The "new" Headwriting team were the same writers during the final years of AMC on ABC that got the show into cancellation and sent viewership down in ratings. Yes, Chip Hayes and Lisa Conner were on the writing team during those 2000's final years that sent the show into cancellation so I don't think they will do very much better than the fired team did. Knowing a show does not necessarily equate success.

All soaps these days have their list of staple and routine storylines with very little imagination and creativity not to mention little originality. It is a vicious cycle of repeating the same ol' or stealing storyline ideas from other soap operas. Viewership has declined in Soap Operas/Serial drama's because of lack of originality and not being able to come up with fresh ideas.

Daytime Soaps are a dying breed, hanging on by a thread and no longer getting long term deals from networks anymore. And online shows are coming and going too. Just because a show is online does not mean longevity and can be taken off anytime too. The internet has given an alternative for shows and viewership to add variety in viewers tastes and preferences.

AMC new writing team will have to offer something to PP to get them to give a 2nd season and make it worth their investment, for sure. I think some better forward progress is going to be critical and move on to other characters that have not had the opportunity for decent storyline in this first year of production. Celia storyline is stagnating. Get Griffin back ASAP.

For long term survival a show cannot continue to say bumps and hiccups and experimental phase, sudden changes out of nowhere, and other things that it is OK for now to say. I think that a 2nd year will happen but for a 3rd year to happen, AMC will have to calm down, settle down, and get a fixed structure firmly in place to see a 3rd year happen. A 2nd year, 2014, will be alot and tell alot, overall.

Yes PP will have to give the actors guarantees and set in stone scheduling so they can be able to have more time for other projects. It is time for PP to make up their minds. Besides the actors reps will be getting down to the serious brass tacks on re-negotiating a new contract for 2014 and making demands and other things to signing another contract with the show. It won't be like the last time with negotiatons and signing the 1 year deal.

Hopefully, things will be more stable with the hopes of a 2nd year in the CT studios.

Linda I didnt know you had a seat at the negotiating table. Oh wait you, dont. So do us all a favor here and when you write of something you have no idea what you speak of add an In my opinion there. Please don't write like you know how contract talks between PP & the actors go.

IMO, the actors may perfer one year deals. Gives them more flexability

Edited August 14, 201312 yr by John

The "new" Headwriting team were the same writers during the final years of AMC on ABC that got the show into cancellation and sent viewership down in ratings. Yes, Chip Hayes and Lisa Conner were on the writing team during those 2000's final years that sent the show into cancellation so I don't think they will do very much better than the fired team did. Knowing a show does not necessarily equate success.

All soaps these days have their list of staple and routine storylines with very little imagination and creativity not to mention little originality. It is a vicious cycle of repeating the same ol' or stealing storyline ideas from other soap operas. Viewership has declined in Soap Operas/Serial drama's because of lack of originality and not being able to come up with fresh ideas.

Daytime Soaps are a dying breed, hanging on by a thread and no longer getting long term deals from networks anymore. And online shows are coming and going too. Just because a show is online does not mean longevity and can be taken off anytime too. The internet has given an alternative for shows and viewership to add variety in viewers tastes and preferences.

AMC new writing team will have to offer something to PP to get them to give a 2nd season and make it worth their investment, for sure. I think some better forward progress is going to be critical and move on to other characters that have not had the opportunity for decent storyline in this first year of production. Celia storyline is stagnating. Get Griffin back ASAP.

For long term survival a show cannot continue to say bumps and hiccups and experimental phase, sudden changes out of nowhere, and other things that it is OK for now to say. I think that a 2nd year will happen but for a 3rd year to happen, AMC will have to calm down, settle down, and get a fixed structure firmly in place to see a 3rd year happen. A 2nd year, 2014, will be alot and tell alot, overall.

Yes PP will have to give the actors guarantees and set in stone scheduling so they can be able to have more time for other projects. It is time for PP to make up their minds. Besides the actors reps will be getting down to the serious brass tacks on re-negotiating a new contract for 2014 and making demands and other things to signing another contract with the show. It won't be like the last time with negotiatons and signing the 1 year deal.

Hopefully, things will be more stable with the hopes of a 2nd year in the CT studios.

For GODS sake do you know anything about how a soap works let alone how to read the opening credits? The first writers are the Head Writers, then they go down from there. Chip and Lisa were never HW's!! They were script/breakdown writers for the most part. They were not in charge of story!!! They did what the job description told them to do. Actually, if someone like Chip/Lisa or Addie was hired as HW within the last 5-10 years I bet the show would have been thriving!

I wonder who the last HW was that was hired within besides McTavish??

Gordon Rayfield I think? But Frons obviously hired him as a stop gap while trying to get McTavish or another higher profile name when he came in--which is what he did. I don't believe Rayfield had a big history there though... (Frons should have just kept Culliton on till then but I guess that may have cost more money....)

Yes PP will have to give the actors guarantees and set in stone scheduling so they can be able to have more time for other projects. It is time for PP to make up their minds. Besides the actors reps will be getting down to the serious brass tacks on re-negotiating a new contract for 2014 and making demands and other things to signing another contract with the show. It won't be like the last time with negotiatons and signing the 1 year deal.

And you know what the actors' reps are planning how exactly? I can't imagine these actors reps are encouraging them to play serious hardball with a start-up company because outlandish demands will likely not be met. Thee actors seem to grasp that working with PP on what is essentially a pilot program of sorts is vastly different than negotiating with ABC in 1990- I'm not sure why you can't. AMC is making it work without Lucci- I love many of these actors but I don't think anyone should feel that they're not expendable. Honestly, I'll be surprised to see any of the veteran AMC cast walking away- everyone seemed nothing but gung ho on the way they were treated during filming & they seem to love their EP. It may not be a fixed schedule but its acting work with their old friends with a bulit-in fanbase.

Eric, it's fine and believe me, I wasn't offended. I just didn't want to seem like the voice of negativity, or like I was pushing any sort of agenda. I'd like (both of) these shows to succeed.

Vee, believe me, I'm not waiting for these writers to be gone - I'm waiting for them to stay for a while, and to be empowered to do good work for more than a nanosecond. What you said about OLTL is actually kind of ironic, because that was the show I was most looking forward to seeing again, but that's been 99% absence from this back and forth. The length of time that I watched AMC on Hulu was probably the longest time I ever watched the show, ever. But the Nixon shows were the remaining shows, at the time they went off, that were closest to what I would like to see in soaps, so again I'm hoping for the best across the board.

They've done good work for more than a nanosecond, though. This whole run of shows is that team. You don't have to miss a thing. And the people that replaced them were on the existing team and come highly recommended - there's nothing to despair about, at least not yet.