Passanante/Altman are Y&R's new Head Writers

[DRW50]

I only saw parts of Pratt's AMC run. It does sound worse. As someone who watched too much of her AMC run, I was horrified by huge chunks of it. Putting a black man in a cage and doing a story about how he'd been raised as a dog. Having a heroine shot in the back of the head and having people kick down her hospital room door to get her heart. The story with Janet's ex-con friend who was beaten over the head with a giant candy cane.

[EricMontreal22]

I think Pratt's run was ultimately more *destructive* but the first few months were actually pretty good (I can't say the same for Passanante, although when she co-wrote with Nixon maybe she did some of the stuff I attribute to Nixon--I doubt it though, Agnes seemed to be there just to finish up her Bianca coming out story.) But Pratt at least was more watchable in a car crash way--Passanante, despite wild stories like Libidizone, was largely directionless and slow and dull--Ghost Gillian flitting around town forever (and then ghost Jesse) etc.

[Skin]

I thought the younger set was actually fairly good under Passanante, a lot of people forget that Greenleo's prime years were written under both her and Agnes, same with Ryan/Gillian, Jake/Greenlee, Bianca's high school years, Laura's heart transplant, Dixie/David, Vanessa's run, and a lot of other stuff. I won't say that she was a great writer under any imagination, but I would take her slow and dull AMC with character insights over the hell in a handbasket show that was Pratt's AMC. It got to the point where Pratt was just doing things without purpose just for sheer shock value. He didn't give a damn about characterization or story history.

[EricMontreal22]

WHen Nixon was there, I thought they were fairly strong. But Passanante's solo youth set was not--that's when it was the bimbos, Marcus, dog boy, etc. I seriously don't think under her solo run se offered any character insights, and any good Nixon had helped bring back to the show (a new focus on class issues, etc) was instantly gone.

[Soaplovers]

I remember one scene between Erica/Jack during the libisone episode where he was interested in her and she let him down gently stating that she only viewed him as a friend.. and I recall when she was under the influence of the drug that she slept with David.

Had the show focused on the aftermatch of that night on the boat instead of diving into a Leslie stalking Tad story then it might have people remember it better.

[EricMontreal22]

Psycho Leslie! I completely forgot that mess. Did she introduce her or was that the time she briefly returned? Random psychos is a JP fave.

[cassadine1991]

Wonder if she'll use her ATWT, AW, AMC Bibles for Y&R

[Soaplovers]

Leslie came on in Spring 1999, right around the time Agnes Nixon had briefly returned as head-writer with Elizabeth page. She and David Hayward were old friends and lovers. She flirted with Edmund, David, and Ryan for over a year before the boat party.. and her descent into psycho land.

[JONNYSBRO]

Jean passanante did some classic romance on her other soaps. Romance is what she does best with hints of intrigue. I thought josh griffiths y and r was extremely boring. Jean also does umbrella stories featuring lots of cast. Romance, intrigue and umbrella stories is her speciality

[Skin]

I may just not be remembering her tenure well enough in that it was just so brief, she was only head writer for 7-8 months and then Culliton stepped in. The only things I remember during that arc was the love triangles between Greenlee, Leo, Laura and Jake, David/Dixie, Libidizone, Gillian's death and that's it. I don't really remember dog boy, or any of her more horrible storylines.