SERIAL SCOOP: SOAP OPERA HISTORY: Bill Bell & Claire Labine on Writing Daytime Serials (1997)

[JONNYSBRO]

I agree labine is a mixed bag. She's really good with a very strong EP. Wendy brought out the best in her writers. Guza did some amazing brilliant stuff when she was EP. Let's remember ratings by end of 1995 were slipping.

[Vee]

Labine is a "mixed bag," Jonny? Compared to who? Jean Passanante?

[John]

Ha ha

[cuzIsaySo]

The Puerto Rico remote is a goof argument against the theory that they couldnt do big climax storyline.

They were also responsible for the Ryan Chamberlain psycho storyline which i feel qualify for big drama and managed to make Steve Hardy and Audrey relevant after many years of just being there without much story.

To me its the hour-long format that didnt suit LABINE as she herself stated but at this point there were only two half hour show left and while i think she would have been an excellent headwriter for LOVInG I think she was still holding grudges at AbC for canceling RH to make room for LoVInG.

[allmc2008]

They didn't cancel RH for loving they moved RH to a different time slot.

[cuzIsaySo]

My bad but i know that some sort of change didnt please LaBine and that might have been why she didnt want to take over at LOVING where i think she would have done wonderful work.

And i think i have read somewhere that she partly blame the timeslot change for the rating slide

[Vee]

I was under the impression Labine came in after Ryan's initial rampage which featured Audrey.

[cuzIsaySo]

Didnt she take over in early 1993? I started watching when they introduced Lois Cerullo but i know LaBine was around a few months before that. I always assumed that the Audrey vs Ryan storyline was a LaBine signature story that mixed vets with new vilains.

[cassadine1991]

I thought she appeared in mid-Summer 1993?

[cuzIsaySo]

Based on the character wikipedia page Lois made her first appearance on december 15 1993. But it might be incorrect info.

[cassadine1991]

I meant Labine, Lois' airdate is correct

[Vee]

Labine started in August '93. Ryan, etc. was all introduced a year before. I believe Labine created both Kevin and Lois, four months after her arrival.

[cuzIsaySo]

Im on it Cassadine

I cannot track down an exact date for LaBine official debut as headwriter but from a statement made around that era she seems to be taking the credit for the Jagger/Karen/Jason triangle so it is possible that she took over around summer

I will trust you on it Vee but the Ryan stalks Audrey storyline sounds like such a LaBine storyline to me at least so thats why i was under the impression that it was a LaBine story.

[Vee]

Every source, including Labine herself, cites her starting in August '93. All the teen stuff with Jagger, Karen, Jason, etc. was in swing well before that, as was Ryan Chamberlain (who attacked Audrey in May). Labine came in in late August and wrote Jagger and Karen off early the following spring.

Per We Love Soaps:

Sonny debuted on August 13, 1993. I'm going over this because I made this mistake myself once.

[cuzIsaySo]

Thank you very much Vee

I was myself under the impression that she created Sonny. I guess she came in and made sonny the likable thug as opposed to the drug-feeding one so I will still credit her for creating the Sonny that many fans embraced ( i never did though lol)

But, and not to be nitpicking or anything, but did her stuff start airing in august or did she officially stepped in as hw in august?