Daytime's Master Headwriters: Their Strongest and Weakest Work

[Khan]

Same here.  Thanks, vetsoapfan.  

It's ironic how neither Agnes Nixon nor Douglas Marland were able to sustain any quality on LOVING, a show they co-created.  Same goes for Bridget and Jerome Dobson and SANTA BARBARA.  

[Soapsuds]

Ah I forgot Douglas Marland

I only saw his work on GL and ATWT and loved both of course!

 

 

[YRfan23]

Mine are probably the obvious, but just to contribute...

Bradley Bell:

Strongest: B&B 1993-1995

Honorable Mention: B&B 1998-2002ish

Weakest:2003-present (though there have been some bright spots in the past few years)

 

James E. Reilly 

DOOL:

Strongest:1993-1998

Weakest:2003-2006

 

PASSIONS:

Strongest:1999-2003

Weakest:2004-2008

[vetsoapfan]

The internet is a wonderful thing, and allows us all access to all sorts of historical information. Jason's DAYS History site is an amazing resource.

The failure of LOVING was quite baffling to me. I thought that between Agnes Nixon and Douglas Marland, success would have been guaranteed. In a later interview, Marland acknowledged that their work together was not successful, but he did not elaborate as to why. I guess even the greatest writers can can their off days. SANTA BARBARA under the Dobsons had a certain tone and style that I felt would not necessarily appeal to everyone, but I think what really killed it was the hiring of Anne Howard Bailey, who was a dreadful writer. After her dismal failures on primetime's BEACON HILL and daytime's HOW TO SURVIVE A MARRIAGE, it shocked me that Bailey would ever get a job in soaps again.

[robbwolff]

I've always wondered how much Marland actually contributed to the creation of Loving. Dan Wakefield was originally slated to be the co-creator along with Nixon. But then he left and was replaced by Marland. And supposedly the show's premiere was delayed from March to June. I wonder how the show changed after Marland came on board.

 

 

[beebs]

 

And then to work AGAIN at DAYS after such an awful track record (particularly when Patrick Mulcahey has basically admitted the staff would rewrite ALL of her work before it went to air because it was so god-awful), a move which the show didn't recover from until Reilly's stories took off five years later (and, though I love that era, I question whether or not that's a good thing). It's utterly baffling. The woman must have been the ultimate sweet talker, because her work never backed up the amount of employment she'd get.

[DRW50]

People didn't seem to mind her work at GH, although I guess that might have been more Monty.

[BetterForgotten]

And well, not like GH was known for quality or intelligent writing by that point anyway. 

[beebs]

Yeah, I really think the last head writer to have any modicum of control over the direction of GH in that period would have been Pat Falken Smith. After that, it seems to me to have been a very active collaboration with Monty, though I imagine she had her hands in Marland and PFS' work to some degree as well. 

[JONNYSBRO]

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The Queen

[cassadine1991]

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[victoria foxton]

Guy's how was Nina Laemmie short run as head writer on Days?  there's not to much info on that era online.

[DRW50]

Pretty much how I feel. I tend to think soaps lost their last chance in 1994 and 1995, when the response to declining ratings was pushing hardcore racism and misogyny and brain dead writing.

[titan1978]

I think Monty was producing an entertaining show with the actors generating tons of chemistry and acting the crap out of lackluster stories for most of her first tenure.  The exceptions for me are those first few years under Marland and PFS the show had stories and again once Pat returned, the show once again had stories.  I feel those two periods are the best of the Monty era, even if I loved it overall.

[Michael]

I would actually love to hear more about this, too. Isn't she the one who did that famous "massacre" and wrote out like 12 major characters immediately, and then populated the show with new faces?