I'll take the controversial stance and say that I thought Pratt came in with a couple basic ideas that did seem designed to give AMC a shot in the arm - I thought another disaster like the classic tornado, and Bianca marrying another popular daytime star (Tamara Braun), and even the potential issue of Zach fathering Bianca's child were all very solid ideas, on paper. Even the concept behind Beth Ehlers's cursed character, the hawkish army vet, was a very good one. It was in the execution that he utterly failed, with his contempt for AMC and its history and his focus on using Bianca only as a stalking horse to make Zach and Reese the Sonny and Carly of AMC.

I think the Labines at times got a bad rap at OLTL - I loved the animals, Mel Hayes, Eli, Hank and Carlotta, etc. I liked early Todd and Téa. But ultimately I thought the show got very, very boring as well and was sort of running on fumes from the aftermath of the great Gottlieb/Malone/Griffith, Horgan, etc. establishment by that point, and we knew the Labines didn't really want to be there after they'd gotten shut out of their planned GH spinoff - they were finishing out their ABC contract. The most they had to offer were the usual quirks and a few neat characters.

Edited July 4, 201312 yr by Vee

If Clint put in his own money back into Viki's account (which I think he did) then Viki can't be arrested for insider trading, she still lost her money. She just doesn't know it yet.

I believe JFP was behind David Renaldi's return, though I may be wrong. And she dismissed Claire Labine very quickly.

Edited July 4, 201312 yr by Vee

I am a huge Bo and Nora fan going back to the '90s, but I think they're on track with what they need to be doing right now.

Ok that's really good then. I think they're using them wonderfully- they're so central- they're an important factor in Matthew/Destiny story even if we can't see it every week with only 48 minutes, they obviously easily share scenes with Viki/Clint and David, Bo factors into the tattoo mystery and has crossed paths multiple times with Todd & Tea & now with Dani in this Arturo/sugar daddy plot, they've both had cute scenes with Nat- she really feels like their niece who they care about, the radio show has been used well thus far (even though I was initially horrified) & they have cute coupley scenes that reminds me of when I first started watching in the mid90s. I'm enjoying Bo & Nora more than I have in forever.

I suspect the writing handover has been sped up due to the schedule change - I can't recall the dates so I may be mistaken, but I was also under the impression we saw both Bandini and Kate Lane earlier than we were originally told to expect them, so I wonder when we'll be seeing

Jeffrey's mysterious benefactor, Carl Peterson.

It looks like the new cast members showed up as scheduled. Amber Skye Noyes (Michelle), Paolo Seganti (Arturo) and Alice Callahan (Kate) all showed up on June 27.

Marnie Schulenburg (Jo Sullivan) will appear on Tuesday, July 23 (now July 22) as David's reality show producer. Ron Raines (Carl Peterson) is supposed to appear on Tuesday, Aug. 20 (now Aug. 19).

Edited July 4, 201312 yr by cher1989

I'll take the controversial stance and say that I thought Pratt came in with a couple basic ideas that did seem designed to give AMC a shot in the arm - I thought another disaster like the classic tornado, and Bianca marrying another popular daytime star (Tamara Braun), and even the potential issue of Zach fathering Bianca's child were all very solid ideas, on paper. Even the concept behind Beth Ehlers's cursed character, the hawkish army vet, was a very good one. It was in the execution that he utterly failed, with his contempt for AMC and its history and his focus on using Bianca only as a stalking horse to make Zach and Reese the Sonny and Carly of AMC.

I think the Labines at times got a bad rap at OLTL - I loved the animals, Mel Hayes, Eli, Hank and Carlotta, etc. I liked early Todd and Téa. But ultimately I thought the show got very, very boring as well and was sort of running on fumes from the aftermath of the great Gottlieb/Malone/Griffith, Horgan, etc. establishment by that point, and we knew the Labines didn't really want to be there after they'd gotten shut out of their planned GH spinoff - they were finishing out their ABC contract. The most they had to offer were the usual quirks and a few neat characters.

A number of us--myself included, liked the first few weeks (maybe months) of Pratt's run. He also brought back comedy to the show. Then it went off the rails...

The truth is Ron used Bo and Nora very heavily for most of his run, especially after they were on track to reunite, and for that I'll be forever grateful. He knew how to work them for airtime and he knew what would bring people in. But so much of it was very intense, very high drama, dark stuff - Clint's vendetta, Clint hiring Eddie Ford to torment Nora, Matthew being caught up in that, then later Matthew's coma, etc. - it was all so heartwrenching and frankly, exhausting and tiresome by the end with Destiny's pregnancy, where Nora was so heavy-handed. I think Bo and Nora are more than due their happiness and quieter time now, and they do still figure heavy in other story.

I'll take the controversial stance and say that I thought Pratt came in with a couple basic ideas that did seem designed to give AMC a shot in the arm - I thought another disaster like the classic tornado, and Bianca marrying another popular daytime star (Tamara Braun), and even the potential issue of Zach fathering Bianca's child were all very solid ideas, on paper. Even the concept behind Beth Ehlers's cursed character, the hawkish army vet, was a very good one. It was in the execution that he utterly failed, with his contempt for AMC and its history and his focus on using Bianca only as a stalking horse to make Zach and Reese the Sonny and Carly of AMC.

I think the Labines at times got a bad rap at OLTL - I loved the animals, Mel Hayes, Eli, Hank and Carlotta, etc. I liked early Todd and Téa. But ultimately I thought the show got very, very boring as well and was sort of running on fumes from the aftermath of the great Gottlieb/Malone/Griffith, Horgan, etc. establishment by that point, and we knew the Labines didn't really want to be there after they'd gotten shut out of their planned GH spinoff - they were finishing out their ABC contract. The most they had to offer were the usual quirks and a few neat characters.

A number of us--myself included, liked the first few weeks (maybe months) of Pratt's run. He also brought back comedy to the show. Then it went off the rails...

I'm like 4 episodes behind now but the amount this name Kate keeps popping up in the threads, I'm not sure I care to get caught up.

A number of us--myself included, liked the first few weeks (maybe months) of Pratt's run. He also brought back comedy to the show. Then it went off the rails...

Didn't he also have some sort of storyline going where Babe and J.R. and the other lower-caste worker drones of Fusion (Amanda, etc.) were trying to take the company from the queen bees, Kendall and Greenlee? I thought that was a great idea and then they killed the boring NuBabe off, and I guess it disappeared.

I also loved that he made Annie into Kimberly or Sydney from MP - and I loved her with Adam and J.R. So there's that. But would I say he had any sense of proportion or mature writing? No. It was all broad comic book, big ideas done mostly poorly. This was particularly evident again when I rewatched the 2003 GH episode they showed during the SoapNet anniversary marathon - I remember that era well but I haven't seen it in years; there was Ric and the panic room story with Braun's Carly, with Ric having met and married and set up house with Liz mere months after his original scheme against Sonny and Carly - just in time to kidnap her again and shut her in his panic room just off the living room. Sure, it was a nailbiting storyline, but it and everything else on that show (Faith Rosco, etc.) was sheer cartoon.

It looks like the new cast members showed up as scheduled. Amber Skye Noyes (Michelle), Paolo Seganti (Arturo) and Alice Callahan (Kate) all showed up on June 27.

Marnie Schulenburg (Jo Sullivan) will appear on Tuesday, July 23 (now July 22) as David's reality show producer. Ron Raines (Carl Peterson) is supposed to appear on Tuesday, Aug. 20 (now July 19).

Ron Raines (Carl Peterson) actually debuts on Aug.19, not July 19!

Edited July 4, 201312 yr by CBRVA83

Didn't he also have some sort of storyline going where Babe and J.R. and the other lower-caste worker drones of Fusion (Amanda, etc.) were trying to take the company from the queen bees, Kendall and Greenlee? I thought that was a great idea and then they killed the boring NuBabe off, and I guess it disappeared.

I also loved that he made Annie into Kimberly or Sydney from MP - and I loved her with Adam and J.R. So there's that. But would I say he had any sense of proportion or mature writing? No. It was all broad comic book, big ideas done mostly poorly. This was particularly evident again when I rewatched the 2003 GH episode they showed during the SoapNet anniversary marathon - I remember that era well but I haven't seen it in years; there was Ric and the panic room story with Braun's Carly, with Ric having met and married and set up house with Liz mere months after his original scheme against Sonny and Carly - just in time to kidnap her again and shut her in his panic room just off the living room. Sure, it was a nailbiting storyline, but it and everything else on that show (Faith Rosco, etc.) was sheer cartoon.

I agree, LOVED what Pratt did with Annie, that total 180 and also putting her in the Chandlers' orbit

I'm like 4 episodes behind now but the amount this name Kate keeps popping up in the threads, I'm not sure I care to get caught up.

She actually really hasn't had all that much airtime even though there's been a lot of conversation- don't let it deter you- it hasn't become the Kate show at all.

I think the Labines at times got a bad rap at OLTL - I loved the animals, Mel Hayes, Eli, Hank and Carlotta, etc. I liked early Todd and Téa. But ultimately I thought the show got very, very boring as well and was sort of running on fumes from the aftermath of the great Gottlieb/Malone/Griffith, Horgan, etc. establishment by that point, and we knew the Labines didn't really want to be there after they'd gotten shut out of their planned GH spinoff - they were finishing out their ABC contract. The most they had to offer were the usual quirks and a few neat characters.

Eli- that was sweet little story- hated how he just kind of disappeared. They did use RJ well & I completely blanked on Mel. And I loved that parrot- I was ashamed to admit that earlier in the thread. If Todd was to get a new parrot, I would probably jump up and down. I think the Labine stuff that was good was really good but the stuff that was boring was so so mind numbingly boring (circus school, Men of 21 finale etc). But I can look back on their time on the whole with a lot more fondness and nostalgia than a lot what their successors did-. Like people have pointed out, there were certainly bright spots about later regimes. When Cartini OLTL was good, I really enjoyed the hell out if it (Bitchy Bangs springs right to mind) but very little of it gripped me emotionally and when it went off the rails, it went far far off.

Edited July 4, 201312 yr by greens_dupres

R.J. was always a huge favorite of mine, as most people know. If not for network daytime being what it was and is he could've run that show himself for years the way Maurice Benard and Sonny did GH. I would kill to have him back, but they'd have to find a real story and woman for him. If Vicky Rowell had not burned every possible bridge available to her I'd suggest her name, but I can't in good conscience cosign that today after her most recent episodes, particularly online.

But then, I always wanted Robert Wisdom or Clarke Peters to come on and romance Viki at the Banner, so it's not like I don't already live in a very rich fantasy world.

Edited July 4, 201312 yr by Vee

R.J. was always a huge favorite of mine, as most people know. If not for network daytime being what it was and is he could've run that show himself for years the way Maurice Benard and Sonny did GH. I would kill to have him back, but they'd have to find a real story and woman for him.

IMO, Lindsay was that woman.