Jill Farren Phelps Podcast Interview

[Forever8]

In my opinion, Jill Farren Phelps would've thrived more in the daytime world if she would've gotten the opportunity to create or at least be in charge of a brand new soap. I think she would've loved working on a show in the vein of Irish Soap Opera Red Rock. I mean it had her favorite thing as an EP. 

 

• Crime
• Police
• Murder Mystery 

 

 

 

[BetterForgotten]

She gave her writers a lot of creative liberty at a Santa Barbara, which is what endeared it to a cult audience in the US and mass audience worldwide.

 

At GL, she was fortunate to have Nancy Curlee and Stephen Demorest for the start of her tenure. She would never work with writers as good again after this - she would either try to be the de facto HW like she was at OLTL, be sidelined like was at GH in favor of Guza, or steamroll over weak writers like Josh Griffith at Y&R.

 

AW was different situation as it was on the road to cancellation before she got there. NBC almost cancelled the show in 1993 along with Santa Barbara, but decided against it at the last moment. When DAYS had a commercial renaissance under Reilly in the mid 90’s and AW didn’t benefit from that, it’s fate was sealed.

Edited May 17, 2020 by BetterForgotten

[Franko]

This. If nothing else, it would have been interesting to see how she did completely on her own terms. Of course, for the full experience (i.e. no way to rationalize whatever happened), it would have to be a primetime show. (See also, Hogan Sheffer making a movie, Frons doing an HBO show, etc.)

[chrisml]

I would also say this was her big mistake as she didn't focus on long-term storylines. SB told stories the way PC would years later--in 13 week cycles. When you were between cycles, the show could be dull. If JFP had been able to bring long-term storytelling and non-Capwell stories into the show, I think SB would have lasted longer since Walker's departure was really the death knell. Instead, you'd always have a new bunch of characters you knew would probably not last more than a year. I think that 3/4 of Eden/Cruz/Robert storyline was one of the best stories they told, but it was forced on her and she and the writers just let it sputter out. Few of the SB stories told during her tenure actually had a great endings and long-lasting repercussions. Sadly, she took this way of producing a soap to every soap she subsequently worked on. 

[BetterForgotten]

To be fair, even under The Dobson’s, Santa Barbara always seemed to be a show that was more about the short term than long term. 

[AMCer]

Wasn't Hollywood Heights her chance to create her own show or at least be in charge of one at the beginning?

 

I never watched it so I can't really judge how that turned out.

[VanessaReardon]

I love JFP. Fearless. A 42 year career in daytime, 11 Emmys. Took responsibility for bad decisions and blamed for decisions that were out of her control. Labelled a ‘show killer’ even though she was never the EP of a show as it went off the air. GL went off the air 14 years after she left the show. OLTL got cancelled 11years after she left. Y&R had its highest ratings in 9 years under her tenure. Since she left Y&R, the show has never achieved the ratings that she had. I just looked on IMDB. She’s going to be 70 soon. While I cannot speak for her, I’m sure she’s very content with her accomplishments and not paying any attention to people who listen to her every word on an hour podcast, taking notes and posting them here. She’s a fascinating woman who deserves every one of those 11 emmys and the stories behind them. 

[NothinButAttitude]

Meh. 

 

Let's just say she didn't cause Frankie's death--she's still a soap killer. Jill still has a plethora of duds to still make fans loathe for her years to come. Maureen's unnecessary death to make room for Justin Deas, being such a piss poor EP that she allowed Bev McKinsey to slip out of her reach, Mel's death on OLTL, running off Robin Strasser from OLTL, killing Drew on OLTL, Alan's death on GH, disgustingly firing Genie Francis from GH, the decimation of the Qs, GH become mob central x1000, etc. 

 

[chrisml]

That's very true as the Dobsons were often accused of dropping stories and characters out of the blue. Did SB ever have a long-term storyline? I'm more familiar with JFP's work on SB than the Dobsons so I noticed this pattern on all of the soaps she dismantled.

 

It's amusing to me that no one will take responsibility for Frankie's death even 24 years later. It's always someone else who made the decision. I remember Michael Logan writing a a column at the time where everyone passed the buck.

 

I tried to listen to the interview, but the interviewer spent so much time telling JFP how brave and exciting she was that it was sick making. I would really like an honest JFP interview, but I don't know if we'll ever get it.

Edited May 17, 2020 by chrisml

[BetterForgotten]

I think she would have no issues taking responsibility for Frankie’s death if she was responsible for it, like she does for Maureen’s - and Maureen was a much more significant tent pole character than Frankie ever was.
 

I never gave a sh!t about Mel or Mel/Dorian, so I can’t say I was disappointed when she blew that sh!t up to pieces. Poorly done storytelling, but the Mel character was often nonsense who tried to turn Dorian into Vikki. 

[chrisml]

She doesn't really take responsibility for Maureen's death based on the interview. She makes a lot of excuses (some she has to know make no sense), and she still doesn't understand why people were angry. JFP is either deluded or so self-satisfied that she doesn't get it. 

 

I found her OLTL painful to watch because the women suddenly become oversexed idiots (Nora) and she fired Laura Bonarrigo in the most brutal of ways. OLTL became so dark and angry under JFP. 

[BetterForgotten]

She did say if she had to re-do it, she’d pick another character to kill off than Maureen. But she does try to victimize herself a bit in that part.

 

The excuse that they made viewers care too much about the character just before they killed her off is ridiculous. People don’t grow attached to characters in mere weeks before they’re killed/written out...

Edited May 17, 2020 by BetterForgotten

[VanessaReardon]

Do you really think that the GL budget was SO tight in 1992 that they had to get rid of Ellen Parker to bring on Justin Deas? Seriously??? Wow. Talk about uninformed. 

[lucaslesann23]

Speaking about YR, how long have the networks been telling HWs the show is outdated, wasn't that the basis for LMLs hiring.

[VanessaReardon]

Aren’t you DylanGreen? The annoying one? This is a JFP thread, not a DylanGreen I’m so annoying thread.