ALL: Short lived Headwriter stints

[Paul Raven]

The recent departure of Patrick Mulcahey at GH got m thinking of other headwriters who were dismissed/departed after 6 months or less.

What were the reasons for the departure(if known) and what characters/stories did they contribute?

AW Harding Lemay, September 12, 1988 - November 10, 1988

Brought back Iris and Vivian, revisited the Janice/Mac/Rachel story with Evan as Janice's son. Introduced Caroline Stafford, had Cass/Nicole call off their engagement.

Replaced by Donna Swajeski who had been a scab writer. Never clear why Lemay got the ax-possibly because DW worked well during the strike and was a cheaper option.

[John]

Lorraine Broderick

Days Of Our Lives Oct  15, 1999-November 10,1999

Introduced teen Belle, Phillip & Shawn.

Did not mesh with the EP's.

Was replaced by Tom Langan who was also  Co-EP

[Liberty City]

As the World Turns:

May 1983 - June 1983
Caroline Franz and John Saffron

May 1997 - Late October 1997
Jessica Klein

Days of Our Lives:

January 31, 1992 - June 11, 1992
Richard J. Allen & Beth Milstein

General Hospital:

February 5, 2001 - April 27, 2001
Michele Val Jean and Elizabeth Korte (Co-Head Writer)

January 6, 2012 - February 20, 2012
Garin Wolf & Shelly Altman

[robbwolff]

Franz and Saffron were head writers longer than one month. They were still head writers when James fell from the plane in October 1983.

[DRW50]

Guiding Light

Pat Falken Smith - 1982. 

I'm not entirely sure what stories she had the chance to create. Was she the one who came up with Company?

[Paul Raven]

The odd plot where a house crashed into the Reardon home creating Company

Brought in older Phillip.

Established that Rebecca Cartwight was the mystery guest at quint's house.

Otherwise she pretty much continued/tweaked Marlands stories

[DRW50]

Thanks. I couldn't remember if bringing back Philip was her or L Virginia Browne.

[AbcNbc247]

Days

Ruth Brooks Flippen: March 17, 1980 - April 18, 1980

Her biggest storyline seemed to be Bob’s death and the aftermath, but it seemed like the show had been laying the groundwork for that before she even got there.

I haven’t heard much her run and why it was so short, only a rumor that she was meant to be a transitional writer until Nina Laemmle came on. 

Didn’t he quit because he and Swajeski clashed over the show’s direction? 

Edited June 2, 2024 by AbcNbc247

[Contessa Donatella]

DW? You mean DS? 

Anyway, just noting that Swajeski was network & came to writing for the show by jumping that fence. There is some thinking that people who work for the network first & then a show, or shows, have some unknown advantage. 

Pete Lemay? If so, no, didn't quit. Let go. And, as far as we know, she wrote from his outlines for at least 8 months, perhaps longer. So that would effectively make a theory that they had different visions not really work at all. 

[Contessa Donatella]

I was told by a soap journo who interviewed PFS at the time that the reason she was there so short a time was this: What she pitched that she wanted to write, they had no interest in. What they told her they wanted her to write, she said were impossible stories to craft. And, they said that's why we wanted you because we thought you could write the impossible stuff. At that point, things came to a screeching halt. Impasse. What each side wanted was a hard NO from the other side. 

I think I can actually imagine the consternation she may have had with Potter - and he with her! 

We have certainly heard of other times & places where every single thing the writer pitched was shot down. The only thing different here is this idea that they thought she could pull a rabbit out of a hat. 

So take it for whatever you wish. 

Edited June 2, 2024 by Contessa Donatella
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[Mona Kane Croft]

Lemay and Swjeski never worked together.  He was fired when she was hired. It's likely they never even met.  

[Contessa Donatella]

I did not realize that. But, I am not surprised now that you say it. Thanks! 

[soapfan770]

This was the first one I immediately thought of as well. It’s weird because for whatever reason she got strangely blamed by some for stuff for already ongoing stories like Subsex, Bo the Mime, Princess Gina, botching a Kate/Nicholas/Billie triangle etc. I guess Corday and Langan just threw her under the bus at the time when Days was unraveling fast.

Of course the Langan era of Days was…something else to put it politely lol…

I know Jessica Klein’s disastrous ATWT stint was mentioned already but basically ATWT was a revolving door there 1996-1998:

February 1996 – December 1996

Stephen  Black and Henry Stern

December 1996 – May 1997 Stephen Demorest, Mel Brez and Addie Walsh

May 1997 – October 1997 Jessica Klein

October-December 1997Stephen Demorest, Mel Brez and Addie Walsh

December 1997– February 1998

Addie Walsh

What a mess.

Also Victor Miller and Michael Conforti only wrote for GL October 1996-February 1997 as they cleaned up McTavish’s mess but were soon replaced by B&E.

[kalbir]

GL's 1980s revolving door of HWs

December 1979: Douglas Marland

October 1982: Pat Falken Smith

November 1982: L. Virginia Browne

February 1983: Richard Culliton and Pamela Long

September 1983: Pamela Long

January 1986: Jeff Ryder

February 1986: Jeff Ryder and Mary Ryan Munisteri

September 1986: Mary Ryan Munisteri and Ellen Barrett

October 1986: Joseph Manetta

November 1986: Joseph Manetta and Sheri Anderson

July 1987: Pamela Long

January 1991: Nancy Curlee

As the World Turns also had a revolving door of HWs in the first half of the 1980s

December 1979: Jerome and Bridget Dobson

April 1981: Paul Roberts

August 1981: Tom King and K.C. Collier

January 1982: Jerome and Bridget Dobson

May 1983: Carolyn Franz and John Saffron

December 1983: John Saffron and Tom King

April 1984: Tom King and Millee Taggart

November 1984: Cynthia Benjamin and Susan Bedsow Horgan

February 1985: Susan Bedsow Horgan

September 1985-March 1993: Douglas Marland

[Planet Soap]

Good God! Especially on GL's part.

In general, why are head writer tenures generally short? Is it burnout from the 5 episode a week workload? Is it simply because soaps are a never-ending institution so people constantly cycle out?

Edited June 2, 2024 by Planet Soap