You all know just where I stand with the writing under Guza. I think the show has been gutted since 2002-- and all under his watch.
First and foremost, his contract was up. That means they didn't want to pay to pick him up again. That fuels speculation that GH's days are numbered. Save money at the end. AMC had it happen as well.
May sweeps have been dismil. I can't even believe they let this languish. Why? Wouldn't Guza want to go out on a high note?? It's almost as if he knew before the end it was finished and just got lazy. I've have been saying that for MONTHS now. Lazy, repetitive writing, coupled with shoddy editing and terrible continuity. Wolf has a HUGE job ahead. Even if GH is going to be cancelled, tying up loose ends will be a chore.
Is Vanessa Marcil Staying?? Will Franco come back? What about all the newbies hired? What about the stagnant growth of almost every character?? We've lost a lot on this show. Not to mention Genie Francis going to Y&R.
After the celebration of Guza's outster is over, we do have to start wondering where this is going. Tune in, write letters and hope this show can turn around and deliver ratings.
My wishes (and I know you all have your own list!!)
1. more than 2-3 people in a scene
2. Core characters get equal airtime
3. MOVEMENT on canvas
4. INTEGRATION of characters
5. Less Mob More Hospital
6. Honoring History
7. Interesting stories I want to watch
8. Humor.
That's about it...you?? What do you want?? Will you tune back in? BTW, I would think that the real changes will be noticed in maybe a month?? I'm sure they've known this for a bit. What's already in the works?? Hmmm, at least we have something to think about now!!
You've said it all! The task ahead for this new writer is monumental. Unfortunately, the destruction of GH has been in motion for too many years to have someone come in and instantaneously make it all better with the swipe of a pen. First and foremost, I'm looking forward to the repetitive dialogue that happens on a daily basis to STOP. Actual "stories" need to be developed so we can invest ourselves in them. Your list would mirror my own wish list for GH. Hopefully, the new HW will give the show the respect it hasn't been shown over the years under Guza. (Although, there were some stories he penned that I did enjoy, it's just that he didn't have a way of intergrating the stories...he seemed only capable of writing events, then BAM onto something else.)I am very excited to see change come to GH, but if it's more of the same crap we've been getting, I'll be sure to tune it out again, and this time it will be for good. This long time viewer has been disrespected enough. **Hoping for positive, good change to make my fave soap shine again**
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see stories that aren't almost word for word reproductions of past stories.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see characters interact with their families. And I mean, the random family members that you may not even connect. Like Maya and Jason having a conversation. Or Ethan and Michael.
I'd like to see the families and their histories fleshed out and honored.
And I really don't mind some mob stuff, but it gets boring when it's the same stupid people making the same stupid mistakes time after time after time.
I guess I want some of the old mixed in with some new. So long as the new makes sense. If we get new characters, I'd like to see them in a meaningful story that enhances the canvas as a whole.
Can't disagree with anything you or the poster have already said. I wish him well while I keep a open mind but not sure I will tune back in...unless. Unless I hear that the s/l have been cleaned up and I can actually understand what is happening. I really, really want less mob and yes more hospital would be good but what about other places like Kelly's, Elizabeth and Robin in the park again with their children and actually happy, Jax with his child and Morgan, no crazy Lisa, less mouthy Carly.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to a real conversation where Michael's name or Jason's pain or Lucky's hurt isn't the topic of conversation. Those three--ENOUGH!!
I love what you said. I also really want the decimated vets restored. I'm not sure if it's possible. I want Alan, Emily and Georgie alive again. I want Holly not to be a bioterrorist tart and Anna not to be a swinging from a chandelier, scared of being a grandma woman. I want Luke & Laura to ride off into the sunset. I want it revealed that Ethan is truly a Scorpio. I want so many things that I just don't think they're going to be able to do. Oh well. At least the HACK is gone!
ReplyDeleteThe new head writer has a huge job in front of him. I can only hope he has hated the way the stories have unfolded over the past few years and does his best to remedy the disaster that has taken place.
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope that ABC/Frons has not already made the decision to cancel GH and is just throwing us a bone. I fear the announcement that Katie Couric's talk show will start in the Fall 2012 and replace GH is only weeks away. Just like the AMC writer change.
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ReplyDeleteWhat I am hoping for most is that the stuff we saw during the writers's strike when Garin was the FICOR HW to continue. Things like cast integration. I remember clearly Lucky (as played by Greg so you all will remember how shocking this was to see) was on almost everyday but not in a gratutious way. If it made sense for him to be there..he was. Characters weren't sent out in the middle of scenes never to show back up again or with no explanation of where they went. I want to see the women of Port Charles get some self respect back. I remember much less women wandering around the streets of PC wailing about how if they didn't have a man they had NOTHING. I want history to be remembered and referrenced when appropriate. Basically I want the glimmer of hope that I saw during the writer's strike...that the show could still have the mob but not ONLY be about the mob to be fufilled. If all Garin does in his first week is get some balance going I'll be fine.
ReplyDeleteI heard on Niteline last nite that Katie Couric was going to Good Morning America how true that is we will see.No mob would be my want and need from GH.Also show the Quatermaines or whats left of them.I say do a dream sequence get back Georgie,Faith Roscoe,Alan,Emily anyone Guza killed off.
ReplyDeleteIf Guza left under less than desirable circumstances, I would love to see them piss on his "legacy" by having Sigmund the duck wake up and say "What a nightmare!" as Lucy is reaching over to put an ice pack on the bump on his head which he got by slipping in the tub as he was rushing to join Lucy, Alan and Tony at the Nurse's Ball.
ReplyDeleteyou heard Curick was going to GMA?
ReplyDeleteSome "news" outlets (Daily Mail, NY Post) are saying Katie would make "strategic appearances" on GMA (to support the network and try to take advantage of Merideth Viera leaving the Today Show), but her talk show is still on.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387989/Katie-Couric-pitted-Today-moves-ABC.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
The Advertising trade magazines have Couric in talks with ABC to do a syndicated talk show, which would they would want to air between 3 and 5 in various markets. This contract would have Couric make appearamces on ABC news either GMA or the evening news or both to keep her "on the air" until her show began airing in Sept 2012.
ReplyDeleteCouric is still under contract with CBS until the end of June, which gives them the right to match any offer that Couric has until the contract expires, so don;t expect any announcement until then, unless CBS for some reason lets her out of her contract.
Note: Not all ABC syndicated shows appear only on ABC. (ie Regis and Kelly which is on different channels throughout the country)- Unlike The View which is on only ABC and is not syndicated.
More GH and les mob is what is needed to make GH #1 again.
ReplyDeleteKaren, is the new head writer the one who wrote the whole Liason/Jake s/l back in 2007/2008? Does it mean JaSam is over?
ReplyDeleteIs it really going to be that monumental of a task? I mean GH is PRETTY MUCH at ground zero at this point. Things really can't get much worse. I think it's definitely time for another good ole Port Charles Earthquake. Clean up the cast. There are SOOO many useless extras brought in over the past few years, that can be removed in a quick 2 or 3 week period. I saw bring all those people out of the closets and kill the ones that aren't really needed (i.e. Claire, Terrel, etc.) Then go knock on Kristina Wagner's door and beg her to come back, so Felicia can explain to Mac and Maxie, that she's sorry, but her and Frisco had to fake Georgie's death b/c they needed her for a mission, and that they would have used Maxie, but didn't want to risk her heart. That way Dillon can come back to the Q's and ignite a Georgie/Dillon/Spinelli triangle.
ReplyDeleteIt's also time for Sonny to die. Let it be a mob war, where the cops end up being the heros. I know MB has a lot of fans, but really the mob has been overdone for years, and MB costs too much.
Get Monica and Bobbie new men, or men from the past (Unfortunately I don't think there's a way to bring Tony and Alan back since we physically saw them die.) But I'm sure Jeff Webber is still alive, and Blackie Parish too!!
Lucy and Kevin definitely need to be brought back as well, and Bobbie needs to be front and center again. Audrey needs to be shown at least once every two weeks (even just to say a line or two).
Basically focus on the hospital, and replace the mob with the WSB and FUN, EXCITING, NEW, SUSPENSEFUL ACTION/ADVENTURE storylines.
Every day should be ending with some sort of a cliffhanger, with Friday's having MAJOR Cliffhangers.
It really isn't that hard to write a soap, you just have to know what you are doing!!
*** Winning Soap Formula *** = Respecting History, using VETS, Exciting storylines, CORE FAMILIES (Great-grandparents, Grandparents, Parents, Children, Siblings, & Cousins interacting), "Good" winning over "Bad" in the end, Continuity, Sexy Shirtless Men, Sexy Confident Females, Great Villains, Couples to root for, Love/Heartache, Having 3-5 storylines progressing at the same time, & ALWAYS have an "A" storyline on air (when "A" ends, the "B" storyline will become the "A" story with proper build up).
I would agree with all of the above posters. I am a GH fan from all of the glory years' era and I want nothing more than to see a little of that return to GH - they certainly have the cast to accomplish this! But more than that, some balance would be nice and not subject the audience to seeing the same three characters every day, spewing the same dialogue, taking up all of the airtime the show has. Please, I don't want to see this show go the way of AMC and OLTL, replaced by KC, so Mr. Wolf welcome to trying to fix this broken mess.
ReplyDeleteLiason...and bring jake back
ReplyDeleteDo what Days of our Lives is doing and bring back your VETS!
ReplyDeleteI'll make my wish list simple:
ReplyDeleteWrite me a show that leaves my head spinning and my jaw dropping EVERY SINGLE DAY!
Write me a show that makes me FEEL something...ANYTHING!! It doesn't have to be happiness all the time, either. Anger, sadness, bewilderment, and love are all worthwhile emotions too!
Write me a show that I can't wait to watch EVERY SINGLE DAY!!
I want Olivia & Dante both GONE off the show for good and Johnny & Lulu to get back together & get married.
ReplyDeleteGive us stories that make us feel something. Give us intelligent stories that show both sides of an issue, providing for higher, less-predictable drama.
ReplyDeleteTo mimic what Dori said...Write like they do on One Life to Live!
ReplyDeleteRemember when Bobby Ewing died and then he didn't, it was all dream? Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteA lot of writers have weighed in on Guza's exit. Some of the writers have previously written for GH. None of what they are saying is good. They have animosity towards Garin because he crossed the picket line during the writers' strike. They did say that Guza messed up vanessa marcil's return to GH. They feel other writers should have been given a crack at the head writer's position. One writer in particular feels that Garin has been given the job to drive the show to cancellation while using a lower budget.They know Frons and this is probably his plan while fans will rally aroung Garin seeing him as the savior of the show. Another writer says that Garin is a darker writer than Guza. Some have disclosed that they are Guza's friends.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what to make of it. I only hope that if it is cancelled we can see them end on a much better note than is occurring now. Sorry, but the current storylines are aweful. I am not knocking the talented actors/actresses on the show, only the material they are given to portray. Guza deserved to go whether his contract was up or not.
Kev: Good writing can turn the show around in a few weeks. Here are my suggestions vs. yrs:
ReplyDeleteThere are SOOO many useless extras brought in over the past few years, that can be removed in a quick 2 or 3 week period.
***Exactly.
Then go knock on Kristina Wagner's door and beg her to come back, so Felicia can explain to Mac and Maxie, that she's sorry, but her and Frisco had to fake Georgie's death b/c they needed her for a mission, and that they would have used Maxie, but didn't want to risk her heart. That way Dillon can come back to the Q's and ignite a Georgie/Dillon/Spinelli triangle.
***Classic soap trick.
It's also time for Sonny to die. Let it be a mob war, where the cops end up being the heros. I know MB has a lot of fans, but really the mob has been overdone for years, and MB costs too much.
***Keep MB on but have Sonny go to prison for a year or 2 of prison stories- ever see the Aussie soap Prisoner: Cell Block H from the 80s. It was FUN. Then have Sonny get out early like Anthony Z. and have him be a dishwasher at Kellys. OR make his past in strip clubs come out- he was a male exotic dancer in his youth, etc. Something FUN. But, kill of Jason Morgan and bring back Jason Q. How? The DVX switched the two and, like Grant Andres/Putnam, Morgan is a fake- a killer, agent/serial killer who has ruined Q's name while he was imprisoned for 15 years in a Russian gulag.
Get Monica and Bobbie new men, or men from the past (Unfortunately I don't think there's a way to bring Tony and Alan back since we physically saw them die.) But I'm sure Jeff Webber is still alive, and Blackie Parish too!!
***Alan and AJ never died. Again, easy to solve. It was Faison that did it for some reason- or Helena.
Lucy and Kevin definitely need to be brought back as well, and Bobbie needs to be front and center again. Audrey needs to be shown at least once every two weeks
***Yes, keep the oldies. I love Monica and Leslie Charleson has been abused. Tracy Q is proof older characters are fun and exciting when done well.
*** Winning Soap Formula *** = Respecting History, using VETS, Exciting storylines, CORE FAMILIES (Great-grandparents, Grandparents, Parents, Children, Siblings, & Cousins interacting), "Good" winning over "Bad" in the end, Continuity, Sexy Shirtless Men, Sexy Confident Females, Great Villains, Couples to root for, Love/Heartache, Having 3-5 storylines progressing at the same time, & ALWAYS have an "A" storyline on air (when "A" ends, the "B" storyline will become the "A" story with proper build up).
***BINGO- plus I'd bring on LUke's father and Sonny's mother- NOT really dead. Luke needs to deal w the past. Also, bring on Sly Eckert as a pal for Lucky. Siobhan has great potential as a character but drop many newbies. Resolve Franco- maybe he reveals that Jason Morgan is a sleeper not the real Jason Q.?
Use the best stories from the past and switch them up. Soaps are melodrama and melodrama is EASY. Real drama- a John Cassavetes or Ingmar Bergman film is hard. Not soaps.