ALL: Bad Moves by Well Regarded Soap Writers/EPs

[Contessa Donatella]

Last year an unknown new poster posted some of that story of one week in particular of DAYS. Stupidly I did not download it when it was there & yes, you guessed it, all of that new poster's uploads were taken down. 

[Marco Dane]

One bad move was replacing Asian Blair with Caucasian Blair. If the show EVER returns they should fix that error. 

Asian Blair and a Asian version of Starr would've been nice in the shows original run. 

[1974mdp]

It's timeslot against Y&R and the constant change or writer and producers pretty much doomed the show, but then again, how many TV shows last 12 years? That in itself was a HUGE accomplishment.

[BetterForgotten]

And it’s lucky it even got those 12 years under the radar at that. 

[DRW50]

A number of the actors seemed to have good experiences (Randolph Mantooth in particular), but I remember a lot of the early cast apparently having some horror stories on those videos that have been long taken off Youtube. 

I remember Agnes Nixon having to do damage control with the story and sending comments to Marlena de la Croix or others in the soap press insisting the story was essentially about a lesson Erica would have to learn.

The groundwork, with Erica having a miscarriage, then immediately afterward learning that Dimitri was having a baby with his sister-in-law (a woman she loathed and who always saw herself as better than Erica), had some believability for me. I remember being impressed by Susan's work in the miscarriage scenes, which all felt very raw. And she ultimately did the right thing and went to jail.

I think the biggest mistake was, after the Bianca anorexia story, trying to go back to the old Erica stories with Mike Roy's return and her cheating on Jack with him. It was a jarring shift, and considering the talent involved, not at all well done, which meant they had regressed Erica for nothing.

They took most of her layers to give to the other alters. The character just became more and more grotesque, other than when they had the vision of her help Tess give birth to a stillborn baby, or whatever the [!@#$%^&*] that was.

[Planet Soap]

I can see that. From the 90s Malone days onward Nikki Smith became more of a cartoon, especially in 2001 under Gary Tomlin. I never understood what Nikki Smith's actual motivation was after the '90s. 

I know some of you loath it but I liked the Tess story (under Con Carlivati). Tess had an actual motivation, sperate love in Nash  and stuff to do other than being a random cartoon who wanted to live free.

Bad move by (William J Bell?) killing Cassie. So much storyline and Bill was invested in this child only for her to get killed off in a storyline that did not advance the show in any way. I'm glad that she was brought back as Mariah as stupid as that story was.

Edited November 19, 2024 by Planet Soap

[Paul Raven]

Bill Bell did not kill cassie. I think it was another bone headed Jack Smith story-see Katherine/Jill mother/daughter and the Sheila/Phyllis fiasco.

[Soaplovers]

ATWT:

Marland redeeming Josh and pairing him with Meg...while Iva was forced to deal with him being in the family.  She was a victim of abuse..and everyone always told her basically to get over it.  Her marrying nice intelligent Jason and leaving Oakdale was the most healthy Iva did.

GL:

Nancy Curlee was a great writer..but the way she wrote Alexandra in the early 90s was one of the many reasons why McKinsey bailed (JFP also shares blame).  I often wonder had Pam Long not quit..if the writing for Alexandra would have been more nuanced after the Roger/Mindy affair.

 

 

[BetterForgotten]

McKinsey left when Curlee was on maternity leave in 1992. McKinsey herself said Curlee wrote the character better than the team who were writing while she was on maternity leave:

https://iriswheeler.tripod.com/tvguide19920811.html 

----------

Logan: Word is you've been unhappy with the unsympathetic turn Alexandra has taken.

McKinsey: I was very unhappy.  What they've done with Alexandra during the last six months is close to assassination but I would have continued to play it if I'd been happy. That was not the straw that broke this camel's back.  I've been doing daytime 22 years now.  When you do it as long as I have, you go through a lot of periods where you don't like what they're writing for the characters.  Or you don't like the person you're playing opposite.  Or something, there's always something.  But you're able to keep going for various reasons:  One, you need the money and, two, you like the people you're working with, the family feeling you have there.  But when you get tired, when you find that you just don't have a minute in the week that you can do anything but that show, then those things get bigger.  When you're spending 12 or 13 hours a day there, those things suddenly get huge.  When you're tired, you can't get past the other problems.  But this should be no secret to anybody.  In 1978, I told Procter & Gamble, 'I can put up with a lot.  Bad writing. Bad acting.  Bad working conditions.  But when I'm tired, I get angry.  And when I get angry, you don't want me around.'  I'm very professional.  I behave really well.  And I always do my work really well.  But when I get tired and angry, I begin to behave in a way that is not me.  I'm not proud of it and it shocks people.  I was that tired when we started Texas because Another World had done that to me.

Logan: Quitting was the only solution?

McKinsey:  (Getting a little testy) I'm burnt out and the only solution to that is to stop  -- and stop immediately.  It's like trying to doctor a major wound with a bandaid.  If they had said, 'Well, [McKinsey's favorite head writer] Nancy Curlee is coming back and that'll put Alexandra back to where she used to be,' that would have been wonderful but that wouldn't have fixed it.

-----

 

 

[DRW50]

Under Malone she was just there to party. Then she became a supervillain under Tomlin. 

I thought Tess was cartoonish under Ron, especially when they brought in the very silly Bess element, but I haven't gone back to watch.

Edited November 20, 2024 by DRW50

[soapfan770]

Catching up on this thread this evening and found this interesting…I don’t recall Nouri being considered at all for OLTL but instead Nouri was cast on Y&R in 2004 as the unscrupulous Chancellor Industries CEO Elliot Hampton who was briefly engaged to Jill in early 2005.
 

Now 20 years later Nouri’s character is long forgotten but that story of Jill and Nouri’s Elliot did provide the catalyst of Y&R finally making Chancellor Industries relevant again after like 25 years. It also gave way to the false retcon narrative of “St Katherine the very successful businesswoman!” @YRfan23

[Vee]

That was Dena Higley.

I hated Tess and always will.

[Planet Soap]

 

Yikes. I meant to type "(under Ron Carlivati?)" Wasn't sure if he was the one one who wrote it but thank you for giving me the answer. 

[Paul Raven]

I would give a thumbs down to Bill Bell's return of Carl William's story.

Suddenly, it was revealed that Carl had mysteriously disappeared, when there was not an inkling of that onscreen. Sure we hadn't seen him, but it was assumed he was still around. It didn't matter much in the story as Mary was just there as a supporting character.

And this wasn't 20 years ago we last saw Carl-more like 6 or so. 

Then we find out Carl has amnesia and a new life with another woman. Cue much trauma and heartache, until there wasn't. Carl went on with his new life and Mary went back to interfering mama.

No mention of Carl again.

What would have worked better, had Carl returned to the canvas and it was revealed that he took himself off to a country cabin for short trips. Paul could acknowledge that his Dad needed that break from a mundane life with an increasingly naggy Mary.

Then we find out he has met another woman out of town and they live together when he goes on those trips.

This could all be revealed and the various viewpoints examined.

Far more realistic than the hoary old amnesia angle.

[kalbir]

Y&R thrived for the most part from 1983 to 1998, except for Cricket eating the show from second half of 1986 to end of 1989 and going off-track second half of 1994 through first half of 1997 (Summer 1994 frat party, Fall 1994 to Spring 1996 Nick/Sharon eat the show, lull from Fall 1996 through first half of 1997).

I never thought of Blade/Rick as being a response to Reilly Days. I always figured it was the frat party that was to get the younger audience away from Reilly Days.