Head writer Ron Carlivati has been fired from his position, and will be replaced by the duo of Jean Passanante, and Shelley Altman. With the ratings in freefall these last twelve weeks, I'm not surprised by this move in the least. The storytelling has been abysmal for the last three months, and people are showing their discontent by tuning out in record numbers. Countless returns from the dead, undeveloped characters, stories dropped without explanation or resolve. Just a few issues plaguing GH of late. If I started citing specifics, we'd be here all day. There's no easy way to say this, but Ron is burnt out, and this is the right move.
That aside, he must be recognized for his stellar work when he first took over. This show was on the brink of cancellation. Not only was there a complete turnaround, but ratings were the highest they'd been in almost a decade. Beloved characters were brought back, and woven seamlessly into storylines. Veteran actors and actresses from other soaps were brought onboard. While these additions weren't always successful, I applaud the effort. Here's the question. Do the positives of this regime outweigh the potential negatives of bringing in a new one? It's too soon to tell, but for my money, the answer is no. All we can do is cross our digits, and pray for the best.
