Jill Farren Phelps

Jill Farren Phelps (born July 7, 1950 in New York City ) is an American television producer.

Career

She has been the executive producer of many American television soap operas: Santa Barbara (1987–1991), Guiding Light (1991–1995), Another World (1995–1996; resigned August 4, 1996), One Life to Live (1997–2001), and currently General Hospital (2001–present).

She got her start as a music director on Guiding Light, General Hospital and later on Santa Barbara before she started producing.

Under her watch Santa Barbara won 3 Best Drama Emmys in a row (although the first was for material which aired before her arrival). Phelps later won Emmys for General Hospital for Outstanding Drama Series in 2005, 2006 and 2008.

Santa Barbara

In 1984, when Santa Barbara was created for NBC, Phelps served as a music producer. She rose through the ranks, and was later promoted to producer. During executive producer Mary-Ellis Bunim's tenure, the show was praised for such blockbuster story lines as an earthquake, a serial killer mystery, and a mother's search for her long lost son. In 1987, after Bunim was let go, NBC Daytime named Phelps executive producer. Under Phelps, the show won three consecutive daytime Emmy awards for Outstanding Daytime Drama in 1988, 1989, and 1990. Despite this impressive string of victories, ratings suffered and unrest behind the scenes was rumored to exist. According to unnamed sources, much of the turmoil revolved around then head writer Anne Howard Bailey who was eventually let go at the request of Bridget and Jerome Dobson, the show's co-creators.

Real-life drama occurred in 1988, when, upon SB winning its first Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Drama, Phelps awkwardly shared the podium with Bridget Dobson to receive the Emmy statue. Dobson ascended the stage a few seconds ahead of Phelps after the winner was announced. Because some of the scenes submitted for the show's Emmy reel were produced during Mary-Ellis Bunim's reign, there was some disagreement over who should accept the award. Despite strained relations within its executive ranks, SB remained critically well-received for a number of years. Over time, however, major cast changes began to shake the show's foundation and erode its loyal fan base. Louise Sorel, Robin Wright, Lane Davies, Marcy Walker, Justin Deas, Todd McKee, Christopher Norris, and Leigh J. McCloskey left during Phelps' run on SB or after she was replaced by John Conboy. The serial began to improve under Conboy's leadership, but ratings continued to drop, and it was canceled by NBC on January 15, 1993.

Guiding Light

After Robert Calhoun left Guiding Light, Ms. Phelps, who had recently departed Santa Barbara, took over as Executive Producer. Veteran Soap Actress Beverlee McKinsey, who played Alexandra Spaulding, soon developed major disagreements with Phelps over both the direction of her character and the terms of her contract. In 1992, McKinsey left this iconic and hugely popular role, leaving a large hole in the show's canvas, and many fans deeply disappointed.

The next major setback for the show was the departure of Ellen Parker in 1993. Parker, who played the new matriarch of the Bauer family, (Maureen Bauer), after the original patriarch Bert Bauer (played by Charita Bauer) died in 1985. Maureen, who was married to Ed Bauer (portrayed by Peter Simon), was written off in car accident after battling breast cancer and learning Ed had been having an affair with her best friend Lillian Raines (portrayed by Tina Sloan). This controversial decision sent shock waves through the cast and crew and created backlash among fans, particularly after it was learned Ms. Phelps relied on focus groups to make this decision.

With the show on a fast, downhill spiral, actors such as Sherry Stringfield, Kimberly Sims, Grant Aleksander, Beth Chamberlin, Morgan Englund, Melina Kanakeredes, Monti Sharp, Hilary Edson, Beth Ehlers, Jean Carol, Mark Derwin, William Roerick, and Larry Gates left during or soon after Ms. Phelp's departure.

In 1995, fans of GL lobbied for the return of actress Kim Zimmer, whose character Reva Shayne has been killed off in 1990. Ms. Phelps debated whether to bring Ms. Zimmer back, but after continued requests from fans, Zimmer was finally asked to reprise the role of Reva. Ms. Phelps departed GL later that year and was soon named Executive Producer of Another World in a bid to save it from cancellation. Guiding Light never recovered from the ratings slide that accelerated under Ms. Phelp's reign, and CBS Daytime canceled the show on September 18th, 2009, after a record-breaking 72 years on radio and television.

Another World

While at Another World, ratings improved in the key demographic of women 18-49 by 34%.

Jill Farren Phelps, who resigned as executive producer of AW August 1, 1996, says she was caught in the crossfire between P&G and NBC Daytime. ”It may actually be true what (P&G, which owns AW) said in the press release, to some extent. I did reach a point where I felt I'd done all for this show that I could. (In announcing her departure, P&G said, 'Creative differences have reached a point where Jill feels she can no longer promise the growth that the show deserves.') There is a fundamental difference of opinion -- I'm not sure that is the right way to put it (between P&G and NBC). This battle really exists between them, or existed in the end between them. There's a path I was committed to in the past year that I am very, very proud of. Look at the numbers."

Industry buzz preceding and since Phelps' departure has been that NBC, once her staunchest supporter, wanted her out. Phelps says, ”It's absolutely true that NBC wanted me to come to work on this show, and it's absolutely true that in the very early stages of it, it seemed to be a really wonderful partnership. Somewhere along the way, the goals of P&G and NBC did not coincide. I got along quite well with the people at NBC with whom I have had contact. When it has been good news, I have heard quite positive things from them. I think there may be a fundamental problem with being 3000 miles away, which may have, in many ways, afflicted the show for a long time. Ultimately, you need to know what you believe is right when there is a sense of 'we want you to do it this way,' and someone else wants you to do it that way, and you are really not sure which way. So in all of this tumult and stuff going on in the background, and a lot of indecision in the atmosphere, I don't want to say I took the bull by the horns, because that is not exactly the way it went, but I absolutely decided that I need to take responsibility for what I am doing, so I am going to move forward and let them duke it out for themselves.

Phelps' final weeks on the show coincided with an outcry over the decision to kill off Frankie Frame Winthrop. Some irate fans blamed Phelps, claiming she didn't like Alice Barrett; others say the network sealed the character's fate. ”None of these things are true”, Phelps says. ”Nobody hated Alice or Frankie. If I learned anything at all, I did learn from what happened with Maureen Bauer on GL (whose death during Phelps' stint as exec producer sparked huge fan backlash). This is separate and apart from it being Frankie. You need to be very careful about the way you do it if they have to go. What the audience needs to understand -- and this is why it doesn't matter whose decision it was -- is that there is a business part to this. I am not going to claim absolutely no responsibility. The truth of the matter is, the fans have to understand that Frankie did not die to make way for Robert Kelker Kelly to come in. That is not the truth. What is the truth is that up until now, AW did not enjoy the kind of financial freedom the other shows did. There are so many beans in the jar, and people do have to go to make room for other people. It is not true that I did not like Alice; it is true that I like everybody to get an 'A' story, and I get stymied when I find myself up against something I don't quite understand."

Also, during and right after her stint on AW, the following actors' characters were written off: Barbara Berjer, David Hedison, Alice Barrett, Paul Michael Valley, and Grayson McCouch. Some actors on the show, like Victoria Wyndham, reportedly had problems with Phelps, while other AW actors, such as Mark Pinter, David Forsyth, and Anna Holbrook, praised her performance. After Phelps was let go, the show continued to do poorly in the ratings and it was canceled by NBC on June 25, 1999.

One Life To Live

After her tenure on Another World, ABC Daytime hired Jill to be the Executive Producer for One Life To Live in 1997. At OLTL, Jill decided to take the show in a different direction, which eventually led to the alienation of many loyal viewers. Together with head writer Pam Long, the show was praised for a number of compelling stories, such as the murder of Drew Buchanan, the feud between Cassie & Barbara, the death of Jenny Wolek Renaldi (Brynn Thayer), and one of the most touching developments in the history of OLTL, David Renaldi’s (Michael Zaslow) return to the show despite the actor's courageous battle with ALS. After this brief, triumphant period, however, quality began to suffer beginning in early 1998. Ms. Phelps and Ms. Long did not see eye-to-eye on the show's direction and writing. Fans largely blamed the show's decline in quality on Long's writing, but many critics believed Ms. Phelps was ultimately responsible. Ms. Phelps subsequently fired Ms. Long and took over as interim head writer before hiring All My Children’s Megan McTavish to take over the position.

Together, this team created what has been considered by many die-hard OLTL fans to be the worst writing era in the show’s history. Some of the most criticized story lines include Bo & Nora's separation after Duke's Death, Cassie's commitment to a psychiatric ward, and the murder of Dorian’s husband, Mel Hayes. Many cast members joined fans in this chorus of criticism, and long-time, core cast members such as Clint Ritchie, Robin Strasser, and Laura Koffman were either fired or left during Ms. Phelp's time on the show, reportedly over significant disagreements with their boss. Other actors also left during this tumultuous period, including Sam Bell, Stephen Markle, and Don Jeffcoat. In 2000, both McTavish and Phelps were replaced by Frank Valentini and Gary Tomlin, respectively. Under Tomlin & Valentini's reign, OLTL has received better critical reception, including several Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Best Writing Team, Best Directing Team, and Best Daytime Drama over the past decade. Despite this, the show will end its run in January, 2012 after years of poor ratings.

Awards and nominations

Phelps has been nominated for fourteen Daytime Emmy Awards and won six times (1988–1990, 2005, 2006, 2008).