‘Young and the Restless’ Shake-Up! Details on the Behind-the-Scenes Change

Changes are happening behind the scenes at The Young and the Restless as a veteran soap opera producer has returned to the CBS daytime drama amid recent fan criticism.

According to Soap Opera Network, Jill Farren Phelps, known for her time as an executive producer on the likes of Santa Barbara, Another World, Guiding Light, One Life to Live, and General Hospital, has returned to the daytime genre as a producer at The Young and the Restless.

Phelps previously served as the show’s executive producer between 2012 and 2016 alongside current exec producer and head writer Josh Griffith. She left in June 2016 after Mal Young took over the exec producer position.

Soap Opera Network noted that Phelps has been back at the show’s studio for several months already, though it was initially indicated she was there in a non-producing capacity. Speculation increased this week when actress Elizabeth Hendrickson announced her transition into directing. She thanked several producers and included Phelps’ name in her Instagram post.

Phelps has received 14 Daytime Emmy Award nominations throughout her career, winning 11. She earned five awards for her work at General Hospital, and another three from her time at The Young and the Restless.

Jill Farren Phelps; Angela Weiss/Getty Images

The shake-up comes amid a flurry of fan backlash in recent months over the long-running soap’s storylines. Viewers often make their voices heard on the Young and the Restless Reddit forum, with one user asking, “What’s wrong with Y&R? Used to be so great, now it’s just meh.”

In the thread, the commenter listed various criticisms, including, “Writing is weak, boring & SL go on way too long & full of holes! I could [go] on & on list would be long.”

Others agreed, with one fan writing, “1. Too much focus on business without actually showing any scheming. 2. Cast is too small so it feels stale, especially when everyone is related. 3. Show skews old. The 60+ crowd is getting too much airtime at the expense of the younger characters being developed. They need to balance it.”

The same user also called out a “Lack of drama. No backstabbing, no affairs, no love triangles, no passion. Serious lack of romance too.”

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One fan added, “The show is so boring and repetitive nowadays that I have 9 episodes on my DVR and no real interest in watching them.”

“It’s SO boring. Most the time I notice I’m phone scrolling or doing other stuff barely watching,” another wrote.

“Yeah, I still watch but I don’t look forward to watching anymore,” said one commenter. “It’s almost a chore to watch. I’m not excited about anything especially certain hookups that may be on the horizon. I feel like the characters do the same old things and have the same old conversations.”

Of course, not everyone seems to be unhappy with the current status of the soap. The show continues to bring in strong viewership in these slower summer months, earning its largest overall audience in 22 weeks at the end of July with 3.171 million viewers. But does Phelps’ return indicate that The Young and the Restless is ready to shake things up a bit? What do you think about the current state of Y&R? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.