All My Children Discussion Group -- Did they fire all the writers

All My Children Discussion Group

Topic: Did they fire all the writers

Topic Posted by: Captain
Date Posted: Thu Nov 5 11:54:38 2009
Additional Comments: I can't believe the dumb storylines with Jake, Kendall, Annie. After 20 years of watching the show i will be pulling away and reading a book on my lunch hour. At least something happens in a book. I understand the daytime drama drag it out storylines, but this last 2 months falls into, (if I watch this anymore, I don't have a life). Sorry guys, whoever is the producer has lost another viewer. A 10 year old has more creative writing skills than the AMC staff.

Posted by: Rosebud1
Date posted: Thu Nov 5 14:27:58 2009
Message:
Again, this isn't about indivdual writers or producers. Those have changed over the yrs w/the same result. If it WERE up to real storytellers/writers & producers, not Suits at the Corp. and marketing level who THINK they know soap opera, we would be seeing far superior soap opera across the board. We also would be seeing millions more viewers, not millions less.

They could change individuals, but the group dynamic would remain & that is the real problem. It isn't just an AMC or ABC/Disney problem either. It impacts all soaps, across the board. Cancelled soaps aren't being replaced w/new soaps either, the genre is just being allowed (encouraged) to wither on the vine from apathy, neglect and general Corp. ignorance. They also have a very low opinion of the audience, unfortunately.

Replies: (list all replies)

I don't agree that they've changed over the years with the same result..if I'm understanding what you're saying and I'm not sure I am because you start off with the word again...and I never read your posts on this subject before...so if I'm not understanding I'm sorry...but seems to me there have been various groups of writers over the years...some better than others...I've watched AMC since 1979 but there were years..particularly in the mid 80's...where I'd stop watching for awhile because the writing got SO BAD. Then I'd tune back in and there'd be different writers and the stories were better so I'd watch again. Then the writers would change and things would go downhill...and then they'd change again and improve and so it goes. I really think that the problem right now is that the writers are having to wrap up storylines for several key departing characters...and get ready to integrate those departures into storylines for continuing characters. If the networks are not making money off of soaps anymore...then sure...they'll all be gone. Perhaps SoapNet will take over and produce original broadcasts of soaps. There is a large audience for soaps...surely no smaller than the audience for the golf channel...the food channels...the game show channels...etc. I'd hope so...but who's to say. It just seems like soaps are all over the world..AMC plays in Italy, etc...and there is a market for them...it's a special entertainment form...and I'd hope not every network would think there's no audience for it. They have networks for so many piddly things...you'd think someone would take up producing soaps. I guess they'd have to buy the rights to something like AMC...but perhaps they would do that...a tried and true soap...when done right!! SORAS

SORAS: Over the last 20 yrs or so (the period of time when US soaps have been losing millions of viewers a year & the job descriptions for writers & EPs changed) there have been individual writers that have come & gone, w/no real differences in the downward spiral--with one or two occasional exceptions. SoapNet was supposed to be all about soaps, but the same Suits that have no respect for the genre at ABC were the ones making the decisions for their cable channel, so what could be expected?! Yes, ICAM, there IS a market for the traditional, American style soap--not just telenovellas. When the European markets opened up there was LOTS of popularity for soaps. Santa Barbara was huge in France, for example. B&B has always been huge in Italy. In a lot of these countries our daytime shows are shown in primetime because of their popularity in those markets. There is also a strong market here. But none of this changes the position of TPTB (Corp). Even at that level, individuals can come & go, but the Corp. mindset remains the same. They see the audience as having 'the collective attention span of a gnat' & 'brains of oatmeal'--giving them the excuse to dumb things down further & further. They've also said that they don't care about lapsed fans or older fans of soaps. They want those tweens & twenty-somethings (under 26 yrs old), so they can mold the consumers of the future. But they see that demo as needing things to be dumbed down further & further. I've always said that there is a huge audience for traditional soap operas out here. But I'm talking about a WHOLE audience, not just one or two, narrowly defined groups that 'need' things to be dumbed down for. I think that the WHOLE audience is intelligent & capable of appreciating more than the crap we've been seeing for so long. eom

Posted by: SORAS
Date posted: Thu Nov 5 13:36:26 2009
Message:

HA! From your lips to God's ears!

I think the writers are sloshing around trying to wrap up storylines in some (crazy) fashion for departing actors and trying to "maintain" storylines for other characters...string 'em out...make the CRAZY sharp turns the writers make....y'know you're comfortable thinking this is where it's going..but then there's a SHARP CRAZY turn!

It's not that "aha..what FUN this outcome is!! Who'd have thought..HOW CLEVER...WOW this is GREAT...THIS is why I watch AMC! What intrigue, what fun, what GREAT writing!"

No, instead we sit here and go "HUH? What? how the HELL did that happen..there was NOTHING that supports this outcome...NOTHING..it makes NO sense and NOW they're starting ANOTHER storyline to try to tidy up how they ended this storyline?!?! Just to make us think NOW that this ALL made sense ALL ALONG?!?!? What are they kidding us?!?!"

That's how it goes...like they're constantly putting fingers in the dike to patch up the holes in their stories gone goofy.

Posted by: NiteOwl
Date posted: Thu Nov 5 12:56:02 2009
Message:

I agree - the storylines are beyond boring - they move way way too slow. TPTB and the writers need to get a grip on reality. People expect things to move faster these days - look around - we can have info at our fingetips within seconds on the internet. Thousands of folks think if they are not multitasking they are wasting time, and these writers think we should wait 6 months or longer to see a conclusion to a so called mystery. I wanted to throw something at my televison yesterday when Annie told Adam she was pregnant. How long must we suffer through this story of Stuarts death. After months and months, just when Adam was about to confess (and finally put an end to our misery), Annie comes up with the one lie that would stop him. So... now what --- do we have to wait until the next sweeps for it to end??

And.... I have not even broached the idiotic drawn out storyline with Amanda and Jake, or Kendull and Zach.

Posted by: goldie
Date posted: Thu Nov 5 12:10:36 2009
Message:
That is the problem, they didn't fire all the writers if that happened and we got all new writers it would improve AMC, it couldn't get worse. It isn't so much that they drag out the SLs it is just that they are so predictable and boring.

Posted by: DaisySS
Date posted: Thu Nov 5 11:58:59 2009
Message:
I hear ya. This Kendall/Zach/Aiden SL lately has been bad beyond belief.