PP: AMC & OLTL to air twice weekly

[~bl~]

You don't get what I am saying as now what were Tuesday episodes will be *cliffhanger* episodes when originally they were supposed to be midweek shows and Wednesday shows which were also midweek are now "Mondays", when before they may not have been as exciting. For example the episode of AMC from May 14 would now be the last episode of the week. Nothing really exciting happened... AJ seeing JR and not being recognized, David with JR, Zach's near miss with Cassandra, Angie/Jesse with Amy. No real cliffhanger at the end....

They will have to change how they are editing the material or how the scripts are written. I have no idea if what AMC taped in this last cycle will be easily adaptable in edit or if we'll be having what were originally thought to be midweek shows at the end of the week and them falling flat (just like when we get a preemption on a regular soap and then cliffhanger and resolution are Mon & Tues instead of Fri & Mon). Also you run into the issue of people missing for days on end with the 2 day a week schedule - and that may not be easy to fix in editing.

[R Sinclair]

Who?

[Khan]

I'd rather PP just let them evolve into weekly, one-hour shows.

Oh, you know. That silly soldier girl who went to the bathroom and never came back. I think some actress from GUIDING LIGHT played her?

[allmc2008]

Let's not forget the possibility that we really don't know what goes on behind the scenes. For example, I remember Bob Woods saying he likes the idea of 4 days a week at 30 minutes and the rotation system because it is easier to work then he said around the premier date that it has been hard work!! Point I am trying to make is that this may have been in the works since the end of Week 1 so they could be re-editing some episodes to make the show go by faster. That could explain why Colby wasn't in today's episode.

I highly doubt they came up with this decision today.

[Dee41]

Days? try weeks

[allmc2008]

I still miss her. Beth Ethers played her!!

[~bl~]

BTW Debbi wrote this: (Guess this is the company line...)

 

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>So many of U feel it's just 2 much 2 catch up on. We don't want U 2 feel overwhelmed but will still B bringing U the best stories possible!</p>&mdash; Debbi Morgan(@debbimorgan) <a href="

17, 2013</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Jonathan]

The actors can't be ok with this. Their paychecks were just reduced.

[Cheap21]

Yikes and imagine if PP and GH actually did try and share the OLTL characters. What a mess that would have made

[~bl~]

Actually the actors are being paid for days worked, not episodes aired, so this doesn't change their salary unless eventually they will work less days (so for AMC it doesn't matter as they finished their cycle...though with OLTL they maybe able to work shorter days or have people come in less days so they make less if they are able to fiddle with the scripts.)

[Jonathan]

Right, fewer days = fewer dollars.

[John]

They arent working Less though. That was already said

[Jonathan]

How are they not working less? Julia Barr said in this interview that they were supposed to starting shooting again in June (http://www.examiner.com/article/interview-all-my-children-s-julia-barr-talks-re-launch-adam-dimitri-more), now they are not due back until August.

[jo.frank88]

I agree that this initially makes me nervous about these shows' futures ( as well as how feasable it is or isn't to have our soaps in production and be successful in an online capactity for the future of all our soaps). However, I am impressed with the statement PP released. It seemed thorough and really written to explain things to the fans. It may be a load of crap (I still don't trust these people) but I mean, they could have just released a statement saying "The shows are being reduced to 2 eps/week" No explanation. No further details... If this keeps the shows on the air and going.. then so be it. Also, hopefully this will keep them thriving. I mean, on ABC the shows were each producing 5 hours of programing/week. Now they are producing 1 hour of programming/week. They must be much much more cost effective. My continued hopes for these shows to be successful and thrive!

I agree that this initially makes me nervous about these shows' futures ( as well as how feasable it is or isn't to have our soaps in production and be successful in an online capactity for the future of all our soaps). However, I am impressed with the statement PP released. It seemed thorough and really written to explain things to the fans. It may be a load of crap (I still don't trust these people) but I mean, they could have just released a statement saying "The shows are being reduced to 2 eps/week" No explanation. No further details... If this keeps the shows on the air and going.. then so be it. Also, hopefully this will keep them thriving. I mean, on ABC the shows were each producing 5 hours of programing/week. Now they are producing 1 hour of programming/week. They must be much much more cost effective. My continued hopes for these shows to be successful and thrive!

[greens_dupres]

That's a great point. If this has been in the works for awhile because of production challenges, I feel much better than if PP threw their hands up look at Hulu numbers sometime early this week after 8 real episodes or so had aired and said cut them down.

Trying to get to a really zen good place with this and focus on the positive things we've already gotten. If PP had cancelled them and aborted this whole mission today, I would still be glad we got to see some our favorites again.

In 12 episodes of AMC, I LOVED that I

--found out who JR shot- an unresolved ending devastated me

-got a taste of Miranda/AJ, Bianca/Miranda and AJ/JR dynamics which I have been waiting for pretty much since those characters had been born,

--got that extremely hot fantasy of Cara/David,

--cried for at least 7 minutes over Opal talking to Palmer's picture

--tolerated Zach for the first time ever,

--saw Cady McClain with decent hair for the first time since I started watching in the 90s,

--learned that Agnes Nixon created Angie and Jesse and all of black America in her image

--met Billy Clyde Tuggle (who I am obsessed with after 90 seconds).

In 12 episodes of OLTL, I LOVED that I

---had more Viki/Todd scenes than we got in the last 5 months on ABC and Dorian/Todd for the first time since like 98

---got to see Bo & Nora be fun again, got to hear the term StepNora again

--got a montage with a real, recognizable song

---The Banner is a real important thing again

---saw that adorable bespectacled Sam & watched Andrew Trischitta without screaming "Die. Just die" at my TV

--remembered how beautiful Melissa Archer is after all the years ABC tried to hide it

--watched Victor murder a perfectly adorable giraffe. Laughed hysterically when the giraffe was respectfully covered a few episodes later.

--realized that Kelley Missal is a force with the right material and got invested in Matthew & Des for the first time ever

--had it hammered home that JvD is the perfect Clint recast when he channeled Phil Carey in his Be a Buchanan speech.

I think both shows have good EPs at the helm who care about the fans and their casts who will try really hard to figure this out. And we will get more good stuff in those 2 episodes each week and hopefully all of us can just take a deep breath for the next several weeks while the pacing adjusts & remember the Rylee era and Rex & Gigi time traveling, which are a testament to the fact that less can be more.