The only hope I see for ALL MY CHILDREN's survival is to streamline the show (which seems to be happening with its relocation to L.A.) by refocusing the stories on a small but interesting set of characters. With the show moving to Los Angeles, where Eden Riegel lives, bringing her on full-time as Bianca and focusing the show around her would be a great start. Other than Darnell Williams and Debbi Morgan, I am not saddened at all about possible cast changes. There is a lot of dead weight on ALL MY CHILDREN and many disposable characters. Bianca is hugely popular, attracts the right demographic and all that's been missing is consistently good writing for the character.Instead of thinking about all the AMC actors that might not want to move, we should also consider those who want to live in Los Angeles who might be available to the show now.
But just as we discussed on today's epsiode of "We Love Soaps Radio," at what point does a show become so unrecognizable that it's a brand new show?
As long as they don't bring Rebecca Bidg back as Greenlee, this might not be a bad idea...
ReplyDeleteoops.. I meant Budig
ReplyDeleteThat's another interesting example, Tom. Just as some actors prefer to stay in NYC, some want to be in LA and this might open the door for some returns. I do believe though that a scaled down and MORE FOCUSED show is the best way to go. We'll see what happens.
ReplyDeletedo u think beth elhers will move with amc
ReplyDeleteI love Eden and I love Bianca....but I dont want to see either of them on AMC as long as Pratt is still involved with the production. Eden deserves better!
ReplyDeleteRoger,
ReplyDeleteI disagree with you in that the show needs to have vets in the show for the same reason that OLTL and Y&R do. Longtime viewers want to see their vets. For me, one of the reasons that I watch Y&R and OLTL are because of the characters who have been there since I was child.
Vikki and Dorian are more important to me than Rex and Gigi. Similarly, Katherine and Jill mean much more to me than Amber and Daniel.
I like the multigenerational casts of both shows.
The bright spots of AMC for me are the vets. AMC simply doesn't have young adults who are the equivalent of teen and early twenties Jessie, Jenny, Angie, and Greg.
Frankly, the last time I really watched AMC with frequency was during the time Jack and Erica had their blended family. I loved the sibling play of Reggie and Greenlee, for instance.
P.S.
Also, I'm not sure what you mean by the "right demographic." What does it mean for you?
SoapFan, I don't know what vets AMC really has. Erica, Adam, Angie and Jesse. We don't know if any of them will even more. I certain want Angie and Jesse on the show. In fact they could be the center of the show for me. But most of the cast that are really featured I don't care about. If Palmer was available or Mona, Phoebe and Myrtle were still alive they would all be amazing in multi-generational stories. But AMC has lost much of its histroy, like GL, moreso than Y&R or even OLTL. I think the writers of AMC have all had such dramatically different visions for the show that it's lost whatever vision it Anges Nixon had for it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the networks care about my demographic. Normally when I've seen Eden fans online they've been 18-49 females which seem to be demo advertisers want. Men are a quarter of the soap audience but you will never see a commercial meant for a man. It's like we don't exist for advertisers.
Roger, I completely agree! Whenever Eden brings Bianca back to Pine Valley, ratings always go up. Eden Riegel has very loyal and dedicated fan base who will always turn AMC on if Bianca is there!
ReplyDeleteLast fall when I found out that Eden was coming back and Tamara Braun would be joining her, I immediately started watching AMC again! Of course, I was unhappy with how the story unfolded but I still fell in love with Bianca and Reese as a couple!
Along with Eden, Tamara Braun brought her own loyal fanbase to Pine Valley as well! The day they left Pine Valley, I did too because I had no interest in the other storylines. They left in the middle of the week and by the end of that same week, AMC had gone from 2.0 to a 1.7.
I can't even watch AMC anymore, but I would turn it back on in a heartbeat if Eden and Tamara came back! And I know I'm not the only one!
No matter what characters the show has on it, it is clear that AMC needs better writing, needs some consistency for it's characters and for their actions in order to bring viewers back.
ReplyDeleteA use of history and logical motivations for the characters will go a long way as well. Bringing back Bianca and centering the show around her won't help as long as Charles Pratt continues to ignore the show and character history. He messed up Bianca pretty badly in my eyes with the baby story and her betraying her sister in the worst possible way. I'd rather not see her on the show again anytime soon.
I definitely agree about the writing. That is what is going to make or break these shows. Even with great writing, fans may or may not come back. But with bad writing, they will keep tuning out. Even the most diehard fans can only be ticked off for so long.
ReplyDeleteI wish AMC was using this change as an opportunity to create a new vision for the show. I'm not clear what the writers and producers want this show to be about. I hope someone thinks to answer that question while they're planning a move cross country and switching to HD and being in a new studio.
With Y&R and OLTL and even GL, there is a sense that the producers and writers care about their shows, even if all their ideas don't work out. But with AMC I don't always sense a real love for Pine Valley or AMC in the writing.
Bring Eden Riegel back on All My Children.She always helps the rating go up.She well miss on the show
ReplyDeletePatty