Jean Passanante looks back at her career

[JONNYSBRO]

http://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/icymi-jean-passanante-interview2/

 

Wow what an interview from Jean. What a career btw its just astonishing. Linda Gottlieb brought her to oltl. She loved Martys gang rape and being part of that. She talked about AW how they just couldnt save. She talked about AMC when Agnes told her to think vertical. How she went to ATWT because her AMC days numbered. Interesting no mention of YR at all. GH she adores loved the morgan death stuff abd said Shelly is amazing. What a career from this woman.

[depboy]

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[Soapsuds]

+1

[slick jones]

What's the title, Cancellation Queen? How To Bore My Viewers to Death?

 

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My Career, Your Loss?

 

Kill Soap Will Travel?

 

I've got more, but I'll save them for Smelly's Thread once they fire  retire her boring ass.

 

[BetterForgotten]

Nice that she looks back fondly on being a puppet for her networks and EP's. 

[victorlord75]

While the interview was gracious and non-confrontational, I remain convinced that besides GH's falling ratings, the ugly confrontations that JP had on social media contributed to or even forced her "decision" to "retire".  I will give Ms. Passanante credit for one thing.  I have seen interviews with other soap writers through the years, and many times, it seemed to me like the interviewers had to remind the writers of what they actually wrote.  Ms. Passanante seemed to have a good handle on the stories she wrote or had a hand in, years later.  

 

As for her GH tenure, I don't think her biggest blunder was the Julian/Alexis thing with Julian holding a knife to Alexis's throat. The backlash on that one remains, but I think her biggest GH blunder was making Paul Hornsby the hospital serial killer.  I hated the whole story and its conclusion absolutely sucked.  It was written sloppily from beginning to end, a real stinker. 

 

 

[Scrapple]

I really liked the baby-switch story she did on ATWT. It was a true umbrella story, involving Jennifer, Gwen, James, Paul, Emily, Carly, etc.  Unfortuanetly, I hated every other story she was involved with on that show. 

[Jerry675]

Thanks for posting this. One of SOD's better interviews lately. I too found it odd that Jean didnt mention Y&R as it was some of the best work of her career especially Phyllis's and Adam's returns. it was the best y&r had been since early MAB.

 

Loved so many of her ATWT stories like the umbrellas and the Lily/Holden/Carly triangle, Molly's return, the development of Luke and Noah, the Z Twins, Ameera, and Barbara and Lucinda's resurgences. Jean also reinvigorated the Brad character. Wish she could have done more with Casey/Emily coupling

 

There's no way i can adequately thank Jean for all of her hard work and many hours of entertainment that she has given me and so many others. Thank u

[KMan101]

Despite my thoughts on her being a hack most of the time, that was a decent interview.

[Scrapple]

Jerry675, , did you actually cite the Z Twins and Ameera as examples of Jean's good storytelling? I'm speechless.

[RavenWhitney]

She does spill some good dirt, particularly about NBC/AW and how Culliton quit in a tizzy.  There have been stories over the years about Richard Culliton being difficult and/or standing his ground against network interference when he was head writer on various shows.  I guess that's why he never lasted as a head writer.  But whoever was running NBC during the last few years AW was airing should never be allowed to occupy a managerial position in programming for television.  Despite Phelps bad wrap overall through the years, her early AW was the peak before NBC brought in DePriest to replace Tom King/Craig Carlson and Harding Lemay (consultant).  Phelps had assembled a great writing team and the show as a cross between Knots Landing and ER.  I liked it.  Malone, Culliton, then Passanante/Laiman were all awful, particularly Malone who was the wrong choice at the time.  Isn't it amazing that Jean was never intending to be a television writer but was hired to train writers??  It's amazing where the networks found talent i.e. Doug Anderson on GL (a fan of the show and a professor), or Pam Long (actress/Alabama beauty queen).  And let's see: the shows that had the most stability in writers promoted from within for many years.  I.e. Alden/Smith on YR, Broderick/McTavish on AMC.  

[Soapsuds]

Actually I think that's a good quality of his. He was ask to HW the show so he should stand his ground on his stories. He wasn't a puppet like Jean P.

I remember him. How long did he last? I don't recall his stories but I thought GL was fine during his time as HW.

[JONNYSBRO]

 

 

I remember Malones AW was terriblw absolutely dreadful. How did Culliton do compared to Malone on AW? I thought Jean and Leah were better than Malone. NBC was always going to cancel.

[Soaplovers]

Laiman did some good at AW..i was surprised.  Other then Lumina/garden of Eden (she even hinted in an interview at the time that she never wrote stuff like that before and was told to write it), she did decent.  Not great, but loads better then when she headwrote ATWT

[juniorz1]

 

She was actually solid at AW- she also had a strong team behind her, including both Culltions.

 

As for Malone and Culliton, IMO, Malone was actually decent and somewhat of a turning point for the show- yes there was Bobby Reno/Shane Roberts and it was hit or miss mostly, but he did some good, including creating Lila.

 

Richard Culliton's period, IMO, was the most solid headwriting tenure we'd had since Swajeski.  I never fully understood why he was fired from the HW position, aside from the distinct possibility that both P&G and NBC were intentionally tanking AW at that point.  

 

I doubt Laiman would have been nearly as successful if she inherited AW from any of the writers prior to Culliton.  In fact, thank GOD for Culliton because those misses during Malone's period (when I said hit and miss, enough emphasis could not have been put on how bad the misses were) he either fixed or eliminated.  He also restructured the show and fine-tuned the cast of characters back to something more familiar to Bay City.