Susan Lucci Is Awesome, Reason #3,854

More often than not--so often that "always" is probably the best phrase to use here--the interviews we feature here at Serial Drama are cringe-worthy, completely absent of self-awareness and offensive on almost every level. But there are some members of the daytime world who are capable of speaking to the soap press in complete, coherent sentences and manage not to insult actors and audiences alike. Imagine that!

To the surprise of absolutely no one, everybody's favorite tiny, large-haired diva is part of the latter camp. Susan Lucci talked to Nelson Branco about her book, the cancellation of AMC and, awesomely, the regime of Charles Pratt, confirming what we all knew, which is that he is HORRIBLE.

“Because I have thought about this very question for quite some time. My feelings are that Brian Frons was handed a very healthy daytime line-up when he arrived and then he hired Chuck Pratt to be head writer. Chuck said to all of us in a big team meeting that he didn’t care about characters. He said, ‘I will not be writing character-driven storylines. I don’t care.’ In individual meetings with him, people would come out weeping and distressed because he would [dismiss their characters and histories]. Almost immediately, our ratings dropped. As actors, we did everything we could to save and respect our characters and their histories; although on paper nothing was there for us to work with. The producers listened to the fans in the focus groups, and fans are sophisticated because of columns like yours and talk shows and so on, and they knew the writing was the problem. Chuck Pratt taking AMC down didn’t happen over night. And he was allowed to stay for two years. And unless it was Agnes or Lorraine, no one could dig us out of this hole.”

I mean, we all knew that he had nothing but contempt for history, the characters ,and the show's audience, but having it confirmed angries me up all over again! The mental image of AMC actors literally in despair after meeting with him is sad (...and also, kind of funny, if you imagine really tough actors wailing and weeping. Just picture it for a second!) and sort of comforting, since his writing regime often had me distressed and weeping. Stars, they're just like US! 

The rest of the interview is definitely worth reading--she is the cutest, basically.

All My Children itself? I have to say that today's episode was sort of enjoyable. Now, I have to admit: I'm still sort of floating on air following the news that Bob Guza was finally given his walking papers at General Hospital (is it ghoulish to be celebrating the fact that someone is out of a job? Because if so, I'll start shouting "BOO!" at people to complete my transformation), so maybe I'm biased. But if you fast forward through all things Colby and Asher, and ignore the fact that tragedy is coming with Madison and Ryan's daughter (I mean, I'm not spoiled, but the writing is on the wall there, right? And that's tragic, because I don't want another dead baby story, hence my ignoring all of it) and focus completely on Erica's doppelganger, it's entertaining! I especially liked Jack's look of suspicion when he walked in on FauxErica berating Opal. How refreshing would that be, if he realized something was up and solved the mystery in a few days? Very refreshing, is the answer.

Comments

[LoriK]

Man, I thought I was finished being angry at Pratt but there really is no end to that, is there? I don't like to actively wish ill on people because it's bad karma and just generally rude, but I hope both he and Fronz get a rash that just won't clear up.

And no, it's not ghoulish to celebrate the unemployment of a person as deserving as Guza.

[mouse]

Now if only someone would fire Frons.

[Louise]

I did get an image of David Canary running down the hall weeping and distressed, and it's adorable!

[Bourgeois Nerd]

The only weird thing about her statement, I thought, was that Frons had been head of ABCD long before Pratt was given AMC. McTavish and poisoned pancakes and unaborted fetuses deserves as much "credit" as his bullshit for the state of the show. It doesn't change her point about Frons, but it just stuck out at me.

I just can't quite fathom a writer going in and saying he doesn't care about characters! I mean, WHAT?!???!

[Smooshiest]

Pratt didn't care about characters because he didn't care about the fans. He cared about his own bottom line and Frons cleared the way for him to write crap. Simply that. Crap. I count the day I heard he was fired (and obviously not by Frons) as a victorious day in my life. I'm still in denial that the show is going off the air and I am thoroughly enjoying Susan Lucci's turn as Jane Campbell - she is hitting every note in the way she makes her completely clueless, but that she has studied the real Erica enough to come back from all the mistakes she makes. She will slip up soon (hopefully) and Jerica will be back together for real. There are too many things happening around her people that make it seem weird (yelling at Opal like she didn't know her, not responding to Caleb when he called her Dorothy, et al). My hope is that the rumor of NBC and Sony taking AMC and OLTL (which I don't watch, but hate that it, too is being cancelled) will really come true and the Agnes and Lorraine can bring the show back to its true form.

[horselover]

I Susan Lucci. I love that she has always been a classy lady who didn't spill the dirt on people. That's why this interview means even more. Bravo Susan!

[realbrenda4evr]

Susan Lucci is just awesome. The entire interview was really great. I feel so bad for the cast and crew having had to endure Pratt's Reign of Terror.

As for Guza, this man has made a ridic amount of money for writing garbage, so he should be good for quite some time. While, I'm not one to celebrate another's misfortune, the way this man has been able to disrespect women for years is just sickening. I don't feel bad for him. I only hope Frons and Phelps follow.

[BJ]

There is a certain level of satisfaction in having someone confirm what we all knew. How much I despise TPTB at ABCD.

[Mel]

Wait, what? Bob Guza was fired?? For real? (Sorry, I haven't been on this site in a while so I might've missed that post...) I don't watch GH anymore and I'm not sure that this would cause me to watch but still...HAPPY HAPPY DAYS!!! I don't care if it is in poor taste to celebrate someone's unemployment, especially in this economy. Best. New. EVER.

[C. Ann Walton]

I just discovered your blog, I love it!!

I've always been a fan of Susan Lucci, but the smackdown she laid on the Frons empire in that interview just confirmed it for me. I love that she's brave enough to tell the truth and damn the consequences. ABC pretty much KILLED the soaps when they hired that (expletive) Brian Frons, who brought in his minions like Guza and Pratt. Someday soon when the channel itself is looking to stay on the air, ABC will wish they still had a class act like Susan Lucci working for them!

C. Ann Walton
Author of Leighton Heights - the online literary soap opera
http://www.leightonheights.com