31 minutes ago, Darn said:

My theory on why certain writers and producers (and actors) keep getting hired after utter failures is because daytime is a machine and constantly in motion. They need people who can do the job, not those who can do it well but who can push the work out on time and within the budget.

 

That's all that's mattered over the last decade or so. These networks couldn't afford to replace these shows so they just needed to keep them afloat and if that means presenting mediocre work so be it as long as there was something to show.

 

Yep. +1

1 hour ago, Darn said:

My theory on why certain writers and producers (and actors) keep getting hired after utter failures is because daytime is a machine and constantly in motion. They need people who can do the job, not those who can do it well but who can push the work out on time and within the budget.

 

That's all that's mattered over the last decade or so. These networks couldn't afford to replace these shows so they just needed to keep them afloat and if that means presenting mediocre work so be it as long as there was something to show.

 

Amen!  GH proves this daily!  

They all do really. Look at Days, they're over 6 months ahead for no discernible reason other than money. They keep hiring that hack Dena Higley. Days used to be a lot of things but it was anything but boring, however now we have endless scenes of people wandering in parks and plots that move at a glacial pace. It's televised sominex.

 

I forget who it is that keeps talking about daytime writer programs but I'd encourage them to show up at one of these studios with 200+ scripts and they'd be hired on the spot. They do not care about the quality.

 

Y&R is the closest thing we have to decent soap at the moment and even that is questionable because we've been sold this bill of goods before, article upon article about how they're going to do things differently and return the show to it's former glory. Remember all that nonsense Maria Arena Bell told the spin doctors at the magazines about how she and her team would put Y&R on the right path? They're all programmed to say that and we're meant to be the sheeple who sop it up.

The lack of background music is so weird.

Jill gets hired because she is tough, fast and cheap, but can still pull off vaguely expensive-looking stunts that impress the execs, usually by slaughtering costs elsewhere (veterans, sets). She's an old hack with a specific wheelhouse. As Darn said, it's all about who can produce on time and on budget line, period. It's the same in many areas of this business, but unlike other areas quality control is at a nadir in daytime.

 

CBS and Sony appear to have made a commitment to better quality writing-wise, and I think the show is coming along well. But it's still hamstrung by the sliced-down production, and that is not going to change.

Edited January 6, 20178 yr by Vee

41 minutes ago, DeeeDee said:

The lack of background music is so weird.

I'm still beyond shocked Sally hasn't restored at least some of the classic scores...

 

JFP is not cheap actually her productions are usually very expensive costly aka metro court, gh fire, oltl train crash and the big plane crash at YR. Jill has 11 emmys out of 20 nods, EP 6 soaps and worked 40 years straight. 1976 to 2016. What exec producer in soaps can match her resume?

3 hours ago, Juliajms said:

Truth. I like the actor playing Reed, but I don't care for his introduction. Victoria has acted so coldly towards him.  It's like she needs Billy to convince her she wants her own son around. Then when she said "I don't even know my own son". Ridiculous. I don't care if JT had full custody, does Victoria not have Skype and access to a private plane? Same when Victor said he hadn't seen Reed in years and didn't seem to recognize him. Are we to believe Victoria didn't get summers/holidays and she let that go on for years without challenging the custody agreement? All nonsense and not how people with unlimited resources behave. 

 

Right. They didn't talk on the phone?  Victor didnt go to his middle school graduation? 

 

When Vikki said "When I agreed to let you stay here..." she sounded as if she was doing a favor for some distant adult relative down on his luck  instead of a mother raising a child who should be feeling guilty for not being a bigger part of his life (that's if we believe she wasn't)  

 

 

Edited January 6, 20178 yr by ajsp35801

5 hours ago, Juliajms said:

Truth. I like the actor playing Reed, but I don't care for his introduction. Victoria has acted so coldly towards him.  It's like she needs Billy to convince her she wants her own son around. Then when she said "I don't even know my own son". Ridiculous. I don't care if JT had full custody, does Victoria not have Skype and access to a private plane? Same when Victor said he hadn't seen Reed in years and didn't seem to recognize him. Are we to believe Victoria didn't get summers/holidays and she let that go on for years without challenging the custody agreement? All nonsense and not how people with unlimited resources behave. 

Again, the problem of making these characters so wealthy (apparently) when very little of what we see onscreen supports this.

4 hours ago, Darn said:

Y&R is the closest thing we have to decent soap at the moment and even that is questionable because we've been sold this bill of goods before, article upon article about how they're going to do things differently and return the show to it's former glory. Remember all that nonsense Maria Arena Bell told the spin doctors at the magazines about how she and her team would put Y&R on the right path? They're all programmed to say that and we're meant to be the sheeple who sop it up

The new producer Mal Young was on real hws of beverly hills having a chat with Erika Girardi about a job for her and he stated that all soap characters fall into a "trope" i.e. girl next door, hooker with heart of gold, etc.  Leads me to believe that what we're going to get from this regime is more completely predictable writing and totally uninteresting characters shuffled in and out while keeping the "vets" who are bullet proof and cannot be fired.  Was anyone on the edge of their seat wondering if Devon was going to survive the car crash?  Is it a question in anyone's mind if Cane and Lily will get a divorce this year or either one of them will stray?  The next time Jack gets stuck in an elevator will it go crashing to the basement?  The next time the ceiling falls on Jack and Victor will either of them die?  Since the answer is obviously no, the writers should be coming up with other ways to create drama but I don't see it happening.  There's a huge lack of creativity.

The other thing i saw on Mal Youngs twitter was fans advocating for the return of Michael Muhney as Adam.  Honestly, soap fans are the most loyal fans of any, they never give up!

Monday's episode ...

 

Reed and Nikki have some interaction. It's sweet. And then Nikki/Victoria. But beforehand Billy continues to insert himself with Victoria but she more or less shuts him down. He later gets some time with Phyllis To be honest they do have much more chemistry than he has with Heinle. It's too bad they were trashed for that storyline. But they have a nice scene together.

 

Ashley gave Ravi Phyllis' old office. She of course had to come and get some files so we get some Ravi/Phyllis interaction. I remain liking him. I hope they continue to keep him around. Of course Ashley comes in and she and Phyllis go at each other.

 

Jack and Gloria meet up at Nick's dive bar. She wants him to invest in Fenmore's and wants a job from it all. Chapman is going to town chewing the scenery but it's still fun. I enjoyed it all. She's clearly relishing being given something to do again and I like how protective she is of Lauren and why she likes Lauren with Michael.

 

Lauren tells Michael about the problems and they handle it well. Really enjoyed seeing Lauren's side of it and how supportive Michael is.

 

A good episode for character interaction. Nothing earth-shattering.

3 minutes ago, Paul Raven said:

Again, the problem of making these characters so wealthy (apparently) when very little of what we see onscreen supports this.

Yeah, I feel like they are bending the story to push Villy in ways that don't make sense.  It's contrived nonsense. I'm one of the few people on this board that can stand Villy, but I dislike the way Billy is inserting himself into Victoria and Reed's relationship and the way they are making Victoria look incompetent as both a parent and a human being.  She has half a billion dollars, but she can't find an after hours handyman.

4 minutes ago, piperisthenewsookie said:

The new producer Mal Young was on real hws of beverly hills having a chat with Erika Girardi about a job for her and he stated that all soap characters fall into a "trope" i.e. girl next door, hooker with heart of gold, etc.  Leads me to believe that what we're going to get from this regime is more completely predictable writing and totally uninteresting characters shuffled in and out while keeping the "vets" who are bullet proof and cannot be fired.  Was anyone on the edge of their seat wondering if Devon was going to survive the car crash?  Is it a question in anyone's mind if Cane and Lily will get a divorce this year or either one of them will stray?  The next time Jack gets stuck in an elevator will it go crashing to the basement?  The next time the ceiling falls on Jack and Victor will either of them die?  Since the answer is obviously no, the writers should be coming up with other ways to create drama but I don't see it happening.  There's a huge lack of creativity.

The other thing i saw on Mal Youngs twitter was fans advocating for the return of Michael Muhney as Adam.  Honestly, soap fans are the most loyal fans of any, they never give up!

 

Mal Young isn't wrong that characters fall into tropes but they are so much more than that. Or they should be. Disappointed to hear him say that. No comment on Muhney and his stans.

2 minutes ago, Juliajms said:

Yeah, I feel like they are bending the story to push Villy in ways that don't make sense.  It's contrived nonsense. I'm one of the few people on this board that can stand Villy, but I dislike the way Billy is inserting himself into Victoria and Reed's relationship and the way they are making Victoria look incompetent as both a parent and a human being.  She has half a billion dollars, but she can't find an after hours handyman.

 

Me too! I can't stand it. And they're not dropping it either. I've never liked the coupling no matter who is playing Billy. That drip playing Victoria doesn't help. EDIT: Oh My God. On Monday they even have Nikki propping Billy. Lawd! And wow, Victoria mentions coming home from boarding school to torture Ashley and Victor! Love the history mention but hate who's playing her.

Edited January 6, 20178 yr by KMan101

3 minutes ago, piperisthenewsookie said:

The other thing i saw on Mal Youngs twitter was fans advocating for the return of Michael Muhney as Adam.  Honestly, soap fans are the most loyal fans of any, they never give up!

There are times when loyalty is a good thing and times when it comes across as pathological.

I think Billy's 'hip' air guitar displays and such are obnoxious and OTT, but I don't mind him with Reed. They're obviously working overtime to rehab his and Victor's characters without rushing anything romantic with Victoria, and while some of those efforts with both men have been very hamfisted I think it's to their credit that they understand there's been a problem and are eager to address it.

 

It's best to put Billy with people where he can seem human and decent, and I think he's being very decent with Reed and Victoria, Traci, etc. It's never going to be perfect or exactly what I'd do - I don't care about Heinle's Victoria much at all - but it's a good effort, IMO, and I do like Jason Thompson in the role when Billy isn't just being an ass (though to be fair, Billy is often historically an ass).

Edited January 6, 20178 yr by Vee