OLTL Higley:

Todd & Evangeline

Was able to utilize an African American Female Lead (Evangeline) OUTSIDE of just other Black characters

The Todd Killed Margaret Storyline

The Baby Switch

GH Megan McTavish:

Her work with the Quartermaines

Gary Tomlin -

The hilarious Niki Smith return in 2002. Her camp is so bad that it's good. If anything, Erika Slezak was way too restrained during that story...

Live Week was great.

Did Cris/Natalie start under Tomlin? I don't remember.

Other than everything I mentioned, Tomlin's writing made me sick.

Ron Carlivati - KISH. And bringing back Tina, Cain, and Cord. Oh yeah, I also love Barbara Rhoades as Irene!!! I still don't know why a lot of people thought she was too OTT. I thought she was a blast, like Niki/ES in 2002 and later years too.

But other than that, everything else with Carlivati made me sick. And it's even worse on GH from what I've seen.

Edited July 7, 201213 yr by Mathewson

Ron Carlivati - KISH. And bringing back Tina, Cain, and Cord. Oh yeah, I also love Barbara Rhoades as Irene!!! I still don't know why a lot of people thought she was too OTT. I thought she was a blast, like Niki/ES in 2002 and later years too.

You answered your own question.

The ONLY and I do mean ONLY good thing Pratt did at AMC was killing off Babe

I don't recall seeing that. Do you have a link or something? I'd be interested to see it.

I believe it's in the interview for the special deluxe AMC tribute magazine SID put out. When I'm home I can read though and check it out. She also said that the focus groups were infuriating because when the focus groups agreed with something (she mentioned them enjoying watching older characters) that the networks didn't, in those cases they would ignore the focus group. As well, she mentions specifically how if she had been present at the story meetings there would have been no way they could kill off Stuart, which was why it was so important to bring him back at any cost.

The ONLY and I do mean ONLY good thing Pratt did at AMC was killing off Babe

I wasn't a fan of his tenture...BUT...his complete makeover of the Annie character was impressive. He actually made her into something worthwhile.

Chuck Pratt

Keeping the character of Annie on the show and fully sending her off the deep end. I also love how he mixed her in w/Adam and the rest of the Chandler's after she got out of Oakhaven. IMO he did wonders with that character and made her one of my all time faves!

I wasn't a fan of his tenture...BUT...his complete makeover of the Annie character was impressive. He actually made her into something worthwhile.

Lol...I was typing this! ;-)

I wasn't a fan of his tenture...BUT...his complete makeover of the Annie character was impressive. He actually made her into something worthwhile.

I think it was too OTT, especially when characters like Aidan started getting thrown under the bus for her.

Edited July 7, 201213 yr by dragonflies

OLTL Higley:

Todd & Evangeline

Was able to utilize an African American Female Lead (Evangeline) OUTSIDE of just other Black characters

The Todd Killed Margaret Storyline

The Baby Switch

Wasn't the baby switch mainly McTavish sketching out the story for both shows?

I LOVED Aidan and Annie's relationship and story. Remember when they had conversations through the Oakhaven vents? LMAO. I did think it was messed up when Annie pushed him to the curb for Adam Chandler (LOL).

Chuck Pratt

Keeping the character of Annie on the show and fully sending her off the deep end. I also love how he mixed her in w/Adam and the rest of the Chandler's after she got out of Oakhaven. IMO he did wonders with that character and made her one of my all time faves!

Lol...I was typing this! ;-)

Great minds, ! But her integration into the Chandler clan was great. It's amazing how someone who I usually turned the channel for, became the person I tuned in for.

I think it was too OTT, especially when characters like Aidan started getting thrown under the bus for her.

It was OTT at times, but you could always count on her to spread the Gospel when it came to Greenlee and Ryan, she was the only character to ever call them out on their bullshit. I don't remember which episode it was, but I remember she laid into him, and I found myself clapping

Edited July 7, 201213 yr by Ms. Chandler Quartermaine

Casting Jamie Luner as Liza.

Sorry but IMO that was one of the worst miscasts in recent years. we're supposed to believe her Liza was married to Adam Chandler, what is it, 3 times, what did he first marry her when she was 6? not to mention the age discrepancy with her Tad, Angie and Jesse, also not believable her Liza went to high school with them in the early to mid 80's.

Just no, ugh

The ONLY and I do mean ONLY good thing Pratt did at AMC was killing off Babe

Yikes! I can't believe that I didn't mention that. Yeah, Pratt gets massive points from me for that. But I have to admit that in those last scenes, AB made me feel for the character. Not enough to want her alive but still...

I always sort of felt like it was too little, too late by that time.

I did like that Pratt gave Opal more to do.

Esensten & Brown (although I'm sort of reluctant to include them as hacks)

1. Fighting to get their way re: bringing back the Hubbards. It kind of amazes me that this was never attempted (as far as we know) at any point between the end of The City in 1997 and when B&E were installed at AMC in the summer of 2007. Of course a huge chunk of that time (1998 and 2003-2007) was McTavish and McTavish is not someone who would ever have considered bringing them back because she only cares about characters she had a significant hand in (although that gave us a bit of a resurgence of the Frye family for a while, which I was happy about). Were it not for the stuffed elephant/diamond component of the story (I wish they had come up with some other purpose Rob had) I think I would say their Hubbard material was near perfect.

2. Along the same lines I think B&E deserve credit for doing something about the fact that, when they took over, the canvas was "way too white and way too blonde" (that is more or less an exact quote from one of their early interviews). Not only did they bring back Angie, Jesse and Frankie but they they brought on Cassandra, who could have easily been excluded. And they brought on Sam and Dre (and Grandpa) Woods, and Randi, and Carmen. Yes Sam was dull (I don't know how much of that can be attributed to B&E vs. Mario Van Peebles and Judy Wilson for casting him). Yes Randi was an uninspired creation (I will leave it at that because B&E cannot be blamed for Vasi's acting ability). But I thought the premise of the Sam/Dre backstory with Dre believing that Sam was using his mother's death on 9/11 to adavance himself politically was interesting. And I really enjoyed Carmen up until Pratt had her and Jack do the deed.

B&E said they wanted to do something about the lack of diversity on all fronts (including racial/ethnic and sexual orientation) on the canvas and, at least in terms of the first, I think they did a great deal by soap standards. All the more impressive when you look at what they did against the backdrop of Frons saying in 2003 or 2004 that ABC Daytime's research showed that minority characters were an obstacle to viewership.