BTG: History, Behind the Scenes Articles & Photos

[Khan]

It'd be like watching "Good Times: The Next Generations."

[DramatistDreamer]

Maybe if this were 1984, but in 2024, I would not be interested in watching that. 

Of course, I would expect that it wouldn’t solely be rich people on this soap but so far, the only core family that we’ve heard about is said to be affluent and powerful and I don’t see why they should have to acquire their means by way of sheer luck. 

The thought crossed my mind that the NAACP would end up calling for a boycott of a show they used to be a part of. Whew.

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[te.]

Yeah, I don't see the winning a lottery thing happening for various reasons. I'm sure there'll be an "outsider" character/family either way that'll provide an insight into this world and the tension of trying to fit in. 

But as I said, if they choose something specific for their company then it needs to be something that can be worked into storylines. That's kind of the issue with the Generations family owning a popular brand of ice cream; sure it's without a doubt profitable industry but impossible to work into a storyline.

 

(Though I'm having a sudden craving for ice cream right now)

[GLATWT88]

I know that soaps generally focus around families, but I think having a core friend group or colleagues in some sort of business/profession can open up storylines and steer things away from the incestuous.  

[DramatistDreamer]

To be honest, specificity is key in writing characters and stories that resonate. In the earliest days of the daytime soaps, characters were drawn very clearly: reverend, lawyer, doctor, secretary, housewife, nurse, teacher. It resonated because people could identify with either being one or knowing someone who fit into this profile. When soaps became more flashy and the prototypes became even higher on the socio-economic spectrum: Scion of a wealthy oil family, owner and operator of a publishing house, head creative director of a famous family run design house, owner of a family owned and operated boutique.
There’s a reason why the Abbott family were introduced as Genoa City’s first family of cosmetics— it is a specific thing. Many viewers were either consumers of cosmetics or knew someone who was, so that was an entry point into the family’s story. Even in the case of the “management consulting firm”, as ATWT had in mogul Lucinda Walsh, the products and companies that they did business with were specific—real estate and construction, clothing manufacturing and in house design. My concern is that, if it’s not specific enough, then you get something like the current iteration of Newman Enterprises where no one can keep track of what they currently do as an “enterprise” and it just becomes ridiculous and inauthentic.

The ice cream business on Generations could have worked, tbh, if there had been more writing that delved more into the history of African Americans and ice cream and the connection to the Marshall (wow, I can’t believe I remember their surname

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). There actually is a very rich history with the creation of the dessert and even the invention of the ice cream scoop to Black people. Had the show had the Marshall patriarch talk about this, maybe with his unfocused playboy son, it would have strengthened the aspect of why this family went into the ice cream business. I hate to say this but, perhaps this is the function of not having a Black HW. Sometimes it’s not all about aesthetics.

[ReddFoxx]

At one time Black people weren't allowed to have vanilla ice cream. That would have been a good angle, but there was so much less research on Black history back then that it wouldn't have even been a remote possibility for Generations' bible.

With a gated community real estate would make sense as the industry that made one of the primary families wealthy.

[BetterForgotten]

It wasn’t even the original intention for Generations to have a black core family to begin with. That suggestion came from Brian Frons of all people, who green lit the show when he was in charge of NBC Daytime.

Sally Sussman Morina was also way over her head with little creative talent to steer her own show, but that’s another story. 

[DramatistDreamer]

And it shows, believe me. For all intents and purposes, the Marshall family was a family who just happened to be Black. It seemed that this was the approach taken, no specificity whatsoever, which was a big error in judgment, imo.

It aired on NBC- perhaps someone should have called Debbie Allen to go and fix the show, lent some cultural traditions to the Marshalls.

[vanguard]

I still like the idea of this family owning five-star hotels and Caribbean resorts as their sources of wealth. Would tie in great with some juicy storyline as described in the show's article. Unbeknownst to the family, some sleazy business partner/undercover pimp/drug kingpin is using a couple of the hotels to run a prostitution/drug ring for example?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2024 by vanguard

[j swift]

@BetterForgotten & @DramatistDreamer, I would encourage you both to read the Generations bible that is summarized by @dc11786 in the Generations thread.

For me, it cleared up a lot of the lore.  My reaction after reading it was that although a multi-racial drama was not part of the original pitch, as noted by the writer in later interviews, that was clearly the intent once the bible was written.  However, the mixture of a writing staff that appeared to have no people of color to provide insight, and network interference about the portrayal of Black family issues, derailed much of the original concept.

Hopefully that won't be an issue with The Gates due to NAACP and P&G being a part of the development process.

Edited March 30, 2024 by j swift

[DramatistDreamer]

Currently, I am reading a script and 1619, so perhaps when I have finished those, I will set aside some time to read.

 I think it’s obvious that there were no Black writers writing for Generations. And like you, I sincerely doubt that this will be an issue with the forthcoming serial.

[Khan]

Actually, @DramatistDreamer, I think there were at least three: Frank Dandridge, Judi Ann Mason and, of course, Michele Val Jean.

Edited March 30, 2024 by Khan

[Faulkner]

I’m glad MVJ is leading this project. She was a writer on B&B during some of the most offensive, one-dimensional storytelling about Black characters the genre has ever seen. Who knows if she complained about an impotent Eric whoring Quinn out to Carter, for example? But, obviously, if she did, Bradley could (and did) overrule her. It’s one thing to have Black writers in the room but if they’re not empowered, it’s all for nothing.

The NAACP involvement could be a blessing or a curse. Black folks aren’t a monolithic group who all share the same experiences. I don’t want to see storytelling hemmed in by respectability politics (or the unsubtle, repetitive Black trauma porn that’s become so commonplace in recent years) nor do I want the stereotypes that Tyler Perry and his ilk trot out. The burden of representation is real. 

[DramatistDreamer]

On Generations?? Yikes! 
Well, at least the NAACP is playing a part in this upcoming series because…bruh!

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Wait @Khan, were they always there? Like from the beginning? Or did they slot in towards the end?

[Khan]

IDK if they were there at the beginning, but it would not surprise me to learn they were hired later.

Edited March 30, 2024 by Khan