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Y&R Welcomes New Head Writer & Co-EP Chuck Pratt Jr. With Tweet Stating: "Exciting Things Are Ahead On Y&R!"

Courtesy/CW

Courtesy/CW

The Young and the Restless is getting to turn the page on another head writing regime, as the number one soap opera sent out an official tweet from their Y&R Insider Twitter account!

In the tweet complete with an image of yellow rose bouquet of flowers, Y&R scripts, and a laptop, it says:  “We’re so excited to welcome @ChuckPrattJr as our new head writer & Co-EP. Exciting things are ahead on #YR!”

Pratt takes over from former Y&R co-head writers Shelly Altman and Jean Passanante as steering the ship for the character of Genoa City, as well as having a co-executive producer credit.

Jill Farren Phelps remains as the main executive producer of the series.  Pratt and Phelps have previously worked together on Santa Barbara and General Hospital.  Pratt’s last daytime head writing gig was that of All My Children.

Be on the lookout for the new head scribe’s scripts to debut in early 2015, most likely in February, on the CBS sudser.

Excited to see what Chuck Pratt Jr. does with the characters in GC?  Comment below!

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God help us all.

Dude…my thoughts exactly!!!!! Y-I-K-E-S!!!!!

Exciting things are about to happen, my azz!!! This show is about to hit a creative cesss pool of terribleness!!!

I JUST HOPE HE PUTS SHARON AND NICK BACK AND HAVE ADAM REMEMBER HOW MUCH HE ALSO LOVED SHARON WAY MORE THAN CHELSEA!

If you believe what Susan Lucci said about Pratt and I have no reason not to he is simply not a character driven guy. They will probably be doing more outlandish things then before. As far as the Sharon story they dropped the ball they had a real chance to inform people about bi-polar and instead they dropped the ball and made it about her being selfish and wanting Nick. No wonder people with mental disorders do not seek help we have everyone saying their crazy and abandoning them. It would have been refreshing that after Nick discovered what she had done he would have embraced her told her how much he hated what she had done but he would stand by her as he promised and try to make sure she continued to get the help she needed. Tell me this if a person had Stage 4 cancer and you loved them would you walk away? I wanted just once for Nick to man up but they took the easy way out and made Sharon once again the town misfit. This for me is what makes good soap opera and we are lacking that so badly. People talk about them dragging out stories well that is why it is called a soap opera. To lighten the mood of my rant Nick kept the fact that Summer might be Jack’s for 18 years I figure he has way more to repent for then Sharon. As always Team Sharon!

Kay, you’re so right–I had forgotten about that. Considering that Susan Lucci is a gracious and very classy woman, the fact that she said that Check Pratt is not a character driven writer who pays no fidelity to that character’s history, is what send alarm bells off in my central nervous system.
Please let him pleasantly surprise us all.
You are also on point about bipolar disease. I am close to many people who suffer from this disease and not one of them ever did something so selfishly contrived , harmful and sociopathic as to play with someone’s DNA results in order to get what they want. That is not how the bipolar mind works!

@Harry now I see Nick is threatening taking Faith again my gosh since that child has been born he has been dangling her like a carrot in front of Sharon. If you aren’t good Sharon and tow the line BAM I am taking Faith. Gosh I need a valium!!!!

Keep Sharon away from Nick and put her back with Adam! Send Chelsea off some where! Can’t stand her..

Just watched today’s episode classic line Mariah to Summer your mother wasn’t exactly a saint before she took her long nap! Now this I could invest in Team Mariah/Sharon kick that spoiled brat to the curb!

I am more than willing to give Chuck a chance at being head scribe at The Young and the Restless, hoping he’s able to keep it character-dictated, though, I doubt it. My only question is why are we getting rid of the current regime when their stories have been so riveting and amazing? That just does not make sense to me right now. I’m going to give him a chance, but I’m foreseeing a change in the next 6-8 months.

I agree. Jean and Shelly made the show not just watchable again but suspenseful and entertaining. I’m appalled. Why fix it if it ain’t broke???

Scott, I have the same questions also. What went wrong with Jean and Shelly?

I agree with you all. I have a large post below, but to repeat my main point, Y&R is more Bell like than it has been since 2005/2006. What need is there to fix something that is finally off the operating table, out of ICU and on the road back to full recovery? If I wanted frozen planets, aliens, demons and godfather knockoffs, I’d watch GH or DAYS. I want smart, character-driven drama accented by occasional catastrophic events. Now I’m afraid a tornado is going to hit Abbott manor, the Chancellor estate and the Newman ranch, both in the form of Chuck Pratt and also in the form of a tacky computer generated vortex.

I can’t palate NuBilly but I am starting to watch more…The Talk has proved successful for CBS and they want OUT of the daytime drama business and hopefully some smart person will see the value of this show when it goes on the chopping block and will pick it up for another network…but i’m sure TPTB will make it costly and difficult…It was growing legs and now they hire someone who flat out stated over and over he is not into daytime…I don’t get this at all..so sad.

Welp.

It is really unbelievable that Sally Sussman Morina and Kay Alden were vying for the Head Writer position at YR and shown the door. The problem is YR has forgotten Bill Bell and his vision for the show. Until a regime is brought on who knows and respects it the show will be a shadow of its former self. YR brought in the ratings under Bill due to his strong character driven storytelling, his cast who he retained during his tenure, and his crew. YR didn’t have to look to others, others looked to them. Under JFP’s regime we see stories being copied from GH, cast leaving for GH, and the addition of exterior shots, which The Bold and Beautiful has done for years. Until there is a change in regime and The Bell’s are respected I just see more of the same. How many head writers have to be brought on before CBS and Sony see it is the vision of JFP that is wrong for a show that has been well established for years.

I hear you, but……would the Bell vision attract todays viewer? Without building a new audience and, agreed, holding onto the old one, for how much longer can the show survive? What’s to say Alden & Sussman would have been as good as they were in their heydey? We jyst don’t know. Just as we don’t know that Pratt just might surprisingly be a good fit. I’m hopeful.

Track record says a lot. As far as would Bill Bell’s style writing still work today. I am a big believer that if you write a character with many layers, and stay true to the character that was created that the writing grows from there. Plot driven story lines, like we have been seeing end up with characters acting out of character and are simply done for shock and awe. The rewards are only temporary, not long term. I would use Downton Abbey as an example of what good story telling is. Why would all age demographics be interested in a time period show? The answer is because Julian Fellowes writes his characters with many levels of depth, not as all good or all bad but in between. His writing reminds me a lot of Bill Bell’s, classic soap telling. Also many executives seem to think the younger demographic doesn’t want to see older actors on the screen. I ask how do you explain the late great Jeanne Cooper or Betty White or Maggie Smith? They are from a generation like no other. Instead of learning from them many executives seem to think they know better. If the writing is there no matter the genre, people will tune in be it Downton Abbey or The Walking Dead. It takes the right team in place. Sony and CBS decision making has been questionable. Pratt’s record speaks for itself and usually history does find a way of repeating itself. I just hope YR doesn’t share the same fate AMC did under Pratt, or GH under JFP (which neared cancellation under her leadership).

It’s what separated and CONTINUES to separate this show from other soaps. Four distinctly different soaps..too bad one network can’t pick them all up because this is going to become the BIG EVENT drama and NOT character driven drama…

Kay Alden knew BB’s vision and should be writing for the show!!! She was with the show when it was good, in the 90s!!!! Where is Ed Scott?? Uggh!!!!

I love what Seatlegirl wrote and I concur! If you build it, he will come–if you build a good character, the good stories will come.

Shoeless Joe Jackson told me so.

Unfortunately I think the wrong vision is beyond JFP; I think Sony clearly has no idea what made the show so successful for so many years and/or how to replicate it (or come as close as possible given that Bill Bell is no longer with us). JFP is most likely the wrong EP for this show (and Pratt is definitely the wrong headwriter), and that’s problem 2. Problem 1 is that Sony doesn’t seem to see that and keeps hiring the wrong people to steer the show.

Good things are coming? Like cancellation, is that what they mean?

Just ask AMC about all the “good things” Pratt brought to that show.

God help us all is right.

Doesn’t really matter who’s writing. JFP has already run off most of the really good talent.The show will never be the same and I can’t think of anything changing to make me return to the show. Even if she left now the show has been destroyed.

Totally agree. Phelps has put Y&R into a final tailspin that will eventually lead to its demise. She wrecked the cast and now Pratt will finish the job. Bill Bell is now a pretzel in his grave. So sad, but once you wreck a show like this, there’s no turning back. It’s only a matter of time now.

Can’t be any worse than the last year or so. Been watching Y&R since 1981 and the show is at an all time low. Terrible writing, waste-of-time plots, unrealistic characters – the show needs a shake-up for sure. Hope this move helps but, really, until JFP is gone I’m not holding my breath.

“Can’t be any worse than the last year or so” is exactly what I said when MAB was fired and JFP was brought in as the new EP… look how that turned out.

Chuck Pratt is completely wrong for Y&R. I’m not saying Jean Passanante was the right choice, but I would take her over Pratt, and that’s saying a lot. Yes, she killed ATWT, but Pratt relentlessly hacked AMC to the bitter core. Is that what I want to see happen on Y&R? No, thank you.

Try again, Sony. And make a logical decision this time, please.

Jimmy,

Dude…I’m sorry but I don’t think that Sony is capable of making a-n-y logical decision as long as JFP is s-t-i-l-l in the picture. And n-o-w that Chuck Pratt is in the picture, it’s only gonna get W-O-R-S-E!!!!! David said it PERFECTLY…GOD HELP US ALL!!!!!

I think he’s a better suited writer for primetime. When he wrote for Melrose Place, it was really good. But MP was a primetime soap and very over-the-top. He was a complete disaster on AMC. My only hope is that he doesn’t do anymore of a hatchet job on the character of Sharon Newman. Only by the grace of Sharon Case have fans stuck by this character, while she is beat up by everyone in GC. Making Summer Nick’s bio child was a mistake. Jack deserved a daughter. And how long is EB gonna “run the show”?? His ego needs to be contained. Phyllis needs to take her anger down a notch, hopefully they will do a good job with the new Adam. But I really hope Pratt doesn’t start axing characters in favor of one’s he wants to bring on. The cast is bloated enough.

RE: Eric Braeden. I was telling my mother the other day about Michael Muhney and Eric Braeden getting into arguments on-set, and that being one of the contributing factors to MM’s firing last year, and she said “Who hasn’t Eric Braeden gotten into a fight with? He’s Victor Newman! His ego is so big it revolves around the sun and has its own gravitational pull.” So yes, he needs to be contained.

RE: Sharon. Good lord, if Pratt destroys her character even more, I will be livid. It was horrendous when she took over Newman Enterprises and even worse when she married Victor. They need to restore her character, but I don’t think that will happen since the whole paternity secret story is being revealed now.

Jimmy…dude…I agree with both you and your mom!!!!! And…I can only imagine how that POMPOUS AND ARROGANT Eric Braeden treats his own family in real life. Truly sad.

I couldn’t agree more. That whole Newman clan needs to be brought to justice. E.B. should have been put away when he covered for Adam’s hit & run. They also need to get rid of the dead-wood few to nobody likes (Avery-the cookie maker)(Summer can’t act except to pout and she on too often)(Dillan needs a hobby besides pouring coffee & please find something for Lily to do besides stick her nose into her brothers life. I use to push mute for Summer & the Newmans now it’s for Victor, Avery& Summer and with the air time Summer gets that’s just about every show.

They could fire Avery and I wouldn’t bat an eyelash. I AM hopeful, that with Amy coming back, and this Joe Clark, that they will revisit the Matt Clark story and Nick will come to his senses and protect Sharon and reunite them. I cannot and refuse to sit through another regime that refuses to restore Sharon to her former glory. I don’t see why the writers/producers don’t like her. They need to bring back Ed Scott, and Kay Alden, ppl who worked under Bell in the 90s. And for god sakes, give Sharon a female friend, resurrect Drucilla!!! Drucilla would smack that insipid Hillary off the map and her and Sharon could fight Phyllis together!!!! I would even take a recast Drucilla now bc Victoria Rowell is clearly not welcome back!!!

Maybe it’s too soon, but I find it interesting that they’re not saying too much in the way of specifics about what he’s going to “bring” to the show. Much fanfare but very little real information about how he’s going to make Y&R better, more interesting, etc.

Really? I’ll wait to believe it.

Although Y&R has been on the upswing, sometimes change is good. Beware though, Chuck and Jill wreaked havoc over at GH!

And Chuck systematically destroyed AMC, and it seems like that’s what Jill is trying to do to Y&R now.

Y&R could not get any deader than it is ..
When watching;
I see a person not Phyllis having anger problems..
I see a guy named Billy who has no personality defining him and is lackluster.
I will see an Adam who will be huge disappointment, that is a given
I see a Kelly that turned from mysterious and intriguing into a ton of sugar
I see Lily and Cane with no purpose other than to constantly grope each other
I see Neil acting like a horney old duffer with a woman he once took as a daughter and knocking over coffee cups
I see a total boring couple / Dylan and Avery talking in a coffee shop
I see a wasted talent of Tristan Rogers being wasted and looking like a dumbass.
I see a very whiny Victoria who does nothing but mope and looks like she has been eating tranquilizers..
Well, that is it for starters..

GO PRATT !!!!!

It seems like he is where he is so when they have had enough of Jill, Chucky gets the EP job.

I don’t care about the other soaps (with exception of B&B and DAYS), I care about Y&R. I will give him a chance to see what he brings to the show!

Charles Pratt is the completely wrong person for Y&R. He is not who Y&R needs right now, just like JFP was wrong from the start. But, because MAB was so bad in her final year in charge, I was willing to give Jill a chance and hope for the best. I simply can’t hope for the best with Pratt. After his butcher job of AMC, turning it into a plot-driven mess of a show, I can’t see a bright future ahead for Y&R with him on-board now.

Yes, I think a change was needed. Jean Passanante was a terrible hire, and Shelley Altman doesn’t have what it takes to lead a writing team on her own. Who they should have brought in was Sally Sussman Morina or Kay Alden or Jack Smith. NOT Pratt.

I don’t understand why Sony continues to make horrible decisions for their number one soap. It baffled me when JFP was hired, then Jean P, now Pratt… They all need to go ASAP and Sony needs to make better hires for Y&R – that’s what the cast, crew, fans and creator himself, Bill Bell would want. Not the madness that Y&R has gone through over the past several years.

I just pray Pratt doesn’t start a mass exodus of characters only to bring in a slew of new ones. There are many expendable characters IMO but there is no need for any new ones. If he wants new characters, bring back ones from the past like Genevieve, Tucker, Daniel, Heather, Drucilla, Malcolm, etc. No more random newbies and please, no more character assassination. Though I’m sure that’s exactly what will happen since Pratt insists on plot-driven stories being the focus.

The first comment says it perfectly: God help us all.

I am happy Pratt was brought in..
Y&R has been terribly boring and and broke all soap records for long, over year long, boring stories,,
I actually nood out watching, at times..

I hope Pratt turns Y&R inside out and gets things interesting and for god’s sake moving!!

Pratt might even throw in a murder or two; I hope he kills off Sharon..
The Sharon character is long past its’ time..
Good thing about Pratt– he won’t hesitate to kill of a star for a good story / either would JFP..

Welcome to Y&R Chuck Pratt .. !!! 🙂

I would love to see Sharon with Dylan. I think that would be such a slap in the face to that snotty nose Nick as well as Nikki who walks around with her nose in the air while being a drunk & ex stripper.

Sharon would sizzle with Dylan more than Avery does, but then of course, Nikki would demonize her and call her a slut for sleeping with her son. This from a woman who has slept with half of Genoa City( Paul, Victor, Jack, Brad, the list goes on. Uggh.

Su0000..knock it off…we’re really concerned about the trajectory this show is heading in and not trying to inflame people just because…

Su….not all of us like violence and misoginy and psychopaths. I often wonder what has happened in your life that makes you such a champion and a cheerleader of such disturbing themes in your “entertainment” choices. You repeatedly insult people on here, telling them its “only a soap” but if anyone dares to insult your precious beloved General Hospital, you go ballistic. It is as if you feel personally responsible to post on here, every day, several times a day, about uow fantastic and wonderful and glorious GH is, and people who dont like it are stupid, and those who cant understand that it is “entertainment” are even stupider. I do NOT think its entertainment when the very heart and soul of a show I have loved and supported all my life has been gutted and decimated and disembowelled and now features a bunch of psychotic, sadistic murderers and the people who love them. We get it! You love GH, you love watching murders and senseless violence, and cheaply produced gunplay, and plot driven crap. We get it. But dont keep telling this room that we should all love it or we are just stupid. Or just type a form letter and cut and paste it every day. Everyone has opinions and your incessant posting about how wonderful GH is is not swaying anyone or changing anyone’s minds. Thank you.

@ Oh Jonny be still my heart I think I am in love your post said it all. :}

Oops Johnny !

This show will never recover from JFP, let alone Pratt.

The cast has been decimated, the real actors are gone.

Gina Tognoni is the only good thing to happen to this show in the past couple of years.

Im definitely willing to give NuAdam a chance, Hartley showed he can do dark pretty convincingly on Revenge.

right..
Hartley was a stint on Revenge, he can be dark to a point, he is handsome..
but-
All that does not qualify him to be a good Adam ..

All actors can play dark etc, but for any of them to be a good Adam, nawww not gonna happen ..

Harley is no Michael Muhney. Muhney defined Adam Newman and gave him a multi-layered personality that fans adored. Just because this stud muffin played “bad” on REVENGE, doesn’t mean he’s Adam Newman. This guy will never fill the role Muhney created with his own talent.

The sound of no hands clapping.

Absolutely right. Right now when I see that Lucky Gold has a hand in writing on Y&R now, I cringe and remember everything wrong he did at Guiding Light. None of the names I’m seeing in the writing credits give me any faith that Y&R will recover. It saddens me, because this does NOT have to happen.

Pratt did very well when he was with GH..
perhaps GH fit his visions/style of writing..

Y&R is circling the drain, and Pratt is its’ hope..
He is most likely the one that can turn Y&R and take it out of the 80’s ..

I am cheering Pratt on!!! ……… GO PRATT..!!!!
( kill off sharon 😉

OMG!!!! Y&R needs all the creative help it can get. The storylines are all over the place. Nothing is making any since and the characters are just talking heads, reading the words that was written for them and nothing more. Y&R has no since of direction, and that is what is missing from today’s Y&R.

Just when you think things can’t get any worse…

I feel so sad you Y&r ;(
At least you have agreat new Adam guys, trust me. He was wonderful on Passions. I think the only story that would be worth watching is who killed Victor Newman. That could make the show hot again

The reigns of Y&R have just been taken over by the captain of the Hindenberg. The destruction of this show will be spectacular! Burn baby burn!

Y&R is like the NE Patriots or Dallas Cowboys, a historically successful franchise everyone is gunning for. The remarks are all over the map here from the die-hard fans to the ones still stuck in the 80’s when GH enjoyed a short time at #1. I bet if they had the internet in 1990 and there were message boards like this, people would have been griping then, or maybe not, since those were a lot less hateful times. Anyway, I’ve been watching Y&R since the 70’s, when I watched with my parents and grandparents while I was just a little guy. Bill Bell created and breathed life into a unique show populated with interesting characters driving plot, rather than the opposite. Big events rarely happened in Genoa City, but they drove plot for years, even decades: Phillip Chancellor’s death, Jack and Jill’s scandalous affair, Ashley’s abortion, Nina’s seduction of Phillip III, Phyllis’ hit and run crime, Drucilla sleeping with Malcolm while on cold medicine, Victor and Hope’s farm romance, Cassie’s reunion with Sharon, Victor’s stolen sperm and Ashley’s pregnancy, Cassie’s death, Nick and Phyllis’ shocking affair, etc. Then in 2006-2013 came dark years. Bill Bell, Kay Alden, Jack Smith, David Shaughnessy, Edward Scott, all gone, and disrespectful show-runners, one with the last name Bell, one by one, dismantled the crown jewel of the genre. I wasn’t a fan of JFP, and I wept inside when she was appointed EP, as I felt this was the nail in the coffin. To my pleasant surprise, JFP and the two head writers, SA and JP, have resurrected this soap into a renaissance of character-driven, old-fashioned melodramatic story telling. New blood is being introduced and grounded slowly by inter-mixing with the legacy characters, I am the first to say I was wrong, and JFP has made this show more a Bell show than any of the 3 buffoons who preceded her. I wonder why change course when things are FINALLY gelling, but I have to give Mr. Pratt a chance and pray he will respect Bill Bell’s legacy and build upon the repaired foundation that SA and JP have constructed. I can hope. What I can say is that Y&R is still #1, and not only that, people I know are actually tuning in again. It used to be comments like “I haven’t watched it since…..”. Now the comments are “did you see the show today?” or “what happened on the show today?”, etc. For the fact spinners out there with your hands on your ears screaming “no no no”, I’m in finance by trade, so hard numbers matter to me. Y&R is the #1 daytime soap. Y&R is the #2, maybe #3 on any given week, show on all of daytime (as far as network programming). Y&R competes with even primetime numbers. You cannot wish cold hard facts away with spin or opinion, though you have a right to an opinion. Just know that opinions don’t always equal facts.

Jared, excellent commentary and very informative! Thank you!

In the last few months this show has been surprisingly good! Stories have been interconnected, episodes move with pace and purpose, and a lot of the newbies have been written in very well. Josh Griffith’s writing was mind numbing and pointless. I have a few quibbles…all of the Abbott siblings have lost daughters…Ashley, Traci, and Billy. Summer should have remained Jack’s, especially now that Mariah is Sharon’s. I hope the new regime rectifies that mistake and makes the paternity switch a figment of Sharon’s imagination. And the unabated Sharon bashing is disgusting and painful to watch. She was mentally ill! Why does Summer’s husband get a free pass and the adoration of everyone after what he did? I cant stand manipulative writing designed to push whatever pet story the writers want to push. But on the whole, I have been very impressed with the Altman/Passanante regime. I like the exterior shots even though most of them could not possibly match the interiors. But thats the Golden Girls syndrome, lol. American television producers think their audiences are stupid and dont notice details. I also wish this show would do actual regular on location shooting. I dont get why these shows that tape in L.A. are nailed inside a studio when they have so much outdoor beauty to take advantage of. I have liked a lot of Pratt’s work, and disliked a lot of it….so I am neutral. I will wait to see what plays out on screen. And, I realize Mr. Bell was a legend and a pioneer of this genre, but I never understood the lavish praise. Very little of his writing was character driven…it was mostly about story with him, with characters just being written however he wanted to suit whichever current story he wanted to tell. He would drag stories out past the point of credibility. He also would introduce stories that went nowhere, and drop them fast and furiously. Many regimes since Mr. Bell have been responsible for making great new stories out of abandoned Bell plots. The point of this is not to diss Mr. Bell, but as a lifelong soap fan, the soaps are rarely ever character driven, and plot always takes precedence. The closest writers I would name who did soap work where characters were key were Claire Labine and Douglas Marland. Young and the Restless, no matter who is writing it, will likely stay number one because it is comfortable and consistent and is a viewing habit. People turn it on not because they want a daily dose of excitement, or are swept away by the romance and escapism of it….they turn it on out of habit. 20 Years ago no one knew what an Ed Scott or Chuck Pratt or Jill Farren Phelps was. It is indeed unsettling when the backstage antics are mlre interesting than whats on screen. As for Justin Hartley…perfect choice to play Adam. I still dont get the point or purpose of the character Avery, but I like her ex husband and I like how he is being interwoven into many stories so he could go in any direction. I like that Michael and Lauren are facing a real problem, and not more cartoon psychopaths. Keep watching, keep venting, thats all.

He’s clueless when it comes to soaps, he and JFP are a combination from hell!

I think they need to bring back Ed Scott although he’s with B & B now he could turn this thing around. They need real stories again & stop using Sharon as a football for the Newman’s. How about Nikki with Paul? How about both Billy & Stitch telling Victoria to get lost wouldn’t that be a shock to the family (Nobody wants their darling daughter who has either been married or slept with half the town (like her mother) How about Kevin with Mariah (let’s see how Cho handles that when she comes back to town) How about sending Avery & her niece Summer packing into the sunset. Lets see more Lauren,Michael,Tracey,Jack etc. Bring back Phyllis’s son I want to see how Mariah feels when she comes face to face with the guy her twin had a crush on. You see at the time of Ed Scott he cared what the fans wanted. Those days are gone & so is he to B & B Smart Man

Sad day in genoa city

R.I.P Y&R.

People need to stop with the doom and gloom. CBS will never let this show be canceled over a head writer. Everyone thought that Jean and Shelley were going to run the show into the ground as well and looking at the ratings we know that has not happened. I’ll give the guy a chance because if the ratings do start to suffer, like the three head writers previous to him in the past two years, he’ll be out the door. Hopefully Phelps will go with him this time. Let’s see if he’s learned anything from his last soap stint.

If All My Children is any indication, Chuck Pratt will send Y&R to hell in a handbasket or, at the very least, in a cyclone to the heavens!

The first natural disaster will happen in May sweeps. Just you wait. The body count will be high.

I want to start watching Y & R from Jan 1, 2015. If this soap has been # 1 for more than 25 years; there must be at least something that is right about the people creating, writing and running the show.

What I’d like is for a head writer that isn’t afraid to make the women on the show strong again. I can’t take much more of the whiny, sniffly ways of such as Kelly, Victoria, Lily (gads, kill me now!), Summer, Avery, Sharon, and the list goes on … who are all leaning on the men and depending upon them to save them, love them, take care of them, do for them, be there for them, all that sappy stuff that these women do with the wringing of hands, tears, shaky voices and (with Kelly) a little girl lisp that drives me UP THE WALL!!

The character of Kelly is the one I really am disappointed in anymore. When Cynthia Watros played the part, she slinked, she slithered, she slyly wormed her way into Billy and was working on Jack, but she did so in such a way that you both loved and hated her. Loved her for her vulnerability and sadness over the loss of her child, but hated her for destroying Billy’s marriage and vying for not only his emotional affections, but his physical ones as well. Then along comes Cady McClain, and suddenly she’s a wide-eyed, cooing, gushing female who couldn’t do anything and is a delicate as a rose petal, instantly falling in love with Jack (and he with her) and being all goo-goo eyed over him at every turn. HUH?!? Where did that woman with the steel spine and absolute hatred against Ben go to? That’s not the woman we were introduced to, and believe me, it’s no fun watching her!

Most of the women on the show have become googly, cooing, wispy things. Even Phyllis has turned to Jack and asked for him to forgive her for acting the way she has been, because she’s lost a year of her life and wants to get it all back at one whack. Phyllis is a computer genius! She’d get online and find out everything (all she has to do is check out GC Buzz, that rancid tabloid of Genoa City they all talk about now that Restless Style has gone out of business), not whine about no one telling her anything! That’s not our red!

Even Saint Christine, who’s known to be kind of wimpy, is even moreso. I can see her fighting for Paul against Nikki … heck, if she’s got the guts to be kissing on Nick in a public bar, she’s got the guts to take on Nikki, who’s not even half the woman Phyllis is. Imagine if Phyllis ever knew it was Chris Nick was kissing that night! Wow, bring run down with a car (supposedly) would be the least of her problems!

But let’s let these wimpy women go. If Pratt can help the current writers bring back strong women, fine. But if he’s going to continue to let these stories rot and even add to the compost heap, then I don’t know what the future of Y&R will be like. It definitely ain’t Bill Bell’s Y&R anymore…
wolfy

General Hospital

Is FBI Agent John “Jagger” Cates on the Level? GH’s Finola Hughes, Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson Weigh-in

When John “Jagger” Cates resurfaced on General Hospital in recent months in the form of Adam J. Harrington taking over the role originally played Antonio Sabato Jr,. know one knew quite sure just what side of the law is Cates really on? And, is he back in Port Charles to settle old scores with Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Jason (Steve Burton)?

What viewers have learned is that when Jason was taken captive two and half years ago, back in November of 2021, he was taken to Quantico, where Agent Cates had multiple RICO violations on Jason and was going to send him to prison for years, unless he worked for Cates and his team, in which Jason has been an informant working on the inside on the Pikeman arms deal case, or so it appears.

Now on the latest episode of Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson’s Daily Drama podcast, Finola Hughes (Anna) stopped by to chat with her GH co-stars and all three weighed-in on just what they think maybe going on with John Cates.

Photo: ABC

Bradford Anderson brought up that maybe Agent Cates isn’t working on the level. Hughes responded, “I don’t know, I’m not sure.” Burton added, “Yeah, we’re not sure. There’s some unknowns coming, so we’ll figure that out. But, it’s been a fun story to play for sure. I really like it. A lot of layers to it. I’s been excellent stuff to be back with for sure.”

Finola added, “I think we’re gonna be going through finding out who certain people are that are coming on canvas, like John Cates and Brennan (Charles Mesure) and where do they all fit in?”

Courtesy/ABC

Steve added, “You’ve got Pikeman and what their real motives are. “Jagger” obviously. And then, Pikeman is not facing on-screen.” The question of if Pikeman is a person also got brought by Anderson, to which his co-stars added, they believe it’s a company.

Courtesy/ABC

Explaining more about Brennan and what he was up to was answered by Hughes,”That’s a sort of throwback, perhaps back in the day at WSB. He just came on the canvas briefly. Nobody knows if he’s goo (or bad). I (Anna) got him put in prison, so he’s off, and out of the way right now.”

You can check out the latest edition of the Daily Drama podcast below.

Now let us know, who do you think John “Jagger” Cates is working for? FBI, Pikeman, himself, or some other unknown entity or enemy? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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News

Robin Strasser Meets Kristen Alderson’s Baby Kiera in a One Life to Live Reunion

For years, Robin Strasser (ex-Dorian) and Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) have been the best of friends and the best of co-stars. On One Life to Live, Kristen was only six-years-old when she began her journey as Todd and Blair’s daughter and met the iconic Strasser.

Now in 2024, Kristen is a new mom to her baby girl, Kiera. Strasser, who lives in New York, along with her best friend, John, traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, just a few days ago to visit the Alderson family and spend the day with Kiera.

Taking to her Instagram a very happy Kristen shared, “Look at who came to visit today! Robin & her bestie John! Robin and I got all misty eyed when she met Kiera today!”

Photo: JPI

In a very touching part of her post, Alderson expressed, “Robin is such a special person in my life, it means so much to me that we’re as close as we are. She’s just the best❤️ A great day of laughs & a great brunch spread😍”

Robin added, “I’ve been smiling since I met her. I’m a big softie for babies, but what a doll Kiera is!” The Daytime Emmy-winning star, also shared, “I’m so grateful for my ongoing friendship with Kris and Kathy. Amazing women and loyal friends!”

What do you think about Kristen and Robin’s enduring friendship and recalling their time on One Life to Live? Comment below.

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General Hospital

Nancy Lee Grahn’s Star-Studded ALS Fundraiser Reveals “I’ll Be There” Video Featuring Soap Opera Notables

Talk about your impressive line-up! It’s a soap fans dream and for a great cause. General Hospital’s Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) is prepping her one-night only ALS fundraiser which will feature many of her friends and co-stars.

The benefit is set for May 4th in Glendale, California. Slated to participate are Genie Francis, Jane Elliot, Peter Bergman, Maurice Benard, Eileen Davidson, Thorsten Kaye, Michelle Stafford, Stephen Nichols, Rena Sofer, Jason Thompson, Kelly Monaco, Melissa Claire Egan, Maura West, Kristina Wagner, Gregory Harrison, Trevor St. John, Kate Mansi, Kirsten Storms, Cynthia Watros, and many others.

On Wednesday, Grahn took to her social media and released an “I’ll be there” video shout-out featuring, Monaco, Elliot, Bergman, Bernard, West, Harrison, St. John and more. In a touching and important moment in the new video, Michelle Strogny, who is battling ALS, is featured.

Photo: ABC

Previously, in speaking with Soap Opera Digest on the impetus of the event, Grahn recalled, “I was actually doing Zoom events during Covid and I met this woman that I just fell in love with, Michelle Strojny. At the time, Michelle had been living with ALS for four years. Now, it’s five years. She is a mom of a teenage son, she has the most wonderful husband, and she has been dealing with this [disease] for quite a while. And obviously, there isn’t a cure yet. It’s not survivable yet. But as she says, it’s not incurable. Nothing is; it’s underfunded. But anyway, I just really dug this woman. She is so grounded and filled with grace, and she spends all of her time working to raise money for the cause. We did a fundraiser for her last year and then I thought, ‘You know what? The soaps don’t ever get together to do something for charity.’ Collectively, we have this amazing community and we don’t collectively use it for a good cause, and I think it’s such an easy thing for us to do and we could potentially really make a difference.”

As GH viewers know, Gregory Harrison is playing the character of Gregory Chase, who is also battling ALS in a touching storyline that is currently playing out shedding a light on this disease.

For information on Nancy’s event, including the stars who are s scheduled to participate click here. To purchase tickets to the event click here.

Check out the video featuring Nancy’s friends and co-stars below.  Now let us know, your thought son the line-up for the benefit and helping raise awareness and funds for ALS research via the comment section.

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