News
Sally Sussman Officially Confirmed As Head Writer At The Young and the Restless!
Photo: SSussmanFacebook/Getty
It’s official! Sally Sussman is the new head writer of The Young and the Restless, replacing exiting Chuck Pratt Jr.! A press release with the announcement today by Steve Kent, senior executive vice president of programming for Sony Pictures Television is below!
“Sally was part of the team that first brought Y&R to its long-standing position as America’s #1 daytime drama and brings with her years of experience writing serialized storylines,” said Kent. “Her long-standing familiarity with the citizens of Genoa City and her great storytelling make her a perfect choice to take the reins at Y&R.”
“We are thrilled to have Sally return to The Young and The Restless, both as an award-winning writer, and someone who is passionate about honoring the legacy of the series with character driven story,” added Angelica McDaniel, Executive Vice President, Daytime Programs and Syndicated Program Development, CBS Entertainment and CBS Television Distribution. “The powerhouse partnership of Sally and Mal Young, our talented new Executive Producer, sets an even brighter course for daytime’s #1 drama.”
Sally Sussman has extensive writing experience on both episodic television series as well as daytime dramas. After working for several years as a writer on various episodic television series, Sussman then went to work with William J. Bell on The Young and the Restless. She was with the show for five years as its Story Consultant and Associate Head Writer, and was nominated for three Emmy Awards. She then created the ground breaking daytime drama Generations for Brandon Tartikoff and NBC, and served as Head Writer and Executive Producer on the series. After creating and writing a nighttime serial for Aaron Spelling as well as writing several television movies, Sussman returned to daytime television and joined Days of our Lives as its Head Writer, winning the show’s first ever Writers’ Guild of America Award and earning two more Emmy nominations. She then served as Executive Producer and Head Writer of MTV’s first foray into a late night serial with the 65 episode series “Spyder Games,” earning another Emmy Award nomination. After a short break, Sussman returned to The Young and the Restless for another stint as Story Consultant and Co-Head Writer, winning her second Writers’ Guild of America Award and an Emmy Award. Most recently, Sussman completed her first documentary feature, Midnight Return: The Story of Billy Hayes and Turkey, which had its World Premiere as part of Cannes Classics at the Festival De Cannes 2016.
So, what do you think of the news of Sally Sussman returning to Y&R and as head writer of the top-rated soap? Comment below!
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Best news out of Genoa City in a long time!
I hope Sally reads ALL these recent comments by the fans. Get a bird’s eye view, as it were.
Does this mean old school Y&R is on its way back?
AT LAST. (singing the song in my head as well) Sense prevails in the management ranks and the two who seemed hell bent to destroy the story-telling legacy of YR are gone for good. Now maybe fans who stuck with the show when it seems all the female characters were totally trashed as characters with a thread of history which was totally ignored for several years of painful, ridiculous plots, will all see again the show that IS the Bill Bell legacy of character driven drama. I am very, very glad to read this shift in the structure of who… Read more »
Beyond thrilled that Sally is back at #YR!!! Now, let’s get rid of some dead weight on the show and bring it back to its glory days!
taken; from Wiki
The Young and the Restless
Associate Head Writer: June 10, 2005 – November 2006
Breakdown Writer: June 10, 2005 – November 2006
Writer: 1984 – 1988
Storyline Consultant: 1983-1987 (hired by William J. Bell), May 17, 2005 – May 12, 2006 (hired by John F. Smith)
Yes yes, terrific news. Y&R will get better storylines now. I always liked Sally.
Do I hear an AMEN? So ecstatic to hear this news…Oh how I pray that this will turn this show around and get back to it’s GLORY DAYS…sorry to sound like a broken record but this is the way I feel and I think from reading a lot of comments on this post that a lot of people feel this way…
after 10 + years of torture from past hack writers lml, mab( sharon/ victor year) and now pratt…. …. the real y n r is back in the house!!! thank you powers that be!!! pls bring back faves and return currents to the characters and stories they deserve sally!!!… ashley and lauren need a story! bring back jack and michaels edge! nina needs to return to give jill a real arch nemesis.. the abbotts need traci! victor needs to show some compassion and stop his evil ways for a moment sharon and nick need to make their way back together… Read more »
OK – I KNOW BELIEVE IN GOD!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Bring on the drama, Sally!!
Great News!!!
Y&R is definitely on the right track.
Versus GH, which is basically muddling along while FV slowly kills it.
I’m not sure it’s Frank so much as Jean and Shelly who have proven once again they can’t write intriguing stories. Their time at Y&R should have been a sign for GH that they can not be trusted to helm the creative direction of the show.
I don’t know what this means for Y&R. She seems to have an impressive resume. I guess we’ll see.
Great news! I’m already playing catch up so I can enjoy her stories. Bill Bell must be smiling on this. Can hardly wait!
HIP.HIP HOORAY HIP HIP HOORAY HIP HIP HOOOOORAYYYY!!!!! That’s all y’all I’m done HIP HIP HOORAY! Now I’m done.
The Best news of the Year! I’m so excited to have a writer that will honor Y&R’s legacy and is familiar with the characters. There is a God!
Maybe she will give Jack back his manhood!
Good news— let us hope CBS will actually give her the time to craft the stories soap viewers long to see– this is the first writing change that has me hopeful–and I look forward to making Y&R my must watch everyday soap again.
Whoo hoo! There is a Y&R God!
I’m so grateful that Sally is coming back to Y&R. I think Mal is the right EP, I think Sally will be the right Head Writer. I have hope for the first time in years that Y&R will now head in the correct direction! Let’s just hope she cans some of those sorry hacks that were working for Pratt.
Maybe the storylines will get endings now!
I remember a soap that she created and was a head writer of that existed in the late 80’s early 90’s . I think it lasted 2 or 3 years before cancellation . the soap was called ” Generations ” and ran on nbc . it was about a black family and a white family . kristoff st john started there . I felt it carried humanity and spoke so much about american history and the history of black people in this country . But Generations failed to deliver in terms of romance , love , mystery , emotionality ,… Read more »
I would say that if Chuck Pratt got a chance then Sally Sussman more than deserves another crack at the show, and she knows what she’s doing, I truly believe that, and I don’t think she would write Y&R like she used to write Generations, that was decades ago, and some writers actually grow, and I believe she is in the growing category. Some go from bad to ok, some go from good to great, I think that she is already great and will continue greatness from her track record on Days, that’s what I recommend watching to get a… Read more »
and we see what happens when a soap focuses on fantasy alone…big loud pointless stunts…and disregard for the actual word …drama.. Generations was a good show and critically acclaimed…there was just a glut of shows and a push to be over the top..i watched from day one to the end..Viveca Fox started there too and Kelly Rutherford..and the fabulous jonelle alan…her history and knowledge and writing expertise are sorely missed..and just what is needed…people will complain but i guarantee the numbers will go up…hope you give her a chance and watch.
Dante, I totally agree.
the below reply is actually to you nicholas in regards to your well put comment. I get it but it can’t be all that all the time. Back in the day Harding Lemay eschewed all that over wrought drama for character driven stories on Another World that drove the ratings straight to the top.
Generations was generations ago!
Her best and brightest accomplishment in my books was creating, writing and producing Generations, a show I loved so much, from beginning to end.
When oh when will General Hospital drop its current head writing team? Yup, they need to go.
If they dont, it tells me ABC wants out of the soap biz!
This is just flat out good news!!! She writes with humanity and heart! But her work on Generations proves she can also do some fun, far out stuff! I am shocked and happy that she gets this opportunity!!
She’s great!
If she brings back the balance and fairness so the characters of YR get to be on screen instead of backburned like so much garbage i will back her. I withhold all judgement been burned by MAB and CP cant stand another let down. Barely watch now so lets see how she handles the characters and if she is going to share the screen time with all or just her favs…Lauren/Michael Baldwin have been my favorite couple since 2004 I love them and they have been badly treated by MAB and CP so lets wait and see
OK,
don’t throw shoes at me, but
Isn’t she like 70?
Why oh why can’t there be young 30-40yrs old 21st century writers, just for one soap..
I really would like new youngblood writers, just once..
I’m sure she will bring back the 80’s and do a good job.
looking forward to the new writing..
((However , I was happy with Pratt))
I’m not sure Pratt was a spring chicken either, he’s 61, and Agnes Nixon is older than all of them, and made a cutting edge All my children on line. I get what you’re saying, but she at least deserves a chance, in my opinion, and youth doesn’t always guarantee great, up to date stories, or respect for the source material. Pratt was/is an acquired taste and I think with all his weekly explosions he is better suited for night time work, he works much better with fewer episodes and is way better at action shows, that are light on… Read more »
She’s 60.
This is so exciting! I hope we see better storylines that don’t center around recycled nonsense (doppelgängers, babies who can’t seem to stay with their mothers once the umbilical cord is cut) and an egomaniac who gets mentally ill women like Sharon, Patty, Kelly, Chloe to do his dirty work while he remains unscathed. The Y and R is so much more than storylines revolving around Victor’s “love” for his family that always ends in horror for which he never pays.
This is really good news! Combine this with the new WP, and Y&R will continue to get better and better.
I have already noticed huge improvements with the writing and the direction.
Best news I heard all day! Now maybe the show will return to what it once was. I see positive changes since Mal Young was named EP, and now with Sussman returning, it should be even better. I know Bill Bell is smiling from above! He’d be very proud that she’s taking over the soap he created. CBS and Sony did a good thing by hiring her back.
I heard/read.. some fans of Days were not happy with her writing..
This is good news. I hope it means even better news for Eileen Davidson (Ashley). I believe she was involved in bringing the Abbotts to the show and that she was working for DAYS in the 90’s when Davidson was on that show and used heavily. This leads me to guess that she and Davidson have a good working relationship and that she might get the value of Ashley. Ashley has been completely underused in Davidson’s current stint on Y&R and the writing for her in the other plots in the past decade has been sub-par. I’d like to see… Read more »
Yes Eileen Was On Y&R From 1981 or 1982 Until 1988
She Was At Santa Barbara From 1991 to 1993
Then DAYS From 1993 to 1998
Then Y and R Again From 1998/9 To 2006
Then From 2007 to 2008 Bold And The Beautiful
Then By The End Of 2008 Back On Y&R Again.
So Yes It Was Her, John (Jerry Douglas) Dina (Marla Adams) John’s 1st Wife, Tracey (Beth Maitland) And The Original Jack (Terry Lester) Who Brought The Abbotts To Life;
First thing she has to do is dim the lights a little- The show looks too lit up and i have hated that for a long time. Other than that, I think her stories will be good.
James, we don’t want it to dark…Lighting is very important to the sets…Also, have I said this before…PLEASE bring back the classic background music score.
What? TPTB at Sony actually making a decision that’s logical and sane and in the best interest of the show?
I’m sorry, my brain just cannot process this piece of information.
Does not compute. Does not compute. Does not compute. Does not compute.
I agree with all those who have said Bill Bell is smiling.
Meanwhile GH is keeping it’s head writers and EP, big mistake–HUGE!
Good news someone who loves the show is back in town! Whoopee!!!
Echoing the comments above, this is fantastic news. First Phelps got the boot, then Pratt opted out, and now we have a very talented team at the helm of Y&R again. Hopefully Mal and Sally bring Y&R back to its roots. The great news for Y&R continues!
Ditto Jimmy 🙂 SSM Has Since Been With Y&R On And Off Since 1983….. She Is The Right Fit. 🙂 Indeed.
After watching these “payoff” shows for the last 2 days, where Phyllis makes the big reveal to Jack, it just looks like the current writing regime put little or no effort into this. Writing was bland, not even suspenseful. I’m also realizing now that Jason Thompson has been miscast in this role, or that the writing was so bad, that even he couldn’t act his way out of the dialogue the last 2 days. There are days I really miss Billy Miller in this role. Sally’s material probably won’t be seen on air until end of November at the earliest,… Read more »
Long time “lite” viewer. The best wishes to the new team. I traveled for many years, but when returning was always able to pick up who was who on Y & R. There was a core that lasted; not necessarily with the same actors, but the core was there. Some stories were stupid beyond belief. Don’t know how I would feel about them today; things have changed. It was when the Underground blew up and all of Genoa City appeared to be blowing up that this site was found. The program watched, off and on for years, was no longer… Read more »
I want a writer who hasn’t forgotten that Phyllis isn’t holier than thou. Everyone seems to have amnesia when it comes to her trying to kill Paul and Christine ; even Christine. It’s difficult for me to forget that someone tried to kill me!
I totally agree with that this is hugely overlooked. Christine and Paul should throw it in her face whenever they can.
Pratt has been a failure everywhere he’s been. Look at what he did to AMC. He completely wasted the great Beth Ehlers after ABC made that enormous casting coup. How do you get a job after that?
Can someone tell me what stories she wrote, characters she created? Thanks, Gang. Seems like many of the long term fans are happy with this news. I’m always optimistic. Staying tuned …..
in the 80’s Sally Sussman helped Bill Bell create the Abbott family.
Now bring back. Michael Muhney and the world will be right again!
General Hospital
Cailtin Reilly to Appear in General Hospital Tribute Episode to Her Father John Reilly
News
Former ‘Bachelor’ Colton Underwood Comes Out as Gay
This morning on the highly-promoted sit-down interview with GMA’s Robin Roberts, former ‘Bachelor’ lead Colton Underwood, revealed that he was gay and that he has finally come to terms with it.
The ex-football star shared: “Obviously this year’s been a lot for a lot of people, and it’s probably made a lot of people look themselves in the mirror and figure out who they are and what they’ve been running from or what they’ve been putting off in their lives. For me, I’ve ran from myself for a long time and I’ve hated myself for a long time, and I’m gay. I came to terms with that that earlier this year and have been processing it. The next step in all of this was sort of letting people know. I’m still nervous, but it’s been a journey for sure. I’m like the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been in my life. That means the world to me.”
Underwood expressed he went through a very dark time to be able to reveal his truth: “I got into a place in my personal life that was dark and bad. I can list a bunch of different things, but they’d all be excuses. I think overall the reason why now is because I got to a place where I didn’t think I was ever going to share this. I would rather have died than say ‘I’m gay,’ and I think that was sort of my wake up call. There was a moment in L.A. that I woke up and I didn’t think I was going to wake up,” he said. “I didn’t have the intentions of waking up, and I did. And I think for me that was my wake up call, that, ‘This is your life. Take back control.’ I think looking back even beyond that is… even just suicidal thoughts and driving my car close to a cliff, like, ‘Oh, if this goes off the cliff, it’s not that big of a deal.’ I don’t feel that anymore.”’
As to the questions or anger that ‘Bachelor Nation’ are going to have that Underwood misled the female contestants on his season, or he duped the audience, Colton said: “I thought a lot about this…Do I regret being ‘The Bachelor?’ And handling it the way that I did?’ I do think I could have handled it better, I’ll say that. I just wish I wouldn’t have dragged people into my own mess of figuring out who I was. I genuinely mean that, but also at the same time I can say ‘I’m sorry’ to all of those women, I can also say ‘thank you,’ because without them and without the ‘Bachelor’ franchise, I don’t know if this would have ever come out.”
Colton was highly-promoted during his season as the “Virgin Bachelor”. He acknowledged he was indeed a virgin at that time, but it was because he was gay, but just “didn’t know how to handle it”. Underwood also shared he was thankful to God that he was cast on the reality-competition as one of its season’s leads because he thought that would make him straight. He told Roberts in his talk with God, ‘Finally, you’re letting me be straight. Finally, you’re giving me a wife, a fiancée, and then I’m going to have the kids, then I’m going to have the house, and then I’m going to have all this.’
Photo: JPI
As to his contentious break-up with ‘Bachelor’ contestant, Cassie Randolph, where she had at one time had a restraining order put on Underwood and later revoked it, he admitted: “I would like to say sorry for how things ended. I messed up, I made a lot of bad choices.” But told Robin Roberts, he indeed loved Cassie, sharing, “That only made it harder and more confusing for me. if I’m being very honest, I loved everything about her. And it’s hard for me to articulate exactly what my emotions were, and going through that relationship with her was, because I obviously had an internal fight going on. I would just say that I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart. I’m sorry for any pain and emotional stress I caused. I wish it wouldn’t have happened the way it did. I wish that I would have been courageous enough to fix myself before I broke anybody else.”
Underwood shared that his upbringing in the Catholic church and being in the world of high school, college, and pro sports contributed to why he never came out previously, citing,: ” learned in the Bible that gay is a sin. I had made mistakes in my sports and in my athletic career, and when you make mistakes, ‘that play was gay’ or that was a bad… gay was always affiliated with a connotation of negativity, and I think there’s a lot of things when I look back, like, ‘No wonder I held it in.’”
So, were you surprised that Colton revealed he was gay? How do you feel about the journey he expressed in his interview on GMA to speak his truth? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
JUST IN: Former “Bachelor” star @Colton Underwood speaks his truth and comes out to @robinroberts: “I’m gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it… I’m the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been in my life.” https://t.co/PoYJUAPBpA pic.twitter.com/isP7SptUu7
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 14, 2021
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