‘Young and the Restless’ Names New Head Writers in Major Creative Shakeup
Exclusive
The Young and the Restless has found its new writing team, TV Insider can confirm.
Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor have been named co-head writers of the CBS daytime drama, replacing departing head writer Josh Griffith.
The search for Griffith’s successors began at the end of June after he made the decision to step down as head writer, having previously relinquished his executive producer role on the 53-year-old soap.
CBS
Giddens currently serves as a writer on Beyond the Gates. Prior to joining the newest CBS drama, he wrote for Days of our Lives and its streaming spin-off, Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem. A Writers Guild of America Award and Daytime Emmy winner, Giddens is also nominated for two Daytime Emmys this year for Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama series for his work on both Beyond the Gates and Days.
Before transitioning to television writing, Giddens made his mark in the soap world as the co-founder and editorial director of the website Daytime Confidential. He also co-created the primetime drama Ambitions with Will Packer, which starred Robin Givens and aired on OWN in 2019.
O’Connor began his daytime career as a writers’ associate on One Life to Live. After that soap’s cancellation, he joined General Hospital in 2013, where he served in several key creative roles, including associate head writer, breakdown writer and most recently, co-head writer. Like Giddens, O’Connor is both a Writers Guild of America Award and Daytime Emmy Award winner.
Their appointment marks the first co-head writing team to be hired at The Young and the Restless since Shelly Altman and Jean Passanante shared the role in 2013. Following their departure in 2015, Charles Pratt Jr., Sally Sussman Morina and Mal Young each held the head writer position before Griffith returned to the soap — where he previously worked from 2006-2008 — in 2019.
Griffith remained in the role while the search for his successors was underway. Giddens and O’Connor are set to officially begin next week, with the cast and crew already notified of the change.
According to insiders, the soap, created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell in 1973, is aiming to recapture the classic storytelling style that helped make The Young and the Restless the No. 1-rated daytime drama, a position it has held in the Nielsen ratings since the 1988-1989 season.
The Young and the Restless, Weekdays, CBS, Check Local Listings
Get All the Genoa City Gossip
Get absolutely everything about The Young and the Restless in your inbox!
Conversation24 Comments
Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.
Register or sign in to join the conversation.
-
L
Some of the former scenarios were an insult to people's intelligence, like how did a non -medical (Patty) person sneak in a hospital and get a syringe filled with digitalis, and know exactly how to use it, including priming the syringe? when extreme precautions are made in hospitals with locks, codes, and keys? And hospital personnel wear badges to get access to certain floors. Certain drug access is a two person access when taken , and many have to be trained on medication machines, to be able to access. And besides there has been way too many episodes of S.S.D.D. of recycled stuff. Hopefully we get fresh stuff from now on. Really tired of the same-old, same-old.
-
J
They definitely need some new writers. In the last year, nearly every cast member has been kidnapped, some more than once. Is that their go-to story line? How believable is that? Seriously, how many people know someone who has been kidnapped and on Y&R everyone gets kidnapped on a weekly basis. It's ridiculous. We can't relate to that.
-
P
Hello whats going on with the wardrobe? Lingerie and trench coats.
-
J
😂😂Steffie on BB
-
-
A
Need to have better background work when dealing with illnesses. One of the first symptoms of MS is optic neuritis on ONE optic nerve. Watching Nicky fumble around with bandages on both eyes made me realize how uneducated the writers are.
-
E
I honestly know nothing about MS but it was a bit uneasy to see Nikki struggle yesterday thinking she was in danger all alone at home hearing noises, singing, etc & eventually seeing Vic & then Victor coming to her rescue waking her up fining out it was a dream to then get her vision back. I honestly was in tears. I'm hoping this brings an end to the feud between them although this was the one of the biggest fights that I can remember that they've had.
-
D
It’s wasn’t about MS. she had surgery on her optic nerve.
-
-
-
V
What is up with the wardrobes??? The. Clothes are horrible!!! Looks like trash!!!
-
S
Oh my goodness, I am so glad someone made a comment on this topic! Yesterday I watched the scene between Lily and Cane having dinner. The way Lily was dressed was so tacky! The dress looked very cheap, with her bra hanging out. And then her eyes ... looked like two cockroaches were sitting on her eye lids. I was distracted by the ugly dress and fake eye lashes, I was not able to pay attention to what was going on.
-
-
S
It is like they forget! For instance Nick had a drug habit way before he went to California, yet now his drug habit is blamed on on Matt Clark.
-
J
Nick broke his leg in the wreck caused by Matt Clark
-
-
D
Both shows Y&ark and B&B got so bad, shame of writers, decorators……Only actors (and not all of them) and cameramen do their job. Stories are ridiculous, sets are cheap and old. Newman ranch looks like old country home decorated from yard sales finds. Sharon’ sofa is 30+ years old, Abbots new living room has $99 rug that most people would use on their patios. Why beautiful Sharon is dressed so badly? Why her hair is a nothing to write about? On good note we got super lucky with cast of Mat Clark. Exceptional talent, one of the best is pared with exceptional Michel Stanford is a gift that hopefully we can enjoy for a long time.
B&B is even worst. Most characters are hard to like. I sorry for some leading ladies, their’ outfits are an insult to my eyes. Show that is build around fashion house has the worst wardrobe I
wonder why I keep watching for 33 years. My watching time gets short EU and shorter, B&B rarely takes 10 minutes of my time.
General hospital and Days of our lives do much better job. I miss days when CBS had 4 great shows. They canceled two and running other two to non existence
-
E
I miss ATWTs for sure. Lucinda Walsh! Craig Montgomery! Holden and many other characters. GH has become my top fav for sure under Y&R. Hopefully the new writers will be great. I'm thinking so given all the awards. I agree some with B&B. I tend to Fast-fwd thru most of the BS & watch it under 15 mins most days. Days of our lives too. They tend to do an insane amount of talking. So much that I can take a nap no matter when I watch it. Still tho, a better show generally than B&B.
-
-
S
Liberty City is jealous of Giddens. So happy for Jamey!
-
C
They need to scrap the whole show and start over with the long time cast and add useful characters. I love Roger Howarth but he should have been killed off. He was a bad guy. Now we have to watch his road to redemption. Will he redeem himself? Jill. Hire a new actress, a bit younger so she will stay and be on the show full time. [Its over Jess.] Doug Davidson and Y&R executives should kiss and make up and let him return to the show. Give Paul a harder edge. Have him in a triangle with Lauren and Michael. Cricket should be full time. End it with Danny and let Cricket find a new love. Some guy who would set Red off! [Those two are great together.] Mariah and Tessa can go. No good stories for them. The new Noah is decent and I love Claire. I wish they wouldn't have killed off Cole. I have had enough of Dianne and Patty. I would also like Allie to return. Give her an edge. Let her and Sienna fight for Noah. I like Audra and Lilly. Anyone else with ties to the Winters family, gotta go. And lastly, Cane, the man who plays him now has talent. On this show, he doesnt click with anyone. As big a role is this is, the story that was being told and the actors he was up against, epic fail! They needed a big, imposing guy who had charm, fire in his eyes, and deception disguised with sweetness! There you go Y&R, I gave you a refresher for free!
-
C
Well Eric Brennan deserves to be their, you are talking about old and out to pasture , one day you'll be old.snd out to pasture. Who did you start watching soaps with Mom or Grandma. The with Mr. Brennan is the previous writer wrote the story straight out of the white house and everyone has a pay day so quit being so mean spirited and hateful
-
M
Judging from latest episode the new writers are on the right track. Congratulations
-
P
BORING!! These two writers are putting me to sleep@
-
A
I totally agree with all the comments except the last two, I could watch Cane just reading a newspaper article! He's the best looking, sexiest man on Y&R! Any episode he's in has me watching from beginning to end. The rest of the insipid story lines are so MADDENING it makes me want to SCREAM! Hopefully the new writers will bring some good much needed changes to this struggling soap, but at this point I'll believe it when I see it, CONSISTENTLY!!!
-
S
As a young person, I find your comment to be so insulting and ignorant. Newsflash: All of us are getting older by the day, not younger. I have nothing but admiration for an 80 year old actor, who still shows up and memorizes hundreds pages of dialogue and then performs as well as Eric does.
-
C
Their kids are invisible. No family involvement with them. Not how it is . Love Victor and Niki
-
W
Why do they keep recycling soap writers? Does nobody else wants the job (can't say I blame them)? O'Connor is passable but boring, and Giddens hasn't stayed at one job very long. Same old same old.
-
W
These Are Even Worse Than Griffith ....Good Lord
-
S
No one can be worse than Josh Griffith.
-
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services