Y&R: Tony Morina accused of sexual harassment. Sony being sued.

[Paul Raven]

Only a couple of interviews surfaced in a quick search-none of them in depth and nothing since he first came on.

“I think one thing that the audience felt was, a lot of things have changed, good or bad, but it didn’t feel like their show. So our first intent is, ‘How do we get back closer to that feeling?’ The music, how we edit, how we shoot, how we costume them [the actors]. It’s a big process. It takes time. We’re slowly getting there.” Griffith chimed in that the story was also important. “Getting back to the storytelling that has made the show so popular, for so long, which is very emotional, very character-driven, with iconic faces that the people know.” 

 

[Liberty City]

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And yet they've delivered none of this. The costuming, especially, as camp and dated AF. Someone should share this interview with Josh Griffith and see what he thinks. The editing and shooting is also cheap-looking and crap. Nothing emotional and nothing character-driven.

[Taoboi]

If I'm not mistaken, Corday lost. 

I believe Morina has given two interview. One when he joined Y&R and another once they got back into production after the pandemic shut them down. 

[Errol]

There's an interview he did with Michael Fairman back in June of 2020: https://michaelfairmantv.com/yrs-executive-producer-anthony-morina-talks-on-daytime-emmy-drama-series-win-for-neils-memorial-honoring-kristoff-st-john/2020/06/29/

 

I just want to point out that it isn't easy to get time with an executive producer of a daytime soap opera for an interview. They are very busy 24/7 running a tight ship 365 days a year. Unlike a primetime EP who shares the role with other people in most cases, a daytime EP is mostly the first in the building and the last out, working with a cast of 30 and above coordinating the direction of multiple segments a day that can make up several episodes. I don't think he or any other daytime EP is hiding from the press. 

[Taoboi]

Yeah, I figured he did more than what I could remember. Thank you. 

[DramatistDreamer]

This is one of the many reasons why I will never stop believing that these daytime soaps need a change in structure if they are ever going to slow the deterioration of their serials. They have proven in so many ways that they are no longer capable of sustaining a show that is well produced, well written or well performed at this pace, at their current budget. It's open for debate which model would be optimal, whether the running times ought to be reduced from sixty minutes to thirty minutes, whether the number of days per week ought to be reduced, or have a episode load similar to telenovelas, with a hiatus. I don't know what is the best model, although I can speculate, like everyone else. It just seems as if the current model just doesn't seem to be working, to put it mildly. 

 

And oh, replacement for some of these key production and executive staff needs to be part of those changes. As a creative, I care less about threadbare sets, than the quality of writing and performance. If those aren't there consistently, neither will I be, as a viewer.

Edited August 23, 2021 by DramatistDreamer

[Liberty City]

It starts at the top, but, my recommendation? Last summer proved "classic episodes" worked (aside from The Bold and the Beautiful and Days of Our Lives), and I think if each soap took June to August off, it might work in favour in the long-term. They also need to stop relying on the same executive and writing teams. They're stale and overused, which is why I enjoy General Hospital so much, because Dan O'Connor & Chris Van Etten haven't been tossed into the other soaps. Plus, relying on the same tropes that people mock soaps for is also not helping them. Back from the dead, evil twins, face masks, et al are not going to push soaps in the future. Topical storylines seem to be few and far between.

[Paul Raven]

I don't pretend to have any knowledge of what goes into getting a soap taped under the budget and time restraints Morina and other producers are under.

But I'd sure like to sit down with them and watch an episode or two and have them explain and justify some of the stuff  we see onscreen...

[DramatistDreamer]

When SoapClassics released their P&G soaps boxes sets, I always wished they'd had kept going on the hope that someday they could've included bonus material like commentary from writers, directors and some long-time actors on certain scenes.

In my experience, execs are usually not going to explain any choices they make, particularly the ones that go awry. Some may see it as an admission of some type of personal character failing, others simply lack any type of self-awareness. Others will just lie.

[amybrickwallace]

You made them sound like politicians...

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[DramatistDreamer]

There is a surprising amount of politics at play in the arts and entertainment field, tbh. And television seems to inspire the worst use of this impulse, judging from my brief time freelancing in television.

[BetterForgotten]

So, no one at CBS, Sony, or Y&R has made any comments on this yet? 

[amybrickwallace]

Not that I've heard. Who knows what's going on there. 

[Paul Raven]

It's odd that news about Jeopardy is all over the place but no one is reporting about Y&R. I know daytime never gets the same coverage but it still seems odd that this hasn't been picked up by other outlets.

[LondonScribe]

I wonder if they are going to try and ride this out, hoping stories like Jeopardy and other current affairs will serve as a distraction, and it quietly goes away.

CBS & Sony seem stubbornly loyal to the show’s current Executives.

Edited August 25, 2021 by LondonScribe