Soap Writers Original Plans

[BetterForgotten]

Courtney was named after JFP's own daughter, lol. 

[KMan101]

 

I don't think I ever cared to learn her daughter's name and I'm sure I knew that but totally forgot. Explains everything. Wasn't Pratt all gungho for her but Guza wasn't? Am I remembering that correctly?

[carolineg]

 

I mean, I have no idea if that's the case with Frank/Vanessa but it seems like it.  You know Guza would have camped out in Vanessa's back yard to get her back if he could have.  Frank just seems indifferent. But her stock was a lot higher back then too.

 

LW's Carly in general doesn't bother me.  She just comes off loud and obnoxious.  I didn't have a huge attachment to Carly to begin with even with SJB so it's not as jarring.  I liked both TB and SJB and Carly as a character should be a lot more interesting than she is.  But LW seems like a great team player, loyal, attractive enough, and honestly always tries.   Her lack of chemistry with MB bothers me more than Sonny and Carly.  They are fine, but they should be so much better.  But then I hate when they pair Sonny with some young petite brunette, so I guess I am okay with it.  Carly could do better though.

 

AH and her messy hair bother me.  And I liked her on loving.  She is the KeMo of Y&R.  Boredom is their acting choice...

[soapfan770]

 

 

Yeah I was impressed by what Taggert had going on at the start of 2003, with Carmen finally gone, Bill & Michelle, Danny & Cassie(Lol at the show trying to do Casey @ Ally 2.0), Ed & Holly getting decent airtime, and yes even a surprisingly fun guest stint of Signey Coleman playing Annie Dutton as red herring in Reva’s stalker story. 
 

I can’t believe the show was so decimated within a month’s time with a HUGE drop in quality that spring so fast as soon as Conboy and Weston and that at that point 67 years of GL history was completely twisted and retconned!

 

The following year not long after Wheeler took over I was just so relieved when I read about Dinah being cast because WesCon had gotten to the point where if had happened before 2003, it didn’t happen. Kriezman & Wheeler’s first year was refreshing but they really both too green and would focus on the wrong things. The constant budget crises and Wheeler becoming emotionally unmoored as EP caused definitely didn’t help. 

[Mitch]

I always wondered what happened with the Joan Collins debacle of that time. It seems that she quit when Rauch left though she said she always had an agreement with him that she would do her book tour. I wonder if it was Rauch goes, I go, and MADD was happy to save the money, or something else. Oy..we had to go from smooth as silk Alex to Marj's schrieking mess Alex.

[soapfan770]

Collins only had a 6-month contract, I seriously doubt she would have stayed beyond that even if Rauch had decided to stay.

 

Speaking of the MADD one, Ellen Wheeler was actually seriously considered to replace Rauch as EP as was Gary Tomlin lol, while after Taggart was out apparently Richard Culliton was approached to join Carolyn as co-HW. I’m not sure how well a Tomlin/Richard Culliton GL era would have gone over. 

[KMan101]

 

To be fair, PAS/LW had chemistry and I was all for it. It sure beat soccer mom Michelle and LW stuck in Bradley Cole hell.

 

But yeah, Taggart's time is the last time I felt truly invested. Really would have loved to see her have more time. Conboy/Weston really drove me away for a while. I know we all despised their tenure. lol

 

Agreed on Rick/Mindy. Rick/Mel were instantly put together and had very little conflict. When they did it was all so dumb and forgettable. Yvonna Kopacz/Wright was wasted. But so were a lot of actors at the end of the day.

 

Agreed on Kreizman/Wheeler. The first year wasn't bad and I was definitely tuning back in. Jammy hell ultimately pushed me away again along with the loss of so many veterans (notably Ross, Ed, Holly & Phillip) and just about everyone going recurring ... At least we got a good Dinah recast and Vanessa back, I guess. It just all fell apart, for various reasons that you mentioned. It's really sad thinking back on.

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[watson71]

 

Tomlin and the Cullitons did write an entertaining and engaging Another World in 1984.  It definitely would have been better than Conboy and Weston.

[KMan101]

 

That's for sure!

 

Richard Culliton seemed best suited for AW ultimately. His stints on AMC and GH were hot messes (although 96-97 was messy in general for GH due to various things, so not all on him, imo).

[BetterForgotten]

If I remember correctly, Francesca James was also said to be in the running at the time for EP.

 

Why MADD plucked Conboy out of nowhere after he had been dormant in daytime for like a decade still baffles me. 

 

 

[titan1978]

Especially when anyone that knows him knows he is not known for being budget minded.

 

Was he the one that had that baseball set built for Shane Lewis?

 

I know I was really enjoying the show, and then all of a sudden Matt Bomer is a maniac and Marty West is being forced down our throats.

[KMan101]

 

Yep (on the baseball set)

 

I was so turned off by that period. 

 

He completely blew the budget. Not that Rauch and Phelps didn't do their fair share before him. 

[Khan]

 

True.

 

Someone needed to remind John Conboy he wasn't producing Y&R or CAPITOL anymore.  GL was a completely different show.  One that needed a solid writing team more than it needed lavish sets and atmospheric lighting.

[BetterForgotten]

The fact Conboy tried to get Bill Bell fired from his own damn show should have tipped people off that there wasn't something quite right there, despite his flair for the aesthetics. 

[soapfan770]

He actually was pretty good  with ATWT in 1995 for the most part, not sure why he was let go as the show infamously imploded not long afterward. It was his insipid 2nd tenure for AW that left me very underwhelmed, although I know other factors were involved as well.