My take...

Positive Aspects on Hogan

-Wrote action packed stories

-Quick pacing

-Got lots of press for the show

Negative Aspects

-Could not write for established couples

-Backburned veterans

-Certain characters took too much airtime! (Craig, I'm talking to YOU!)

-Stories were never consistently good. They either began promising and ended terribly, or began terribly was awesome in the climax and lame in the conclusion.

Going from Broderick to Laiman was like going from prime rib to dog food. What the eff was P&G thinking? Honestly, some of their decisions make me wonder if they really do have the show's best interest at heart.

Also, does anyone know who the interim HW was in 1997? I could have known that Stein wasn't writing those storylines in late-1997...those were memorable storylines.

And like Steve mentioned, the whole David Stenbeck thing was one of the highlights of the mid-90s, but I cannot stress enough how much better it would have been to have him be Lucinda's son as well. Imagine the ramifications it would have caused. Also, I think viewers would have bought it, since the character was basically a re-write anyway. It's one of those "could of, should of, would of" situations.

Hogan's last few years left a bad taste in my mouth. I often criticize Jean, but personally I'd rather have storylines that are slightly boring than ones that are either: 1. completely bizarre, 2. focus on only one character **cough** Craig **cough**, and/or 3. get dropped half-way through. At least we know how the storyline is progressing. Before, I had the vague feeling of tripping on shrooms. You just didn't know what was going to happen...if the storyline would ever be finsihed or if it would end the next day.

On the death of Douglas Marland,Juliet Law Packer and Richard Backus who wrote for Marland became HW's. I believe they carried on Marland's stories at first. They tweaked Mac's Alzheimer's story to speed it up. Marland was going to let it play out in real time. Black and Stern didn't like that story at all so they gave him a heart attack and made Nancy a widow.

I believe Richard Culliton was added to Packer and Backus and then wrote solo before B/S came on.

Stephen Demorest,Addie Walsh and Mel Brez followed B/S and then Jessica Klein followed them.

The late 90's was when i first starting watching ATWT, and that is becuase it came on an hour after y&R. I hated ATWT but since we didn't have cable there was nothing else to watch.

I didn't start liking ATWT until about 2000-2001, so I agree with the article.

Here's what I have: http://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/index.php?showforum=51

I've i'm missing anything, or have wrong information, let me know.

Head Writers

1956

Irna Phillips

Mid 1960s - 1966

Irna Phillips and William J. Bell

Late 1960s

Katherine Babecki

1970

Joe Kane and Ralph Ellis

1971

Winnifred Wolfe and Warren Swanson

1971 - 1973

David Lesan & Irna Phillips

1973 - 1978

Robert Soderberg and Edith Sommer

1979

Ralph Ellis and Eugenie Hunt

Late 1979

Douglas Marland

Late 1979 - 1981

Bridget and Jerome Dobson

1981

Paul Roberts

1981

Tom King

1981 - 1982

K.C. Collier

Mid 1982 - May 1983

Bridget and Jerome Dobsome

May 1983 - June 1983

Caroline Franz and John Saffron

1984 - 1985

Tom King and Millee Taggart

1984 - 1985

Cynthia Benjamin and Susan Bedsow Horgan

September 1985 to March 1993

Douglas Marland

Mid 1990s

Juliet Parker and Richard Backus

1995

Richard Culliton

1996

Stephen Black and Henry Stern

1997

Stephen Demorest, Mel Brez, Addie Walsh

May 1997 - October 1997

Jessica Klein

January 1998 to June 1999

Lorraine Broderick

July 1999

Leah Laiman

Late July 1999 to August 1999

Leah Laiman and Carolyn Culliton

August 1999 to 2001

Hogan Sheffer and Carolyn Culliton

September 2001 to May 24, 2005

Hogan Sheffer and Jean Passanante

May 25, 2005 to Present

Jean Passanante

it almost seems at times like the show is trying to bring in a lot of new people again...just like in the late 90's. The current cast still has plenty of drama in them

There are alot of things that I don't like about the show;

I first of all don't like seeing the same characters getting storyline after storyline (what I mean is, as soon as one storyline is near completing, the character gets into another situation, which keeps them on the the screen even longer).

I have always been a fan of Carly and Jack; however, right after the murder of Julia Larabee storyline completed, they threw Carly right into another turmoil storyline, then another. It would be nice to see Carly as the strong character that she once was, instead of the one that is always getting herself stuck into situations.

Another thing that I dislike is how the seem to forget the history of the characters; and they do this at times by re-writing history to try to fit around a new character.

Those are the things that irk me about the show at times.

I hate how the same s/l dominates every week. Not that i dislike the s/l but i would like to see some of the others as well

I mainly want to see some of the veterans in a storyline...I mean, it's good to see them interacting with other characters, but a lot of times, they are just coming on for brief scenes...During Jennifer's storyline, Bob was on a great deal, as well as Kim and that was really good to see.

Out of all the veterans that are on the show, I think I see Lucinda and Bob on the most....

Thanks Toups.

May 1997 - October 1997

Jessica Klein

January 1998 to June 1999

Lorraine Broderick

So there was some sort of gap between the two. I'm sure that members of the writing staff took over in Nov. and Dec., but to me, it was such a noticable difference. When I posted my first entry on this thread, I kept wondering why two of my all-time favorite storylines happened before Broderick came on the show.

I think that ATWT could do better by adding one more storyline to its usual mix. Of course, I'd ask for something involving at least one or two characters over 40, but I guess that's too much to ask on this show.