Jill Farren Phelps and Bob Guza. Lethal combination... to ratings.

John Conboy/Ellen Weston - GL

Ellen Wheeler/David Kreizman - GL

John Valente/Henry Stern and Stephen Black - ATWT

I agree with Goutman and Passanante.

I agree the EP should produce and let his writers write. He was the real HW for ATWT in the later years.

Ugh I still can't believe Stern and Black were hired for ATWT (they were the ones who did that inane Playboy "soap" Eden, right?)

I do mostly agree the writer should write and the EP carry out that vision. That said the strongest shows often had an EP who did have his own artistic vision for the show--if not exactly dictating storylines (which never seems to work), but one about what the feel and theme of a show should be. This would include Paul Rauch during his best time at OLTL (prob when Peggy O'Shea wrote), and most of AW (and Lemay certainly had at least an equally strong vision), as well Behr at AMC, Riche at GH and Gottlieb at OLTL.

Jill Farren Phelps and Bob Guza. Lethal combination... to ratings.

As devastating as that era was I think the ratings were actually considered decent until their last year or two.

As devastating as that era was I think the ratings were actually considered decent until their last year or two.

Two years that saw more and more fans flee, while JFP and RG plowed ahead with their dark, mob/Sonny/Jason focus, unable or unwilling to respond to the audience that was rejecting their work.

What are/were some of the worst toxic HW/EP combo's? Such as Guza and Phelps or Frank and Ron. I am also wondering how bad it would be if Phelps and McTavish were at AMC together and other "Train wrecks waiting to happen"! Sorry for being morbid!!

I realize that it's fashionable to hate on Frank and Ron, but IMO, they have done way more good for soaps than anyone in recent memory. They seem to have a real commitment and affection for the genre. No, they are not perfect, but it just seems too easy for everyone to shoot poison arrows at those guys. YAWN.

Ugh I still can't believe Stern and Black were hired for ATWT (they were the ones who did that inane Playboy "soap" Eden, right?)

I do mostly agree the writer should write and the EP carry out that vision. That said the strongest shows often had an EP who did have his own artistic vision for the show--if not exactly dictating storylines (which never seems to work), but one about what the feel and theme of a show should be. This would include Paul Rauch during his best time at OLTL (prob when Peggy O'Shea wrote), and most of AW (and Lemay certainly had at least an equally strong vision), as well Behr at AMC, Riche at GH and Gottlieb at OLTL.

Bill Bell was always clearly in control of the story, but Ed Scott also made sure to put his artistic stamp on the show.

I realize that it's fashionable to hate on Frank and Ron, but IMO, they have done way more good for soaps than anyone in recent memory. They seem to have a real commitment and affection for the genre. No, they are not perfect, but it just seems too easy for everyone to shoot poison arrows at those guys. YAWN.

I never thought Frank and Ron were that bad and I do admire there love for the genre. I wonder how their own soap would look?

Bill Bell was always clearly in control of the story, but Ed Scott also made sure to put his artistic stamp on the show.

Right, which was true of John Conboy. Didn't Bell take--at least by Scott's time--a co-exec producer credit?

I never thought Frank and Ron were that bad and I do admire there love for the genre. I wonder how their own soap would look?

Combine Soapdish and Straw Dogs. Cast random people wandering around outside.

I never thought Frank and Ron were that bad and I do admire there love for the genre. I wonder how their own soap would look?

It would prob look fine. I think, despite character changes that some fans (including me in some cases) dislike, that Ron's strength--that we've seen--is not really with new characters... Not that that proves anything, but if he did his own soap, that would be one of my big concerns.

Combine Soapdish and Straw Dogs. Cast random people wandering around outside.

LOL!

I realize that it's fashionable to hate on Frank and Ron, but IMO, they have done way more good for soaps than anyone in recent memory. They seem to have a real commitment and affection for the genre. No, they are not perfect, but it just seems too easy for everyone to shoot poison arrows at those guys. YAWN.

Just as it's way too easy for people--especially soap bloggers, to call them the saviour of soaps. But I agree with your point--I wouldn't call them a toxic combo (and they do seem to work well together, for whatever that's worth and whether you like it or not, as a team, and not as two with different visions).

I would call them toxic on OLTL. On GH, it's more mixed, in part because GH doesn't have their traps and the show is not easy to fit into their traps.

I would also include JFP and whoever in the world was writing AW during her time there.

Erwin Nicholson and Lee Sheldon on EON

Erwin Nicholson and Paul Avila Mayer on SFT

Erwin was lost without Henry Slesar. Erwin was great at casting theatre actresses and hot ex porn gay stars (Dennis Parker) and just hot gay men, Joel Crothers, Irving Allen Lee etc.

Jean Arley and Jean Holloway, Love of Life...Jean centered the whole show around a newbie prostitute I think.

David Lawrence (who the fuk was he anyway?) on SFT with Pam Long/Addie Walsh....Great casting, but a stinky Ireland story for the McCleary family ate up the final six months of the show. Pam Long on maternity leave from GL was not a good thing for SFT. Pam replaced Gary Tomlin's second stint; he was actually doing a fine job.

Paul Rauch and The Corringtons/OLTL....The Corringtons were only good on SFT when they turned it into a New Orleans soap.

Terri Guarnerri on AW with whomever was writing it.

The odd quick use of the Corringtons at One Life always confused me (didn't Henry Slesar join them for their last months?)--and then going back to Sam Hall. It all seemed weird.

Was Jean Hollaway the writer who Schemering claimed turned it into a dated, old fashioned romance about a hooker with a heart of gold?

Yes. Bambi Brewster.

I would call them toxic on OLTL. On GH, it's more mixed, in part because GH doesn't have their traps and the show is not easy to fit into their traps.

I would also include JFP and whoever in the world was writing AW during her time there.

She probably was...

OK I think I know what you mean--and I admit, like any regime, it's relative. I thougth Valentini and Hegley were overall so horrendous on OLTL that even some of the worse storylines (though not rapemance, or teenaged Jessica almost raped by her father), were preferable. But I'm curious, what exactly do you mean by OLTL had more traps?