2021: The Directors and Writers Thread

[Chris B]

Even if Jamey ended up being the worst HW Y&R ever had (and I don’t think he would be), for me it would still be worth it to see what a Black mind could do for a soap with such a huge Black audience.  
 

Based on who he brought to Ambitions, it wouldn’t be outrageous to think a Susan Dansby or Michele Val Jean would be his Co-HW and I’m sure they’d make magic. 

[Liberty City]

I completely agree, though, out of the three, I would take Passanante... if I had to, via gunpoint.

Trust me, I was not keen on her, either. All of her head writing tenures had problems, and it always seemed like it was someone else's fault other than her own. Deflection is her key press go-to. She came on with ideas to erase what was written before her, and when she left, she kept saying "I had one day to come in and write." It's laughable. Two different interviews. Two different attitudes. Alden would've come in, tightened things up and really pushed things in the right direction.

I just think back to what his "ideas" for The Young and the Restless were on Daytime Confidential, and they all seemed like a grab. Not to mention his "wishful castings" were a bit over-the-top. I'm just not a fan of his, and don't get the appeal.

[Chris B]

@Liberty CityWith SSM I thought her Y&R kept improving. As she said, she was hired over a weekend with no bible written. I don’t know any writer than can inherit a bad show with no stories and hit the ground running. I think overtime her Y&R got better as she learned about the show in the modern day. I liked how she wrote the characters and I loved the people she choose to write off. The fact that we now have Kevin, Chelsea and Chloe back is a shame since it took so long to get rid of them in the first place. I would’ve either given Sussman more time or added someone to the team.  

[Vee]

I have not forgotten nor will I forget how many people roasted her for adding Ravi to the show when I found the character utterly inoffensive and reasonably intriguing at the time, yet I still have folks telling me Kevin and Chloe are not expired goods! Let alone Chelsea, who has no purpose other than "Melissa Egan was popular on ABC"

[koos]

Ravi could have been (or was) the best thing about the show. They totally blew it.

[MichaelGL]

I really didn't find SSM's tenure all that bad. It was the best Y&R had been in a long time, going back to the Lynn Latham days. 

[LondonScribe]

Agreed. Was it perfect? No, but it was certainly better than what came before (Pratt/JPF) and after (Mal Young making it more like a British soap, complete with domestic abuser being ‘killed’ and buried by his victim and other women, lifted from his most famous Brookside storyline in the 90’s).

Its telling that the (IMO) best writing duo lasted roughly 6 months and Josh Griffith in in his 3rd year, after Mal Young got roughly 2, and may have himself lasted longer had not been for suggestions he bullied and harassed people.

Edited September 1, 2021 by LondonScribe

[Forever8]

How long do you think Josh is going to last at YR? I thought he would be gone by now. It seems they keep giving him more chances than a resident who is constantly late on rent despite promising to pay it on time. 

[Chris B]

Honestly I feel he is a lifer. If they were going to do anything they would’ve done it by now. I suspected that Susan Dansby would’ve been promoted, but when that didn’t happen that told me to just give up on Y&R getting better. It’s been so long since Y&R has been watchable that I’ve given up on it. 
 

It’s sad because it’s my personal favorite. Also sad that the other three you can see are at least trying while the #1 soap languishes.

 

 

[RavenWhitney]

Y&R had a new script writer today (Marin Gazzaniga). I believe she wrote for reboot OLTL

[John]

Yes If OLTL had continued with PP she would have been CO-HW with Jessica Klein

[Planet Soap]

Out of curiosity, why do soap head writers get recycled often and stay for short relatively short stints?

Edited October 4, 2021 by ironlion

[RavenWhitney]

It looks as though Chris Dunn is out as breakdown writer at Y*R. Marin Gazzaniga has written the fifth outline each week for the last three weeks instead of him.  Unless he's on a long vacation and she's freelancing.  He's been on soap writing staffs since 1983.

[lucaslesann23]

Josh and Bill Bell write the same way though

[Paul Raven]

Could you elaborate please?