Published: August 19, 2011
Garin Wolf Takes Over as Head Writer of Ailing 'General Hospital' Soap Opera
Is Garin a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing Or a Lamb to The Slaughter?
General Hospital's Management Sends Mixed Signals while Brian Frons is Still Out of Touch With Viewers
Since its inception in May of 2009, the SOS/Save Our Soap! General Hospital campaign has promoted ten remedies to help revive General Hospital (GH), which include character-driven storylines, being true to the characters while allowing for growth and development, respecting the rich history of the characters and the show, respecting and including veteran characters in storylines, creating an emotional balance for the characters, focusing on families, promoting enduring couples that viewers can root for, heightening romance, minimizing sleaze and creating an enjoyable escape. In addition, the campaign has stressed how important it is that characters and stories are emotionally believable.
Fans of GH were given new hope when ABC announced Garin Wolf would be taking over as head writer of this ailing soap opera. Many were cautiously optimistic since Mr. Frons had excited fans of All My Children (AMC) in April by announcing Lorraine Broderick would be taking over as head writer, only to dash their hopes one week later with the announcement of AMC's cancellation.
Mr. Brian Frons, President of ABC Daytime, told Soap Opera Digest (August 9, 2011) he is "feeling quite good about GH at the moment." This is interesting considering that GH, even under new head writer Garin Wolf, had fewer total viewers than the two cancelled shows, One Life to Live (OLTL) and All My Children (AMC), during the August 1-5, 2011 ratings week. Over the last two ratings weeks, OLTL has averaged 353,000 more viewers than GH. Versus the same period last year, GH is down 84,000 viewers on average while OLTL is up 514,000 viewers.
Many viewers are well aware OLTL had begun its rise in the ratings before Mr. Frons announced the cancellations of OLTL and AMC. In fact, OLTL has had more total viewers than GH for the last 14 consecutive weeks. Many fans are stating they do not know if they want to reinvest their time and emotions into GH since they believe ABC will cancel GH anyway, even if the ratings improve. Others who have been watching since Mr. Wolf took over the helm are cautiously optimistic or even excited, noticing there is an improvement in the pacing of the scenes and dialogue, a better balance of stories and use of multiple characters on the canvas, and respect for the history of the show.
Mr. Wolf should be applauded for recognizing changes are necessary. His theme, "Sometimes they come back" (*TV Guide*, June 8, 2011), led many viewers to hope they would get to see their favorite actors and characters in storylines again. Fans of Megan Ward were no exception.
In a controversial move, management chose to recast the role of Kate Howard, played by fan-favorite Megan Ward. Since the actress was dropped to recurring status in 2009, 23,000+ postcards plus a myriad of letters have filtered through the mailrooms of ABC and Disney, and many phone calls, comment forms and emails to ABC and Disney have expressed viewers' desire to see Megan Ward back on contract and back in her storyline with Maurice Benard in the pairing of Sonny and Kate, with the rewrites of the Sonny and Kate history repaired. What makes the recast all the more startling is that Kelly Sullivan, the new actress who has been hired to play the role of Kate, is 33 years old, 15 years younger than Maurice Benard who plays Sonny Corinthos, Kate's high school sweetheart, and only one year older than Dominic Zamprogna, the actor who plays Sonny's son by Olivia, Kate's cousin who is supposed to be the same age as Kate.
By hiring an actress 15 years younger than the male lead actor and who does not fit into the age range of the other actors and characters to make the story emotionally credible, Mr. Frons has set himself and ABC up for ridicule regarding ageism and sexism. Even fans of other Sonny pairings, who are celebrating that ABC does not now seem invested in making the Sonny and Kate pairing work, have dubbed Kate "JailBaitKate." Some others simply call her "babyKate" or "Toddler Kate", joking Sonny must have taught babyKate to French kiss wrapped in her blankie under the boardwalk and babyKate later had an affair with Trevor when she was about 7 years old. This once intriguing, Devil Wears Prada-esque character, who clawed her way to the top of the fashion industry throughout her many years of experience, and who flourished with Sonny in a grown-up romance, is now being played by an actress closer in age to the actresses playing the assistants Kate has been mentoring at Crimson, Maxie and Lulu.
The decision to recast has not only been a "head-scratcher for most fans" (ABC Soaps in Depth, Aug. 22, 2011), but a head-scratcher for many soap magazine contributors, columnists and bloggers as well. Recasting a role often creates instability for a period of time-time that ABC may not have if it needs to bring up the ratings quickly. Sometimes a recast is never accepted in a role. Placing a new actress into the role, let alone a much younger one who does not fit into the age range of the other actors and characters involved, minimizes the emotional impact, or identifiable emotion as Mr. Wolf calls it, of the storylines and of a potential reunion, whether it be romantic or platonic. Sadly, the new actress, who may be talented, has been placed in a "no win" situation, creating much speculation, since the buck stops with Mr. Frons as President of ABC Daytime.
Since May of 2009, the SOS/Save Our Soap! General Hospital campaign has shown Megan Ward as Kate is an asset to the show. Numbers do not lie. Though OLTL has had its highest ratings in over 3 years with its "Tale of Two Todds", OLTL's current ratings (2,912,000 total viewers) pale in comparison to the ratings Maurice Benard and Megan Ward helped GH bring in playing Sonny and Kate. Kate Howard was introduced in May of 2007. Ratings patterns since then show that while Megan was in the forefront of storylines and Sonny and Kate were in story together and promoted in magazines or commercials intended to lure viewers, they consistently helped draw strong ratings.
It is important to note not only was the week of July 16-20, 2007 (3,444,000 total viewers), when Kate and Sonny had sex for the first time, the highest-rated week of the July sweeps, it was the highest-rated week of the second half of 2007. In fact, ratings were higher in July, August and September of 2007 than the previous year (an unusual pattern for any show in this day and age). The episodes during the Bensonhurst story of January of 2008 with Garin Wolf as the lead writer drew the highest ratings of the year (3,338,000 total viewers). The week of January 26-30, 2009, when Kate learned that Claudia's hitman shot Michael, then was overcome by toxins in the hospital just before she could tell Sonny, was the highest-rated week of 2009 (3,000,000 total viewers). These weeks also drew over 1,000,000 viewers in the 18-49 demo with the highest week drawing 1,298,000 viewers.
While it appears Mr. Wolf now wants to bring Kate back into Sonny's life, viewers realize there will NOT be an ultimate pay-off since they will not get to see the actress they have begged to see on screen in the role. Not only have these viewers taken time out of their busy lives to show there is a demand for Megan Ward as Kate Howard, they have shown an interest in General Hospital. Managing or writing for a soap opera is a business. GH Executive Producer Ms. Jill Farren Phelps and Mr. Wolf should be expanding GH's customer base, not contracting it by confusing customers with questionable casting decisions.* If ABC needs to bring in the eyeballs as ABC TV President Ms. Anne Sweeney (Tucson Citizen.com, June 6, 2011) and Ms. Jill Farren Phelps (Soap Opera Digest, August 23, 2011) have said, why are Mr. Frons and ABC/Disney Daytime sending mixed signals by throwing a large fanbase that has kept their hands on the pulse of the show to the curb?
At a time when Ms. Phelps is pleading for viewers by saying GH is dependent on its fans, why would Mr. Frons not want to capitalize on the unique and palpable chemistry between Maurice Benard and Megan Ward that not only made them one of the most ratings-successful pairings of the last several years, but also made the friendship and romance of Sonny and Kate so special and believable? Why would management not want to bring back viewers who were alienated with the rewrites and nonsensical writing of the past two years? Instead of creating enthusiasm for the show by reinvigorating an established fanbase, GH is alienating viewers who have continued watching or considered returning with the hope Megan Ward would be at the forefront of the show again and that Maurice Benard and Megan Ward would be reunited as Sonny and Kate. Many viewers, some who feel management has shown little respect for 18-year veteran and fan-favorite Maurice Benard (based on storylines of the past two years and the current casting decision), simply will not return for or watch a "cheapSKate" version of the pairing, plus are not happy with or do not want to feel they are enabling the ageist and sexist tendencies that appear to be prevalent at ABC/Disney Daytime with Mr. Brian Frons at the helm.
This situation should raise red flags regarding the kind of support Mr. Frons and ABC will truly give Mr. Wolf in trying to improve the show. It is like telling an Olympic runner one will sponsor him and help him get to the Olympics, the runner touts to the world he will run his best race, then the sponsor says just before the race the runner must tie his legs and feet together to run the race. It appears to many ABC/Disney Daytime management is not willing to fully commit to bringing back the viewers they proclaim they want. Is it possible management wants to assure ratings do not spike too much so that ABC has an excuse for cancelling GH from network television and/or wants to assure the new replacement shows get higher ratings than GH?
Throughout the past two years, SOS/Save Our Soap! General Hospital has documented the strength in the ratings and the balance created on the canvas with the pairings of not only Sonny and Kate, but also Jason and Elizabeth, Jax and Carly, Patrick and Robin, Johnny and LuLu, Lucky and Sam and Spinelli and Maxie. It is interesting to note Mr. Frons has systematically broken up or eliminated members of these strong pairings.
It was just earlier this year Mr. Frons made the major error in judgment of underestimating the fans' reaction when he fired Rebecca Herbst. Not only was there a huge outcry from the audience, but major media publications were supportive in pointing out what a bad idea it had been and what the repercussions could and would be. Fortunately for ABC/Disney Daytime, the error was realized and Ms. Herbst's value to the show was recognized. Of course that had not been his first significant error in relation to the show and Ms. Herbst. In late 2006, Ms. Herbst's character, Elizabeth, was paired with Steve Burton's character, Jason, and the pairing often drew 3.3 million to 3.5 million total viewers (Aug. 14-17, Oct. 4 and Nov. 17-20 are but a few specific examples). This trend continued into 2007 when over 4.0 million viewers watched the day Jason learned he was the father of Elizabeth's child (Feb. 19) and over 3.8 million viewers the day their son Jake was born (May 7). By 2008, it was becoming evident once again, the pairing would not be fully explored, however the ratings still remained high on days they were featured (over 3.0 million viewers on Jan. 23, Sept. 12, and Sept. 15 & 16 respectively). Unfortunately, by the end of 2008, Mr. Frons and/or Mr. Robert Guza, then head writer, decided to end any and all contact of these two characters who had a bond for over 8 years prior to having a child with one another and declaring their long-time love for one another.
Since then, both characters have suffered much distortion and assassination of their core characteristics and values to the point much of the audience doesn't even recognize them any longer. Additionally, Mr. Frons made an equally bad decision by killing off Jason and Elizabeth's son, Jake. This was not only a completely senseless death of a 3-year old child, it was also seen as another ill-fated attempt at erasing the 11+ year bond between the characters of Jason and Elizabeth.
Not only was this disrespectful to the history of the show and the audience, but the storyline itself was rushed with all of the characters involved acting either ridiculously or out of character in some way, while other key characters were noticeably missing. The story was so rushed, there was not even a proper on- screen memorial service for the child. Once again there was as much media coverage and publicity, if not more, about the heartlessness that ABC/Disney Daytime exhibited with this travesty. Some publications, including the *LA Times*, validated what many of the fans and bloggers were saying about the storyline-that it was simply bad writing, if not morally, then, in the very least, medically. Sadly, nothing was changed and the completely horrific death of a child was carried out on the show, causing many fans to simply quit watching, all due to Mr. Frons' inability to recognize what the audience truly wants.
Jax and Carly have become an integral couple to the show, not only because of their romance and the child they share, but because they create an interesting balance on the canvas due to their interaction with Carly's ex-husband, Sonny, and their children. With Jax, Carly alternates between being a more mature Carly, who wants to protect her children and obviously loves Jax, to an immature Carly who seems to never learn running to Jason and Sonny with her problems stirs up much conflict. Jax and Sonny are foils with a history, having squabbled over women and children for many years, which a character like Sonny needs to have on the canvas. Ingo Rademacher and Maurice Benard play well off of each other. Their characters' conflict over women and children is more real-to-life than Sonny battling mobsters. This conflict draws viewers who like to take sides between the two characters. The firing of Ingo Rademacher leaves a void in the canvas that can only be repaired by bringing him back.
Spinelli and Maxie are another popular couple who were inexplicably torn apart at the height of their popularity. Spinelli and Maxie's proposal and their non-wedding were two of the highest ratings days of 2009. On the surface, Spinelli and Maxie could not be more different, but at their core, Spinelli and Maxie are rootable, insecure underdogs who feel profoundly misunderstood by those around them. They saw beyond each other's flaws and fell in love as the audience cheered on their adventure and romance. Both Bradford Anderson and Kirsten Storms are extraordinarily talented, Emmy-nominated actors with broad appeal to an intergenerational audience. They are capable of much more than the comedic interludes GH has given them. Spinelli is still a blank slate as far as his background and history. Fans are curious about how and why gentle, thoughtful Spinelli became the brilliant but quirky geek fiercely loyal to a mob enforcer. Others wonder if Maxie will follow in the footsteps of her mentor Kate Howard and give up personal happiness for success in the world of fashion. There is much more story to be written for these two characters individually and as a couple.
While a show is not about only one character or one couple, and characters, pairings and storylines interweave to create a show as a whole, it is important to note Sonny and Kate and Jason and Elizabeth were consistently the two strongest pairings in the ratings throughout the past five years. These ratings patterns (which have been shared by SOS repeatedly throughout the past two years) show when these two couples were promoted and on screen on separate days, ratings were strong. When both couples were featured on certain days, which occurred on some of the above mentioned dates, the ratings were even stronger. Viewers realize their favorite couples may not always be together for storyline purposes, but will still tune in to watch if there is a sense of hope they will get to see their favorite actors and characters eventually reunited on screen. Why would Mr. Frons fire two female leads, Megan Ward and Becky Herbst, from two of the strongest pairings in the ratings from the past several years? *Is this a practice encouraged by Disney and its stockholders? *Fortunately, Becky Herbst was rehired. Viewers are now hoping for an announcement Megan Ward is being rehired as well.**
For two years, the SOS/Save Our Soap! General Hospital campaign has attempted to open a dialogue with ABC/Disney Daytime management to help save a show that is struggling in the ratings. While Mr. Wolf appears dedicated to writing the show with time-honored writing principles that line up with the remedies the SOS campaign has endorsed, Mr. Wolf's returning characters and storylines have yet to deliver any inflation in the ratings. It seems odd Mr. Frons is content with the state of a soap opera that has had fewer total viewers than one or both of ABC's cancelled soap operas, even after the new head writer's episodes have aired. It is hypocritical at best for ABC to emotionally blackmail the viewers (Phelps, *Soap Opera Digest*/ABC Spokesperson Mitch Messinger, *The Columbian*, August 13, 2011) into watching to prevent cancellation, while Mr. Iger (President/CEO of The Walt Disney Co.), Ms. Sweeney, Mr. Frons and Ms. Phelps have not done everything in their power to produce the best possible product designed to bring back lapsed viewers. Again, is this practice encouraged by Disney and its stockholders?
Actions speak louder than words. Instead of causing Mr. Wolf to be the proverbial lamb led to the slaughter, management needs to let Mr. Wolf develop his stories with the best cast in place by bringing
back actors Megan Ward and Ingo Rademacher, bringing back the character of Jake alive and reuniting the
pairings that helped draw the highest ratings so that Mr. Wolf has the opportunity to help GH realize its full potential.
Sometimes they come back...sometimes not. If Mr. Frons refuses let Mr. Wolf write for the actors and characters viewers want to see, so Mr. Wolf can maximize the emotional identifiability and impact of his storylines, chances are the viewers will not come back. *Many wonder, **while Mr. Wolf may talk the talk, with Mr. Frons being out of touch with what viewers want, will Mr. Wolf be allowed to fully walk the walk?***
Fans of Luke and Laura, along with many other current and former viewers of GH, have joined together with fans of Sonny and Kate, Jason and Elizabeth, Patrick and Robin, and Jax and Carly as part of the SOS/Save Our Soap! General Hospital campaign. Viewers ask Mr. Frons and ABC/Disney Daytime to bring back Megan Ward as Kate Howard, bring back Ingo Rademacher as Jasper Jax, and bring the character of Jake back alive. They also ask that Mr. Wolf be allowed to repair the damage of the past two years and redevelop trust with the audience by not only bringing back actors and characters viewers want to watch, but by reuniting couples viewers can root for who were successful in the ratings. For more information or to comment on the campaign, contact Dana L. Meyer or Kecia K. Picard at saveoursoapgh@gmail.com, visit the SOS/Save Our Soap! General Hospital page on Facebook, follow on Twitter @SOS_GH or visit the SOS/Save Our Soap! General Hospital website at www.saveoursoapgh.com.
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