The Young and the Restless Watching The Young and the Restless

[Avery Merry Christmas]

It's difficult for me to figure out how the show is being written these days. Josh Griffith is both Head Writer and Executive Producer, so while he's on strike from his writer job, he's still running the show as EP.

Quoting myself here after noticing what I wrote. I learned that Josh Griffith is not an active member of the WGA. He agreed to go Fi-Core when he took the combined Head Writer/EP role....apparently as a hedge against just the sort of thing that has happened with the WGA strike. It also explains why he fired all the Breakdown Writers earlier this year (or maybe late last year) and assumed those duties himself. It helped "strike-proof" the show's writing staff. If the entire writing staff is non-union, the show cannot compete for Emmys in the Outstanding Writing category, so it is claimed that Griffith hired/kept ONE union script writer in order to maintain eligibility for the Daytime Emmys, and that lone writer went out on strike while Griffith and some other scab writers are writing essentially as normal.

Nate's de-evolution (what the wrestling world has deemed a "heel turn") is not appealing to me, though I can see why they did it. I remember that robotic little child actor who played Nate as 5-6 years old back when Dru and Olivia were in town....and how Heather Tom was playing Victoria at the time as a young twenty-something. Ah, SORAS. Similarly, the way they played fast and loose with Tucker's age in order to facilitate the hiring of Trevor St. John makes him difficult for me to take seriously. And I agree that it's annoying how he was MIA for so many years, only to come back and take over so much screen time. Of course I might be persuaded to watch if/when they write a story where Ashley hands his ass to him the way Abby did to Charles Scott on Knots Landing.

 

[Monzo]

How are the “cameo” appearances that Y&R has been offering lately being paid for? Jess Walton often attended from home, as did Barbara Crampton last week. How much money do actors get for this?

Are contract actors actually obliged to take part in castings for new actors? As far as Y&R is concerned, I've often read in interviews with newcomers that their scene partner in the casting was Peter Bergman, Joshua Morrow or Sharon Case. Strangely, no one ever mentioned that his/her casting was with Eric Braeden or Melody Scott Thomas. Does the veteran actor decide voluntarily whether to take part in the casting or is it contractually agreed (or disagreed)?

 

[Avery Merry Christmas]

I'd assume the actor appearing in a different way (via facetime or whatever) still gets paid the same rate, since it's the same principle as someone appearing as a ghost or in some other special/visual effect. They're still being "paid to perform". Cameos like Veronica Redd's (Mamie) are typically like any short-term role where they get paid per day of work (as opposed to getting paid per episode they appear in). Say she films twenty scenes in three days. Although those twenty scenes might be inserted into ten episodes, she will only get paid for the three days she worked on set.

It's pretty much expected that actors will participate in casting projects, since it benefits all the parties involved. The producers want to see if the auditioning actor meshes well with the same actors that character will be interacting with most. The established cast member would want to assist in the auditions because they may be able to influence the casting director to hire someone they (the cast member) likes most or played well against. But keep in mind that the new production model dictates only a small fraction of the total cast should be in the studio on any given day. Of the 30 cast members, you might only have 6 or 7 actors working on a normal day because they're filming batches of scenes featuring only those select actors. Members of the group might change every day, and the number might be smaller or larger depending on the scenes, but the actors available to participate in auditions will be dictated by who is already at the studio to do their regular work. If the casting department is holding auditions on a day when a particular actor is not working, they'll simply ask someone already there to read with the auditioning actors. No dig on EB or MTS, but the producers may recognize that their longevity and seniority might be too intimidating to newcomers. If the character is going to be interacting with Vic/Nik all the time (say, a Victoria recast) then yes, they'd certainly have this person read with both of them. But if it's a more minor role (say, the 396th Noah recast), they would likely farm out the audition to others.

 

[Monzo]

I actually think it's nice when characters from the past reappear, but I have to admit that Mamie is getting on my nerves at the moment. Maybe it's because it seems like everyone who loves her has had constant contact with her over the years, but then there are scenes that make it clear that the contact probably wasn't that intense, like when Lily has found out about Mamie's business affairs. The confrontation between Jill and Mamie also seemed too fake to me. The writers wanted some drama, but it didn't really make sense.

I think every visit from Danny lately has been a waste. Every time he comes to town you think something magical could happen, but when he says goodbye after a few days or weeks, I realize that unfortunately nothing happened.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Every time he comes to town you think something magical could happen, but when he says goodbye after a few days or weeks, I realize that unfortunately nothing happened.

Kind of like he never left!

 

[Monzo]

In a recent interview Amelia Heinle said something that made me wonder: "Sometimes wardrobe will let us know in advance if a shirt is coming off in case you want to work out a little."

How can the wardrobe find out about this before the actor? Shouldn't it be in the producers' interest for the actor to know when a sex or pool scene is due in time to get in shape?

 

[Avery Merry Christmas]

You should be confused by that statement!

Typically it's the writers who know these things first, since everything hinges on what they create. The producers would then know generalities like where a scene is set (think: scene at "Abbott pool" will likely involve characters in swimwear, etc.) and likely notify the actors then, since there could be two or three weeks before the written word is translated to sets built and scenes filmed. Wardrobe (and hair/make-up) would likely be notified at the same time as the actors.

I think most actors can figure out whether they should keep a closer eye on how they look, depending on their stories. When Victoria started having a love life (again) I'm sure Heinle realized she would be doing bedroom scenes and took appropriate measures. There are of course some actors (especially the young guys) who likely have a standing order to remain in top shape at all times, since they're constantly being called upon to do random shirtless scenes. Others may simply have contractual obligations to remain a certain clothing size because the studio keeps a "closet" of wardrobe options for that actor and they don't want to keep going to Macy's or Noordstrom to buy them more clothes.

 

[Monzo]

This is the fourth time I've seen Hayley Erin on a regular basis, but it's the first time I like her character. I just hope that the writers don't ruin the potential like they did with Jeremy recently, who started so well on the show and became a mess.

Anyway, I'm not thrilled with how Y&R has wasted some talent in recent years. After everything that happened with Sally on B&B, she could have turned Y&R upside down like Amber once did, but now she's just a crying shadow of herself. When it comes to Tucker, I got a feeling that no one in the writers room knows what to do with him. Actually, nothing significant has happened to him since his return.

 

[Monzo]

Y&R is actually in must-see mode at the moment, so I'm looking forward to the next episode, which rarely happens to me in daytime these days.

I've never seen Colleen Zenk on a regular basis, but she has charisma, so no surprise she was popular elsewhere. Seeing J. Eddie Peck again after so many years is definitely interesting.

 

[Avery Merry Christmas]

Colleen Zenk played Barbara Ryan Stenbeck on ATWT from 1978-2010, and it was quite a run. In short, she was this put-upon heroine who had a secret child with the town's supervillain, James Stenbeck (think: Stefano DiMera, Cesar Faison, etc.). He became obsessed with taking Paul away from her and torturing her in various colorful ways (driving her crazy, etc.). He would fake a death and return every few years to mess with everyone, but mostly her.

At some point the Head Writer decided Barbara needed to grow a backbone, so he made her into a more villainous character, stealing husbands and plotting against people she decided she didn't like. CZ managed to make it believable and even a bit fun. In one of his returns from the dead, James developed a whole new respect for her as she seemed to have learned a few tricks from him. By the time ATWT went off the air she had mellowed a bit but the characters she had done wrong were not letting her back into their good graces. They had to tolerate her because...well, she was part of the family. So CZ can definitely play alternately good and evil with ease.

Trivial but fun: Barbara's son Paul was played as a child by Danny Pintauro in his pre-Who's The Boss? days. After a succession of adult men playing the role, the final Paul Stenbeck was played by GH's Roger Howarth. Her other son, Will Munson, was played as a child by Jesse Lee Soffer, who went on to play Jay Halstead on Chicago PD.

 

[Avery Merry Christmas]

Oh, I forgot to add one possibly important note: many years ago (I can't recall how long ago), Zenk had a bout with cancer in her throat/mouth area that necessitated surgery. It affected her speech patterns. Until just now (watching a preview of tomorrow's episode) I had forgotten about her surgery. I'm not sure if this is going to be written into the storyline or not, but in case you're wondering it is not some "affectation" on the actress's part.

 

[Monzo]

Has anyone in here watched the episodes with "Aunt Jordan" in the cabin? Some details you shouldn't question so that everything made sense and you could enjoy the storyline, but the whole plot reminded me that in the past I used to have no problem accepting plot holes because the writing, the twists and the performances were so strong. Maybe I'm much more critical of plot holes these days because the OMG moments are hardly offered anymore. The last time I was this interested in a soap was when Sheila shot Steffy and Finn on B&B. Sadly on Y&R the enthusiasm was over after just a few episodes, but at least these episodes were very good.

 

[Avery Merry Christmas]

I had gone to visit my Y&R fanatic mother, so it was a bit more fun watching the "big reveal" episode with her. I wanted to take her out to lunch but no, she had to see what "Barbara Ryan" (Jordan) was doing to her precious Victor Newman and his family. I noticed right away that the episode we watched was totally focused on the Newmans--that is, none of the usual cutting back and forth between the A plot, B plot and C plotlines. As I mentioned, my mom just adores Victor Newman so any plot with him in it gets her attention, even if she isn't thrilled with how it ends up being written. I was just glad I did not have to sit through some of the other lackluster plots going on at the moment.

She also remembers Colleen Zenk, though she was not a close follower of As The World Turns. She didn't remember Cole as Victoria's ex---she mainly remembered him dating Nina. So the whole baby switch thing went right over her head. I loved seeing CZ get to chew the scenery, though like you say, there were plot holes big enough to drive a truck through. But that's Josh Griffith for you. The biggest plothole/inconsistency was to me was how Jordan treated Cole. Jordan seemed to love her nutty sister and went to all that trouble to snatch Eve's grandchild and raise her....yet she seems to despise Eve's only child, Cole as much as she despises the Newmans. She didn't share the news of baby Eve's existence/survival with Cole after he left Genoa City ("Psst! Cole! It's your Aunt Jordan...and have I got a surprise for you!") and even hit him over the head with a hammer!

 

[Monzo]

Here's what Soap Opera Digest thinks was the best and worst on Y&R in 2023:

Best Use Of History: Claire is Eve​

Best Couple: Victor and Nikki
Best Return: Cameron
Best Party: Genoa City’s Bicentenntinal
Most Overused Plot Device: Mergers and Acquistions
Worst Triangle: Adam/Sally/Nick
Worst Breakup: Kyle and Summer
Worst Villain: Tucker

 

[Monzo]

Does anyone remember Joan Van Ark as Gloria? I didn't watch Y&R at the time, so I only know Judith Chapman in the role of Gloria. I read that Joan was unaccustomed to the rigors of daytime television, including the long work days and the fast turnaround on scripts and production and that's why she left Y&R. But what was she like there? Did the audience like her?

Joan Van Ark left in 2005 and Ted Shackelford joined in 2006. Both of his characters were in a relationship with Gloria, so I'm wondering if the original plan was for "Valene and Gary" to be a couple on Y&R as well, or if it just developed that way with Judith Chapman's Gloria and William/Jeffrey.

 

[Avery Merry Christmas]

I was not watching the show regularly, but I remember the introduction of Gloria (and Van Ark). They had her going after John but desperately trying to keep the secret of who her sons were, since Michael and Kevin were both persona non grata in Genoa City. Gloria even went so far as to hire two guys to impersonate her sons once John learned she had kids. But unfortunately what I remember most about that period was the various bad press and snarky commentary about how JvA looked, since she had apparently just had some work done. It was said that the directors, in an effort to make her look her best onscreen, would only film her from one side at a time, stopping to re-style her hair and re-apply makeup to do shots from the other side in an effort to hide as much of her plastic surgery as they could. All that stopping and starting was disruptive to their schedule and it made people upset. But the story itself was quite popular, so they seemed willing to put up with inconveniences. Her casting did generate the sort of buzz they wanted for the show, but it was bittersweet for her fans because she really did look unrecognizable at times. It was said that she had a scheduling conflict that eventually made it necessary for the role to be recast, but you never know in situations like that. If it was the tough schedule, the issues with her plastic surgery, or if she really did have a role in a play that she had agreed to...it could be anything. JvA's Gloria was certainly more unpredictable and out there than the version Judith Chapman plays, but they wrote very different things for the two actresses, almost like two different characters.

 

[Monzo]

When the whole story about Claire is Baby Eve came out, I noticed that, quite unusually for Y&R, there was no flashback to the birth and the grief, but now that there was a flashback to Cole and Ashley, I noticed again how It's a shame that you can't go as far back in time with Victoria as with others of her generation: Nick, Sharon, Phyllis...

Jordan was an absolute stroke of luck for the show. When was the last time a soap used a villain just right? Jordan definitely didn't overstay her welcome. It was right not to let her die, but prison is (for now) the right place for her.

I was never a fan of Brian Gaskill, but I like him on Y&R. I'm curious whether he's just Nikki's sponsor or whether he'll get more to do.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Does anyone remember Joan Van Ark as Gloria? I didn't watch Y&R at the time, so I only know Judith Chapman in the role of Gloria. I read that Joan was unaccustomed to the rigors of daytime television, including the long work days and the fast turnaround on scripts and production and that's why she left Y&R. But what was she like there? Did the audience like her?

If it was the tough schedule, the issues with her plastic surgery, or if she really did have a role in a play that she had agreed to...it could be anything.

I remember reading somewhere that Joan is a perfectionist who liked time to work on scenes and she couldn’t deal with the factory style, quick turnaround that they have on soaps. So because she couldn’t stand over the work as being “as good as she could give” because she wasn’t given the time to give it, she quit.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I noticed again how It's a shame that you can't go as far back in time with Victoria

I’ve often wished they would do this at least once though. Put up a disclaimer that the role belonged to someone else back then if you have to. Of course I can see how it would cause some confusion for those not watching back then and for those watching the other shows now. Wishful thinking on my part perhaps. I’m sure the actor currently playing the role wouldn’t be too thrilled about it either, and in some cases the former actor is someone the current show doesn’t want to acknowledge anymore. Maybe in a perfect world it can be done at least once.

 

[Avery Merry Christmas]

It's funny...we often say in places like this that "no one cares if it was another actor" and believe that audiences are savvy enough to know the difference and roll with it. But then I see online discussions bombarded with the most inane, downright idiotic questions when something like a recast occurs or some minor plot twist occurs. Think of the intelligence level of the average person....and then remember that 50% of the world is even dumber.

If soaps weren't run on such shoestring budgets (even Y&R), I think it would have been worth it to recreate the scenes around the time of Eve's birth as "flashbacks" using actors who resemble what Heinle and Peck would have looked like in that time period. Not only would they be able to get around the whole "She's HeatherTom!" thing with the flashing back, but they could also "rewrite history" if needed by adding on extra dialogue or situations that might allow a bit of ret-conning. While the younger actors recite an old scene's dialogue, maybe you'd see crazy Aunt Jordan in the background, reinforcing the idea that she'd been lurking the whole time.