With the recent Days of our Lives head-writer switch that was announced, people are wondering how the show will further be eroded, or improved. It has gotten me to think that certain head-writers have certain tropes (elements) that they use on each show they head-write...case in point..

Douglas Marland:

He had a teen romance and introduces a working class family

Doctors: Billy/Gretel teen romance, working class family introduced were the Dancys.

General Hospital: Scotty/Laura teen romance, working class family introduced was Luke/Bobbie/Aunt Ruby

Guiding Light: Kelly/Morgan teen romance, working class family introduced were the Reardons.

As the World Turns: Lily/Holden teen romance, working class family introduced were the Snyders.

Lorraine Broderick:

The most consistent stamp she has introduced on shows she's headwritten, is the evil villian that is 'killed' and three women hide the body, but it vanishes.. and he pops up later. One of the three women are usually fragile.

All My Children: Kinder.. Janet, Erica, and Skye hide the body.. he vanishes, then pops up alive...

As the World Turns: David Steinbeck.. Julia, Lily, and Carly hide the body.. he vanishes and pops up alive.. Julia eventually goes nuts.

Days of Our Lives: Nick Fallon.. Sami, Kate, and Gabi hide the body.. it vanishes and he pops up alive. Gabi goes nuts and kills Nick for real.

Any others?

He also used Kay (Katherine ) Chancellor for Kay Alden and Jack Curtis/Abbott for Jack Smith.

Phillip Chancellor for his wife's maiden and professional name?

Edited February 22, 201510 yr by Paul Raven

Pat Falken Smith had two rape victims--both named Laura, weirdly enough--ultimately fall in love and marry their rapists (okay, technically Thom Racina wrote L&L's wedding, but still).

The fact that Laura on GH became Laura Spencer (Laura Horton's maiden name) after she married Luke makes the connection even weirder.

To be fair, though, L&L were not originally meant to fall in love.

Maybe not under Marland, but she wrote the left handed boy and spent a year having them fall in love. She wrote the foundation of their relationship, and only quit when Monty wanted to go SciFi. I think she and her team created the Cassadines, and started the Ice Princess story.

He also used Kay (Katherine ) Chancellor for Kay Alden and Jack Curtis/Abbott for Jack Smith.

Phillip Chancellor for his wife's maiden and professional name?

I thought Katherine was already on the show before Alden joined the staff. Do you mean they started calling her Kay after Alden arrived?

Brock Broughton was the set decorator for Y&R in the 70's, so I assumed Brock Reynolds (Kay's son) was named after him. Broughton went on to do the sets for Dynasty in the 80's.

SB just had too many rapes, past and present, PERIOD, for a 9 year run: Kelly, Gina (backstory), Christy, Eden, Julia, Mary, BJ (molested), Hayley. MOST OF THEM WERE RELATED IN SOME WAY. They could've had a support group in the Capwell mansion alone. It was just too much for me after a point.

Also, didn't the Dobson's have a fascination with rape?

GL: Holly & Rita were raped by Roger.

ATWT: Dee thought she was raped by John, but realized she had been thinking of someone else while making love with John then freaked when she realized she was with John??

SB: Carnation killer, Eden's brutal rape, then Julia being raped.

AMC also had a "thing" about rape, it seems, particularly when it came to "bad" girls: Erica (retcon), Brooke, Natalie, Julia, Kit Fisher, Gloria....

AMC also had a "thing" about rape, it seems, particularly when it came to "bad" girls: Erica (retcon), Brooke, Natalie, Julia, Kit Fisher, Gloria....

That is true, not only about the rape.. but that the victims were usually scheming females that were 'redeemed' by the rape.

Though on occasion Gloria was still a fighter and could tell when a con was going on (which confused me about the whole Dimitri thing) and Erica actually became stronger and hardened by the experience..

Margaret Depriest did do serial killer stories, but only on two of the soaps she head-wrote for.

DAYS: I'm not sure if she did the strangler, but she did do the slasher story which involved the murder of a popular anti-heroine.

AW: Sin Stalker (led to the murder of a popular character Quinn, which caused a surprise backlash) and then again in the mid 90s (led to the death of Frankie.. only after original choice Donna was saved by a spoiler leak and fan outrage caused them to shift gears).

However, other then that... I think Depriest was known more for keeping the ball rolling as opposed to getting the ball rolling (her 70s stints on LOL and The Doctors support that).. so having her come in to write for AW both times when the show was struggling never made sense.. nor did her head-writing Sunset Beach make much sense either.

Edited February 22, 201510 yr by Soaplovers

Bill Bell also did the 'man goes missing from family and town(Mickey/Victor) through bizarre circumstances (amnesia/carjacking) and finds refuge with simple farm girl (Maggie/Hope)with disability (paralysis/blindness)].

Bill Bell also did stories were a character accidentally fell in love with a sibling.

Days: Marie & Tommy

Y&R: Lorie & Mark Henderson, Victoria Newman & Cole Howard (later turned out to be not true).

Didn't Bell also use the name 'Mark" for Tommy Horton's new identity ?

Bill Bell also did stories were a character accidentally fell in love with a sibling.

Y&R: Lorie & Mark Henderson, Victoria Newman & Cole Howard (later turned out to be not true).

Cricket & Scott

DePriest seemed to be the go-to for killing plots. It is sort of interesting how she penned two at each of the soaps she was at.

I notice that rape trend as well. It's not one I like.