News
Y&R's Michelle Stafford chats, "I think the "Phickers" will be very excited"!
Photo Credit: JPI Studios
Late last week, On-Air On-Soaps attended the 38th anniversary on set celebration of The Young and the Restless on the series soundstage at CBS. Many of your Genoa City favorites were in attendance. We caught up with Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) to find out her thoughts on her time with the series, a preview of what’s next for Phyllis. and if there is hope for “Phick” fans. Plus, what the talented two-time Daytime Emmy winner submitted for contention for a nomination for this year’s race. Here is our ” quickie’ conversation with Michelle!
Do you like what Phyllis has been up to on-air lately? Will viewers get to see her drive her own story soon?
MICHELLE: I think what she is going to start doing soon will be very fun, and I am very excited about it. I am an honest girl, there are ebbs and flows. You are on a show for thirteen years and you do a big storyline, and then you sort of pull back to prepare for other things. So, being on a soap there are definitely ebbs and flows all the time.
Joshua Morrow (Nick) told On-Air On-Soaps in a recent interview there was hope for “Phick” fans. What would you say to that?
MICHELLE: Oh yes, there is a lot of hope for them. And, I think the “Phickers” will be very excited middle to late April. Phyllis and Nick are a good coupling. You think of them being together, so that is good storytelling on the writer’s part.
Of your thirteen years on Y&R, what has been your favorite storyline?
MICHELLE: The affair with Nick was awesome, which is the only affair Phyllis has had, really. When you look at these two characters on paper you would think no way would they be together, so that was really great. I loved the Tim Reid material, her shrink! That was so much fun to play.
You are pre-nominated in the Lead Actress category for the Daytime Emmys. What episode or reel did you go with to submit for the final round of voting?
MICHELLE: I submitted the episode where Phyllis kicks Nick to the curb! I had two montages in there that slowed it down, but it is what it is.
What is one observation you have, when you look at the entire cast gathered here today for the series 38th anniversary celebration?
MICHELLE: Everyone on this show is very pretty. I have to tell you a funny story. People will set me up on dates, and I will say, “What does he look like?” And, they will say, “Oh he’s gorgeous.” Then, I will see a picture and go, “Oh” and that is because, look at this cast we look at every day! It’s warped my judgment of the male human race. (Laughs)
Breaking News
Impeachment Hearings On Broadcast Networks Show Ratings Much Lower Than The Daytime Soap Operas They Are Preempting
In an infuriating article written by FOX news, off of a study from NewsBusters, the news outlet and others have come to the realization that all of us who want our soaps back on the air already know. That is … that the network daytime dramas ratings are far better on a day-to-day basis than people tuning into network TV during the day to watch the impeachment hearings of Donald Trump.
Soap fans have been furious that in the afternoon network TV is pulling their soaps off their normal airtime across all coasts. Daytime soap viewers feel that all of the 24-hour news cable outlets should be the the place to go to see the hearings during the day; as to not to preempt the drama on General Hospital, Days of our Lives, The Young and the Restless, and The Bold and the Beautiful.
Photo: CBS
Just for the record, the study via NewsBusters showed that on day one of the impeachment hearing the networks scored as such: CBS averaged 1.52 million, ABC 1.29 million viewers, and NBC averaged 1.26 million viewers. Thursday’s were even worse with CBS averaging 1.4 million, ABC 1.2 million viewers and NBC had 1.1 million viewers.
Now compare that to the weekly daytime soap ratings and total viewers which while it ebbs and slows is still way about this. According to the study: “The Young & The Restless” has been averaging 3.7 million viewers during the 2019-2020 season and The Bold & The Beautiful averages 3.15 million viewers. ABC’s General Hospital averages 2.15 million viewers while NBC’s Days of Our Lives averages 1.95 million viewers.”
Share your thoughts on the pre=emptions of your favorite soaps, and how the impeachment hearings are, of course, not bringing in higher number in the day-part via the comment section below.
General Hospital
General Hospital Releases Extended Promo “We Have To Lean Into Hope”
As the ABC daytime drama series, General Hospital, continues to be preempted by the impeachment hearings of President Donald Trump, and episodes are not being made available on any other platform at this time, two videos were posted in last 24 hours to the official General Hospital social media accounts.
To tide you over (while you are clamoring for all-new episodes of GH) the soap released an extended promo featuring the folks in Port Charles filled with lots of joy, hope, and love. It’s main message, “We have to lean into hope” – as the series tells us to “sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.”
Courtesy/ABC
Take a look at some of the reunions, hugs, and special moments featuring the Q’s, Corinthos, Cassadine and other clans in the promo below.
In addition, Finola Hughes (Anna) and Michael Easton (Finn) along with Jophielle Love (Violet) were featured in another video, where the key messaging to fans is that they are currently taping all-new episodes of GH, and that viewers should keep tuned ans posted to GH’s social channels for updates on when new episodes of GH will return.
As of late, GH has been on the upswing in the ratings, too. So, it’s always frustrating for everyone when weeks of preemptions hit the daytime viewers experience to enjoy the on-going stories of the soaps.
Let us know … your favorite moment in the GH promo … your hope for the return of all-new episodes soon, and what you hope happens next for the characters you love in Port Charles, via the comment section.
“We have to lean into hope.” #GH pic.twitter.com/6tXkuylqbQ
— General Hospital (@GeneralHospital) January 24, 2020
News
‘Ambitions’ Canceled By OWN After One Season
After an excellent first season of drama and backstabbing, the soapy nighttime Ambitions has been canceled by OWN.
The cable outlet offered up this statement from OWN President, Tina Perry: “We’re thankful to Will Packer, Jamey Giddens and the entire cast and crew of Ambitions for their creativity and hard work on the show. Every week they delivered great drama, intrigue and a lot of fun storytelling. We look forward to continue working with Will Packer and his talented team of collaborators in the future.”
The series which starred Robin Givens as Stephanie Lancaster Carlisle was hailed as a multigenerational family saga centered around classic soap character, Stephanie, who finds herself going head to head with some of the most powerful and deceitful players in the city of Atlanta and we learn she can play deceitful like nobody’s business … too!
Ambitions was produced by Will Packer Media in association with Lionsgate and Lionsgate-owned distributor Debmar-Mercury. Packer was executive producer. Arkadie was executive producer/showrunner. Writer Jamey Giddens and Will Packer Media’s Sheila Ducksworth also served as executive producers.
Givens took to Instagram and shared her disappointment on the cancellation. “mood 🙁 found out last week #Ambitions wouldn’t be returning for a second season ….”
Meanwhile, creator Jamey Giddens shared on his Instagram: “So this happened… #Ambitions was such a joy to create. I am forever grateful to @willpowerpacker and @LionsgateTV for the incredible opportunity to tell a fun, decadent story showing that tales about black and brown people don’t have to be steeped in pathos & tragedy.”
Share your thoughts on OWN’s decision to cancel Ambitions after only one season, when so many were enjoying it via the comment section below.
So this happened… #Ambitions was such a joy to create. I am forever grateful to @willpowerpacker and @LionsgateTV for the incredible opportunity to tell a fun, decadent story showing that tales about black and brown people don’t have to be steeped in pathos & tragedy. pic.twitter.com/Q05tbtUF0L
— Jamey_Giddens (@Jamey_Giddens) January 23, 2020
Impeachment Hearings On Broadcast Networks Show Ratings Much Lower Than The Daytime Soap Operas They Are Preempting
DAYS Wally Kurth, Chandler Massey & Freddie Smith Deliver Gut-Wrenching ‘Power Performance of the Week”
General Hospital Releases Extended Promo “We Have To Lean Into Hope”
‘Ambitions’ Canceled By OWN After One Season
‘This Is Us’ Star Chrissy Metz To Perform Best Song Nominee On The Oscars
‘Knots Landing’ 40th Anniversary Hollywood Museum Exhibit Opening (Video Interview and Photos)
Brooklyn Rae Silzer Making A Return To General Hospital
Hallmark Channel Chief Bill Abbott Exits In Aftermath Of Same-Sex Ad Controversy
Judith Light To Receive Prestigious Honor At GLAAD Media Awards In New York
Christian Keyes Joins Y&R As Amanda’s Ex
Nicolas Bechtel On His Return To GH: “I’m Back and I Am Still Spencer”
General Hospital Extended Promo Reveals: Turf War, Cassadine Family Drama & Nelle’s Plan For Wiley Take Center Stage
DAYS Wally Kurth, Chandler Massey & Freddie Smith Deliver Gut-Wrenching ‘Power Performance of the Week”
Real Andrews Returns As Marcus Taggert On General Hospital
The Can’t-Miss Week of Days of our Lives: What Happened The Night Adrienne Died? And … More Questions Answered
General Hospital Releases Extended Promo “We Have To Lean Into Hope”
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Nikolas & Spencer’s Reunion Leaves Ava Attempting To Bring Peace: What Did You Think Of The Key Scenes?
Knots Landing’s Joan Van Ark, Michele Lee & Donna Mills Share Backstage Memories, Watch Back Classic Scenes & Remember the Cul-De-Sac On Its 40th Anniversary
Impeachment Hearings On Broadcast Networks Show Ratings Much Lower Than The Daytime Soap Operas They Are Preempting
Brooklyn Rae Silzer Making A Return To General Hospital
General Hospital Releases Extended Promo “We Have To Lean Into Hope”
Knots Landing’s Joan Van Ark, Michele Lee & Donna Mills Share Backstage Memories, Watch Back Classic Scenes & Remember the Cul-De-Sac On Its 40th Anniversary
General Hospital Extended Promo Reveals: Turf War, Cassadine Family Drama & Nelle’s Plan For Wiley Take Center Stage
The Can’t-Miss Week of Days of our Lives: What Happened The Night Adrienne Died? And … More Questions Answered
How Do Your Favorite Soaps Ring In The New Year? (Previews)
‘Knots Landing’ Premiered 40 Years Ago Today: Remembering The Greatest Primetime Soap Of Them All
Holiday Episodes On the Soaps (Previews)
B&B Alum and Let’s Make a Deal Host, Wayne Brady Wins ‘The Masked Singer’
Michael Easton Is Ebenezer Scrooge In GH’s Upcoming ‘Christmas Carol’ Episode
‘Peloton Girl’ Monica Ruiz Lands Guest Spot On The Bold and the Beautiful
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General HospitalJanuary 17, 2020Nicolas Bechtel On His Return To GH: “I’m Back and I Am Still Spencer”
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General HospitalJanuary 20, 2020General Hospital Extended Promo Reveals: Turf War, Cassadine Family Drama & Nelle’s Plan For Wiley Take Center Stage
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Days Of Our LivesJanuary 25, 2020DAYS Wally Kurth, Chandler Massey & Freddie Smith Deliver Gut-Wrenching ‘Power Performance of the Week”
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General HospitalJanuary 17, 2020Real Andrews Returns As Marcus Taggert On General Hospital
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Days Of Our LivesJanuary 18, 2020The Can’t-Miss Week of Days of our Lives: What Happened The Night Adrienne Died? And … More Questions Answered
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General HospitalJanuary 24, 2020General Hospital Releases Extended Promo “We Have To Lean Into Hope”
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General HospitalJanuary 20, 2020GENERAL HOSPITAL: Nikolas & Spencer’s Reunion Leaves Ava Attempting To Bring Peace: What Did You Think Of The Key Scenes?
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InterviewsJanuary 20, 2020Knots Landing’s Joan Van Ark, Michele Lee & Donna Mills Share Backstage Memories, Watch Back Classic Scenes & Remember the Cul-De-Sac On Its 40th Anniversary
Leave a Reply
NO to Phick! Omg I swear if they re-re-re-re commit again I will turn the channel!
I don’t like or never did like Phick. I still don’t.
I love Phack!!! they are awesome together.
Thank you so much for the interview. I love Phick! Michelle and Joshua are amazing!
Phyllis and Nick are my all time favorite couple. Thank you for the interview.
YUCK! I can NOT stomach another pairing of this ICKY duo! I will NOT watch a redo of PUKE part 2!
Ashley you said it perfectly! A phick reunion will be the final straw for me watching Y&R. I will officially be done.
Later, kids! I can’t wait for a re-pair! Jack and Phyllis are such a bore. Give me hot sex over chemistry any day!
We will miss you. 🙂
Unfortunately for “phickers”, that couple will never last because Nick will always want Sharon when he is with Phyllis 🙂 Shick = true love. Phick = just sex.
i love nick and phyllis a lot i can wait tell they come back togther with their daugter and family they are the best couple on the show ever can see i it is better than nick and diane
go Phick you rule
OMG this is the most exciting of news, I cannot wait to see them once again grace my screen, how I have missed this coupling, first Josh and now Michelle has given this fan hope. I will once again become glued to my set. Phick fan signing in and up
Am I dreaming? I have been longing and waiting for them to come back to us and it looks like there is a definite start coming.
This show is about to explode from all that Phick chemistry being released again.
Great interview
YES!!!!!!!! I am an ABSOLUTELY GENUINE PHICK fan!!!!!!!! Never a Phyllis or Nick fan in the past until they were paired up!!!!!!! Give me my Josh – Michelle MAGIC, I can’t say anything to describe what I am feeling right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO MICHELLE, GO JOSH, GO PHICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BLOW UP THE SCREEN!!!!! STEAM UP THE SHOW!!!!!!!!! After all, you are the best thing that happened to it!!!!!
Personally I’m one of those “Phickers” who is thrilled to hear that Phick may not be over! They are the ONLY reason I watch Y&R & the day they broke Phick up is the day I stopped watching the show. I look forward to Michelle & Joshua bringing their one of a kind chemistry back to Y&R. It’s definitely needed!
Thank you Michelle!!
Ewwww NO MORE PHICK!!!! They are disgusting together!
I want to see a re-pairing of PHICK only because I want to see Phyllis pulverize the new Diane. It’s been too long coming, and once Stafford’s Phyllis realizes that Nick has Diane-Skank on him she’s going to freakin’ lose it on her!
Yes I’m Soooooooo Excited love Phick !!!!!!!
No to Phick it was awful to watch for years!
I might take a hiatus of some sort, same old same old is not working for me!
Phick was the hottest couple in daytime ever! YES! YES ! YES! to nick and phyllis burning up the screen again! I stopped watching because of their breakup but hopefully the writers will fix that mistake. PHICK 4 EVER.
Yea!! I love Phick!! Such a terrific couple! Can’t wait!
GROSS!!!! phICK is the most nasty couple in daytime history. SHICK is the best!!
Dear Michael,
As usual another great interview. After Joshua’s interview I remember asking you to go get one from Michelle and so you did!! So thank you very much. And as usual Michelle NEVER EVER DISAPPOINTS. She is such a great lady who obviously loves Y&R very much and especially her FANS.
This is what Y&R needs right now some major BUZZ that only Phick do so well more than any other couple on the show. And the irony is they weren’t even supposed to be long-term and here we are 6 years later and they are still going strong and still have that buzz about them. Already your own board has been lit up with responses and so have others apparently. It does not matter whether people love Phick, like Phick, hate Phick, or dislike Phick..the simple and indisputable fact is that whenever Joshua or Michelle mention the slightest positive thing about Phick or talk about Phick in general, soap cyberspace goes crazy. Some people get excited or happy and some pull out their claws LOL. I LOVE IT!! Either way if I were Maria Bell, CBS & Sony I would pay attention because the soap genre really needs something to keep it alive. They can’t always live on the “we used to do it like this in the past”, they need to mix it up old & new.
And for Y&R nothing gets more buzzworthy than just the mere mention of Phick LOL!! And heavens know, this show needs some oxygen..I can’t believe I am watching CNN in the daytime vs. Y&R when all I want to do for an hour of the day is escape from reality.
Very well said… on all accounts! You rock!
Summed it up perfectly..I love reading your responses and takes. Phick fan now and always
Phick was great. They destroyed them. Phyllis deserves a real man. Not JerkNick!!!
Love, love, LOVE Phick and Michelle Stafford. Can’t wait to see what April has in store for the best couple on daytime. Its about time Phick finds their way back to one another.
Thanks for the great interview!
Great gobs of gag-me! Phick sucked then and they suck now. It is gross to see an elderly woman like MS with a baby-faced wuss like JM. The affair between Nick and Phyllis destroyed this show. It has never been the same. It was all about porn and nothing about love. Nick and Sharon had depth and were all about the sort of overall love and tenderness that made y and r the great show it was. Frankly I wish you would stop interviewing MS and trying to encourage a regrouping of a couple that was the worst pairing ever on this show. In an interview AFTER this one, JM said that there is no more Phick…that he has turned a page on that relationship. So I wish that MS and JM would get their stories straight.
Wow. You’re mean.
OK… I have to ask.. are you completely forgetting Sharon’s deeds while Nick was with Phyllis? Your 2.0 version of Cricket “the Paragon of Virtue” was out shoplifting and sleeping with any man who would have her! Don’t got hating….. just sayin!
Phyllis isn’t old by any means, but when paired with Nick the age difference does show.
How dare you be so CRUEL! You must be a miserable person. Instead of spending your time watching this show you need to spend it on a couch. MS is a REAL person with REAL feeling … what is wrong with you?
Shick is the gross couple ewwwwww! Sharon has slept with his brother and tried to bang his daddy so revolting. Whooooohooooooooo!!!!! to phick the only woman who has never betrayed him is phyllis and they have crazy chemistry can’t wait for this!.
Oh and one more thing…I have to snicker at the way MS wants to be with JM. Laugh at the notion that she thought the affair with Nick was ‘awesome.’ In more than one interview she ‘pretended’ to realize that breaking up a marriage is hardly awesome. And here she is spewing out her genuine feelnigs. Hooray! Lets break up another marriage!
You take things wayyy too seriously. It’s a TV show, honey.
This is a TV show, and maybe Michelle realized that she did enjoy the coupling, maybe it took her years to admit it, I am not sure why a realization about the fun she had acting with her acting partner is something to snicker about. And Nick or Phyllis is not married to anyone, they are both free.
I am not even going to go into a back and forth, what I am happy to see is that my two fave actors from my fave show, loves my fave reel couple.
YESssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss! Can’t wait
I liked your short interview with Michelle. I don’t know if I want to see her with Nick, though. I think she needs a new man on the scene now. The show is getting a bit stale for me now. They need a really good shake-up. I wish her luck on the Emmy’s, but don’t think she is deserving of it. We shall see….
Finally some hope for phick fans! 🙂 It’s long overdue. This was such a fantastic interview. I love MS. And I love what phick did for Y&R. Before phick I would only watch Y&R causally. But when phick started it really breathed some new life into the show and I just could not miss an episode. Shick was so over and done by then. Phick came in at the right time to make everyone take notice. I hope it can do that again real soon. Y&R is not the same without phick together.
I love Nick & Phyllis they need to be together because they are best couple in daytime history and I want to watch them on t.v.
Go phick forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love you Michelle
Good Lord! I’m so sick of all the Phick pimping, because truth be told I think they were THE WORST coupling in Y&R history. I’m sick to my stomach to think that Phick will reunite after only 1 year, while the fans of one of the best couples in Y&R history, Shick, created by the master himself, Bill Bell, will be teased and jerked around even longer. Wow. I guess I really have ZERO reason to tune back in to watching. Nick and Phyllis should NEVER reunite. They are contrived and just not believable in any shape or form. They literally make me ill.
Go lie down you’ll be okay … lol!
I agree Karlie!!! Phick is NASTY! They’ll never last because Sharon and Nick are soulmates. Shick fans have been waiting for years and yet its phick that gets questioned all the time. Who cares about phick – WHAT ABOUT SHICK?
I am so excited that we will be getting some Phick soon. Breaking them up and making Nick pin after Sharon, a woman he wasn’t even all that gaga about during the last years of their marriage was ludicrous. Nick and Phyllis are phenomenal together and sizzle up the screen together, there’s a reason TV Guide named them the most popular couple in Y&R history and why they were voted the best supercouple on the Y&R 35th anniversary site despite the fact that were going head to head with Y&R’s royalty supercouple, Victor and Nikki. It’s t9ime they were reunited and given a storyline about them and not saving Sharon, who actually sizzles with Adam surprisingly enough. Let’s get back to the heat, intrigue, fun-loving, steamy Phick that so many viewers fell in love with and stop wasting the palpable chemistry between Michelle Stafford and Joshua Morrow but pairing them with others that only produce lukewarm results. With Billy and Victoria going strong, Sharon and Adam’s wrong but right romance, and the probability of Nick and Phyllis reuniting, I just may have reason to actual tune in to the whole show again.
Nick and phyllis move faster then marcus allen.