Y&R: November 2012 Discussion Thread

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Victoria's kidnapping story is a mess, IMO. It's all resolved in today's US episode, and I still don't understand why it needed to happen or what was the big point of it all.

There were other, less frivolous ways, to cause conflict for the anti-chemistry borefest that is Billy and Victoria.

Though, I wonder if they're setting up Billy Miller's exit (which isn't officially confirmed yet).

[Khan]

What is it these days with the SONY-produced soaps? Neither DAYS nor Y&R seems to believe that a major cage-rattling is needed. They'd rather just coast out of fear that taking calculated risks will drive them off the air for good. Really, peeps, if ever there was a time to go for broke, so to speak, now is it, because they truly have nothing to lose.

[Khan]

I wasn't, if only because MAB's work was so bad that any change was bound to be met with enthusiasm. I mean, they could have announced Megan McTavish as MAB's successor and folks would have been fanning themselves and yelling hallelujah like they were attending Sunday service.

[Khan]

Don't forget, though, many of us watch more than one soap, and we remember JG's other attempts at HW'ing. Now, I'm probably one of the few here who never cared for his and Michael Malone's ONE LIFE TO LIVE even on their first crack at bat in the early '90's. However, for argument's sake, let's just say that OLTL under their pen the first time around was textbook soap. Still doesn't excuse the mess they made of the show in their second run -- and remember, people, JG was originally HW'ing alone on the second term; Malone was just a "Creative Consultant," or whatever -- or even some of the admitted excesses of the first one. (A little bit of Alex Olanov as the loony mob widow really, really went a long way.)

If we were talking about a HW who'd never been in this position before (that is, officially), then I would say we're all rushing to judgment. For me, though, JG's track record speaks for itself.

[chicklitsandfantasies]

DG needs to go but I don't think they can get rid of him. Even MAB tried to get rid of him and he ended up coming back from the dead.

They didn't change anything about the setup of the Athletic Club it looks the same it always had.

They changed the Chancellor mansion I get so everyone could sit closer together for Thanksgiving.

I don't think the music has gone down hill. At first it was a little off but now it's fine. And it definitely was not good under MAB.

I liked the Thanksgiving epi

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I don't think the Chancellor arrangement is permanent either, it looks like they just wanted to shoot the set from different camera angles (as well as show everyone by the fireplace and closer together).

The overall production was so bad under Maria, this is actually an improvement (mainly the directing and new sets).

It's too bad the writing is so predictable, heavy handed, and boring.

[Faulkner]

I see Hogan is still credited on the show - is he leaving? I heard that JG likes to work alone, so I'm wondering what impact Hogan has on what's currently airing. I know he shouldered a lot of the excesses of Maria's tenure.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

Y&R is so boring.

My mom has it on...and it really is completely stale compared to the way it was. I knew Griffith and JFP would screw it up more.

[Soapsuds]

Watched again and the show is a hot mess still. The stories are boring as hell....the sets are too small and the camera angle shooting is darn awful...and its driving me nuts that the sliding door at the Abbot house to the dinning room is closed...lol....it was always open....the show sucks bad....the whole show looks like [!@#$%^&*]....JFP hasnt done [!@#$%^&*] to improve it....she made it worse with the awful sets.....the Chancellor house looks like s hit.

[Soapsuds]

Apparently the show has gotten worse with JFP and Griffith. Griffith should never be a HW. He is only good as SW. He needs a good Co HW with him. I never understood the Victoria kidnapping or who the hell had her kidnapped. Adam is still on and I dont know why the character hasnt been written out...he has no rooting value whatsoever. The Stophen Nicholas character is a total bore and waste....why is Aussie guy still on?? Where are the better stories and cast firings??

[Y&RWorldTurner]

It's a complete overstatement to say the show is worse now than compared to the last 4 years or so. The biggest problem is that it's boring as hell and none of the stories they're building to are interesting enough or have been plotted properly. Griffith just doesn't know how to properly tell a well-constructed story with sufficient execution.

Compared to exploding volcanoes, a million doppelgangers at once, random back from the dead plots, here's your 70's sitcom star of the week, etc - this is relatively harmless creatively. But that's an issue also, once you bore people, they'll likely never tune in again.

[Khan]

Billy Wilder believed the same as you, Y&RWorldTurner. As he once said: "I have ten commandments. The first nine are, thou shalt not bore." You could tell some of the craziest stories anyone working in the genre has ever crafted, but your stuff better be interesting as hell or you're toast. (Especially around these parts, lol.) Josh Griffith might have some good stuff up his sleeve -- who knows? For right now, though, it isn't enough that he's correcting MAB's mistakes or putting certain pieces into place. We still need to feel as if we're building up to something good, no matter how far down the road that might be. That Just. Isn't. There.

[Khan]

Actually, I'm fine with seeing the same old eyesores (Cane, Phyllis, Adam, etc.), if only b/c I know TPTB believe these characters and actors have considerable fanbases. (Their data on all that might be inflated, but whatever.) I just want JG and JFP to figure out what they do well and then write to that. Don't keep giving fans the same crap that we know didn't work before.

[dragonflies]

Who's watching today's eppy from 2002?

[dm.]

The very first scene has Heather Tom. <3

Then Ashley's haircut. :fail:

This Mac recast doesn't seem as bad as everyone said she was.