I agree with that Latham association, Jimmy! Ugh.

Seems the names just recirculate in daytime, yet the genre seems to crave for new directions. Circles!

I agree with Jimmy’s comment regarding GH needing redirection. They need to shift their focus back to learning how to creatively write and develop storylines for the existing cast members. I see yet another article on another actress joining GH. Good grief. Bring back Rebecca Buddig and Robert Palmer Watkins. Stop with putting hope in these newbies.

“Entertainment for the nursing homes”? S’pain, please? What mean you, su?
“Redeeming everyone”? Again, explain, please? Don’t think they can redeem either Ava nor Franco–though, I’ll admit, they’ve tried.
And they’re always trying to redeem Sonny; they can’t do it.
They go down that road to making a character black; then they paint the character into a corner. Then they decide to keep the character and “redeem” it. No can do.
Can’t have it both ways. You either write a complex character and write many conflicts for that character that have the character make moral choices that may or may not set the character on the road to “redemption” or you write cardboard, one-dimensional character and/or cartoon characters. You have to choose. Granted, the former is the hardest to do (and, in the classic storylines, the writers seemed willing to invest, and allow the audience to invest in the characters–not so much currently).

I didn’t get to watch Port Charles, but I remember that it won some awards and had outstanding characters/plots. Maybe she’ll do the same for GH.

Jovin, well said…although you could have taken it a little easier on the AARP set, of which many of us fall into that demo. I’m choosing to see this as an intriguing hire. Yes, her 2003 – 2011 tenure as SVP of Daytime Programming at CBS saw her preside over the cancellation of both Guiding Light and As the World Turns, something that would otherwise give me pause, but this hire should strengthen the ranks of our show–if not create a little drama behind the scenes in the process. Barbara’s been one of the suits, responsible for an entire daytime line-up, a heady position to be sure, but I’ll hang my hat on her previous track record at ABC, being the VP in charge of GH and a co-creator of Port Charles, among her many other roles—there’s history there, including in promotion and advertising, and I’d like to think she’ll be a champion for our show once again. The timing is curious though, on the heels of having just named Chris Van Etten Co-Head Writer, a hire from within that I was certainly not opposed to (if this heavy hitter was available, why wouldn’t they have installed her, making more of a splash? And why is she only writing outlines at GH, unless they’re easing her back in before assuming greater responsibility?). Without knowing who brought her in, if it was Frank’s doing, I give him credit for being secure enough to go out and get a heavyweight, “best player available” type to buttress the show, when it’s the EP that’s always embattled, getting it from all sides, and constantly looking over their shoulder. So, I see this as a good hire, we’re getting a seasoned executive as well as a creative type, someone that can be a strong presence and creative force, someone who’s done it all before at all levels. [Barbara] Now go make our show better and protect it from the suits at ABC! Having pulled the plug before yourself (twice), making this medium an even more select group, don’t give them a reason…and leave your hatchet at home!

hi Jovin ..
I’ve said much the same for a long time..
The GH writers write for people in nursing homes haaa!
Really, the writers are older and live in that world and write of it..
No one has the latests new Tech, none of them, they are still in the 80’s..

We desperately need Young writers to bring the soaps into the 21st century.
Media has drastically changed since the 80’s..

bwa, no one even has an Echo..
and most of their hair styles and wigs are from the 80’s ..
For most of them being in the business world not one has an Apple Watch, what the heck..
Sharons coffee house looks like a hoarder’s garage sale .. bwahaa

I agree. We need younger audiences but the juvenile storylines meant to draw them in are universally horrible.

Young audiences will connect to legacy characters provided they have the things that interest them. They need shows with energy and strong forward momentum. No flashbacks. No year long What Happened To Morgan. No improbable gee which one is Jason for the next year. Stories and characters advance swiftly.

The night time soaps on CW understand it’s a different narrative arc for younger viewers. This the generation that downloads the song they like but not the rest of the album. The youth storylines on the final four shows don’t sustain any interest. And it shows in the ratings for the demographics.

Yes, but the problem is that soap writing is a very specific form of storytelling, and with the demise of opportunities for the genre, there is very little opportunity for younger writers to rise up through the ranks and develop that talent. Much easier when you have a set beginning, middle, and end. With soaps, to quote Agnes Nixon, “the stories never end,” and most contemporary writers don’t learn how to project stories years in advance as she and Bill Bell did for so long–and so well.

“An infusion of young, new writers” does not ensure good, current, or absorbing story lines. Quite the contrary. Writing is, and always will be, about craft. You learn craft by honing it. An outstanding example is Margaret Atwood (she wrote the handmaiden’s tale in the ’80’s–won a slew of Emmys this year). How long has she been writing? A l-o-n-g time, and she is still writing and still relevant. And, she had a vision in the 80’s that is still timeless today, witness the tale.

A prime example in daytime still stands out: Douglas Marland. Ask Genie Francis about him. She expounds on his writing often and proffers it as an example of what good writing should be. And how old was he when he began? And how long did his writing tenure last? His writing had vision, scope, and was of a timeless (read current) nature.

Well said, it is a red flag when a leader takes a step in the opposite direction. In soaps, those who can do and those who can not write.

It’s not always about the budget. Remember classic GH? The budget was indeed tight. I have read articles where the late Emily McLaughin (Nurse Jessie/star of early GH) where she famously talked about doing their own makeup and wearing their own clothes. And their salaries were anything to “write home about” either!
But they surely put on a good show. Good writing, good acting, good story lines still are the prerequisites to memorable, classic soaps.
I still remember the characters vividly, their story lines–and even some of the gripping scenes. Not so today. Ask me about recent character, story lines, and scenes and I am hard-pressed to recall may clearly. They all run together and meld into sameness.
Remember all the movies where they put on the show on a shoestring? Still can apply today. Craft, craft, craft. “The play’s [still is] the thing/”

An additional comment: Yes, I’ve read that Sally Sussman “retired” from Y&R but I find that hard to believe. I am no insider but I bet she (and Y&R veteran writer Kay Alden) either were fired or fled a situation where good writing was impossible. Just my opinion.

Oh, what happened to Guiding Light was an embarrassment-a travesty. That show was hard to watch-no sets, no make-up, no wardrobe-no nothing. I remember watching the show while in school (before the budget cuts) and I really liked it. Then, one day I turned it on, and was I in for a surprise! It was unwatchable.

Hey, Scott, because you’re a fan of GH who clearly was a fan of ATWT, I thought I’d let you and others know, if you didn’t already know, that GH has just surpassed ATWT, making GH the second longest running televised US soap opera of all time!

Rao would be a great GH head writer. The Robert Cancer storyline on Night Shift was well done and showed that Rao appreciated the characters and history of GH.