Inside ‘Y&R’s New Era: A Secret Affair, Big Returns & a New Year’s Eve Twist
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The material from The Young and the Restless‘ new co-head writing team of Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor begins airing Wednesday, November 11, and they have big plans for Genoa City.
“Whenever there’s a new team leading the story, there’s obviously going to be a different take on it,” says O’Connor. “We’re very, very lucky that we have an embarrassment of riches with this entire cast and this entire canvas.”
As for what viewers can expect, Giddens adds, “You’re not going to be cooking or doing whatever during the show. We want them to sit down and say, ‘Oh, I have to pay attention for this hour.’”
Here is a breakdown of what’s ahead.
Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott), Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) and Diane Jenkins (Susan Walters)
Jamey Giddens: “We inherited the cosmetics battle between Vibrante and Jabot Classic, which, immediately, hit me in my heart because I grew up with those old cosmetics battles. Diane is really focused on making a success out of Jabot Classic, just as her mortal enemy Nikki is launching her own brand, Vibrante. Unbeknownst to them, their children [Kyle and Victoria] are having a secret affair, and so that’s all going to be woven in together as these two competing cosmetics divisions head toward their respective launches. That gives us a really nice umbrella story.”
Dan O’Connor: “And then with Billy’s [Abbott, Jason Thompson] current quest to acquire Chancellor, it certainly puts Victor and Jack on a collision course as battle lines are going to be drawn. The Victor-Jack dynamic is one that the fans absolutely love, and we can’t wait to lean into that.”
Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) and Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle)
Giddens: “This show has such a great history of these larger-than-life dynasties that are intertwined, and we also inherited this amazingly juicy, salacious story with Victoria and Kyle’s affair. One of the things we wanted to look at is, ‘Well, how do we deepen those stakes?’ They are in the throes of this fun, frolicky, romp, but this could really be bad for these two if his uncle [Billy], who was her ex-husband, finds out about this. We really wanted to harken back a little bit to the fact that Victoria experienced these things with Nikki and Cole [Howard, J. Eddie Peck]. They battled over a man, and it’s like history repeating itself. And even though Claire [Newman, Hayley Erin] and Kyle are not currently romantically involved, no young woman’s going to want to find out that her mother is with her first love.”
O’Connor: “And Claire will be justified in having an opinion about that.”
Howard Wise / jpistudios.com
Sharon Newman (Sharon Case), Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow), Matt Clark (Roger Howarth) and Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford)
Giddens: “Matt Clark has traumatized this trio in very different ways, and by the time we started writing it, the audience doesn’t know what Nick did to neutralize that threat. And the mystery of that is really going to unite Phyllis and Sharon in a way that they’ve never been united before. There’s going to be a reckoning of sorts in terms of how Phyllis realizes just what Matt put Sharon through all of those years ago, and it’s going to reset the tone of the story a little bit.”
O’Connor: “Phyllis and Sharon are on a quest together, and the ultimate destination of that quest leads to a lot of surprises and maybe a few familiar faces popping by.”
Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson), Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope), Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) and Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan)
O’Connor: “Ever since Adam helped deliver Sally’s baby, it has reignited the connection that the two of them have. But at the same time, Adam and Chelsea are in the throes of another corporate battle at Newman Media that’s going to have a surprising player mixed into it. And Sally is in the midst of figuring out how to deal with Billy’s hunger for Chancellor Industries. He promised that he would table all of this until after the baby was born, but now, the baby is born. And where does that leave their relationship and their marriage now that Billy is back on the hunt?”
Giddens: “Chelsea’s going to find a surprising ally in Victor when she starts to reveal some of the insecurities that she’s feeling about Adam and his connection to Sally and the baby. Victor’s going to give her quite the pep talk about fighting for what’s hers.”
Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic), Stephanie Simmons (Vivica A. Fox) and Andrew Bishop (Fareed Ward)
O’Connor: “Nate is ready to prove himself, but there’s a new doctor at the hospital who’s going to be in charge of the decision of whether or not he is able to return to surgery. Unfortunately, this doctor has a history with Stephanie, and it’s not a great one, and perhaps Nate is going to be on the receiving end of some personal grudges.”
Giddens: “He’s a bit Dr. House-esque in terms of his bedside manner and any fantasy Nate had of returning to medicine, and it’s going to be easy, think again. Dr. Bishop is here to thwart those dreams.”
Stephanie Girard
Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway), Devon Winters (Bryton James) and Roxanne Barrington (Tetona Jackson)
O’Connor: “Roxanne and Devon, as the audience knows, did not leave things on the best terms, but it’s been quite a number of years since she’s been in Genoa City. We will learn that Roxanne has made a name for herself and has started her own company, and when she comes to Genoa City on business, she ends up colliding with her first love.”
Giddens: “We’re excited about this new actor, Tetona Jackson. She’s amazing. She was in Poppa’s House and Boomerang, and she and Bryton popped, and she and Melissa popped. Dan came up with the idea to bring Roxanne back, and I fell in love with it immediately. Devon dumped her because he thought she was a gold digger because he had just inherited Katherine’s [Chancellor, Jeanne Cooper] money. So, what if that inspired her to go become a self-made woman?”
O’Connor: “As you’re seeing on the air, Abby has this sense of foreboding. It’s been a long time since things have been smooth sailing for Abby and Devon, and I think she doesn’t know what to do with that peace. And then, of course, Roxanne arrives and disrupts that, and tensions may slowly, slowly rise between that trio.”
Giddens: “Another little wrinkle to this is we really wanted to weave Abby back into the fabric in that she’s a Newman and an Abbott. And that was something that Mr. Bergman and Mr. Braeden, when they spoke to us, they were like, ‘We really would love to play more with Abby. She’s connected to both families.’”
Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn) and Lily Winters (Christel Khalil)
O’Connor: “Lily is still in the fight of her life with Billy’s attempt to take over Chancellor, and Cane is willing to do whatever it takes to help make sure that doesn’t happen. But as we all know, Cane sometimes makes questionable decisions in the pursuit of doing what he believes is right and that may have some long-term consequences, not just for Chancellor, but also for their relationship.”
Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver) and Claire Newman (Hayley Erin)
Giddens: “They are kind of giving us our young adult Kay [Chancellor] versus Jill [Abbott] rivalry. Seeing what Josh [Griffith, former head writer] had set up, we were like, ‘Ooh, we like this.’ So, we really ratchet up the tension of these two women goading each other until one of them goads the other one a little too far, and it becomes a full-blown war that will cross from the boardrooms to their bedrooms. We see them as a really good next-generation Young and the Restless rivalry.”
Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian), Christine Blair (Lauralee Bell) and Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei)
O’Connor: “One thing that we were very interested in was writing some interesting stuff for the Romalotti family. We have the opportunity to invest in them, and we have some fun stuff coming up for them.”
Giddens: “And to see [Daniel’s daughter] Lucy [Romalotti, Lily Brooks O’Briant] a little bit. We’re bringing Lucy back a few times and giving a teaser of what’s been going on with her life. She’s getting ready for college, and then maybe by spring, summer, we can explore more of that. But I love the fact that we have a reunited Danny and Cricket and then you have Phyllis. Christine and Phyllis loathe one another, but they both adore Daniel and Lucy, so can they occasionally find peace when they’re in the same vicinity?”
O’Connor: “And with Daniel working at both Arabesque and the Shadow Room, he basically has one foot in both worlds when it comes to Phyllis and Danny and Christine.”
Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson) and Traci Abbott (Beth Maitland)
O’Connor: “We want to see the Abbott siblings as much as we can because we absolutely love that family. Traci is one of the hearts and soul of the entire show, and we’re so thrilled that Beth walked home with the Emmy [for Supporting Actress].”
Giddens: “We have an idea of a story that returns Traci to her writer roots that’s a little more than just her going off on book tours. A story that she might tell right there in Genoa City.”
O’Connor: “And Ashley’s history of working in the Jabot lab is going to play a pivotal role in a storyline coming up very soon.”
The Holiday Season
Giddens: “The holiday season pretty much starts with our first episode. Like in real life, at Thanksgiving, everybody’s getting together to share what they’re thankful for and to break bread, but secrets will be revealed. Lauren [Fenmore] and Michael [Baldwin] are in the mix, and [their portrayers] Christian LeBlanc and Tracey Bregman are the gift that keeps on giving. You’re going to see Mariah [Copeland, Camryn Grimes] and Tessa [Porter, Cait Fairbanks] and find out what they’re doing. And people are going to be checking in on Esther [Valentine, Kate Linder] because she’s the last connection to Katherine. But it’s not just home and hearth; there’s also a lot of jeopardy, a lot of mystery, romance, sex, and new romances popping up.”
O’Connor: “And obviously we won’t say who, but there are two people who end up the odd people out on Thanksgiving and spend the holiday together. With a little bit of a tease, as we go into 2027, there’s going to be a big event on New Year’s Eve that’ll bring the entire town together and it will kick off a bunch of different stories for everybody on the canvas. And we’re so excited for you to see what Sally [McDonald, executive producer] and our amazing directors and team put together.”
The Young and the Restless, Weekdays, CBS, Check Local Listings
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