I don't see it happing

This sounds nice, but the crappy production is what's really sinking this ship.

i agree that RH is probably one of the most underrated and most talented actors out there. as with so much of their casting B&B really missed the boat with Whip. i loved that part. I would hate to see him go from GH, but how much crap can a person take in one role? (This has me worried about KMo, too.) Although he does seem to be one of the few people growing and evolving into a better person on that show, so of course he's not really featured. I say give hime a chance with the equally hurt and damaged Claudia, before you wrench him away. But i wouldn't mind him back on GL. I like most of the actors over there and say what you will about production, but if the stories are there - i'll watch and the stories are not really there. They definitely need a boost even with great individual performances, they seem to have suffered since Tammy's death storywise.

I don't want him going back to GL just to be annihilated like everyone else that went back to visit. Ellen Wheeler and Dave Kreitzman can't handle what they have now. They couldn't write for Alan Michael the first time they brought the character back. What makes you think they could now? Rick Hearst needs to steer clear of GL.

Oh I hate the production stuff trust me, but the show was on life support long before that. Maybe if a marque star returned they would scrap the dopey production model and give us a real soap?

I don't think bringing Rick Hearst back would save GL.  GL is not on life support, its in a coma.   RH is a wonderful actor and ABC would be crazy if they let him go.  To throw salt into wounds here, he has been on CBS soaps and ABC, who's to say he wouldnt go to NBC but from what I gather, DOOL is on life support.   THis is a man who the first year he was on GH won an emmy and not for the writing, it was his acting, he took lemons and made it into lemonade!

I mean, I would watch GL any day of the week, crappy writing or not, if they could just give me at least decent production. Is P&G just that cheap? They could have kept the old sets and did more outdoor stuff. ATWT is doing great with their production. They use the hand-held when they're needed, for outdoor scenes mostly. I don't mind the occasional gas station or store scene.

What I don't understand is that GL holds mainly a 1.9, the same as AMC & OLTL right now, so why are they the only soap to suffer? God, I wish there was some filthy rich GL fan that could pour a couple of mill into it and be a financial backer for the soap.

"GL is not on life support, its in a coma."

So true it's not even funny! LOL

The Best it's because the ABC soaps don't have a middle man. CBS has to pay P&G a licensing fee to air GL. And since GL isn't bringing in enough ratings to attract top dollar advertisers, then they keep lowering the fee they will pay to air the show, which mean P&G has to keep cutting corners to keep the show alive. Before they cut actors-Jerry Ver Dorn, Grant Aleksander, Maureen Garrett, etc. Now they are cutting production. I will be honest, I would have rather have seen a few big names go again this renewal round than to have to endure this awful new production model.

ITA!! Personally I'd like for Rick Hearst to stay on at GH, and be used properly there, BUT if he does leave, I'd love to have him back on GL.

I've watched RH on all of the soaps he was on, and even when I didn't like the character, I always appreciated RH. He just finds a way to bring it every time!

And as far as GL goes, I think at this point it does need to re-invent itself. And I'm not just talking about visually. They're losing actors who for a lot of the fans were the heart of the show. The couples that have kept GL afloat have been torn apart. More fan faves are set to leave... TPTB need to evaluate what they've got and what direction they want to take the show.

Like you said Jay, it's about rebuilding the show. And a good way to start is by bringing Hearst back as A-M. The character is important to the show, RH did a PHENOMENAL job in the role, and he'll bring his fan base to the show. And YES, bring back Lucy (Sonia Satra), one of my fav GL characters!! They could use another Cooper girl back on the show!

And part of this rebuilding process should be bringing back Marah & Shane because Reva and Josh's kids should be the driving force behind the younger generation, imo.

I'm not talking about making GL unrecognizeable, I'm just saying they need to carve out a new path for themselves, and what better way to do that than to draw on history...

Oh and I think Jay mentioned on one of the recent podcasts that soaps need to start getting 3 year deals w/ stars again, instead of these short term stints. I couldn't agree more... I think stars popping in and out don't work in the long run.

EXACTLY! Cassie, Ava, Natalia, Rafe, & Cyrus could have all gotten the shaft. Kept all of the starts on recurring and just paid for when they were used instead of a contract. CBS is just as much fault as P&G for the ratings fall. They need to promote GL & ATWT for filth and get A class writers.

As a on again off again B&B & ATWT viewer, I am wondering why B&B and Y&R are in the top spots  and the other two are not? Is it because they don't promote the enough or the actors? Both shows seem to have good quality actors although I never viewed GL just here and there, but it would seem to me that there is enough people on that show to keep it going or is it the writing?

The writing is a HUGE aspect. The cast is HUGELY talented but the writing fluctuates from the absurd to the proposterous. The few things done right aren't highlighted often enough and the show seems intent on keeping legacy couples such as Josh and Reva seperated (and not the good lustful kind of wanting to get back to gether). In addition they do not use the rich family (Spauldings) the way they should.

I think writing is key definitely, but there are issues with the cast. They sure do have enough people in the cast, but are they the right people? Characters that don't fit into the big picture, have not captured the imagination of fans, have limited long-term potential, etc...should be cut from the show or be put on the backburner.

Better writing is the biggest part of the battle, but a reconfiguration of the cast is also needed, imo. Normally I wouldn't advise cast shakeups, but I think for GL it's essential because so many fav's have left or about to leave. So instead of just sort of going with the flow, and just going forward with the way things are now, I think some drastic changes need to be made.

They can get rid of the characters that aren't working (Cassie, Ava, Cyrus, Natlia, Rafe) and focus on the characters that do. Bring back ED, Michelle, Danny, Holly, Mindy & Lucy. And do SOMETHING to spruce up that production. It can't possibly look that cheap forever, can it?

I dont think so Because the show couldnt keep ricky paul goldin and ric hearst has been in the business a little longer

Well, I wouldn't say seven years is exactly "couldn't keep someone" LOL. Ricky was on GL longer than he was Y&R or Another World. They actually started on soaps around the same time. Rick Hearst joined Days as Scotty in 1989 and Ricky Paull joined Another World as Dean Frame in 1990.

Rick is a higher caliber than Ricky, I believe. We all know that GL's crappy production is what drove Ricky out, so why would Rick go back there? I don't understand that if P&G is struggling to keep GL on the air, why not try to work out a deal with Barbara Bloom and CBS and sell the show to the network. That way, CBS can get all of the revenue and not have to share with P&G. All of the ABC soaps are way better off than the rest regardless of the ratings because their network owns them and ABC gets all the revenue that the shows bring in. Am I missing something?

The Best I have wondered why P&G won't simply sell theire soaps for years. NBC tried to buy Another World for years and who knows, maybe if P&G had sold it to them it would have bought the show at least another decade? My only guess is that P&G has basically been able to use soaps as an hour long advertisement for their products for almost 100 years and they must somehow still be able to turn a profit from it.