Sara A. Bibel
Encyclopedia
Sara A. Bibel is an American
television soap opera
writer who has also written for The Harvard Crimson
.
Here's what Sara A. Bibel had to say about Lorraine Broderick
's return: All My Children
fans will have reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving. Friday AMC fired nearly universally reviled headwriter Charles Pratt Jr.. According to Daytime Confidential, Lorraine Broderick, who wrote for the show during the 1980s and 90s. With the possible exception of Dena Higley
on One Life to Live
, no one has done more to wreck a soap in a shorter amount of time. Under his pen, Police Chief Jesse Hubbard
covered up a murder. Liza Colby
returned to town deSORASED twenty years and immediately had sexual intercourse
with Zach Slater
without so much as exchanging first names with him. Jake Martin
and Amanda Dillon
schemed to convince David Hayward
his child was stillborn. The whole town participated in a weeklong dance marathon. Marian Colby went insane for no reason. Instead of giving Bianca Montgomery
and Reese Williams a groundbreaking lesbian motherhood and marriage storyline, he made Reese obsessed with Zach. Stuart Chandler
was murdered and the mystery turned out to focus mainly on Zach hiring someone to impersonate Kendall Slater in prison. Is it any wonder that Thorsten Kaye
decided to leave the show? His character was among the most ruined. In fact, Pratt managed to render nearly every character on the show unlikable. Those who escaped unscathed tended to be saved by the backburner. He reveled in darkness and misanthropy, somehow thinking that people wanted to watch unrelenting bleakness during lunch. The most disheartening part of all of this is that ABC Daytime
had to sign off on every single bad decision. The network that micromanages every episode had no problem with him killing the heart of Pine Valley or Zach tearing off Liza’a panties. Of course, the network’s executives also greenlit Dixie Martin’s death by pancakes. ABC has been mishandling the show for years. I was stunned that ABC chose to let Pratt go, given the network’s track record. I assume that low ratings were the culprit, though perhaps the show’s upcoming 40th anniversary was a wake up call. I hope that the decision to hire Lorraine Broderick is an acknowledgment that AMC needs to return to its roots.
Broderick has a difficult task on her hands. She has to rehabilitate numerous characters while coming up with compelling storylines that will win back the audience. Ron Carlivati
managed it on One Life to Live
, though the ratings have not reflected his accomplishments. Broderick’s task is complicated by the show’s move to L.A., and its resulting cast changes. In my humble opinion, Broderick needs to restore the family units first, making the Kane women, the Martins and the Hubbards moral and rootable again to contrast with the morally grey Chandlers. Next, there needs to be some actual love on the show. Zach and Kendall have been the show’s leads for the past few years. Zach’s departure means that Kendall is going to need a new love interest, someone other than Ryan. I would love to see her in an epic romance with an interesting new character. Most of all, Broderick needs to bring back AMC’s light, optimistic tone. It used to be a fun show with plenty of comedy.
All My Children
Writers Guild of America Award
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
writer who has also written for The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. It is the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates...
.
Here's what Sara A. Bibel had to say about Lorraine Broderick
Lorraine Broderick
Lorraine Broderick is an American television soap opera writer who got her start on All My Children as a protégée of the show's creator, Agnes Nixon.-Bio:...
's return: All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
fans will have reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving. Friday AMC fired nearly universally reviled headwriter Charles Pratt Jr.. According to Daytime Confidential, Lorraine Broderick, who wrote for the show during the 1980s and 90s. With the possible exception of Dena Higley
Dena Higley
Dena Higley is an American television soap opera writer who lives in Los Angeles, California. She was head writer of Days of our Lives...
on One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
, no one has done more to wreck a soap in a shorter amount of time. Under his pen, Police Chief Jesse Hubbard
Jesse Hubbard
Jesse Hubbard is a former professional lacrosse player who played professional box lacrosse in the National Lacrosse League and professional field lacrosse in the Major League Lacrosse...
covered up a murder. Liza Colby
Liza Colby
Liza Colby is a fictional character on the American soap opera All My Children who has been played by actress Jamie Luner from April 2009 until September 2011. She was previously played by actress Marcy Walker from 1981-1984 and then again from 1995-2005, although the role was also briefly...
returned to town deSORASED twenty years and immediately had sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with Zach Slater
Zach Slater
Zachary "Zach" Slater is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children. He was portrayed by actor Thorsten Kaye from May 20, 2004 to November 19, 2010; Thorsten returned to the role on August 5, 2011 to September 23, 2011...
without so much as exchanging first names with him. Jake Martin
Jake Martin (All My Children)
Dr. Joseph Henry "Jake" Martin, Jr. is a fictional character on the long-running American daytime drama All My Children. Since the character's on-screen birth in 1979, he has been portrayed by several actors, most recently by Ricky Paull Goldin, who took over the role on April 30, 2008 until the...
and Amanda Dillon
Amanda Dillon
Amanda Maureen Martin is a fictional character from the American daytime All My Children. She is the daughter of police officer/detective Trevor Dillon and longtime series villain Janet Marlowe aka "Janet from another planet"; however, Amanda was thought to be the child of her aunt Natalie...
schemed to convince David Hayward
David Hayward
Dr. David Hayward is a fictional character from the ABC daytime drama All My Children, as portrayed by Vincent Irizarry from: November 27, 1997 - March 2, 1998, July 8, 1998 - November 28, 2006, October 23, 2008 - September 13, 2010, and returned on November 22, 2010.The character has been a top...
his child was stillborn. The whole town participated in a weeklong dance marathon. Marian Colby went insane for no reason. Instead of giving Bianca Montgomery
Bianca Montgomery
Bianca Christine Montgomery is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children. In June 2010, Christina Bennett Lind replaced Eden Riegel, who portrayed the role from July 2000 to January 2010. Until Riegel assumed the role, the character was portrayed solely by child...
and Reese Williams a groundbreaking lesbian motherhood and marriage storyline, he made Reese obsessed with Zach. Stuart Chandler
Stuart Chandler
Stuart Chandler was a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama All My Children. He was a member of the powerful and wealthy Chandler family. He was portrayed by David Canary from October 1984 to May 28, 2009 & September, 2011.- Identical opposite :...
was murdered and the mystery turned out to focus mainly on Zach hiring someone to impersonate Kendall Slater in prison. Is it any wonder that Thorsten Kaye
Thorsten Kaye
Thorsten Kaye is a German-British actor.-Early life:...
decided to leave the show? His character was among the most ruined. In fact, Pratt managed to render nearly every character on the show unlikable. Those who escaped unscathed tended to be saved by the backburner. He reveled in darkness and misanthropy, somehow thinking that people wanted to watch unrelenting bleakness during lunch. The most disheartening part of all of this is that ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime is a programming block on the ABC Network which has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows.-Schedule:...
had to sign off on every single bad decision. The network that micromanages every episode had no problem with him killing the heart of Pine Valley or Zach tearing off Liza’a panties. Of course, the network’s executives also greenlit Dixie Martin’s death by pancakes. ABC has been mishandling the show for years. I was stunned that ABC chose to let Pratt go, given the network’s track record. I assume that low ratings were the culprit, though perhaps the show’s upcoming 40th anniversary was a wake up call. I hope that the decision to hire Lorraine Broderick is an acknowledgment that AMC needs to return to its roots.
Broderick has a difficult task on her hands. She has to rehabilitate numerous characters while coming up with compelling storylines that will win back the audience. Ron Carlivati
Ron Carlivati
Ron Carlivati is an American soap opera writer born on November 25, 1968 .-Career:It was announced in the February 27 edition of Soap Opera Digest that Carlivati was promoted to Co-Head Writer of the ABC Daytime serial One Life to Live alongside Dena Higley. On June 4, 2007, Frank Valentini...
managed it on One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
, though the ratings have not reflected his accomplishments. Broderick’s task is complicated by the show’s move to L.A., and its resulting cast changes. In my humble opinion, Broderick needs to restore the family units first, making the Kane women, the Martins and the Hubbards moral and rootable again to contrast with the morally grey Chandlers. Next, there needs to be some actual love on the show. Zach and Kendall have been the show’s leads for the past few years. Zach’s departure means that Kendall is going to need a new love interest, someone other than Ryan. I would love to see her in an epic romance with an interesting new character. Most of all, Broderick needs to bring back AMC’s light, optimistic tone. It used to be a fun show with plenty of comedy.
Positions held
The Young and the RestlessThe Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
- Associate Head Writer (August 13, 2004–2006)
- Breakdown/Script Writer (December 2006 - August 2007)
- Story Coordinator (2003)
All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
- Breakdown Writer (November 8, 2007 - December 11, 2007)
Awards and nominations
Daytime Emmy Awards- Nominations, 2005 and 2006, Best Writing, The Young And The Restless
- Win, 2006, Best Writing The Young And The Restless
Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
- Nominations, 2005 and 2006 season, The Young And The Restless
- Win, 2005 season, The Young And The Restless