Nelson Branco's SOAP OPERA UNCENSORED: Issue 84 Read online

  STEVE KENT, SONY

  Managing two soaps, Y&R and DAYS, automatically puts him on this list. And that’s all I can say about him. While DAYS has been on fire all year ratings-wise and creatively, Kent can’t seem to control Y&R. In two years, Y&R has had three creative teams. Not a good sign of a great manager. Given DAYS’s myriad successes, does he have a split personality or does he leave Salem to Ken Corday? I’m betting it’s the latter. His biggest move this past year was helping facilitate Eileen Davidson’s jump from Genoa City to Salem after Y&R fired her once again. Regardless, he needs to retire because an ape could shepherd these two shows better.

  KEN CORDAY, DAYS

  Oh, Kenny! What can we say? The show is pretty perfect these days… so whatever you’re doing, keep on doing it. Whether that’s binging and golfing in Hawaii or micromanaging the show… we’re just glad you stopped heralding “The New DAYS” stories in SOAP OPERA DIGEST when nothing ever came out of those proclamations. Instead, Corday tried to a new tactic: showing us not telling us how good DAYS is now instead of talking about it. Ken should win more Daytime Emmys! Speaking of which, Corday won his first Best Drama Series Emmy Award this year putting him in the leagues of some of the best producers in the business. They like him, they really like him! He’s also created a relatively successful publishing franchise with Sourcebooks.

  ANTHONY GEARY, GH

  Not a lot of soap stars make more than one million dollars. In fact, there’s probably only one boldface name who can claim that distinction — and his name is Anthony Geary. According to a story in THE GLOBE, the 7-time Emmy winner makes 1.5 million dollars! And gets to take a few months off a year for vacation. Not a bad gig. He also reportedly gets to dictate storyline and dialogue on occasion. But time will tell if he’s given a paycut and his onscreen demands are a thing of the past.

  STEVE BURTON, Y&R

  The popular GH actor secured a cushy gig on Y&R. He’s a front-burner character with legacy ties making a lot money per episode. By his own admission, Burton claims Y&R flies him in from his Tennessee home. And the executive producer, JFP, is obsessed with the star. Too bad he hasn’t brought in the ratings.

  THE LLANVIEW 3, GH: HOWARTH, ALDERSON and EASTON

  Roger Howarth, Michael Easton and Kristen Alderson were all treated like stepchildren on ONE LIFE. But when they transferred over to GH as their Llanview characters, the trio helped the show grow in numbers. But a lawsuit between ABC and Prospect Park prevented them from continuing in the aforementioned roles. So what to do? GH decided to create three new characters for the daytime trifecta. It must be nice being the Llanview 3: everyone wants them! Prospect Park even blames not having the three actors as one of the reasons the online reboot of Llanview failed.

  RUNNERS UP:

  CRYSTAL CHAPPELL, VENICE/B&B/THE GROVE/BEACON HILL/THE INN, et al

  MICHELLE STAFFORD, THE STAFFORD PROJECT

  LORRAINE BRODERICK, DAYS Writer

  LANE FANS, Y&R

  COLLEEN BELL, B&B Producer/US Ambassador in Hungary

  MAURA WEST, GH

  DON DIAMONT, B&B

  JESS WALTON, Y&R

  KATHERINE KELLY LANG, B&B/VENICE/THE GROVE

  MICHAEL LOGAN, TV GUIDE MAGAZINE

  BRYAN CRAIG’S CHEST, GH

  Editorial

  THE PERILS OF SPEED PLOTTING

  Your Favourite Shows Are Suffering Due to Fast-Paced Storytelling! Is the Rush Starting to Fade?

  In a recent article in ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, the industry journal analyzed the pitfalls of rushing plot at a rapid pace. While HOMELAND, NEW GIRL and SCANDAL hooked viewers with their manic storytelling approach, three seasons later, fans are suffering from whiplash. Things used to move slowly on TV for so many years: is this cadence of storytelling the new normal? As the story states, it took several seasons for Ross and Rachel to hook up on FRIENDS, Jack and Kate to leave the island on LOST, and Homer Simpson years just to eat a sandwich on THE SIMPSONS.

  With short attention spans, a fear of spoilers, and a need by shows to keep their viewers tweeting as they watch; showrunners have raised the volume on storytelling; but in the process, they’re losing the quiet moments.

  As most of you know, daytime TV isn’t immune, either. It has been speeding through story for the past decade. Couples fall in love, break up, marry, divorce, and have a baby in less than a year, which prevents us from investing in the journey. The destination? Nothing is taken seriously anymore because we know another plot twist will eventually pop up to distract the characters – and viewers – from dealing with consequences of the narratives, something vital in a story. Pick a soap character and you’ll probably find it easy to attribute every cliché in the book to him or her – presumed deaths, long-lost children, addiction, an alien abduction – in their dense, predictable lives.

  GH’s head writer Ron Carlivati is the best in daytime when it comes to balancing a breakneck speed of plot, unique character conversations, and keeping people constantly entertained and engaged because he uses his whole cast in A, B and C stories. While one plot is beginning, one is climaxing and the other is concluding. Prime-time TV should pay attention to the Almighty Carlivati.

  Moreover, the Emmy winner realizes something prime-time writers are forgetting: we don’t always need a shocking plot twist to blow our minds and get us talking. No, in fact, some of the most enjoyable TV viewing experiences in my life are talk-to scenes. Remember when Ruth took ecstasy on SIX FEET UNDER and looked back at her life and relationships with her children? Or when Miranda and Carrie called each other out on their shit in the final season of SEX AND THE CITY? Or when Kalinda and Alicia go out drinking together on THE GOOD WIFE?

  We need to get back to more of that. Maybe I’m unique, but I tune in for the small moments as much as the big ones. In fact, I don’t care about spoilers because I’m more concerned and riveted by the aftermath. For example, I watched the entire series of THE SOPRANOS long after it aired on HBO and knew of several key deaths and plot points, but it didn’t impact my viewing experience at all. In fact, it enhanced it because I wanted to see what led up to these life-changing events. Maybe it’s my 20 years of learning advanced storyline on soaps, but learning BJ died on GH wasn’t a deal breaker for me because my favourite moment of the story was when Felicia learned BJ saved Maxie’s life and crumpled to the floor. Seeing Kristina Wagner rise to the occasion and become a real actress was the real surprise in my mind.

  Yep, those are the moments I live for. And if prime-time isn’t careful, they’re going to lose the money shot. Look at what happened to daytime soaps, after all!