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.

Two-time Daytime Emmy winner, Eileen Davidson (Ashley, The Young and the Restless) and Days of our Lives alum, Lisa Rinna (ex-Billie Reed) are set to star Off-Broadway in a ‘Real Housewives’ reimagined version of the classic Neil Simon play Rumors.

The play is also stars other women from the Bravo ‘Real Housewives’ franchise including, Phaedra Parks and Carole Radziwill. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the revival will start this winter with two rotating casts at the Newman Mills Theater at The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space.

Tony Award winner Zhailon Levingston (CATS: The Jellicle Ball) will direct the production, which will play a limited 14-week engagement starting January. 9, 2027, ahead its January 25 opening.

Photo: JPI

WHO JOINS DAVIDSON AND RINNA IN THE CASTS?

Rinna leads cast one along in the role of Chris, Phaedra Parks plays Claire, Stacey Rusch will take on Cookie, and Dolores Catania will play  Cassie from January 9 through February 28.

They will be followed by the cast led by Davidson as Claire, Cynthia Bailey as Chris, Carole Radziwill as Cookie, and Candiace Dillard-Bassett as Cassie from March 2 through April 21. The production will mark the New York stage debut for all except Lisa Rinna, who made her debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago in 2007.

In story, the Neil Simon play which originally bowed on Broadway in 1988, focused on four couples gathering for a party in a wealthy New York Suburb, where instead of fun “they find their host in an alarming state, his wife missing, and the police on their way.

The original production featured the likes of: Christine Baranski, Jessica Walter and Joyce Van Patten, with Baranski winning a Tony Award for her performance as Chris.

In a statement, Zhalion Levingston expressed, “What excites me about reimagining Rumors through the lens of ‘The Real Housewives’ is how naturally these two worlds collide. Without changing a single word of Simon’s brilliant text, we can reveal something new in the piece: The delicious chaos that unfolds when private lives become public spectacle. At a time when we are so deeply divided, I can think of few things more necessary than gathering in a theater to laugh together.”

So, what do you think about Eileen Davidson and Lisa Rinna each taking on the role of Chris, originally played by Christine Baranski, in Neil Simon’s Rumors coming to Off-Broadway early next year? Do you like the concept of the two ‘Real Housewives’ casts playing the roles? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section.

CBS daytime continues bringing Genoa City favorites to Fairmont Crest. Now comes word that The Young and the Restless brother/sister duo of Christel Khalil (Lily Winters) and Bryton James (Devon Winters) are headed to Beyond the Gates on-screen in November.

This will mark James’ third-time on daytime’s newest soap opera while the crossover will mark the first time that Christel Khalil mixes it up with the Dupree family and more.

TV Guide Magazine via Stephanie Sloane offered up the inside scoop in their latest edition on newsstands now. As previewed, Lily and Devon will share story with Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis) and Anita Dupree (Tamara Tunie) as the The Articulettes head to the recording studio to record their new album.

Photo: JPI

In a very touching story point, the crossover will also honor the enduring legacy of the late Kristoff St. John, who played Neil Winters before his death in 2019 at just 52-years-old.

Bryton James who in real life and his TV life was so close to St. John shared, “He’s a television legend, so I think it’s an incredible gesture,” speaking on how Beyond the Gates will fold him into the story.

Look for the Y&R duo to make their crossover appearance on Wednesday, November 4 on Beyond the Gates.

So, will you be tuning-in to see how Beyond the Gates honors Kristoff St. John and his beloved character of Neil Winters? Are you enjoying seeing the Y&R stars share the screen with the notables from Fairmont Crest.