This is the week The Young and the Restless (Y&R) fans have been eagerly anticipating for months, as Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor officially take the reins as co-head writers.
Giddens was and is one of us – a true fan of the show who co-founded Daytime Confidential to write about soaps, just like we do here at The Soap Scoop. He also went on to create the OWN primetime soap Ambitions and served as a brilliant breakdown writer for Days of Our Lives (DOOL) and Beyond the Gates (BTG).
O’Connor also comes to the table with an impressive daytime resume. He spent more than a decade at General Hospital (GH), climbing the ranks to serve as co-head writer during one of the show’s most successful recent eras, before lending his talents to DOOL.
Giddens and O’Connor’s material will officially begin airing on November 11. To celebrate the launch, we’ve put together a wish list of exactly what we want to see to inject faster pacing and more messy emotional drama back into Genoa City.
Younger Actors Are Essential To Y&R’s Growth
Although we all love Eric Braeden, it would be great if an octogenarian Victor Newman wasn’t leading the majority of storylines. That doesn’t mean we want him sidelined completely – after all, he’s a legend and fans love him. But it’s well past time for the younger actors to start carrying a much heavier narrative load.
Speaking of which, it’s time to bring back Summer, Faith, and Noah Newman. These legacy characters are constantly mentioned on canvas but are still frustratingly relegated to off-screen status. The same goes for Mattie and Charlie Ashby.
There should also be an active teen scene, at least during the summer months. Johnny Abbott (Paxton Mishkind) and Katie Abbott (Sienna Mercuri) were recently back for their father’s wedding, which is a great sign.
Giddens and O’Connor already seem to be off to a good start in this regard. Y&R Christmas spoiler videos show that at least two younger characters will return for the holidays, including Harrison Locke (Redding Munsell) and Lucy Romalotti (Lily Brooks O’Briant).
Young And The Restless Needs Less Business And More Romance
Y&R has garnered thousands of moans and groans from fans over the past few years when its main storylines revolved around someone switching companies or fighting over a new business title. Let’s be honest: no one cares when a character is promoted from COO to CEO. Many viewers return home from a stressful day at the office, and the last thing they need is to watch more exhausting and boring corporate board meetings.
Granted, the show has slightly improved lately. They’ve added Dr. Andrew Bishop (Fareed Ward), who’s already clashing with Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic) at Memorial Hospital. The new writers need to hook Andrew up with an eligible female like Sharon Newman (Sharon Case). Or how about sparking things up with Nate’s ex, Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver)?
Y&R is also bringing back Devon Winters’ (Bryton James) old flame, Roxanne Barrington (recast with Tetona Jackson). This return will hopefully bring some much-needed messy angst into his and Abby Newman’s (Melissa Ordway) marriage. It’ll give these actors the well-deserved screen time they’ve been lacking.
Y&R Fans Want A Lot Less Talk And A Lot More Action
Giddens has written amazing, action-driven storylines at BTG and DOOL. Who could forget Rachel putting pistachios in Sarah’s ice cream, knowing she was allergic? We’re hoping he brings that exact excitement to Y&R.
It’s no coincidence GH has won the Outstanding Daytime Drama Emmy six years in a row. The show thrives on high-stakes shoot-outs, car accidents, druggings, physical fistfights, and a whole lot more. And who was responsible for many of those action-packed storylines? None other than O’Connor.
Contrast that with current-day Y&R, which has had its outstanding acting talent sitting around tables talking at Society, the Athletic Club bar and Crimson Lights for years. A few months ago, they even added the Chancellor Park Café, as if another food joint was what fans were clamoring for!
No More Kidnappings – Viewers Are Sick And Tired Of Them
Besides being relegated to restaurant chat, most of the Y&R cast has been kidnapped at least once during the past couple of years. Let’s face it, this was Josh Griffith’s ultimate go-to storyline when he couldn’t think of anything else to write. The last thing fans want is another character held hostage in a motel room or an abandoned warehouse somewhere. We’re sick to death of it.
There are so many other common-sense improvements to be made. For instance, when a beloved legacy character passes away, please don’t hold the funeral off-screen! Fans want to see the emotional payoff, not just hear characters talk about it afterward at a coffee shop. Infamous examples of this include the off-screen passings of legacy figures like Cole Howard (J. Eddie Peck) and Chance Chancellor (Conner Floyd).
The countdown to November 11 is officially on, and the stakes couldn’t be higher for the future of Genoa City. With Giddens and O’Connor steering the ship, fans are crossing their fingers the endless corporate meetings and repetitious dialogue are finally a thing of the past.
It is time to let this incredibly talented cast do what they do best: deliver explosive secrets, messy heartbreaks, and the kind of high-octane drama that kept us glued to our screens for decades. What are you most hoping to see change when the new material drops? Let us know in the comments below!
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