Whether or not you "like" the character of Liz... it really doesn't matter. By firing Becky Herbst, GH is losing one of it's pivotal players and and part of the legacy of GH. We've already lost almost all the Quartermaines. There are two Webbers left. Who's Dr. Steve without Liz? Some dude who just showed up on canvas, that's who. There are no Hardy's. The Scorpios are about done--Maxie, Robin and the seldom used Mac are it. They killed off Georgie. They may as well have killed off Felicia. We know they do f'all with Robert and Anna. The Cassadines? Stefan, Stavros gone. Helena? Brought out when they need a baddie to shake a stick. I bet Tyler Christopher is eyeballing that door right about now.
The Falconeris could have been a great family to weave into the Corinthos. They take Kate out of the equation and shove Olivia to the background. Dante's on every dang second. No balance.
We have a bunch of newbies floating around...struggling to find a story. No one related to anyone else.: Claudia..Abby...Terrell...Siobhan...Lisa and there's a casting call out for some 35 year old "Grace". Whatever. I don't care about these people!! Even people like Diane and Spinelli don't have anyone else in town related to them.
Finally, Jonathan Jackson is back-- and now Rebecca is leaving. L&L2 for me, was the next generation. I know it also tears Liason fans apart. Well, EVERY fanbase needs to be pissed off. If she can go, anyone can go. I remember when they killed off Alan..Emily..Georgie... let Dillon go...killed off Alkazar, brought Skye back for NOTHING. Genie Francis basically begged to come back only to be told there was no story for Laura!! WTF!!
I love Tony Geary but between he and Ingo's vacations, I'm tired of all their be-boppin' airtime. On then off...off then on. "Luke's" airtime cuts into Tracy's...Ethan is sputtering around almost getting a story going then languishing in the background. This Mayan thing? Talk about lost momentum.
Why oh WHY can't GH use it's vets like other ABC soaps do? Why do we have to watch our history evaporate? Stories that don't weave together...stunt after stunt with no meaning.
I don't even know what to say other than it's another blow for our once beloved show. We can turn our sets off but ratings are so low now, I don't even know if that will matter. Unless there are RH fans out there with Nielson boxes, it probably wouldn't make a dent. Calling the hotline? You can try it, but we know how Guza loves even negative attention. I for one am going to send Rebecca a nice handwritten thank you snail mail and let her know I appreciated all the years she gave to us on our screens. Wish I could send a big ol pile of something else to TIIC but that would be beneath me.
Wouldn't it?
Thank you for writing this. I'm appalled that the show is letting Becky go, but I can't say that I'm surprised. They've systematically destroyed her character and now she's just floating in the background. It's a travesty. BH is incredibly talented and Liz Webber is one of the few legacy characters left. I've been a fan since she first came on. I'll never forget the scene where she was sitting on the couch drawing a heart with "Lizzie loves Lucky" on it. Adorable. I wish BH all the success in the world. I stopped watching GH when Brenda ate the show and I have no intention of going back.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this.
ReplyDeleteIt's a damn shame what a hollow shell GH has become. To think they can so easily cast aside a pivotal character for what? Extra cash? To bring in people like Abby and Siobhan? I dont care about them, I dont want to see them all over my screen.
You should be able to turn on GH after not watching for years and still recognize a few faces and get into the story rather quickly. Can you do that now? No. It's a mess.
And as a Mayan fan you are absolutely right, they have them on for 3-4 days in a row and then nothing for an entire week. How are people supposed to invest in them? Same with M&M and Nik/BL.
I really hope they are working to better balance this show, but when theyre willing getting rid of integral parts of the canvas like this - how can ANYONE have faith in this show?
THANK YOU for saying everything and more about what is so wrong with GH. I understand Liz fans not watching won't make a dent unless you have a box, but I'd like to think many longtime fans would take this as an opportunity to be vocal about the gross treatment of its vets and take GH off its recording schedule. This is the last vet they spit on, I will not be watching. GH can last another ten years, I no longer care. Erin chambers getting a contract days ago is another huge smack to Becky and her fans. Never thought Becky would be fired so Jonathan could have his new pairing and JaSam could have Jake. Unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteThank you for expressing my exact sentiments. I have been a GH fan since 1979 and this is the final blow for me. I will no longer sit back and watch them destroy what used to be an excellent show. When Liz leaves, so will I.
ReplyDeleteI totally agee with everything you said. Wonder where GH will be at the end of 2011.
ReplyDeleteLovely article, Karen. Becky's firing has just solidified what I have known for a while but haven't been able to admit and that is that I just don't care about watching the show anymore. I DVR it each day; but I certainly don't find myself running to catch up on it. Usually I watch it if
ReplyDeleteI just dont have anything else to watch. GH has just become boring, disconnected and a waste of an hour on TV. I can't bring myself to watch them get rid of anymore beloved characters only to replace them with characters that are just useless. The only thing I'm even remotely interested in seeing now is the storyline with Michael and the rape reveal. Even with that, though I am skeptical because I know somehow, someway Guza will disappoint me.
When DOOL did the possession storyline with Marlena, I decided that was just more ridiculous than I could handle. and after 7 years of watching, I walked away from Salem.
Now 17 years after seeing GH for the first time, I bid adieu to Port Charles as well.
I'm not calling or writing or screaming. Guza has to be treated like an ex-spouse... Sometimes in a divorce it's best to just simply walk away and never look back.
Thanks for giving us a place to share our thoughts!
(rtjmom)
Love this article! Thank you for writing it and I agree with the whole thing. I've been a loyal fan of this show for 30 years. And I've been a Liz fan since the day she sauntered into Port Chuck with a sassy attitude and a terrific storyline. I adored LL2, loved LiRic and was a fanatic over Liason. But really, I didn't care who she was with as long as she was on the canvas. RH is one of the only reasons I was still hanging on through the crapfest they have created out of the once great GH. Its a shame they dont pay homage to the history of their characters or value their actors and their fans.
ReplyDeleteWhat bothers me is how much Becky has been such a good troop.. She went from the front burner to back burner and back again over and over and never complained. Never left. She seemed to love working at GH.
ReplyDeleteNot only is this a poor storyline decision but its a very poor personal decision. I think its all so Jason can cry one or two tears (isn't that why they killed off Alan?)
hey-- I live a few blocks for Prospect. if you collect a pile of whatever it is you wanted to send GH, I'll drop it on their door step for you.
ReplyDeleteVIVA BECKY! I will follow you where you land. GH has lost me forever
Karen,
ReplyDeleteI just read this quote:
From TV Guide Canada:
In other shocking exit news, General Hospital confirmed Daytime Confidential’s report yesterday that it fired eternal ingénue Rebecca Herbst. “They’ve been talking about doing that forever,” says a co-star who isn’t too surprised. “They ruined her character on purpose. But everyone here is pretty sad because everyone loves Becky.”
I think it speaks volumes that her co-stars are just as outraged and saw the character assassination just like her fans.
LIZ FANS FIRST, INDEED!!
Claire
Oh, forgot to say, lovely post!! You eloquently said what I felt. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteClaire
Absolutely a ELizabeth fan first! I am sicken by this and can only say that this is the end of a long love affair with GH. After 27 yrs I am done. You nailed it with every word. I couldn't have said it better.
ReplyDeleteWell, hopefully another show will pick her up. I am so over GH now... this was the last straw.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Karen, and great response everyone! You said it all...
ReplyDeletehow does it go, Stick a fork in me, I am done.....
well, after 48 years, I think I am....
You know, this is so frustrating. I keep watching and watching even as they destroy this show. Besides the epic reunion they should have had when JJ returned, BH's character has been run through the mud. So, what's going to happen to the Aiden reveal and the Jake reveal with Liz gone? Is she taking them with her? UGH! Maybe this is really going to be the final straw for me.
ReplyDeleteAlso, now Laura Wright is going to have the most amazing hair on the show. So, LW must be a little happy about that. :)
Thank you for writing this - well said. I'm actually not a Liz fan, but I am a GH fan, and I think this is a horrible move for the show. I don't understand why they ignore all the rich history this show has.
ReplyDeleteI am so disgusted. I love Becky! Have ever since almost 10 years ago when I met her at the Daytime Emmys and she was there in a dress she made herself. Such a sweetie! Liz is was a great character and I will miss her so much. The very thought that they can get rid of a character that everybody cares about when the cast is full of people I fast forward though every episode is rediculous. This is just horrible news. It is sad because it is the fault of crappy writing that they ruined Liz's character. Now instead of redeeming Liz they give her the boot. Sickening!
ReplyDeleteSo once again the Great Guza has ruined a 'nice' character to the point of not being able to come up with new story for them.
ReplyDeleteLiz started as an artist--remember when she painted that abandoned box car so she and Lucky had a little 'home' there. And when she had the studio and Jason dropped in, even hid out there sometimes. He took her for midnite rides on his motorcycle and she painted canvases of the wind. Then she dropped art for nursing. This seemed odd since artists are right brained (creative) and science is generally a left brain (fact and logic) thing. But I assumed it was supposed to get her more air time if she was at the hospital.
Then she became the vehicle for baby stories, presumably so the men could have angst over kids. The ONS with Zander was weird and pointless--they didn't have a relationship at all, no reason for them to fall into bed at all. The actor was on his way out (another unaccountable firing of a talented actor) and the baby's namesake, Zander's father Cameron, played by the marvelous Lane Davies, was killed off, too, 'because they couldn't find story' lol. (Couldn't find story for Lane Davies, the Colin Firth of daytime? These writers are a JOKE!!!)
Having one bastard baby wasn't enough 'story' so they gave Lizr another and another. Geez, that isn't story; that is character assassination. Liz was a 'good' girl and loved Lucky--so why did they have her 'sleeping around'? The character of Liz would not logically DO that, but for story purposes they bent her this way and that. The last wretched mess with Nikolas was grating. Liz had become unrecognizable. Many fans had began to dislike the character they'd thus created, so what's to do with her? She had lost defination. Can't take back the babies or redeem her for her carelessness in unprotected sex. From decent leading lady to mother of bastard children. The Liz we knew from the beginning was a smart girl--too smart for such dumb plot lines.
So. Another beautiful, talented, historically rooted character tossed away.
I am still very shocked and stunned. I literally cried last night when I heard.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karen, for your insights. I agree with everything you've said.
Becky is one of the most gracious and beautiful actresses on daytime television. She will be snapped up immediately and I will go to wherever she lands. GH has just become a non-entity to me. They have screwed Liason fans, LizFF fans, LL2 fans and even those who aren't fans of the character are appalled that one more legacy character is being taken off the show. The writing on the show is horrendous as well as the editing. Sweeps are a joke. Bus crash? What bus crash?
I never thought I could feel this much remorse for loss of a character on a television show.
More than anything else, I am a Liason fan who is heartbroken that something we've wished for for so long is not to be.
Bren.
Hate this. I stopped watching GH for a long long while after they ruined Liason for the second time and had Jason get back with Sam after she threatened his child and watched him be kidnaped. I tried to watch again with Brenda coming back. My show was gone.
ReplyDeleteI'm done. This kills it for me.
Samantha
Great post Karen. As you know I'm with the rest. Do you realize BH was the leading female veteran on GH?! (JE left and came back so I'm pretty sure BH has more years than she did). I told NLG to watch her back on Twitter because now she's the ranking female.
ReplyDeleteI'm just plan disgusted.
It seems to me that GH is deliberately signing it's own death warrant. It's as if they WANT to lose the fans and viewers.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the show for over 30 years, I just don't care about it anymore, and that's saying a lot.
Thank you for the Becky article. I'm glad I am not the only one outraged by this. Guza must think any press is good press. This will not be the case. Though I haven't watched GH as long as DOOL, I have watched it since Brenda wore the wire on Sonny, skipping my Geometry class to watch it!
ReplyDeleteI am assuming people are just speculating that they are killing off Liz and/or letting Sam and Jason have Jake? I'm already leaving once Liz does, but this would be the worst thing for GH to do!
Becky, good luck to you! I'm praying you go to DOOL, so I can watch you!!! As for GH, All the characters I have grown to love have been killed off or have been wasted.
Ugh...that should be *its*, not it's, in the first sentence. LOL
ReplyDeleteI'm rather outraged myself. This is really disgusting. Everyone else has said it all, but this is a key character that is actually connected to the history of the show. Why not eliminate Claire, Siobhan, Terrel, and heck even Epiphany.
ReplyDeleteWho's next, Robin Scorpio??
And then there are three...Robin, Tracey, Alexis (on the women side). Well said you express my sentiments exactly. I saw that Elizabeth was getting what we call "the AJ treatment" and am not surprised the next step was getting KO'd or let go." It seems there's a concentrated effort to be rid of original actors/characters of the show in favor of imported/or new actors which I'm sure is cheaper. The face of GH is not the actress who started at age six but imports from cancelled out shows (on the woman side).
ReplyDeleteThis pattern has been playing out for years to make way for the new GH unfortunately for me I don't like the "new GH."
IMO, it says a lot when they embarrass characters every time they are in a scene. Elizabeth has been barked at demeaned as the biggest loser with very little to no POV with other characters speaking for her...I've seen this pattern played before. HUH? how can you "not write for a character then say storyline dictates I can come up with plenty of story for Elizabeth Webber and she has 30 or more fan fiction active websites that has done just that Beautiful Memoirs one of may archives stories for her. They don't want to write for her...that's it.
GH is an unrecognizable misogynistic mess. I only held out for the Webbers who have always been my favorite core family via Rick/Lesley/Jeff. The same character destruction when Rick was brought back.
I wish all the best for Becky and her family and hope she lands somewhere she's appreciated and valued with "equitable" writing which she has not gotten on General Mobspital. They have written "against" her at every turn. I'd like to see her on Y/R as the new MacKenzie or DOL as Sarah Horton or primetime, CW and cable. I just hope she returns to my screen....Good Luck Rebecca hold your head high and keep stepping.
It does concern me greatly that the show would take this kind of risk. It says a lot how in the last 5+ years GH's history has been systematically destroyed. And the writing of women has gotten pathetic!
ReplyDeleteGuza you absolutely suck and you're a horrible writer!
You know I haven't watch GH in two years, always hoping for a better show. Now I through with it all. Wherever Becky goes, I go. I have watch GH forever and I have loved Lizzie girl from the day she came on. Hate what they have done to her charater. Walk away with your head held high Becky, leave the show to the hos. Enough said!
ReplyDeleteAmen!
ReplyDeleteAnd if anything, the PR quote tells you exactly why this is happening: the GH team does not live in reality. If they did, they would realize that a fictional character cannot leave "the show" anymore than Becky Herbst can leave a fictional town. Idiots.
This is such a tacky job at spinning the already nasty firing of a veteran actor...so nauseating. As if everything surrounding it weren't horrid enough.
Bye GH. You were already on the bottom rung of my DVR. Now, you're gone. Karen...you're stronger than all of us!
Thank you for your beautiful words about what Rebecca Herbst and her character mean to GH. The show has made the biggest mistake it has made to date, and there have already been some doozies. Elizabeth is one of the few remaining multi-layered characters left on the show, and Rebecca is one of the most luminous actresses in daytime. She is charismatic and has chemistry with absolutely everyone. The show is utterly shortsighted to let a chemistry magnet like her go. I hope she finds another job soon because I want to enjoy her on another show. I will no longer be watching GH.
ReplyDeleteLove the article you wrote Karen.I too quit watching GH when they killed off Alan,Emily,Georgie and would just come and see what was going on at wubs.But to fire her was soooo stupid and I too think they are trying to kill off GH.I can't believe the actors don't boycott the show.
ReplyDeleteThis post was a thing of beauty and you expressed everythign so well. I would be a storyline dictated move if Guza ever actually wrote storylines instead of plot points. Liz's exit (likely in a body bag because it's Guza) will be nothing more than a plot point to make us feel bad for Lucky and Jason. It will likely be used to justify Lucky's irrelevant participation in the Balkan plot. The storyline dictates she leaves so that they can do OTHER things for the MEN of this show.
ReplyDeleteSo is it too soon for me to start campaigning for Jonathan Jackson to go now? They hyped his return on BECKY'S coattails (she's the one who stayed and helped keep LL2 alive for the decade he was gone.), then he can ride out on her coattails as well.
Thanks for writing an article that captures what we have seen GH become-a shell of its former self. The unrecognizable state of GH is because of the current regime of writers & execs that have fallen so far out of touch with what the majority of viewers want to see grace their screens. Ms. Herbst has been an integral part of this show since 1997 & this firing just reeks of agenda. I held out hope that 2011 would be year for improvement but with Guza, Frons & Phelps at the helm, there will be nothing but a continuing destruction of the show's history & character. I wish BH all the luck in the world her talent won't go unnoticed or unappreciated by some other network & she will find something better than this travesty of a show. I hope ABCD execs are prepared for what they unleashed!! So, as of today I have no intention of watching GH in the future!!!
ReplyDeleteThere is absolutely NOT ONE female character left I can relate to. Screeching Carly, Stripper Abby, ConArtist Sam, Neurotic Robin, Harpy Olivia, Dud Lulu, Spaztic Maxie, Mistress Brooklyn.... the list goes on...
ReplyDeleteI am DONE. I am OUT.
I truly hope Bell & Company know what a talent Rebecca is & snaps her up FAST. Y&R is great. And I truly believe she would love working with that cast & production team.
I hate watching this genre die. & Jill loves watching it die. Probably why I have had a love hate relationship with this show.
Oh.. the only bright side to this... is that she is getting out before the show is burried 10 feet under. While the other will be struggling to find work... I feel she will be resting comfortably on a show with an established character.
xoxoxo Rebecca Herbst... I love you as much as I do Kim Zimmer. And she is my soap mom!!!
I, too would like to Thank you Karen for your kind words and hitting the proverbial nail on the head with why Elizabeth Webber is an integral part of this show.
ReplyDeleteLike many, though it is painful to see her go, the writing should have been on the wall. 3 WTD stories within a decade!! Really?!? More like WTF!!!
What I cannot begin to fathom is is the poor excuse for a press release??
Ofcourse, there isn't any story for a beloved character that you've dragged through the mud and left stripped of her fundamental traits that defined her as a character from the time she was first introduced.
Isn't that typical of all the character on the canvas right now??
For example, Jason, what story does he have other than to take care of Sonny and Carly's kids?? So should Steve Burton be let go too?
Sonny, for years has done nothing but felt pity for himself and the failures of relationships.
So should Maurice Benard be let go too?
Sam, has been wanting a child and nothing more of substance to her character.
So should Kelly Monaco be let go too?
Carly, has been nothing but a busy body from the day she roared into town. No growth whatsoever.
So should Laura Wright be let go too?
Jax, flies into town, tries to save whichever girl is involved with Sonny and nothing else. Not to mention his constant vakays.
So should Ingo Rademacher be let go too?
If this isn't a line of BS, then I don't know what is???
Maybe, it's time that the writers and execs be let go and the characters that belong remain and lets see what happens!!
GH is such a BIG MESS right now!! with all the newbies eating up the air time from the vets, & uninteresting storylines & couples GH will be headed for darker days. This ABCD is dying because of the writers & the exec, viewers are tired of watching the fan favs underused or thrown under a bus. I loved the character of Liz because she was feisty, independent, & loyal to her friends. Over the last 2 yrs Guza has totally stripped this character of the things we have grown to love over the years and made her unrecognizable. This was a bad business decision because a beloved fan fav was thrown away like yesterday garbage while ABC keeps hiring newbies that have NO history or connection to the canvas & to the viewers. I hope Mr. Bell(Y&R) see the buzz Rebecca is getting and decide to snap her up because she will be an assetto their show. This decision maybe GH's swan song.
ReplyDeleteI have that horrible pit of my stomach feeling when you lose something. Pathetic to some, but this gal was on the show for 14 years people!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said, Karen. I am so sad today. We will have to U tube some Ole Lizzy scenes but I'm not ready yet : (
ReplyDeleteOh I am a PEARL! I haven't dug that number out in years. I even thought that I was a Liason fan more than a Becky/Elizabeth fan but I now realize that I am not. I have watched and enjoyed every storyline Elizabeth has been in since she came onto the show. Yes, even the ones that I hated because Becky was so good and so believable in everything she did. I will miss her deeply and wish her tons of luck. I will follow her wherever she goes. I sadly do not think there is anything left for me (a lifetime viewer of 30 years)at GH.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written, Karen. I only hope Becky reviews some of these posts some day and sees how much support there is for her.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I predict GH will be the next show to be given the ax.
These re-runs are just depressing me, all it does is make me realize how good this show used to be and how awful it is now. After 35 years I am done. Nice job, Guza, nice job.
Damn sad day for GH fans.Thank you for writing that and appreciating what an important character Elizabeth is. I adore that you put up a picture of LL2 when Lucky serenaded her to the song he wrote for her "Elizabeth". I can hear it in my head right now and it's making me tear up. For 13 years Elizabeth has been my favorite character...since I was 7. I feel like I've grown up with her. I'm still in stock and shaking my head. Love all Becky and Elizabeth fans out there. Keep up the support. You guys are the best. This is just absolutely awful. *hugs all of you* Now I will never have my real L&L2 reunion. But I will always remember the magic JJ & RH created together. They will always be my favorite couple. I will never forget their incredible lovestory and what it meant to me ♥ Best of luck to Becky. She did not deserve this. This is how they treat their vets who have been nothing but loyal. I just can't. She's is a total sweetheart, beautiful and talented actress. I don't even watch other soaps but I will follow her to any show she goes to. The writers are total hacks. Look what they've done to the show and now firing a 13 yr vet? She is a beloved fan favorite. What are they smoking!? GH is barely watchable as it is. She was really the only thing keeping me hanging on to GH hoping for a good storyline for her. When Becky leaves I will no longer care to watch.
ReplyDeleteso sad and shock! i'm like crying typing this message! i can't believe that they will take her out of the show! she is an important character!!!!!!! i mean very important she has been with gh for a long time!!!! i knew something was wrong when they gave a contract to the girl that plays shioban and look i was right she will stay with gh. and i also notice that rebecca has not been shown in gh she has like little scenes! i cant believe it right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we need to petition call and write that we want her to stay!!! i thought that they wll have a reunion elizabeth and lucky and the whole aiden paternity thing!!!!!!!!! what the F... is wrong with gh right now!!!!! hopefully she does not get killed in the show! so that when she does come back she will be still alive! look what they did to emily's character! general hospital right now is very different then before! gh before was way better than now. they really ruin elizabeth webber! her character has been ruin!!!!!! i have a feeling that she left the show on her own maybe because she didnt like her character anymore because they ruin it or she left because she has not been like acting like her scenes are so not long and she only comes out once in a while!!!!! i dont think she got fired! but then again she cant leave the show because she has many fans that like her! i dont know but i will not watch gh anymore if she does leave!!!!!!!!! this is bullsh*t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so sad and shocking right now! what are they thinking shioban and lucky as a couple no way!!!!!!!!! from the start it was lucky and elizabeth!!!!!!!!! the writers and everyone behind gh ruin everything for us fans of liz and lucky!!!!!!!!! i'm still hoping praying and wishing that she will not leave the show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(
I actually cried a little when I heard this. I literally grew up with Liz. I feel like I'm losing a friend.
ReplyDeleteI am appalled at Becky Herbst being let go from GH. She's been with the show since 1997 and is an important part of the canvas that TPTB have underused. Say what you want about Liz and her pairings, but she made them work. I personally loved Liz with Nikolas and I think that could have been explored further. I think you're right that Tyler Christopher could very well be on his way out too - he knows that there's no place on the show anymore for non-mob characters. Now we're stuck with redundant mob crap, Brenda on every freaking day, newbies we have no investment in and sad attempts at "pairings" that the writers put no effort into. Becky deserves better and so do the other underused actors. I only hope they give Liz a dignified exit hopefully with some hope of Nik joining her at some point - at least give her and Nikolas some kind of happy ending with their kids. GH has lost everything that made it entertaining, rootable and watchable - and TPTB are sinking the GH ship by their own hand.
ReplyDeleteAll the best to Becky.
I have watched GH for over 35 yrs and don't even recognize it anymore. We have characters like Olivia, Brook, Abby, Claire, Lisa, Ronnie, Dante, Terrell, Siobhan, get away with everything Kristina. Who are these people and why should I care? Where are Bobbie, Alexis, Nickolas, Luke, Tracy? On the backburner. Why did Alan, Laura, Emily, Lorenzo, Ric, Georgie, The Q's, The Jones, The Spencers, The Cassadines, The Scorpios, and now Liz Webber have to die or be let go from the show? The remaining vets should be worried. I know I'm missing some but I just needed to vent. The history of GH is gone and sadly so am I.
ReplyDeleteI will no longer watch GH! I've had it with this mobcrap and the Sonny, Jason and Brenda show. I only started watching again because of the return of Lucky. And what do I see Liz and Nik but Becky is beautiful and talented I love Maya also and Mayan. Annie is very talented and I hope her pilots get picked up I haven't watch the show all week don't intend sick of Carly and her terrible impression of Maura West!
ReplyDeleteWhile I am shocked that she has been fired. I think the show will go on. I was never a Liason fan but did like her with Lucky but the writers painted her into a corner ... gave her 3 kids by 3 different men and had her sleeping with Nikolas. They ruined her character and that is why I won't miss her!!! GO JASAM!!!
ReplyDeleteas a liz/becky fan from the day she strutted up to audrey's porch, i am doubly glad that i finally got off the GH crack two years ago. i just gave up for many of the reasons stated above, especially regarding the unholy triad of phelps/guza/frons systematically destroying what made GH such a compelling show. based on the comments, it seems like the regime finally got what they wanted by writing liz into a corner and detroying her core characteristics. i'm GLAD i didn't stick around to watch that happen. i'm just sorry becky has lost her job and i hope some smart show runner snaps her up soon.
ReplyDeleteI think that Liz is shocked and upset about what they are doing with her character. One thing I bet she grateful for is that she met her husband Juan on the show and has 3 wonderful kids with him. She is a talented actress and I am sure she will get something soon. I remember when she first started and now she leaving. I wish her the best in whatever she does.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it sad that in this age when "Twilight" is a huge commercial success that there's no romance in the genre that was designed around it? Herbst is a class act, with vast story potential, who's been wasted at least since her says w/ Rick Hearst ( another wasted standout). It's GH's loss.. Nancy Lee Grahn will be next, now that they aged her offspring into tedious cyphers. What's left ? Charisma-free Lulu? Wet fart Robin? Poor Maxie in the abandoned "The Devil Wears Prada" knockoff storyline? The unwatchable Bremda harpy? The mannequinish, squeaking Abby ?
ReplyDeleteShould've left with the revoltingly awful way they dumped Genie Francis. Should've left with the luminous Tamara Braun's Carly. Guess I still had hope that GH would turn around. But that's not the case anymore. GH can keep their cop-killer "hero". Steve Burton can keep phoning it in. They can unravel moronic farces like the Balkan. James Franco can slum and ridicule the wanna-bes. I'm just glad I was able to see GH when it was magic -- that's what I'll remember when the soaps are finally put to sleep. Wish the young girls had a chance to experience romantic dramas.
When women Herbst's age should be a key demographic, they're dumping her because she too old, too "Mommy" to use - oh well, maybe as long as dirty, scuzzy Dante is sucking in all the oxygen in the room they can sell bidywas for men -lol!
*sigh* bodywash
ReplyDeleteI realize I'm coming into this way late, and there are so many thoughtful posts here, I'm not sure I could read them all, so I wouldn't be surprised if this has already been said, but...as a Liz fan (mostly, but not because of RH, because of the writing/character choices made by the writers.
ReplyDeleteThat said, to play devil's advocate (though I'm happy for RH) having three children during a relatively short time frame, especially for a character who became an adult almost overnight and whose (IMO)best chemistry/story line is tied into Jason (Liason also my fave)who we would not love nearly as much if he weren't the torn bad boy.
I can appreciate that the show's budget is lacking, and with that comes hard choices, but I agree that getting rid of Liz is the WORST idea for the show.
I watched for years and the stopped until I found myself with a lot of time on my hands and a curiosity for whatever happened to Liz and Jason. I've caught up with everything to present and can see how wonderful the story could be for her, and how great she was at creating an actual sense of drama, but when the Jason storyline obviously couldn't go any further (but that last round seems incredibly short-lived), they turn her into someone no one likes?
I do think (HOPE) that this will turn out to be a good thing and I've found myself wondering at some story possibilities.
Given the speculation about something happening to Jake, I wonder if Jake my need a transplant from Jason, which would obviously reignite the Liason storyline, and there's no way they can continue to have the lack of safety for the kids as an excuse to keep them apart as there isn't a single person in Port Charles who hasn't experienced some sort of mortal danger from one threat or another.
If Sonny can have a gaggle of kids running around, so can Liason. Let the fans have what they want for at least a year before you shake up whatever you need to shake up! And then, SORAS those kids within a couple of years so you can make Liz a little less tied down. If she's with Jason, she doesn't have to nurse, she can pursue her painting and it can bring back some of her original depth, but this time it can actually be death because the girl has had some TRAUMA.
Or, flip of the coin, and most because it would kill Carly, what about Liz and Jax?! It's perfect. They're gorgeous, they dated once upon a time off camera, they have great on screen chemistry and history with the surrogate storyline. It would keep Jax's hate of the organization alive and Jax loves taking on other people's kids.
Option three, what if Liz gives up the kids to all of their father's (Lucky can have Cameron and Aiden) so that she can get to rebuilding her character.
Also, I think the Mayan cooled off because they have zero chemistry and because Ethan and Kristina are the next Liason...just as soon as she's 18.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts everyone.
I am saddened by Liz leaving also. Since Brenda has come back, I only watch on Fridays...maybe now, I will not watch at all. All of my favorite characters have been killed off or replaced and it is not interesting. I agree whole- heartedly with your post. Thank you for writing it. Tuned in today to someone else playing Liz and googled what happened to her. SAD...
ReplyDeleteI got into this conversation late, because today, June 8, 2011, I saw someone I didn't know masquerading as Liz (behind that infernal nurse's station where nothing hospital-related ever happens except loud arguments among the staff). I googled "GH Elizabeth leaving", and I am shocked--but not at all surprised-- that the Jill Farren Phelps regime has dumped yet another legacy character whose personality it has ruined in the process.
ReplyDeleteThe GH management have a particularly nasty but ludicrous way of getting rid of unwanted characters, both old and new: the yearly "contract-about-to-expire purge," which usually takes the form of earthquakes, mass murders, hostage-crises, hotel conflagrations, bus crashes or other major disasters that will result in widespread collateral damage--usually of characters we won't miss in the first place. I call it the lazy-writers' syndrome (and this malady also pertains to the holiday repeats).
I've been watching GH since Luke, Laura, the Quartermaynes (Who can forget the heart-breaking scene between Tracy and Edward when he had his heart-attack?), Frank Smith, and the adventure of the Left-Handed Boy. The show was fabulous for its cliff-hanger mysteries, its superlative acting, and its wry sense of humor.
GH didn't take itself so seriously then: e.g., Frank Smith, the mobster with the PC non-Italian name; the hospital in-jokes, such as the Floating Rib Restaurant, and the Bucket Of Blood Bar. The Cassidines were ridiculous, but they were fun, especially when Constance Towers took over the role of Helena!!!
Even after Luke and Laura had their heyday, there have been wonderful episodes, to name only two: the honest and sensitive romance between young Lucky and Liz in the abandoned train car; and, my favorites, the episodes in which the original Carly (Sarah Brown) and Bobby Spencer discovered their true relationship. Television acting at its best and most truly moving.
I am especially annoyed at the way GH rips off other writers/directors (and this began happening before the advent of Phelps & co.): e.g., the whole mob story--Michael (!), Sonny (!) Cor-(!)inthos; and the cutaway technique of the first BIG MOB HIT. I'm surprised that Francis Ford Coppola didn't sue the writers for grand-theft plagiarism.
The thing that makes me the most angry, though, is the shabby way that GH treats all its legacy actors/characters that made fans watch in the first place. Those that the writers have not assassinated, either literally or character-wise, they have invited back for a few episodes with nothing to do, and then they have shamefully dumped them (e.g. Robert and Anna Scorpio; Holly; Leslie Webber; Felicia, Bobbie, Scotty, and, of course, Laura). As someone remarked, all of these characters have relatives on the show, and therefore reasons for being in a storyline; and out there "happy in Paris" simply will not do for Genie Francis, without whom no one would still be watching this soap.
Does the GH management not realise that in treating its legacy actors badly, it is insulting its longtime audience? But then, with the endless ageing of children (but not their parents), the management seems to be going after that elusive younger demographic (who, being in school, at play, or at work will not be watching the show anyway). Hence, their emphasis on what someone in S.O. Digest, in respect to GH, called the "Young and the Zestless"! Can anyone blame Luke and Jax (whose character is now both stupid and mean) for taking regular long holidays--at huge paid salaries, one hopes.
I am not certain whether the writers are ruining the show because CBS plans to axe it anyway, as they have the other two soaps in their stable. Perhaps if GH loses its audience base no one will miss it and put up a fuss.
RIP GH! We'll remember the good times in the oh-so-good-old-days long gone by.
I guess I'm not the only one who googled "liz webber leaving gh" and found out that the terrible excuse for a replacement is actually a replacement and not just a stand-in for the day. I'm down to "tivo'g" GH 2 episodes/week (Thurs and Fri). I just changed my settings to the Friday show. I'll fast forward through the episodes, but I'm sure I'm done with GH.
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