BREAKING NEWS: Prospect Park Names New Head Writers of BOTH ‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life to Live’

[Khan]

As far as the PP soaps are concerned, a staff with one HW, who also writes one script per week, and one other writer (or two, if they're working on a "half" deal) would be appropriate. Anything larger would be not only expensive but silly as well.

[jfung79]

I think if it was just LB added, they wouldn't have brought back Blake Berris as Nick Fallon, and that was a really great move at establishing a strong set of younger characters.

Interesting Khan, you think two or three writers would be able to both plan and write 110 episodes a year, fast enough so they are ready for the crammed 5-week multi-episode shoots? I think the small, but not too small, staff they have now is appropriate for the shows. I could see the wisdom of a smaller staff if the shooting wasn't so condensed.

[Soaplovers]

True, but at the same time, I don't think Jack would have been killed off thus putting Jennifer back with the most propped character in recent history on Days Dr. Jonas. I haven't really been a steadfast viewer of the show since that happened.. or was killed Jack off Mcpherson's final idea before she departed?

[DRW50]

Jack was a bit player for most of McPherson's run. I tend to put that on Sony/Corday, as it happens no matter who is around.

[Khan]

D'oh! I keep forgetting they haven't changed the taping schedules!

Ideally, yes, I think 2-3 writers would be able to write 110 episodes per year, if the show(s) adhered to a two-episode-per-week schedule, and the writers wrote ahead of taping. I can't figure out how much lead time the writers would need, but I think it's feasible.

But on AMC/OLTL's production schedule? Probably not, no matter how you slice it. (Ten episodes per week. Jesus Christ.)

[LindaTNo1]

Primetime sitcoms have writing teams. Primetime drama's have writing teams. It takes a villiage to write a good show.

Some of this writing team on AMC were some of the SAME EXACT TEAM THAT SENT AMC RIGHT STRAIGHT INTO CANCELLATION ON ABC.

What is it that Soaps cannot make a clean break with writing teams and find new people? Knowing the history of characters sometimes does not cut it.

The 4 or 5 week on and off scheduling is enough time to write scripts. The writers have plenty of time.

[Soaplovers]

It's true that AMC is employing some of the same writers that help send AMC right to the grave, but they were script writers.. not in charge of story. Perhaps Lisa Connor & Chip Hayes might be better at coming up with ideas then writing day to day scripts (I certainly know I can come up with great story ideas for the characters on AMC.. but I would have difficulty writing up a killer script.).

At least OLTL is going outside of the genre a bit with Marin G., and I'll be interested to see what she has to offer. This is why I would love it if PP would authorize interviews with the new head-writers.. to get to know them, what they love about the shows, and what they would love to add to the shows, etc.

[jfung79]

I don't think it's been confirmed how many episodes they shoot at once. Think they are slowing down from their initial pace, which was not sustainable and leading to going home at 3am, but how much they've slowed, not sure.

[John]

Chip Hayes ‏@ChipHayesAMC3h

Lisa C & I spent last 2 days w/Agnes N, building on AMCs already amazing stories. Brilliant cast = a deep well to draw from. #AMC

[marceline]

In the interest of streamlining discussion, I move that any tweets/posts/news from the new writers of these shows be put in the "In Production" threads. IMO, the last thing this board needs is another thread that turns into a ongoing PP production blog.

[John]

I thought about putting it there but figured here since its about the writing change

[Errol]

The AMC/OLTL In Production threads should be where things like this go, going forward. The point of each is to discuss each show separately.

[cassadine1991]

I already posted Chip Hayes' tweet in the AMC In production thread

[EricMontreal22]

Completely of zero interest to anyone but me, in the press release Agnes says: "ixon. She added, “Lisa Connor collaborated with me on the final draft of the ‘All My Children’ Twenty – Fifth Anniversary Family Album. For two years she also served as a line producer of the program and was creatively involved in plotting and writing daily episodes since 2002.’"

Odd, Lisa's name is nowhere in the credits for the book nor are even Agnes Nixon--it says it was written by Gary Warner.

[LeClerc]

There's a page at the front where Warner does his acknowledgements and Lisa Connor is one of the people he thanks. Which is weird because she had nothing to do with AMC at that time. I think she was a production assistant or something at GL. But she is mentioned.