put in jail for a crime he didn't commit(Britney's electrocution). Had the prison beating led to Kevin admitting his crimes, seeking help and being ushered off for a while the story would have been so much better.

The fact that he was given a total free pass for raping a little Black girl & then was treated as even more of a sympathetic victim after he tried to murder Colleen was beyond offensive.

Pretty easy, there weren't that many, via the archives...

March 26, 1973 - 1997

William J. Bell

1997 - 1998

William J. Bell and Kay Alden

1998 - 2000

Kay Alden

2000 - August 18, 2000

Kay Alden, John F. Smith, Jerry Birn

August 21, 2000 - February 1, 2002

Kay Alden, John F. Smith, Jerry Birn, Trent Jones

February 4, 2002 - June 28, 2002

Kay Alden, Jerry Birn, Trent Jones

July 1, 2002 - August 5, 2004

Kay Alden, John F. Smith, Jerry Birn, Trent Jones

August 6, 2004 - February 15, 2006

Kay Alden and John F. Smith

February 16, 2006 - October 25, 2006

Kay Alden, Lynn Marie Latham, John F. Smith

October 26, 2006 - November 10, 2006

Kay Alden, Lynn Marie Latham, John F. Smith, and Scott Hamner (Co-Head Writer)

November 13, 2006 - December 22, 2006

Kay Alden, Lynn Marie Latham and Scott Hamner (Co-Head Writer)

December 26, 2006 - December 24, 2007

Lynn Marie Latham and Scott Hamner (Co-Head Writer)

December 26, 2007 - April 14, 2008

Josh Griffith (Interim Head Writer) and Maria Arena Bell (Co-Head Writer)

April 15, 2008 - April 21, 2008

Josh Griffith (Interim Head Writer), Maria Arena Bell (Co-Head Writer) and Scott Hamner (Co-Head Writer)

April 22, 2008 - May 9, 2008

Maria Arena Bell and Scott Hamner (Co-Head Writer)

May 12, 2008 - July 14, 2008

Maria Arena Bell

July 15, 2008 - August 8, 2008

Maria Arena Bell and Hogan Sheffer (Co-Head Writer)

August 11, 2008 - Present

Maria Arena Bell and Hogan Sheffer (Co-Head Writer) and Scott Hamner (Co-Head Writer)

Birn was never officially headwriter, as was Trent Jones. They served as co-heads/lead associate head writers...

John F. Smith really became headwriter in late 2002, Kay Alden had to serve for him even thoiugh she was credited first.

Birn was an associate headwriter his entire run at Y&R, never a co-head (he wrote breakdowns). Also, the show never designated "lead" associate heads.

I agree. Edging out Kay Alden was a big mistake and the show still hasn't recovered. I liked Jack Smith, too, but I felt the show became a little too dark (however, he was going through tough times from what I remember). And wasn't it Smith who virtually axed all of the recurring side characters like Lynne and Gina? Or was that Latham?

It was Latham, not Smith.

Yes,it's not like Bill Bell didn't write some clunkers along the way.

But Smiths decision to make Katherine and Jill mother and daughter was the first sign of what was to come-'shocking' twists that got attention but ultimately destroyed character and history.

All headwriters, even Irna Phillips, wrote stories that in hindsight they wish they never had. I don't necessarily think Smith's decision to let Jill be Kay's daughter is as criminal as some fans think. If Smith had stayed with the show, I question whether the rollout would have been as convoluted as it is now, with Jill being Lauren's half-sibling. I think he would have stuck with his original design. The problem he seemed to be addressing in creating this more shocking twist is that Alden's Y&R, while true to the show's history and characters, had become deadly dull and predictable. The ratings were taking a hit, and she seemed incapable of giving the fans a story that really lit up the boards. It wasn't that anything was wrong with the show per se, there just wasn't anything that got the fans really excited. As a lapsed viewer (I find the show impossible to watch any longer), I think another Alden/Smith pairing would make sense in helping tget this show back on tract. Maria doesn't have a clue, and Hogan and Scott are totally the wrong fit for Y&R, just as I believe Trent Jones was the years he served on staff.

It was Latham, not Smith.

It was Smith, not Latham.

I don't necessarily think Smith's decision to let Jill be Kay's daughter is as criminal as some fans think.

It was a terrible idea from the beginning.

What's worse was it was done for no other reason to marginalize both actresses & their respective characters.

And neither character nor their relationship has been the same since,.

Alden's Y&R, while true to the show's history and characters, had become deadly dull and predictable.

Not really.

She had her faults but her best was better than ANYTHING in Daytime this decade.

The ratings were taking a hit

As was the rest of Daytime.

and she seemed incapable of giving the fans a story that really lit up the boards.

Not true.

Y&R has ALWAYS been treated with disdain from certain fans.

The same fans who LOVED their soaps (DOOL, SB, Passions, AMC, AW, ATWT, OLTL) which were producing crap while Y&R was constantly knocking it out of the park.

I hated the Jill/Kay mother/daughter storyline because it was SOOOOO obvious that was what was going to happen from the moment Liz Foster announced her illness and told Jill. But....it could have worked with past history and a little tweaking. Why did Kay seek out Jill in that beauty shop? Perhaps Mitchell Sherman had tracked down her long lost daughter and Kaye went there to see her, then offered her the job of paid companion? Of course once Jill got her hooks into Phillip all bets were off and Kaye could never at that point tell Jill the truth. And yes weirder still - would Kay have kept silent when Brock married Jill (on another post I bitched out AMC for copying Y&R but Brock 'marrying' himself to Jill was a straight rip off of Tara and Phil not being able to find a Justice of the Peace and 'marrying' each other)?