How much lower can Y&R go?

[rememberatwt]

In the most recent TV Guide, there is an article about the storyline involving Lauren on the Young and the Restless. So we are know suppose to beleve that Sheila Carter has a sister named Sarah, who is as mentally ill as Sheila? Sarah has surgery to look just like Lauren? How much more lower can the show go? It is such a slap in the face to Bill Bell and the legacy he built with the show. Let takes a show and dismantle is slowly so know one will recongize it.

It is a shame to that Maria even calls herself a Bell and that she was taught by the late great Bill Bell. She needs a check herself in the mirror before she ruins this show anymore. I once was a fan of Hogan Sheffer but even know he needs to get the boot along with Maria.

[Chris B]

It's sad that the show is openly being compared to Passions in the press. Weird thing is...I thought Passions was more entertaining. If you're going to do camp, do it right! This isn't the dark macabre humor was got when Sharon, Nikki and Larry (GREAT use of a character!) were hauling Cameron's body all over town. The show is just repetative and stupid right now. Worst of all...very boring.

[Eric83]

Here's the full interview:

It’s the suds switcheroo we couldn’t see coming. On today’s episode of The Young and the Restless, it was revealed that the mysterious badass behind the kidnapping of Lauren Fenmore (Tracey E. Bregman) isn’t Lauren’s lifelong, back-from-the-dead nemesis Sheila Carter, as the show was leading us to believe. It’s actually Sheila’s equally crazed sister, Sarah Smythe, a character we didn’t even know existed. And now, thanks to a brilliant plastic surgeon, Sarah looks exactly like Lauren and is ready to take over her life in Genoa City. Meanwhile, Sarah has the real Lauren imprisoned in an abandoned zoo. Preposterous, even by soap standards? You betcha. Especially since Y&R already has Patty (Stacy Haiduk), another surgically-altered impersonator, raising hell around town. TV Guide Magazine spoke with the Emmy-winning Bregman to find out where this nutsy plot is headed.

What is it with Lauren? She’s always being abducted or imprisoned. She was buried alive long before Vivian thought of doing it to Carly on Days of Our Lives.

[Laughs] Listen, a year without being bound, gagged and duct-taped is just not a good year for me! You know how you do your yearly doctor’s exam and they tape you up for the EKG? They always ask, “Are you allergic to tape?” I tell ’em, “Only duct tape. It makes my face break out.” And they’re, like, “Whaaat?” I say, ‘Never mind, darling. It’s a long story.”

Seriously, what makes almost every writing regime at Y&R see Lauren as a victim?

I don’t know. And I so enjoy playing the bitch! [Laughs] I guess this time it’s payback that’s the bitch. Sarah is furious that Lauren killed Sheila and she wants revenge. She moves into Lauren’s home and she has possession of Lauren’s child which, from the old Sheila days, is Lauren’s worst nightmare all over again. It’ll be interesting to see how Lauren deals with this—how or if she’ll be able to put all of this behind her.

This is enough to drive her certifiably bats--t, don’t you think?

Could be. Christian LeBlanc [Lauren’s husband Michael] always says the reason our characters get along so well is that he’s not afraid to be bad and she’s not afraid to be crazy.

By the way, where did Sarah find this amazing plastic surgeon?

I know! Right? Greg Rikaart [Kevin] turned to me and said “I want to know this doctor’s name. I want to look like Brad Pitt!” I’m like, “Get in line, honey! We all want that guy’s phone number!”

But now there are two sets of plastic-surgery lookalikes in Genoa City. Isn’t that a bit much?

There are so many fun twists and turns coming in this story that I think the audience will jump on board and have a good time. In all my years on Y&R [she joined in 1983] I’ve never faced this kind of challenge or worked this hard—but I’m loving every single second of it!

Lately, there’s been a big shift in tone at Y&R. It’s becoming more and more like Passions.

I think the mysteries are tweaked a little bit more, and there is the fun, fantasy element of Sheila’s twins, Daisy and Ryder, but it’s still based somewhat in the reality of the relationships. We still have the rich, family stories and the romances. Y&R’s success has always been based on the audience’s connection to the characters. Don’t forget it was [Y&R creator] Bill Bell who had Lauren buried alive, and that was a wild, very emotional story. As long as you can keep the character relationships on point, I think the audience will go for the ride. When it gets outlandish on other shows, I find it difficult as a viewer to connect with that. But I don’t think that’s ever been Y&R’s problem.

What is Sarah’s long-range plan here—to replace Lauren for, like, ever?

I think it’d be too easy to kill Lauren. Sarah really wants Lauren to suffer because Sarah has suffered so much. In Sarah’s mind, Sheila was murdered in cold blood by Lauren. Also, Sarah had to raise Sheila’s children because Sheila was always so obsessed with Lauren that she wasn’t around to raise her kids properly. You can just imagine what it would be like to be in a family with Sheila! Sarah never had any sense of personal power, she never had a real chance in life. So now, in setting up this revenge, she’s finally as powerful as Sheila was. Sarah’s initial goal is to make Lauren suffer by taking her place in her world, and letting her know it. But pretty soon that doesn’t become enough for her.

So, essentially, you’re now playing three characters.

There’s Lauren. There’s Sarah. And there’s Sarah pretending to be Lauren, which is actually rather different than the real Lauren. It’s not a spot-on imitation. No matter how much you try to change your voice and physical mannerisms, it can’t be perfect, so Sarah’s impersonation is slightly off. The voice is a little lower. The look in her eyes is different. It wasn’t easy to keep it all straight. I worked very closely with my acting coach Ivana Chubbuck.

Isn’t she super famous in the guru world?

Ivana coached Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball, the film that won her the Oscar. She also coached Charlize Theron when she won the Oscar for Monster.

Yipes. You’re in good hands!

Yeah, but I don’t know if I’m going to be watching this play out on air because it means so much to me. I’ve had a lot of great storylines over the years but I devoted myself to this in a way that’s very different. Doing it has been such an extraordinary experience for me. A real joy. And I want to hang onto that feeling!

[DeeeDee]

Rauch. Must. Go.

[Juliajms]

Think again, my friend, think again. It has most certainly become a huge problem for this show over the last year. That said I love TEB and I'm glad she's getting a story, I just wish it wasn't so far out there. Damn.

[Eric83]

I just find it extremely annoying that they can't give her a story not involving Sheila.

That is SO played out.

[DeeeDee]

Lauren fans can now get in line with everyone else.

[Juliajms]

She definitely deserves something better. Something that would allow her to be a bitch for a little while. I'd love for Lauren to have a rival again, one who is also a bitch and makes a play for Michael or Fenmore's.

[DeeeDee]

It's not like she's a rich businesswoman with a husband, a mother, two children, a best friend that just happens to be her ex husband & a ton of friends or anything.

[DaytimeFan]

Exactly. There are at least 10 different storylines that I or anyone else who can spell could write for Lauren before resorting to a Sheila/evil twin rehash from hell.

That's the problem with Y&R as a whole, they take the easy way out every single time. There is absolutely no committment to good writing, it's all about what's easy and sloppy and fast.

[Juliajms]

Yeah, but nearly everyone on the show has those things. It doesn't mean any of them have a decent story. I really can't name one character who does off the top of my head. I'm not saying Lauren deserves better than anyone else, I'm just saying that adding her to the pile of characters with an outlandish (let's face it, impossible is the better word) story is just one more nail in this show's coffin.

Lauren fans were pretty much there long before Maria turned the rest of the show into outlandish crap. Sheila/psycho victim has been Lauren's story many times over the years, so I can't blame people for wanting something else.

Bringing in yet another psycho and having TEB play her is overkill. Actually, it was overkill long before, when we had 3 psychos in GC at the same time and several doppelgangers. Now Adam dies and it's batter up with Momma Bear taking center stage. How much are Y&R fans supposed to take?

[Leia]

This describes Lauren Fenmore or does it? Don't tell tptb

[MoTheGreat]

I hope very low. But I say until the viewers had enough.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

It's funny though, the people writing and producing this this show, and it goes even beyond Maria, Sheffer, Hamner, and Rauch, think they're writing the best thing ever. So much arrogance guides this show, it's no wonder why the show is creatively bankrupt and in the gutter.

If Bill Bell were alive and in decent health, Maria would probably be barred from family get-together after the utter sh!t she's done to his once prized creation. I may not have known Bill personally, but I think I can speak for him when I say he would be APPALLED at the state of this show.

I decided to stop watching after this nonsense, which I SAW COMING A MILE AWAY. This horrible writing team isn't even good at surprises. I can't stomach this show anymore.

It's like this arrogant and sh!tty writing team intentionally do these ludicrous stories to further irritate the fans who hate the creative direction of the show.

And it's not like the breakdown and script writing team can save this sh!t. They've all been horrible. Y&R has some of the worst day to day writing and biggest continuity issues in daytime. That's you Jay Gibson, Tom Casiello, Teresa Zimmerman, Amanda L. Beall, and company. Absolutely horrific material is produced by both the head writers and staff writers at this show.

Added to this, the casting has become HORRIFIC on this show, so we can't even look forward to decent new actors, and the ones that we used to count on have started to phone it all in.

GH may suck story-wise, but at least they have a consistent writing team, stellar casting, fabulous younger actors (though Drew Garrett will be missed), and great directing. Y&R no longer has any of these qualities.

Y&R is coming off like a PARODY of Passions that takes itself seriously. That's much worse.

[dragonflies]

I think TIIC at Y&R have gotten too cocky. Y&R being #1 has gone to their heads. I think they figure that people will watch no matter what. Until they're knocked from their perch, much won't change is my guess