News
Y&R Head Writer Josh Griffith on Decision to Revive Matt Clark Story: The Con, Audience Has to “Suspend Belief,” the Pros “Nothing Better Than Being Able to Draw From History”
The Young and the Restless recently launched a soap opera all-star tale with Daytime Emmy winners, Roger Howarth and Tamara Braun joining the iconic daytime drama series Mitch (aka Matt Clark) Bacall and his wife, Sienna Bacall. In addition, to bringing back the character of Noah Newman now played by Lucas Adams, along with seemingly corrupt Detective Burrow played by GH alum, Matt Cohen.
The foursome has been put into a story crafted for Sharon (Sharon Case) and Nick (Joshua Morrow) at its epicenter, and that eventually will bring trouble to the entire Newman family. Soap Opera Digest spoke with Y&R’s executive producer and head writer, Josh Griffith to get his perspective on how he landed on bringing back the nefarious character of Matt Clark, and how he sees his LA noir story tale going down for viewers of the long-running soap.
Looking back at the history of Y&R and noting that Matt Clark died in 2001, and that no one is ever really dead-dead on the soaps, Griffith shared on his decision to go forward with Roger Howarth as the resurrected Matt Clark, when the role was last played by GH’s Rick Hearst. “To me, the only con is that you’ve got to just be able to get the audience to suspend disbelief so they go with it,” shared Josh.”But the pros, for me, much outweigh that, because there’s nothing better than being able to draw from history for a new story.”
Photo: JPI
In getting Sharon and Nick to Los Angeles and to intersect with Matt Clark, the head scribe had to think on a larger overriding element and mystery: “What would pull Nick and Sharon to L.A. would be something horrific happening to Noah. So I wanted the car accident to happen. Out of that, I said, ‘Well, if Noah’s having an affair with Mitch’s wife, then that could lead to the car accident.’ And we start wondering, ‘Was this all a setup for Matt? Did meeting Noah bring back all his anger and all the past, and he set this train wreck of a story in motion because of that?’”
Griffith teased that Matt Clark’s revenge has just escalated. He is angered that his plot to eliminate Noah Newman didn’t work following the car crash, and who he knows is having an affair with his wife. Add to that his hatred of Nick and Sharon, and we have just seen the tip of the iceberg with the guy. As Nick and Sharon eventually head back to Genoa City, they think by leaving Los Angeles, it will scare him off to not come after that, now that they know he is alive and living under a fake identity
Josh explained that the “Second act is definitely they return (to Genoa City), and Matt and all his trouble follow. It becomes a nightmare, not just for Nick and Sharon, but to the whole Newman family.”
So, what do you think thus far of Josh Griffith’s decision to revive the character of Matt Clark, and how the LA noir story is unfolding? Is it holding your interest? Excited to see what’s next? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Looking back at the history of Y&R and noting that Matt Clark died in 2001, and that no one is ever really dead-dead on the soaps, Griffith shared on his decision to go forward with Roger Howarth as the resurrected Matt Clark, when the role was last played by GH’s Rick Hearst. “To me, the only con is that you’ve got to just be able to get the audience to suspend disbelief so they go with it,” shared Josh.”But the pros, for me, much outweigh that, because there’s nothing better than being able to draw from history for a new story.”
While I am all for suspending disbelief, especially in soap operas, I also must admit: this kind of stuff is exactly why American daytime is mocked and not taken seriously, and I wish it to be one of the tropes dropped altogether from the genre. Yes, it is amazing to draw from history, but it is also one thing to completely ignore it (which I feel Josh Griffith does often) for one’s own perceived worthwhile storyline.
That being said, I am intrigued with the Noah/Sienna connection.
Very excited to see the hell Matt Clark is going to inflict on Nick and Sharon!
I couldnt care less but as much as i admire Mr Howarth why not bring back Eddie Cibrian who is so cute. Just sayin
DING, DING, DING??? You hit the nail on the head.
No, we don’t have to suspend belief! Instead of giving us reworked movies, why not just give us good story and characters. There was no reason to resurrect Matt Clark. Roger Howarth is an amazing actor and could have brought life to any new character. He would have been a perfect match for Phyllis, instead of trying force a relationship between her and Cane. I can’t tell you last time I have watched a full episode of Y&R.
I don’t mind suspending disbelief—as a long time viewer, I accept this as part of watching them. But, suspending disbelief doesn’t work if the story is crap. This one is, as are most of JG’s. It’s almost as if CBS is trying to sink the show by keeping him on the show. Fire him!
In your interview, did you ask about his inability to complete a story line – examples Mariah – when will this non story end? Why Sharon and Phyllis were locked up by a day player and the results? His obsession with the redecorating of the Abbott living room and Diane buying a new couch. I fast forward thanks to the dvr. My watch time is about 18 minutes an episode.
It’s one thing to suspend disbelief but this has happened countless times under Josh Griffith and his writing regime!Honestly nothing against Howard he’s a great actor but if you really wanted the audience to fly with it you would have brought Eddie Cibrian back !
He will never reunite Sharon and Nick though it’s a popular decision but saying that the show is not the show I loved and I will not bitch about it anymore I promise! Do what you want but if this idiot thinks bringing on his friends will increase ratings he really is a fool . The only other pairing Nick had was Phyllis and I don’t need to see that crap again.
I was interested in this story until it was reveal Mitch is Matt Clark. First off the reveal happened too fast. It might have worked if Matt Clark having survive his “death” not only changed his name, but his face, so Nick and Sharon wouldn’t have recognized him– and it was only after months of tormenting them, in some climatic scene he reveals himself to be Matt Clark.
The other major thing wrong with bringing back Matt, is it falls too soon after JG bringing back other characters like Cameron and Ian Ward— and why does mining the past always have to involve bringing back all the psychopaths– when there are so many other former characters that could have spiced up stories– and why do all the storylines have to be about threatening the Newman family either their business or them personally–
The sad truth is these set of characters have run their course, and without investing and developing the younger characters all any head writer can do is rinse and repeat until the show is cancelled, or when the characters that were once Young and Restless are Dead and Buried. Harsh I know, but without new characters to replace the aging out characters–this soap is reaching it’s expiration date.
So well stated. These stories stumble at the gate with the ace card played without suspense.
I totally agree with everything you said. Great post!
Can Josh Griffith bring something new to Y/R not Matt Clark character that died, the bring him back to life again. We who watched the show for years don’t need a repeat of what Matt Clark character might do this go around, he died. Old stuff get rid of JOSH we need new material not material from 2001. This is not creative, its dumb!
Soaps bring back dead people all the time. Wouldn’t it be miraculous if in real life, Bill Bell could be resurrected, then what would Bill Bell do??
Matt Clark died in 2001. Let’s just say I have an imagination, and before Matt died, he got someone pregnant. That offspring would be 24 years old, or older on soaps. Why couldn’t Griffith have had Matt Clark’s son seek whatever revenge he wanted on the Newman family? Clark’s son hears stories from his mother about the Newmans….and this is what sparks his son to terrorize Nick and Sharon! Heck, even GL after Michael Zaslow’s passing, years later, brought his unheard of son to Springfield. Griffith has a vivid imagination, except that it hasn’t worked on Y&R. As another posted, we’re sure this story won’t have a good wrap to it, and Griffith will just leave things hanging as he’s done with other story lines. He’s a lousy head writer, heck, just a lousy writer.
I agree with you Joe 100%
YawneR is in trouble.
I see what they are doing and so I pulled It so making Sharon crazy again enough and Noah is a punk! When does it stop
Josh Griffith needs to go…no mention that Matt came back in to town with a different face. So is this supposed to be Matt with the original face or the new face?? What an absolutely stupid storyline.
It’s okay, Hope it’s not a long story line
General Hospital
Could Justin Bruening Join ‘General Hospital’? Set Visit with Wife Alexa Havins Stirs Fan Hopes
Several famous couples met on All My Children; one of which is Justin Bruening (ex-Jamie Martin) and Alexa Havins (ex-Babe Carey, now Lulu Spencer, GH). The two met on the soap and married back in 2005 and share four children together. Fast forward to 2026 and Havins, who is currently in the middle of Lulu’s legal battle with Willow (Katelyn MacMullen), received a visit from her hubby on the set of the ABC soap opera.
Bruening took to his Instagram to share his visit to Port Charles with a series of very cute photos of the couple, which then lead fans to hope that a Justin sighting could potentially lead to a role on the show!
Taking to his social media, the first photo was captioned, “I’m lost….Can someone point me in the direction of a good hospital?” Next, Justin selected a pic with himself and his wife, sharing, “Oh! Here’s someone! Lulu, you say? Hmmm….That’s weird…you look familiar. Have we met?” In a follow-up photo, Bruening commented, “You’re cute….. What are you going to do with the rest of your life? I’m thinking……… 4 kids? House in the burbs? 1,001 pets?”
Photo: JPI
FROM PINE VALLEY TO PORT CHARLES
Then, Bruening included a photo of himself in front of the photo of his former on-screen brother, Michael E. Knight (ex-Tad, AMC) who now plays Martin Grey on General Hospital.
Taking to the comment thread was Alexa Havins’ on-screen son, Finn Carr (Rocco Falconeri) who shared, “This is amazing!” In addition to many fans who now hope that Justin might one day soon join the cast of GH.
“Does this mean you’re coming on GH or just visiting your beautiful wife,”expressed one fan. Another wrote, “Ooh, any chance we’re getting a cameo? Tell Alexa she’s my fave on the show.” Another had a casting idea, “Make Justin Bruening a Dillon Quartermaine recast!”
Alexa Havins played Babe from 2003-2007 on the beloved ABC soap opera, while Bruening played Jamie from on and off from 2003-2011 when the series was canceled by ABC.
Since his days in Pine Valley, Bruening has appeared on primetime in series including, Ravenswood, Grey’s Anatomy, and Sweet Magnolias.
Justin recently wrapped The Other Side of the Window, a thriller where the loglines share: “CEO Elise Dufoe must work with unconventional allies to clear her name after her husband dies mysteriously and she is framed for financial crimes.” The feature is said to be in post-production.
So, did you love seeing Justin and Alexa together in the new pics? Would you like to see Justin land a role on GH? If so, who should he be cast as? Weigh-in via the comment section.
News
Erika Slezak Fan Club Celebrates 55 Years with Special Note from Six-Time Daytime Emmy-Winning Icon and Expanded Website Content
It’s a big week for fans of One Life to Live star Erika Slezak (ex-Viki). The six-time Daytime Emmy-winning star’s fan club turns an amazing 55-years-old under the constant care and development from Walter Miller.
To celebrate, there is so much more to see at ErikaSlezak.com, which includes a very heartfelt message and thank you’s from Erika herself; recalling how she met Miller and more and the start of the fan club back in 1971.
Erika expressed, “Hello to all my friends who have been with me now over 55 years. It’s absolutely amazing. A charming and very young man approached me as I was leaving the studio during my first year on OLTL and asked me if he could start a fan club for me. I was very young as well and really knew nothing about fan clubs, etc., but he was so nice and sweet, so I thought, why not?”
The iconic actress went on to say, “And that was the beginning of a wonderful long friendship with Walter Miller, who has been so incredible in being in charge of the fan club and all that that requires. I am so grateful to him for all that he has done over the past 55 years and for our enduring friendship all these years.”
Overwhelmed by her loyal fans, who have been with her for decades, Slezak added, “I never dreamed that the club would last so long, and it is solely due to Walter and all the others who have contributed to the club and website — Angie Schneider, Kit Williams, Stephen Schofield, Vivian Mora-Robaina, Martha Julian, Mike Poirier, and so many others. Can’t quite believe that it has been so long — seems like yesterday. Thank you all for staying with us. And God bless!!”
Photo: ErikaSlezak.com
Now, ErikaSlezak.com has added dozens of new and updated links to rare videos, historical photographs, original newsletters, and treasured Fan Club memorabilia which includes:
Watch Erika Through the Years! The expanded Media section features decades of television appearances, interviews, rare videos, and special moments. Visit Emmy Awards to enjoy acceptance speeches and performance reels celebrating all six of Erika’s historic wins. And don’t miss Erika on General Hospital — 2025, featuring 61 video clips of her scenes as Ronnie Bard, plus photographs and interviews.
Rediscover One Life to Live! Explore Victoria Lord’s memorable storylines, including newly added links to original Fan Club newsletters covering Family Feud, Viki in Heaven, the Old West, Eterna, Viki’s Stroke, and Viki’s Heart. Visit Erika in Her Own Words for Erika’s own recollections preserved in the newsletters, and discover Agnes Nixon’s heartfelt messages in our Congratulatory Booklets.
Photo: JPI
Photographs, Clippings & Fan Memories! The reorganized Photo Gallery features improved decade collections, additional Lord family photographs, and wonderful new finds. The Clippings archive has grown to more than 500 newspaper and magazine items spanning six decades. Super Soap Weekend brings together Vivian Mora-Robaina’s memories, photographs, and ten video links! Our Fan Club Gatherings and Erika with Her Fans — Through the Years collections are now connected, making decades of memories easier to explore.
We Love Hearing From You! Visit the Comments page to tell about your favorite Erika or One Life to Live memory, and more.
A special thank you from Michael Fairman TV to Walter Miller for including some of our wonderful video interviews with Erika over the years! Make sure to check them out.
So, let us know, have you been a member of the Erika Slezak fan club throughout its 55 years? Have you checked out Erika’s website with all of its updated content? Miss seeing the iconic star on daytime? Hope she returns to GH as Ronnie one day soon? Let us know via the comment section.
News
Y&R Adds Tetona Jackson as a Recast Roxanne and Fareed Ward as New Doctor in First Casting Hires Under Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor Writing Regime
There will be some fresh faces in Genoa City this fall when the character of Roxanne Barrington returns to town now played by Tetona Jackson, and Fareed Ward takes on the new role of Dr. Andrew Bishop.
The castings are the first revealed from The Young and the Restless’ new co-head writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, whose material begins airing November 11 on the CBS daytime drama series. TV Insider first broke the news.
The timing of a Roxanne return is intriguing since the original portrayer, Tatyana Ali is back in the pop culture zeitgeist currently competing for the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy on Dancing with the Stars.
Photo: JPI
In story, Devon (Bryton James) and Roxanne were on-again off-again for several years from 2007-2013 until the character left town. Tatyana Ali actually picked up three consecutive NAACP Image Awards for her work on Y&R.
While a newcomer to daytime, Jackson has been a series regular on BET’s Boomerang, the CBS comedy series, Poppa’s House and had a recurring role in Freeform’s Good Trouble that also featured former General Hospital star, Bryan Craig (ex-Morgan Corinthos).
As for Fareed Ward, his new character of Dr. Andrew Bishop happens to be a medical colleague of Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic) and Stephanie Simmons (Vivica A. Fox). While Stephanie serves as chief of staff at Genoa City Memorial Hospital, Nate recently returned to medicine after undergoing surgery to repair a debilitating hand injury from an altercation with Devon.
Ward has appeared in several primetime series including: CBS’s CIA, FBI and S.W.A.T, the comedy series Will & Grace and Netflix’s Graveyard. He also had a stint on All My Children as a character named Larry.
Photo: CBS
Expectations are high for the the new co-head writing regime of two-time Daytime Emmy Outstanding Writing Team nominee, Jamey Giddens (for his work on Beyond the Gates and Days of our Lives), and for Dan O’Connor who at one time was the co-head writer of General Hospital and also known for his lengthy tenure at One Life to Live and more recently as part of the writing team at Days of our Lives.
It was back on July 29 that CBS and Y&R announced their replacements for the head writing gig after Josh Griffith decided to step down from the position he held since 2019.
So, what do you think about Y&R bringing back Roxanne and introducing us to a new doctor? Excited to see how they fold into Jamey and Dan’s stories? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
Could Justin Bruening Join ‘General Hospital’? Set Visit with Wife Alexa Havins Stirs Fan Hopes
Erika Slezak Fan Club Celebrates 55 Years with Special Note from Six-Time Daytime Emmy-Winning Icon and Expanded Website Content
Y&R Adds Tetona Jackson as a Recast Roxanne and Fareed Ward as New Doctor in First Casting Hires Under Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor Writing Regime
Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award Preview: Genie Francis Talks Historic Run as ‘General Hospital’s’ Laura and Longtime Co-Star Tony Geary
Eileen Davidson and Lisa Rinna Head to Off-Broadway in ‘Real Housewives’ Rotating Casts in Neil Simon’s ‘Rumors’
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Presenters Announced
Tabitha Brown and Kandi Burruss Guest Star on ‘Beyond the Gates’ for Dani’s ‘Welcome to Your Life’ TV Special; What Could Go Wrong?
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Cast Dish on Steffy, Finn & Carter, Daphne Baby Drama! (Exclusive)
Kin Shriner Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ TV Daughter Kelly Kruger
2026 Daytime Emmy Awards: ‘Extra’ Partners with NATAS for Pre-Ceremony Red Carpet Stream; Week of Segments Leading to Ceremony and Post-Coverage
Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award Preview: Genie Francis Talks Historic Run as ‘General Hospital’s’ Laura and Longtime Co-Star Tony Geary
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Chase and Brook Lynn Sign Divorce Papers; Are You Glad They Ended Their Marriage or Hoped for a Reconciliation?
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Brook Lynn Gets a Shock from Jude, Nina Gets a Reprieve, and Ava’s in the Hot Seat
DAYS OF OUR LIVES Preview: Xander Fights for His Life, Halloween in Salem, Lani Returns to the Salem PD
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