Y&R: November 2012 Discussion Thread

[Khan]

Believe it or not, I actually want to see Adam and Phyllis hook up in one of those kinky, we're-just-in-it-for-the-sex relationships that isn't the least bit "romantic" but is certainly one of the most aware, for lack of a better word.

[chicklitsandfantasies]

That describes almost every one of Phyllis' relationships recently!

[CSF]

When did they rearrange the Chancellor living room?

[Soapsuds]

I noticed that too. It looks awful.

[CSF]

I'm not sure how I feel about it. When Rauch started, he shot some different angles of the living room but kept the furniture the same. At some moments it looks like a much richer room then at other moments it looks smaller.

[Toups]

Yeah, same here, I don't like the new Chancellor Mansion setup - it makes it look small. I also don't like the new Athletic Club setup. While the lighting of the show has improved a bit, there have been 4 production aspects that have gone down since JFP started: music direction, music composition, set arrangement, and editing.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I haven't noticed anything different with the Athletic Club, looks like the same boring setup to me. Though, they appear to be using the gym room again, which was last seen early on in Maria's tenure, I believe. I wish they'd get rid of the Athletic Club totally, I don't think it's ever really worked.

The Chancellor livingroom was shot from different angles this week (to be closer to the fireplace for seasonality). I don't ever remember that fireplace being lit before or if it even existed before. Also, did they remove that ugly 70's style big couch, or was Katherine sitting on it on Tuesday's US episode?

The set design for the new sets has been a marked improvement though. Can anyone honestly say GloWorm looks better than the new restaurant set? That and the directing are miles superior to what they were under Maria.

Though, overall, the show is boring as f.uck. I'm sporadically watching again and may just drop it again. Griffith is such a basic writer with little imagination, at least that's the feeling I get after a month into his tenure - though certainly he's not as clueless or destructive as Maria's tendencies were.

[Chris B]

It really is like watching paint dry. The only thing I appreciate is that he made me FINALLY notice Jessica Collins, but even that became so heavy handed that I'm already over her. I know it's still early, but he won't last. It's obvious. His stories are just too boring and he seems to favor the same characters and writing them in a similar fashion, which isn't going to bring ratings up. The show needs a big shake up. They need to let go these overrated friends like Judith Chapman, Greg Rikaart, Elizabeth Hendrickson and Daniel Goddard who either can't act, are lazy actors or just have played out characters. Then you have overrated people like MIchael Muhney and Melissa Claire Egan as your leads and they mean nothing to Y&R viewers.

I feel like Y&R is ran by the actors and various cliques behind the scenes. They believe their hype and do whatever they want. I don't see them making the type of changes that would get the show where it needs to be.

[dm.]

Griffith will never be an exciting writer, that was obvious from his earlier tenure with Maria.

[DRW50]

Y&R is full of asexual actors, actors who don't care anymore, and actors who only care about their own publicity. Until someone cuts a swathe through the cast, nothing will change.

[sheilaforever]

Exactly - That's why I was shocked by all this hoopla about his return...

Only good thing about him will be some fun campy stuff. But it will involve Glo for sure, so if you don't like her, there's nothing to look forward to at all.

[y&r_fan]

I still say it's WAY too early to pass judgement on Josh Griffith's Y&R. Considering the monumental mess MAB left Griffith to clean up, I think he has accomplished quite a bit in one month. I just love how some are already condeming him when clearly he isn't even done laying the ground work for the stories he wants to tell. It's very obvious that he's still getting everything into place before he can move forward with new stories.

Griffith's writing is intelligent, character-driven and well paced - everything MAB's wasn't. Is it "exciting" as such? No (though I am enjoying Victoria's kidnapping). But that takes time. It could be six months before the show is back on track. And who knows - maybe six months from now things still won't have picked up and he'll need to hire a skilled co-HW or consultant to liven things up. But cutting Griffith completely would not be a smart move (unless of course Kay Alden were to return).

Josh Griffith may not be perfect (when has the show ever been perfect? Even Bill Bell had numerous flaws) but he's a damn sight better than MAB and I for one am thankful for that, and I'd happily take "boring" Y&R over MAB's schizophrenic, plot-driven insanity any day.

[KMan101]

I agree. It's been a month. I'm hopeful he's just stabalizing the show. Which it needed.

[Chris B]

The reason I'm harder on him is because he's an experienced soap writer and just because he's setting up doesn't mean the show can't be faulted for being so humorless or the way certain characters are being written. Plus he ended most of MAB's stories in record setting time and started featuring his stories immediately and they all suck. I do agree that it'll take six months to make a full assessment, but based on his previous work not only at Y&R, but other soaps, I think the writing is on the wall. He's never been a big visionary and he doesn't have a big success story IMO. In six months I worry how the ratings will be if things continue how they are.

[DeeeDee]

+1.