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All MY CHILDREN Interviews
Scribal Counsel
— By Mara Levinsky
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Charles Pratt, Jr.
— CRAIG SJODIN/ABC
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In just a few short weeks, the material of new AMC Head Writer Charles Pratt, Jr. will begin airing. He spoke to Digest about taking on the gig and what fans can expect.
Digest: Talk us through how you joined the show.
Charles Pratt, Jr.: In my career, I've worked in prime-time and daytime, most recently prime-time, and as [ABC Daytime President] Brian Frons knows, occasionally the window opens and there's an opportunity where I'm not working on something else or deeply involved in a pilot or on a series, as I was last year. We always keep in touch; we're good friends. And he called and said, "I have needs in various places." He once said that to me when I was a script writer a thousand years ago on GENERAL HOSPITAL and he was starting SANTA BARBARA. He said, "How about SANTA BARBARA?" And I thought, "That's interesting." I realized even then that I kind of gravitate toward challenges.
Digest: What attracted you to AMC?
Pratt: I've always been a Julie Carruthers [executive producer] fan. We've worked together before and I just love her, and I love what she does on the show since she's been here. All the actors are just good actors, whether they've been on the show for years or they're new.
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Breakup to Makeup: Cosmetics queens Kendall (Alicia Minshew) and Greenlee (Rebecca Budig) will get makeovers.
— STEVE FENN/ABC
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Digest: Watching the show as a writer, do you feel like the cast is being properly utilized?
Pratt: In some cases yes and in some cases no. I won't get specific about that, but I felt that the whole show was kind of drifting along and it needed shoring up — a strengthening of the basic formula that Agnes [Nixon, creator and story consultant] created years ago. It had kind of lost its way a little bit. I think it happens to shows and that with my experience, I kind of had the feeling, "This won't be tough at all." It is challenging right now, but I like a good challenge — bringing it back to the smart show that it always was, to take away the silliness and add the real humor and deepness and the ability to take characters and really make them multifaceted, to deepen the characters and tell a more sophisticated story that's character-based and maybe reposition some of the people on the canvas so that they are with the right people and in the kind of place that made them great. A few had kind of drifted off. Lord knows I've done it so many times myself; there's no blame to be tossed around, it just happens.
Digest: How cool is it to be working with Agnes Nixon?
Pratt: Oh, my goodness. Ten years with Aaron Spelling and now it's Agnes Nixon. They're legends in the business and I love legends! I'm not a slave to them and she knows that and so did Aaron, but at the same time, their wisdom is slowly being lost in daytime and in prime-time. She is just so open to ideas as long as you're open to hear the foundation she built and how it came about.
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Men At Work: Pratt has big plans for Zach (Thorsten Kaye) and Ryan (Cameron Mathison).
— HEIDI GUTMAN/ABC
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Digest: How has it been getting acquainted with your new writing staff?
Pratt: They've got it distilled down to a really fantastic group of writers — Addie's been here forever, some of the new young kids coming in and the ones that I'm going to bring in.... I'm a big believer in training these younger writers to give them a chance to flourish and that means simply to give them the freedom to write what they want to write about. The head writer's job is to hear and to listen to all of that as we launch into formulating and building a real long-term story. Mark [Cherry, DH Creator/Writer] and I planned out the first year of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES together episode to episode. We knew before we shot the pilot where this thing was going. I think that gets lost in daytime a lot and it turns into, "Well, what are we gonna do this week?" The only way to do that is to trust your writers to execute. To not change and not deviate and have a plan. And when it doesn't work, we all know [laughs]. We'll turn the ship together. The captain, if he's gonna turn the ship, needs everyone on board helping. And I can't say enough good things about these writers and their enthusiasm, despite the fact that they're coming out of a rough patch.
Digest: Describe your first day at work.
Pratt: I didn't get lost walking from my hotel in New York to the studio! That's the thing I worried about. And wondering who was gonna walk my dog while I'm here. But seriously, the first day always starts a month before the first day. It's looking at that week, that plotted week, to say, "Okay, is there anything in here that's getting in the way of what I'm going to do?" And you start to get those writers together and tell them, "I'm not here to tell you what to do. I'm here to free you up to write what you want to write. And if that scares you, that's okay; I'll tell you what to do." It's just to instantly boost the morale. I've already done it with Julie and with Agnes, but now it's time to do it with the people who are charged with the execution of this and learning about them, and learning about the actors, and listening to their frustrations, whether it be the process or the characters or the storytelling. They all have different opinions and they're all passionate — and that's all I need. You just don't want a group of people who aren't passionate, who couldn't care less or don't want to be there. So, really the first week is all about pulling it all together. I found myself in my first meetings suddenly turned into long story meetings. I didn't have any resistance, no one was fighting for anything, they just wanted me to tell them, "Where are we going and what are we doing?" And I said, "Well, we're gonna build this big umbrella story and this is what we're building it around, and in four weeks, this is gonna happen." I'd done my homework and I was hitting the ground running, with the support of the network behind me.
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Prime(time) Territory: Pratt's prime-time experience will influence his AMC work.
— BOB D'AMICO/ABC
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Digest: Let's talk about some of the problem areas on the show, starting with Fusion.
Pratt: I think I looked at Fusion as, not "What do we do with Fusion?" but as an opportunity, as we do with magazine publishing on a show like UGLY BETTY. My gosh, a woman-run company, yet all they do is run around and chase after their romantic interests. These are working women; let's put them in the work environment and give them great, funny, romantic stories under that umbrella. We've got the younger working women, put them up against the spoiled rich girls, Kendall and Greenlee, who are running it and seem to be so distracted by their romantic lives. There's great fun in that and relatability. My feeling is, rather than figure out ways to use it, that can become drudgery. Let's make it exciting! Let's make it a world we want to see. I think all of it's there. Without it becoming a business story, you make it Greenlee vs. Kendall, rich against poor. I personally was confused with Kendall and Greenlee. When are they friends, when are they not? Best friends have little spats and disagreements, but they also know each other better than anyone in the world. We're going to clarify all of that.
Digest: And what about the menfolk, like Zach and Ryan?
Pratt: I'm gonna smarten them up and not have them be reactive. I think that will heighten these romances and these triangles, make them clear-cut and put real tension between the people as opposed to things coming from the outside. It'll come from within them and who they are. As I explore them, the audience gets to re-explore them. I think they'll see more consistent people and their dilemmas becoming bigger and bigger and life-threatening, so it won't turn into the he said/she said storytelling that it's kind of turned into. It'll make it a lot more women against women, men against men, husbands against wives, as we struggle toward, "Who are the two people that really need to be together in all of this?" I'm having great fun with this. I think Annie was suffering from being a little whiny and boring and by making her deliciously desperate, not evil, but desperate and really playing that, it's become a nice conflict. Ryan is an honorable guy; what's he gonna do with all of this? I'm really straightening out those lines.
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xlr2d3First thing first: Zach Slater is THE SMARTEST man around. He doesn't need some newbie writer to "smarten him up". Secondly, as you can tell from my name, DON'T MESS WITH ZENDALL. For heaven's sake, find a way to have one married couple be together and raise a family together, and remain in love with each other, and be loyal to each other. Give them other conflicts, and let them fight the world TOGETHER, as a couple. Playing musical beds with everyone in town is not the only way to keep daytime viewers interested.......
for the love of SOAPS mr.pratt does not need to come in and make thing worst, why not tell some good STRONGFAMILY SL, and have some FUN thrown in there,ADVENTURE, ACTION,,, amc has been NOTHING but DARK,DEATH, AND CRAP for a long time now, why can't this show GET THEIR act together, and as for him saying ryan is a HONORABLE GUY,,,,,,,,DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH,,,,,,,or throw up, most of the fans CAN NOT STAND THIS SMUG CHARATER, and no matter what PRATT says he can not make me LIKE WHOM HE WANTS ME to./ and he can not tell me who will be a SUPERCOUPLE OR NOT this will be decided by THE FANS not him..........iam not a child that he thinks he can train, i will set back and watch but if he messes with the ONE thing i watch for and that is the SLATERS, AND THEIR FAMILY IAN AND SPIKE,,,,,,, then i will toss this show LIKE A BAD HABIT........and that is a PROMISE.........
All this sounds great to me. The only other real thing I care about is, please Mr. Pratt keep Ryan far away from Greenlee. Please, please, please???
We already know that Zendall belong together so leave them along give they a story that they can work together.How in the world can Pratt said Ryan is honorable sorry partner you got it all wrong if anything Ryan is a jerk and always has been.Every time you see him he is in someone s/l.I am sick of Ryan being shove down our throats.The trio Ryan,Greenlee, and Kendall each one has a life of their own .Kendall has a wonderful husband and children.Greenlee has a future husband and Ryan has a whacked wife that was crazy from the beginning. They both deserve each other. So Please for goodness stake leave " ZENDALL" alone.
Mr Pratt, open your eyes. The true couple is Zach and Kendall. They have proved it over and over again. Do not mess with them or else you will lose a viewer who's been with this show since the 70's. Give them a story where they can work together as a team, show more of their family life with Ian and Spike. Ryan honorable, what a joke. He's the biggest jerk out there. Everybody has to bow down to him. I would really love for him and Greenlee to pay for their mistakes. This fan will never forget that Greenlee kidnapped Spike and caused Ian to be born way too early and never paid for her crimes. I do hope you do something with Fusion. It is a workplace for God's sake, the stripper pole was just sick. Again, please leave "Zendall" alone, they've been thru so much already, torture someone else for a change.
I hope Mr Pratt is going to make use of the rich (and some of the newly discovered chemistry!)between all the characters . Ryan has been in and out of love with Kendlal since 2002 . They share a child together and have helped each other through countless problems and traumas . Zach has always been resigned but a little irked with Kendall`s bond with Ryan . There must be some good potential for drama in all that . I hope Zach and Greenlee`s friendship continues too . Love their snark and fire . One never knows what the other will say to each other and that keeps viewers watching . I think the Kenlee dynamic worked better when they were grudging allies. I`d love to see them with rival Cosmetic Empires . I also think Ryan and Greenlee are better as friends . Imo the romantic chemistry just was not there .
Let the Slaters do themselves- they invented Zach & Kendall& have put their own spin on it & let them just run with it! They are just absolutely fabulous as it is! Just don't mess them up & you will have the correct formula! The awesome Slaters are the only reason I watch!! And one more thing- all of us are upset that Ian didn't get a 1st birthday party & Spike did & now it's totally blown off! Why is that? Will Ian ever have a party? It's a bit unfair that the only real love child, conceived the right way in a stable, loving marriage does NOT get a birthday party, when Jenny & Spike did & I don't think that's one bit fair! I want a party for Ian! And lose the hooker story. Boring!
Give Zach and Kendall a story worthy of TK and AM's amazing talents. Without saying a word you can feel the undeniable chemistry between them. So take advantage of that, Zendall have so much potential if they were given some writing that utilizes that. Let them work together instead of apart, with each other instead of always with others. The times that the Slaters have been on the same page have been some of the most enjoyable episodes in all my years of AMC watching. And for goodness sakes, STOP with the sextet garbage! I get them being civil with each other, but being BFFs? WTH? Nothing is more contrived and unbelievable and nothing drives away viewers more than that. And Kendall is not just a spoiled rich girl. She has worked hard for everything she has, she wasn't raised in a rich family. It was not just handed to her as it was for Greenlee. Kendall and Greenlee are really are nothing alike. Please give your viewers stories that makes sense! Make AMC fun again!
The only good writing that has come out of AMC of late was Jesse and Angie reunion...Please don't loose the magic that those two characters have. ..I loved them 20 years ago and still do, although I think the daughter Cass can't act, we need a new face on that one...Please Mr. Pratt don't mess with Jesse and Angie...I did enjoy Dixie helping Tad, I want her back alive!Ryan needs a spine, and Zack well he needs to be with Marty on OLTL.
The thing I miss the most on AMC is good old fashioned romance. This show has been so focused on playing musical couples and ignoring its very own history that I don't even recognize the show I started watching as a kid. AMC has so many talented actors, and couples that given decent writing could rival some of the iconic romances of the "old days" of soaps. Take Zach and Kendall for example, those two have such a sizzling chemistry that I often feel I am watching a real life couple. I just wish that instead throwing a rapid succession of contrived obstacles at them the show would just let them do what they do best, bring love in the afternoon back to AMC. So much potential, so much magic, please Mr. Pratt don't waste it. I think Zendall is exactly what this show needs to bring real romance back to AMC. And please don't forget the character's history. Nothing is more frustrating than watching the characters you love turn into something you don't recognize anymore. Giv
The writers need to do their research on the history of the show (the viewers have very long and good memories). History has been rewritten too many times on this show. We need good stories/writing that is not plot dirven, but character driven. Over the past year, characters have been written out of character. Zendall is the top couple, and are consistently in the top five of polls. Yet, they have not been written for, and lately have been doing far too much propping of other characters. When they are on the screen (either foreground or background), you notice them -- their chemistry is amazing (TK & AM are very talented committed actors). I want to see them working together, strong, in love, committed to their family, sexy, etc. They are simply amazing, hawt, beautiful!! Overall I would like to see on AMC love, adventure, humor, romance, couples working out their issues, family units, etc. I hope AMC can be saved!
Okay, to put the word honorable in the same sentence with the name Ryan Lavery is extremely laughable. Please get to know your characters and please check out some message boards. You will soon realize that Ryan Lavery is one of the most hated characters in daytime today. As far as smartening up Zach Slater?? Does not need to be done. Zach's character is one of the most beloved characters on daytime. The one thing I beg of you?? Please give us back the REAL Zach Slater and Kendall Hart Slater.
Less is more EXCEPT when it comes to a storyline for Tad Martin. Less of Ryan. Less of Greenlee. Less of Erica. Less of making daytime look more like primetime. Janice mentions history and character. AGREE! Give us back the characters we recognize. Give us a reason to laugh and cry. More Tad Martin and his spontaneous interactions with Adam and Dixie. Have you heard? DIXIE LIVES! And a hard lesson to learn: if you make the fans happy, they will watch the show more. It's not about what YOU WANT TO DO WITH THE SHOW, it's about what viewers want to see. Yeah, go ahead and free up the writers to do what they want, but viewers will do what they want to. And ratings will remain stagnant.
PLEASE bring back Dixie. The show is so boring when I tune in. I quit watching when they killed off Dixie. Things were just getting good. If there were some characters you could bring back - Dmitri, Jillian - they would add a little zest. Kendall is nausating, but Zach has some depth. The Ryan/Kendall/Greenlee story is boring and on overdrive. Angie and Jesse is the best writing to have hit this show in YEARS. Follow up with Tad and Dixie and you will get return viewers.
I think the problem with the sextet is that their storylines are so insular. They rarely interact with other characters in any meaningful way. As to the rest of the cast, it's time for Erica to show some consistent and sustained emotional growth. Plus we need more family-based stories. I adored the Kane/Montgomerys--they were AMC's equivalent to GH's Quartermaines, in their heydey. How about bringing back the popular character of Reggie to interact with the teen set? Perhaps Randi could be one of his estranged sisters. That would tie the Hubbards to the K/Ms. . . Just a thought. Anyway, good luck, Mr. Pratt. Hope you manage to get the ratings up!
I have been watching AMC since the beginning. The all time best through the years was Tad & Dixie. PLEASE bring back Dixie! I love that Jesse & Angie are back. What fun! But-PLEASE bring back Dixie. Tad & Dixie were so great together!
Mr. Pratt, My questions to you are: What are your plans for Tad and Kate? Do you plan to get Cady McClain back on AMC as an ALIVE Dixie for them? You don't mention any of them at all. Does this mean you have NO use for them and that they will be on the back burner indefinitely? Also, what about Jesse and Angie? Are you going to backburner them too? If that is your plan, than I won't be watching AMC at all anymore. Your hope to fix Fusion (a lost cause), to push more of the sextet of suck (Ryan, Annie, Greenlee, Aidan, Zach, and Kendall) on us, and to have Erica continue to dominate AMC will only drag it further down the rabbit hole. All these over exposed characters/issues are exactly what has been sinking the show in the ratings. Your plans will only exacerbate AMC's existing problems. If you really want to improve AMC, you need to lose all of them and throw Krystal, Babe, and all the teenybopper twits in the trash with them. No plans for Tad and Dixie = No me watching AMC!
Dear Mr. Pratt, if you are taking over the job from someone, first thing you should do is review the history. Zach=SMART! Kendall was raised in a VERY middle-class family. She has earned every penny with blood and sweat. She is not a spoiled brat like Greenlee, who is nothing but barf-worthy. Ryan is not hero, no matter how many times you make the women on the show say it. He is the worst, manipulative, smug, rude, maniacal, self-centered, abusive JERK, and nobody likes him. Pls stop shoving him down our throats just because Fronsieboy loves him & Greenlee. Tie up the loose ends from last two years, make Spikey belong to donor #1, so Zach can legally be father to him, and kick Ryan out of his orbit. Slaters have not had moment's peace EVER, pls give them love, romance, adventure, HONEYMOON (without Greenlee or Ryan tagging along), and Baby Amelia! If you bring Hannah back, let her admit Ethan was Michael's or ACS's son. Bring back Brooke/David/Liza/Dimitri/LEO. Lose Randi/Frankie/Krystal. Listen
Well from reading this interview i dont' see anything new. NO change what so ever the only thing different is the name of the so-call writer.. I will just stick to my CBS soaps..
Mr. Pratt, your job is to entertain and you have accepted the challenge. If you are successful, then you will be rewarded with praise from the fans, ratings, and possibly even an emmy. However, from what I have read in this interview, keep the resume' current. Looks like the same characters will be front and center which has put AMC in the toilet in the first place! Go ahead try to improve the characters most viewers wish would blow up! The focus groups might want them, but what do they know, they represent 20,000 compared to the millions who have been shunned. AMC will be a challenge in that it is NOT primetime. I just hope I am NOT going to see primetime in daytime. Watched 2 episodes of Ugly Betty and DH and was so bored I stopped.I am not thrilled that there are no tidbits about Tad, Angie, Jesse, etc. You can't just focus on the 30 somethings!! The average age of a ABC daytime viewer is 53!! Instead of snubbing those over 40, write stuff that embraces us!! vets with history-no rival soa
Mr.Pratt, I have heard it before from past writers how they are going to write good stories to save AMC, so for me it is a wait and see. We just finished with one reign of terror writing so I hope you are not another. Please no mob stories - I stopped watching GH because of it. Research your characters' history and quit rewriting to suit plot driven drivel. Zach is smart and savvy (the past regime didn't get him or Kendall). Kendall is not some spoiled rich girl - she fought for everything she has today from not so rich background. I'm tired of Zendall being used to prop useless characters - give them their own story that showcases who they really are, plus they are hot (chemistry is unbelievable), strong, loving, unified, etc. Let Zendall stand together in their story, along with separate stories for each of them (TK & AM have talent). I want to see fun come back to AMC, along with love, integrity, family oriented, couples fighting & facing their issues together - no more couple switching (hate t
There is just one thing that I want to know. Are you going to give Tad a story? Everything I have read about your plans for AMC makes no mention of Tad at all. Unless you plan on featuring Michael Knight in a front burner story I guess me and my friends will just be tuning out. Instead of getting these CBS actors from their lowest rated show why are you ignoring the built in talent that you already have? I know that you have to write for the characters that the network tells you to write for but they are making a huge mistake if they think that long time fans will be happy with no Tad.
First off, Welcome Mr. Pratt! Now onto my suggestions. You have to know that viewers [from what I've seen for the majority] are tired of the same six [Kendall, Zach, Annie, Ryan, Greenlee, & Aiden] dominating the show. I'm not saying write them off, but please more balance/variety. You have an entire cast to write for, many who are just trotted out once in a blue...USE THEM, especially the vets, the core/recognition of this soap! Personal pleas based on who my faves are (BTW, i'm 26) would be: I'd like to know what you have planned for Tad w/ Kathy, Angie, Jesse. I'd wish you'd consider bringing back characters w/ history specifically Cady McClain's Dixie Cooney M., ALIVE! You already have a great super couple w/ Tad/Dix-about 20 yrs of history...plenty left to write for especially w/ the mess/character assassinations for both(which wrongfully took away their rooting value) of 06-07. Many ties. It's all there, please take this on; many questions left unanswered. It's all
Mr Pratt, Few more things to consider: Careys = Death to AMC. Also the current baby Jenny Colby Carey Martin...needs to rightfully become Charlotte Colby Carey Chandler again...meaning make her Adam's child. Tad needs to break ties with the Careys, very unlikeable in that orbit. He should just have to concentrate on his daughter Kathy and be given back his PI business. Also hopefully, in a not too distant future, be prepared for his love [Dixie Cooney Martin-last return explanation: astral projections] to wake up from her coma. It's all possible!;) *Thanks for this space*
Mr Pratt, Take a look at the ratings and you will realize that focusing on the "sextet of suckage" will get this show nowhere fast! I am a 49 year old mother of 2 who has watched since day 1 and speak for the FORGOTTEN demographic(the one with the bucks and spending power)we are leaving this show in droves because writers don't write stories, they focus on plots not characters and there hasn't be a GOOD love story in years. Everything is instant, no build up or anticipation. We no longer sit on the edge of our seats for Monday's episode. As far as I'm concerned my tivo is my best friend because I can watch 5 minutes and be done. The best thing I've seen lately was the reunion of our supercouples, one still remains in PV but for many of us Dixie "angel" just won't cut it. You want to get viewers back then figure out how to get Cady/Dixie back to Pine Valley and the sooner the better. You have a very intelligent viewing audience be a HW who finally has the balls t
Bring back Cady McClain as an alive Dixie and have Dixie and Tad together.
How come there is no mention of TAD/JESSE/ANGIE?! These characters are the only thing keeping AMC alive currently and to just forget about them and bring in MORE stupid angst for the "the sextet of suck" is going to hurt the show even more. I don't get why AMC thinks it needs to bring in more younger viewers by bringing on new characters. I am a younger viewer and I really only watch right now because I have watched my whole life and I am loyal. I don't think any of my friends/other young people would want to start watching it, so it's really a lost cause. What TPTB needs to do is keep the CURRENT viewers as they are decreasing rapidly. Concentrate on times when the show was good. I'm not saying repeat history, just focus on core family stories. I could care less about Fusion, Ryan, or Zendall, Annie, Aidan, or Greenlee. and I have to throw this in here.. Bring back Cady McClain as a very alive Dixie. She is what AMC needs to get back on track. GOOD LUCK Mr. Pratt! :)
My earlier message was cut off and what I meant to say was You have a very intelligent viewing audience be a HW who finally has the balls to buck the trend of past HW's same old, same old. Stop giving us what the exec's want to see and be true to yourself and the viewers.
No one wants you to succeed more than the fans. AMC has been slipping terribly under the leadership of your friends Brian Frons and Julie Carruthers. The HW's come in full of hope and ideas but in the end they are just too weak to stick to their guns. They promote Mr. Frons' skewed vision time and time again even though it has been proven not to work. You want to look at history? Don't look back at the last 5 years. Go back to before the Frons era. Back to when AMC was a proud Soap that received Emmy nominations and wins. Don't listen to the Executive Producer that has produced nothing but slipping ratings and disgruntled fans since she has been in charge. Our hope for a renewed Soap Opera lay in your hands, Mr. Pratt. Don't let us down!
Thanks for the interview, Mara. Mr. Pratt, Many fans are hanging on by a thread and a lot have let go all together. I continue to read scoops to see if anything is worth tuning in for. Your interview says NOTHING that I really want to hear. Ok, maybe one. David Canary back front and center. Huzzah! Other than that... zzzzzzzz. I am sick to death of Ryan/Annie/Zach/Kendall/Greenlee/Aidan and any stories that involve them. How about retooling them and while you're doing that, give them a little LESS screen time (like maybe only 4 days a week instead of 5). This show needs more BALANCE. Stop concentrating on the same 6 and share the love. What are your plans for Angie & Jesse? I haven't heard a PEEP about them in your intereviews and they're one of the bright spots for me. And what about Tad and baby Kate/Kathy? I hear crickets chirping on that one too when it comes to your interviews. I'd like more Erica WITH Jackson, too. Any mention of Jackson by you? Nope! And get CADY MCCLAIN BACK as an ALIV
This show is about opportunities lost. Why couldn't erica have gone to work for Adam when released from prison? why couldn't Tad have spent time telling Kate/Kathy about how she came to be his daughter? Or J.R. spending more time with his newly discovered little sister? Mr. Pratt, Claudine is not the only one sick to death of Ryan/Annie/Zach/Kendall/Greenlee/Aidan. If they must be included, then don't make us see them every single show. Angie and Jesse and Tad and Jackson and Adam all shine when onscreen. Give them material! You can make a difference, so don't do more of the same! We've had enough of it. Oh, and the Careys should be on the next taxi leaving Pine Valley for good.
I'm looking forward to the change in writing regimes with optimism and trepidation. I was looking forward to the last change, and it was horrible. Please take the history of the show into account. Talk to the actors too--they know their characters better than anyone. I appreciate your enthusiasm--many things need to change. However, Zach and Kendall are not among those things--Zach is the smartest man in Pine Valley, and Kendall is in no way the spoiled rich girl that her so-called BFF/business partner is. Zendall is the greatest strength of AMC, the only rootable couple, and the main reason I watch. TK and AM are amazing talents who have suffered through being written completely out of character to "redeem"/prop the babynapper that nearly killed their children. Plot-driven stories don't work. Character-driven ones do. So write great stories for great characters like Zach, Kendall, Erica, Jesse, Angie, Adam, and Tad. Don't bring in tons of newbies when you have great ones already (Josh!)
Mr. Pratt better fix Jack and Erica or he is going to lose the other huge fan base this show has. I'm already tuning OUT to Wooden the bore and we Jerica fans have been waiting 2 years to get our reunion. Everytime they get close we get hit with another headwriter change and some person doing another tired triangle with them. Let them reunite and give them a story TOGETHER that is befitting a Supercouple of their status.
I agree with the poster who said that Mr. Pratt better fix our Jack and Erica and fast because he is losing one of the most vocal and one of the largest fan bases this show has. I don't even watch the rest of the show anymore because it's so bad. I don't want to watch Erica regress into Scarlett O'Hara, who was 15 years old and could get away with acting like she did. I want my Erica strong, intelligent, and mature and I want to see this incredible relationship she has built with Jackson to flourish and not trashed. It's time to give them a story TOGETHER. Ship out Wooden and leave the triangles to the younger set. We also need our Dixie back and give our Tad/Dixie the story we were cheated out of. Bring back Reggie, Bianca, Lily, Sean, and Miranda and rebuilt the Kane/Montgomery family that was the most popular of them all. Those are the things that would make me the avid AMC viewer that I used to be.
Mr. Pratt if you want to improve AMC first of all - Zach is already the smartest person on the show and Kendall is NOT a spoiled brat like Greenlee. Please let ZENDALL have some peace and a little happiness as a family. I am sooo sick of Greenlee being in their orbit. Ryan is not a hero, he is the biggest hipocrit on the show and I'm sick of being told he is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Need more Angie & Jesse!! Please have Erica acknowledge that she is a Grandmother!!! Lastly, the biggest mistake AMC made was to put Krystal w/ Tad and give them the story that should have been Tad and Dixie's. Make that kid Adam's and BRING BACK DIXIE alive and well!!! Tad and Dixie having a daughter and raising her together was the story we all waited for - for years. While you're at it please get rid of the Carey's all together. I have hated them both since day one. I can watch the show in 5-10 minutes right now. I would love to be able to watch the entire show again. Good Luck!
Mr Pratt. If you want to improve AMC and get us watching again, do the following: REUNITE JACK AND ERICA. This is one of the two biggest fan bases the show has. Set up Tad with Carmen and let us have a few laughs. Reunite Adam and Krystal Ship out these teens and start fresh. That is just a way to begin.
Mr. Pratt, welcome to AMC. We have high hopes for you and I hope you consider the fans as you begin your work! As you can see from most of the other comments here, you have failed to mention your plans for some of the most important people on the show right now (Tad/Jesse/Angie). Why reunite Tad and Kate only to back-burner them? Why bring back Jesse and Angie after all these years just to forget about them again? Something to think about. Also, I've noticed a theme in many of these comments. DIXIE. Cady McClain has said many times that she is willing to come back, alive. What is taking so long? CALL HER! Good luck, and thank you for the interview.
Mr Pratt. welcome to AMC I hope that you are the one to save AMC... Please bring back Cady Mcclain as dixie.. The writers and producers made a huge mistake by letting a wonderful love story between tad and dixie die... Please can you undo the damage. I am sure that if you bring dixie back alive I am sure the ratings will go up.. I have been a big fan of AMC, but lately the show is slipping so please do the right thing for us fans.. I also loved you're work on GH I still watch gh... We are counting on you Mr Pratt bring back Cady Mcclain........
I think you have a lot of great ideas and hope you can pull them off. Ryan is not an honorable man, never has been. How he has been written lately as not loving Annie makes no sense at all. His drooling over Greenlee is sickening. He adored Annie and this needs to come back. Melissa Claire Egan is one of the best actresses on the show right now and is doing a phenomenal job as a desperate woman. If she has to go to trial for killing her sociopath brother, I only hope that all of the PV people who Richie hurt will testify in Annie's behalf. And that it will be proven that she didn't plan to kill him, that it was a crime of "passion" and she gets probation and stays on the show. Love what you say about Fusion and want to see it become a company of strong working women who are not constantly distracted by outside idiocy. Fix Kendall. She used to be awesome, but lately is just a whining, one-note character who I can't stand. And give Amanda a good, solid storyline. She deserves it.
Either change the direction for Carmen's character or just be done w/ her. That kind of stereotypical writing is offensive to me as a Latin. Her and Rhandi are the only ones representing Latins. There is no positive representation for that race to balance it out on canvas at the moment and it's insulting. I don't find her funny and it's mainly due to that fact...being written as some joke instead of as a viable character.
Just reunited Jackson and Erica, bring back the Kane/Montgomery family, and have Dixie come home, and you will have a fan in me from the start.
Well the heat is on for you! I wish you luck and I hope you have the drive and passion to restore this once great show into a renaissance to its former glory. I hope you can pave the road back to Pine Valley as the town and people they show now are weak, whiney, dull and predictable. I am not really interested on new twists with the newer characters. I have no history with most of them nor do I really care what happens to them. The way Brian Frons has treated the long term characters is shameful! Like Brooke, not even a goodbye. More like don't let the door hit your ass on the way out! New Age Erica is boring. She used to be a force to be reckoned with and years should not have softened her up to this degree. More Opal, more Palmer and Myrtle (I know they are old but it is nice to see them while they are still with us!) More Stewart and Marion and other strong characters from years ago. What about more Ruth. There is no wisdom from a mother figure on this show anymore. The title is ALL My Chil
You have one heck of a job ahead of you and I don't envy you cleaing up the mess 3 other writers have made. YOu need to start by ending this horrific Erica and Sam attempt at romance and put her and Jack back together. Then you have to find someone fun for Tad, maybe Carmen until you find a real love interest for him. I miss fun Tad. Then reunite Adam and Krystal. Make the show more about family again and enough with the high drama that surrounds characters we don't care about. I'm tired of newbies coming in, taking airtime from our vets, and being forced down our throats as heroes.
Please, please don't make us watch Kendall, Greenlee, Ryan and Zack every single day. I am so sick of them. Let Tad be Tad again, he is such a wonderful actor and I love his humor. To me it would seem so much better to show AMC's core characters. Try and bring back some of that love, fun and humor AMC use to have and you will have a great show again.
Please fix AMC been watching since the beginning and so much needs to be done with it. I purposely DVR it so I can ff through (what seems like) most of it lately. Fix Annie gee Ryan and her were so in love before his Stupid amnesia... now he has his memory back he loves Greenlee?? Annie's crazy and her dad never shows up for his beloved son's death and HE doesn't even get the ashes Annie, the daughter he hates, gets them to throw in a Marina. There is so much wrong with it and don't even get me started on Erica! Leave characters still in the "normal" character range alone and fix the ones that have most of us scratching our heads about. Please write the soap but also realize we aren't stupid and enjoy a good story with characters we have grown to love and care about.
First off, NO DIXIE! I couldn't stand it when she came back in 2006 or 2008. I used to like Tad and Dixie until we got Dixie 2006 and her obsession with Zach. And 2008 Dixie did zip for the ratings and was an irritating ghost. Next, stop obsessing over your new and untested characters. At this point in time, we've got no investment in them, so we could care less about Taylor. Focus on who's on the canvas now. Get Zach and Kendall away from Ryan, Greenlee, Annie and Aidan. Let those four solve their own problems without dragging Zach and Kendall into it. Give Adam a storyline that doesn't involve a Carey. Heck, get rid of the Careys. Give us more Opal! You want humor, you've got it with Opal, but also a lot of common sense. But also brush up on your history. Kendall is NOT a spoiled, rich girl. She kept Fusion afloat and brought it back from the brink after the serial killer storyline. More romance for Zendall and Jesse and Angie. No more teens!
ITA, NO DIXIE!! That train has pulled out of the station way too many times. Mr. Pratt needs to recognize the amazing talents of the actors already on the canvas. TK/AM make up the best, the very best couple in daytime. Get them away from the idiocy that is Ryan Lavery and give Kendall back her spine when dealing with the baby stealing witch she thinks is her friend. If AMC really built on relationship and left behind the innuendo of triangles, secret loves between people that has been done over and over again ad nauseum. A good writer should be able to give us good stories without the insulting our intelligence. Note to Pratt: Kendall is not a spoiled rich girl. She worked her butt off to get where she is today. She deserves the success and the security of a happy marriage to her soulmate Zach. If you do nothing else, leave them alone!!
Welcome to the Valley Mr. Pratt. Zach and Kendall Slater is AMC's best couple. It is past time that AMC showcase them for the extraordinary pair they are. Zach and Kendall belong together -no question. You mentioned your confusion on the "friendship" of Kendall and Greenlee. That's simple - they shouldn't be friends. Speaking of Fusion - it is a mess. Kendall has worked her tail off to keep this company going. I want to see balance with a mix of romance, mystery and adventure, leave the dead dead, and do not let crimes go unpunished. Showcase Zach and Kendall for the awesome couple they are, let Erica act her age, and stop letting the Carey's be the moral compass of the show. Find a new love interest for Tad, dust Josh off so he can mingle with his family. Let Adam and Zach go head to head in business and stop pushing the Ryan is noble crap. He's a con man and an abusive jerk. Thank you Mara for this interview - I am on the fence about Mr. Pratt's plans and will wait
I'm so over Dixie--no more please! I'd love to see a well balanced show with character driven storylines. Zach and Kendall Slater are so talented but their storylines have been so lame for months...propping other characters and most often in separate stories. They belong together with their family. Zach would be great in the corporate world with Adam or a story surrounding his casinos. I want to see changes at Fusion, too, but there really aren't any poor ladies there...all four ladies have wealth. Yes, we need to see more of a professional atmosphere but the worker bees shouldn't be disrespecting their bosses all the time. I'd like to see Erica with a good storyline...but not acting like an ingenue. I enjoy Josh and would love to see him again. Please give Adam and JR a different story, we've seen them battling each other over and over. I, too, am on the fence about Mr. Pratt. Let's hope he's up to the task of turning AMC around.
I want to see Zack and Kendall in a decent story that does not include one of their children being hurt.Please let them be happy .They have did everything to break them up."Please Don't go there".For the last three year they have been through so much just to mention a few,fake affair,coma,MM murder trial,the crash and Ian premature birth.So please pick on some other couple.ZACK/TK and Kendall/AM light up the screen like no other couple on daytime soaps.
Oh please no more Dixie! If nothing else, don't bring her back. Leave her dead and buried so Cady McClain can stop treating AMC as her personal revolving door! Unlike your predecessors who simply gave lip service about focusing on core families, I hope you definitely do that. Focus on the Kanes, Chandlers, Slaters and Hubbards. Give Tad something to do. Stop making Adam and JR such weak weenies over the Carey tramps. Stop having Zach preoccupied with rescuing ungrateful damsels in distress (Julia, Dixie, Greenlee, Annie) and giving Kendall hypocritical lectures (hey Zach, instead of saving every woman with a splinter, maybe YOU should focus on your family too). Get rid of spoiled brats like Greenlee, Babe and Annie (Kendall is NOT a spoiled girl, she's just been used constantly to prop weak characters like the actual spoiled brats). And if you're going to do a mystery, make it interesting. Not the yawner who killed Richie or Angie and Jesse's Blood Diamond story. BTW, Ryan isn't a
First off, get Dixie back on this show and make her be alive. Have Josh or Zach or Palmer have her hidden somewhere in a coma. I don't really care how it's done, I'll believe anything you write just so it happens. I'd actually like Ryan and Kendall back together as I can't stand what she's like with Zach, who is a big oaf and bore to me. Greenlee can take a hike, I've never liked that character. See if you can get back Esta Terblanche for Ryan, say she's Gillian's twin or something. They had the best chem. Tad needs Dixie (only Cady!)and so does Kate. Stop writing Tad as a hypocritical ass. He's supposed to be FUN and romantic. Let Adam take the reigns again, and stop trying to make a fool out of him. Toss both Carey tramps out of town. Other writers have DESTROYED long term characters just to make these two women look smart. It doesn't work. Everyone looks stupid and not worth watching. Make sure you take AMC back to it's core and not make it GL "light&quo
Thanx for the in depth interview, but I still see no real reason to return to what was once my favorite soap. The focus has shifted from what was once an ensemble cast, to focusing merely on the "sextet of SUCK" and that is truly what they are. I have never been a Kendall fan, don't like Zach, liked Ryan with Gillian, and not a Greenlee fan either. LOVE LOVE LOVE Adam Chandler and Tad Martin, especially when he's with Dixie Martin, the love of his life! I quit cold turkey after the stupid way they killed her off. I returned this past summer just to watch "Ghost" Dixie and she did indeed help to bring up the ratings. Tad and the extremely talented Michael E. Knight is a fan favorite and definitely needed on the show, but he's been horribly written the past few years, and I want Tad fixed! Bring back Dixie for Tad, (only Cady McClain, of course) and I believe your ratings will go up! There has never been a supercouple like Tad and Dixie, and their fanbase is still here, w
For the life of me, I will never understand why AMC killed off Dixie! Tad needs her! Kate needs her! Tad and Dixie are the greatest supercouple AMC has ever had. I honestly don't care about the show without Tad and Dixie.
It remains unbearable for me to watch AMC because I am still so upset about Dixie's death. Babe died the same way Dixie did so there is no reason that Dixie could not be brought back (especially since we saw Ghost Jesse for MONTHS). Brian Frons says in the new SID that he wants Cady McClain back so make many former fans AND YOUR BOSS happy and write Dixie back in. David, Ian or Palmer could have hid her. I waited 20 years to see Tad, Dixie and Kate. Michael Knight and Cady McClain won Emmy's for their roles and it's inexcusable to not have AMC's longest running supercouple on the canvas. Keep Ryan away from Greenlee (probably the worst couple in AMC's history). I hate that you changed Annie's character and turned her desperate and pathetic like most of the other women in PV - she is now a Greenlee clone so it makes no sense why Ryan doesn't love her. It's great that you are going to be focusing more story on Adam, AMC's best character. I would like to see him reunite
six words. CADY MCCLAIN AS AN ALIVE DIXIE.
You already have strike one against you Mr. Pratt the moment you wrote scenes that breakup Jack and Erica and put her with that boring awful Senator Wooden. Your second largest fanbase is not going to be watching. Nice way to start.
RYAN HONORABLE? Mr. Pratt you need to do your homework. Ryan is an abuser who threw his wife against a dresser, put his fist in her face and played dead rather than be married to her. PLEASE NO MORE RYAN! And if we can't get rid of Ryan - just say no to Rylee. Take advantage of what is working! Aidan and Greenlee are sparking like mad - and shore up Zen.
I'm with Jesseluvamc. Breaking up Jerica is not going to endear you to the fans of this show. I'm not interested in either of them paired with others and I would love to see an adult story showcasing them as a couple, be written for them for a change from the usual garbage they've been given by the last 2 writers.
Late to the party, but I still have the same requests as the other eloquent posters here: Save Zen! Do the Thin Man with them, do Hart to Hart, do anything but fix what was done to them and to us in the last year. I have never seen such promise thrown away so cavalierly, so without thought. You have two wonderful actors here-please use then wisely. TK and AM's talent, their chemistry, their dedication can carry anything you ask of them. And their fans are loyal and numerous. Isn't that what it's all about? Bring back the people who left because they couldn't watch what was happening to Zen anymore. Reward the ones who stayed. Couples like Zen don't come along that often-make the most of them, please!
Mr.Pratt- Good stuff but what happened to the VETS? Where are Stuart and Marion? Palmer? Opal? etc. We want to see them in action, not just in the background. How about Joe and Ruth having a date night or Marion actually talking to Colby? Jack doing something other than chasing Erica? I know you can do it! I remember the fun you put into Santa Barbara.
You need to fix Jack and Erica because the last writers really did a hack job on them. Bring back Reggie, Lily, Bianca, and Mimo and let the Kane/Motgomery's be the core couple of the show. Bring home Dixie Martin
Please keep zendall together let them deal with family oriented story lines.Get them away from the stupid hypocrites ryan,greenlee,adian,and annie.Make those for pay for all the wrong they have done.If they can make zendall get blamed for everything then ryan can go to prison for faking his death,greenlee can go to jail for kidnapping and running from the law,adian for the whole bombing in teh courthouse and helping greenlee escape and annie of course for the death of her brother.We know all the characters want to be with zendall, lol but these are not the ones they should be friends with.I rather see zendalljangietadixie in a sextext then those losers.Show real friends and families fighting against people like that instead of befriending them,its unrealistic and the reason why people dn't tune in anymore.Oh and yes please focus on the original core families,fix the martins,kanes/montogomery/slaters vs,chandlrs,vs cortlands and the strong hubbarbs and santos who show diversity.PleaseGetRyleeAwayFromZen
Mr.Pratt- When are you changing that dumb Opening Sequence. Make it fun and exciting to get us revved up to stay for the whole hour! Plus..bring back the FAMILIES we love! Give a Veteran a love story, that would be a change. How about Palmer and Myrtle falling in love..now that would be interesting to watch!
To be honest, I'm so sick of the Ryan, Kendall, Greenlee fiasco. Why is it that Kendall is so concerned with getting Ryan and Greenlee back together? Give Kendall a life and a story of her own. And I must agree with the comments made before. Ryan is a selfish, annoying character. And I'm sick to death of the whole show focusing around him. Bring some of the veterans back into play. I still can't believe that the people at AMC got rid of Julia Barr!! What were you thinking? This show has become nothing but a campy show filled with fluff. I have been a fan for years and years, so I'm really disappointed with the direction the show has been going in, for the last few years. Hopefully, all the damage that has been done can be repaired. Here's a hint toward the right direction....stop focusing on all the uninteresting young characters. No one wants to watch a teeny bopper soap opera, and if we did, we would watch One Tree Hill or The OC. I'm going to give it until the end of t
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