DeeeDee

Diana Barton.

There isn't a void (there never was). The mainstream media has yet to crown a new black king.

Katherine has tried to talk sense into Victor many times but he pretty much pats her on the head & ignores her. The only time he really listens to her advice (over his own children) is when she's telling him about Nikki. She wasn't happy about the Jabot takeovers but because she wasn't into business (until MAB) she didn't rip into Victor for it & was mainly there as a friend to John.

It was poorly plotted. Tucker could have been a great addition to Y&R if Maria hadn't used him to replace Jill. He & Katherine could have had a complex relationship (even with retcons & recasts) but all they ever got to play were the same three beats (Tucker make bad business deals, Katherine hates Tucker, they reconcile) during his tenure on the show. But the same problem that plagued the Chancellors is the same problem plaguing every non-Newman family. There is no thought to those families as individual units or the show as an ensemble. Under Bell & Alden each family on the canvas had distinct rhythms & functioned as a part of a larger whole. Now they only exist to cause angst for the Newmans (which is one of the reasons Brad had to go).

Eileen did some of her best work opposite Marla Adams. It's a shame Y&R won't offer her a contract. Rex wasn't the problem. After Nina married Ryan (providing Phillip with a stable father figure) Katherine rarely initiated fights with Jill. She was happy being rich & married (unlike Jill who thrived on drama & was envious of Katherine's life). Most of Jill's problems from her second marriage to John up until now stem from Jill's inability to be happy with herself. It was LML who made Katherine into Super Businesswoman then MAB turned her into Mother Teresa.

Saint Katherine began once Nina married Ryan. Katherine was still Katherine under Bell, Alden, Jones & even Jack Smith. It was under LML & especially MAB that Katherine became unbearable.

Nick & Sharon's infidelity stories made sense (until Nick cheated with Giggly). Nick & Grace was classic soap, Sharon & Diego was well plotted (but hampered by bad casting) & Sharon & Cameron made sense initially but sunk under mediocre writing & terrible retcons.

Lauren didn't leave. She & Enos were fired to pay for Kimberlin. JT eventually falling for Mackenzie was believable (since he had a thing for her long before he even met Colleen). Plus their relationship was never written as denying his relationship with Colleen (or hers for Billy). JT only ended up with Mackenzie because Y&R wanted to prop Billy Miller. Hence Thad being fired & Billy sleeping with every woman in town. Exactly.

Lauren became really popular once Ash Bash left (thanks to Raul & Brittany). Pairing her with Enos was an attempt at maturing her (like Bregman's Lauren & Davidson's Paul 20 years prior). Unfortunately they had no chemistry.

At the time Smith thought because Thad & Lauren were both popular in pairings & they were fairly well liked as friends that fans would want to see them together (which they did to an extent) but adding middle aged Enos to their relationship to make it a love triangle made everyone in the story look foolish. He also was fine about not writing for Colleen as a character once Lyndsy left since she got in the way of his "redemption" of Kevin. Ryan Brown was a solid recast. He had just begun to hit his stride when Y&R wrote him out. Clem Ford's Mackenzie was a great Mackenzie. Hers was the most reminiscent of AshBash's Mackenzie. The problem with Clem Ford is she was given pretty much nothing to do for a year except for unnecessarily propping Chloe. By the time she began to hit her stride (like Ryan Brown) she was fired. Kimsey's Mackenzie was a disaster. Lago was fired because Smith wanted to pair Woodland with Enos. He wanted to stay both times (during his initial run & when he briefly returned with Clem Ford's Mackenzie) but neither regime had any use for him. Heather left because Y&R decided Victoria was a creative dead end. Y&R ridiculously cut both Heather's money & airtime (angering her & causing her to walk) while Y&R made Nick & Sharon the primary leads of the second generation Newmans (which eventually led to Cassie's death).

The problems began at the end of 03. Jack Smith chose Morrow & Case to fill Heather Tom shoes which was a really bad choice (though both were solid actors) which ultimately led to Cassie's death. He also tried making Brittany into a central heroine which really didn't work (especially once AshBash returned) by dumping a popular pairing (Raul & Brittany) to put her in a rushed love triangle with one of Y&R's most promising new actors (John Enos) who had way more chemistry with several other actresses & an actor who was already half of a very popular pairing (Thad Luckinbill). Ryan Brown didn't flop (although Scott Seymour was Charity Rhamer bad).

His problems with them were about his stories/airtime. He was not happy about MTS heavily pushing to work with John Enos & he didn't like Woodland moving into the ranch (which is why she & Enos moved out as quickly as they moved in). Case wasn't happy about how Y&R handled her exit during her contract negotiations which Braeden took as her not wanting to be paired with him (which she didn't).

Braeden did agree to go through with the scene because he respected Heather (though he vowed he would never do another scene like it). Braeden (like many in the cast) wasn't that fond of Brenda. He's also had minor problems with MTS, Sharon Case & Lauren Woodland but usually he gets along very well with most actresses.

Exactly. Making SORASed Abby more Newman than Carlton made Brad too irrelevant a character for Y&R to bother giving Diamont an open exit. Doug Davidson will be in a similar position (as a character) once the Jamie story ends. Braeden LOVES Jess Walton. He's never had issues with her.

She had a LOT of help from Jack Smith & LML.

They actually made an awesome couple. Jill was vulnerable after losing Rex (for a second time) & John so she wasn't as tough as she usually was & Victor enjoyed her intelligence & wit.

Lago still acts (mainly indies) & AshBash went back to school.

He'd fit in at B&B. They're currently one short.

Jill & Leanna was good but Jill & Nina were better. Nikki & Leanna (like all Victor's ex-wives) were a much better match.

Nope. Jack pushed Leanna out the door before Jill could confront her.

After Gretchen Patty mainly mainly interacted with Jack, Danny & Traci.

They weren't really friends. Bill intended them to be but dropped it before they became close.

Nikki married Greg after killing her father & the VD but before the cult.

Derek quietly left after the Chancellor Enteprises debacle. His last appearance was during Victor & Nikki's wedding.

Pretty much.. By the time Nikki married Greg she was gone.