Y&R: Old Articles

[FrenchFan]

Wishful thinking: Tamara Tunie

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[BetterForgotten]

I don't think Y&R would invest in a black female character 50+ at this point, so probably for the best. 

[Paul Raven]

I agree, but to not have Olivia onscreen at all... just a visit to establish what Olivia is doing and see her realate to her son.

With the right actress a few appearances could work. I just think at this point Olivia is recastable.

 

[asafi]

Do we want to see Olivia back without her sis dru nor Mamie? just won't be the same. no Neal, no Malcolm, Nathan is dead. why should she come back? she has no family in GC other then her son. 

[DramatistDreamer]

Y&R appears to be attempting to keep the Winters family alive in some small way. I know what they were trying to go for with having Devon belatedly taking on the Winters name but it doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense with the family so hollowed out. At least with the Abbott and the Newman clans, there are some discernible links to their roots still on screen. And what’s more, there are direct links actively fostered between generations and it’s been this way for years.
The Winters have been fairly disjointed over the last decade- I know some people were hopeful with the emergence and re-emergence of Moses but where is he now? Lily, while joined at the hip with Cane, spent several years being more Ashby than Winters. The Barbers line seems effectively dead and gone at this point (and I doubt a recast of Olivia is going to change that), and unless the show can get Malcolm back on canvas for an actual story arc with any lasting impact, there is no Winters clan and the family line is at best a shadow of what it once was.

Which basically puts the Winters family line with one foot in the proverbial grave.

Edited May 29, 2023 by DramatistDreamer

[Paul Raven]

SOD November 2016 Mal Young interview. This is just as Sally joined,and according to her, it  was a  quick entry and she didn't have  any major story plans. I think that is reflected in Mal's answers as he doesn't have much to say about upcoming storylines. I'm going to post in sections to give posters time to read and(hopefully)respond. 

Mal eventually took over as headwriter and I don't think he was too enamored at having to accommodate Sally.

How would you describe your overall vision for Y&R?
Mal Young: My overall vision is to keep it fresh, never rest on our laurels. My mantra is, “What is good is today’s show,” and the minute the viewers watch that, it goes into the history archives and they’re saying,
“But what next? And what’s next?” And that’s our job, to keep the viewers guessing and enthralled and entertained and surprised. Not just to do what everyone thinks a soap should do, and fall into the same old tropes. I think our job is to constantly question where we’re going with the show and keep it feeling contemporary and exciting and entertaining. I also want it to get a better mix of the real, heavy drama and humor. Each week, I show all the heads of departments some tapes of the show, just so that we, as a group, all sit and look at what we’re doing. Celebrate some high points, and maybe say, “Well, what
can we do better?” Recently, I showed them a whole collection of clips of Billy and Phyllis. I said to everyone, “This was a master class in rom-com,” and it brings in a different tone to the show. I don’t think
humor should feel forced or as a gag; I think it should come out of character, and those two actors did that so well, I thought. So that’s kind of my vision. And it’s a continuing one.

When you took over as executive producer, what were your first steps?
Young: Well, I don’t think you can suddenly do a quick, sharp turn. You have to respect the fact that you’re inheriting a huge legacy of a show that goes back all these years, but also the more immediate
stories that were already underway and styles of the show. So you have to do some things slightly, gradually. Visually, the quickest thing I tried to do, which seems to have had a good impact, was to
introduce more exteriors and heighten the production values. This was a very quick way of putting your own stamp on a show visually, so I changed the style of the way we shoot it and the fans seem to be
responding very positively to this. There’s some nice camera work and lighting, but the exteriors, I think, really made the show feel bigger, and really opened up the world of Genoa City. It felt too enclosed for me. We’re going to keep that going now and keep developing the look of the show.

What areas did you think needed some work?
Young: I think the lack of humor, maybe, the pace, the direction. When I looked at the history of Y&R, I realized that it was the first to do certain things, like it was the first to go to full HD, so it was leading the
way technically, as well as in its storytelling, in its characters, in its acting and in the types of stories that it would do. So, I felt that I wanted us to keep that tradition going and to be at the forefront so that we would remain No. 1 and be seen as the market leader. That’s why I brought in a lot more location shooting, to make the show look as slick as possible, and to not look like any of the other shows, so that you could be flipping through the networks and you would know, “Oh, this is Y&R.”

* I don't recall there being much location shooting in 2017. Can anyone remember? I do recall they used the studio for some locations day to day. Also, can't recall any noticeable improvement in production values. Maybe Mal was stymied by budget cuts.

As for Billy/Phyllis as a master class in romcom ...not sure I agree. I thought they were a compromised couple from the outset considering the circumstances that brought them together.

[soapfave06]

I remember being pretty excited for this but it all went with a whimper, the casting I thought was great under his tenure though. So much wasted potential in the next generation of Ana, Fen, Hilary, Noah, etc. I was really hoping they would phase out the ridiculous corporate wars and focus on the next generation with Sharon/Mariah at the forefront but Sharon has seen nada and we have the same dialogue and repeated stories that go nowhere. 
 

I ultimately think the problem is CBS/Sony, I don’t think anyone could properly turn the show around or had free reign since maybe MAB, I assume she was free to do as she pleased, but since then, I’m not sure anyone did. 

This got me thinking back to JFP and the terrible casting then, JH was great as Adam, to give her credit but I shudder at still being stuck with MO as Abby. 
 

I also appreciate Y&R for maintaining most of the vets but this is the only show that would not hurt my feelings if Jack, Victor and unless they recast Victoria all disappeared, among others. 
 

But Y&R and B&B seem to be able to maintain a ratings just playing the same actors in the same BS. 

[Vee]

I remember someone telling us the Mal Young Billy/Phyllis reel story about what he showed to execs to try to circumvent Sussman's plan to end it and reunite Jack and Phyllis, and eventually force SS out altogether. I thought it was too pat a tale at the time but it seems true enough.

[Paul Raven]

What did you think was working well?
Young: Actors. That was the first thing that attracted me to the show when I was first asked to be involved. I think we’re blessed with a hell of an ensemble of quality performers giving really high-class performances. Really great people who just want to be challenged all the time. They love it when I talk to them and give them notes and talk about their characters and push them into areas that they might feel uncomfortable in.

Speaking of your cast, were there characters that you felt needed storyline attention?
Young: There were some that from the moment I really started to watch the show in detail, I felt were being underserved and were just not on-screen enough. Ashley [Eileen Davidson], I adore. I just think, “What a great character, what a great actress portraying her. She can do comedy, she can do heavy, she can do everything! Romance!” And I was frustrated about that, so she needed attention. And Mariah [Camryn Grimes]. Big fan. She’s one of those great performers who sometimes can kind of be underrated or undervalued by the audience, who kind of think, “Oh,it’s just Mariah.” She’s brilliant in this latest storyline with the baby; she turns in some quite amazing performances and then in the next scene does pure comedy!She’s terrific. I felt she was really underutilized.So, I think those two, mainly.

* Sure the rest of the cast were thrilled that he singled out just two. Way to endear the cast to you  Mal!

Interestingly Eileen left under his watch and the vibe I got was that she wasn't happy with the story for Ashley. Mal said something along the lines that it was a short break and Eileen reiterated that she wouldn't be back. As soon as Mal left Eileen began reappearing.

I'm sure Eric loved Mal talking and giving notes about his portrayal.

Mal did try to move away from Victor the omnipotent and Eric no likey.

Edited May 30, 2023 by Paul Raven

[BoldRestless]

Mal mentions humor a lot, but I don't remember much of it then, and I definitely don't see what he sees in Billy and Phyllis, especially as portrayed by Jason Thompson and Gina Tognoni.

[Broderick]

The business with the "blood Abbott clause" was probably a good story for Eileen (in theory), but it wasn't handled very well, and I do expect it hastened her decision to call it quits as a contract actor on the show.  I'd imagine the budget cuts were also a factor.  No reason for her to sign a new contract at a smaller salary, tie herself to the show full-time, and get lousy storylines in return.  She doesn't seem to mind working when she feels like it, lol.  

[fivethej]

Was this shown on-screen? If so, what's the air date?

 

[Paul Raven]

More from Mal

You are making wardrobe changes, as well. What is your ideal look for the show?

Young: This is supposed to be a very rich world and we enjoy the insight into the world of these characters who live these amazing lives in Genoa City. I think the wardrobe can say so much about the
characters before they even open their mouths. I felt Devon was always in a suit, just looking like every other guy in the show, but you should be able to walk into our wardrobe department and see all the costumes hanging up and tell me who that character is, because they say as much as the script says, probably more because it’s visual. So Devon’s had a bit of an overhaul. We’ve used the GC BUZZ story and his new venture to take him into a much cooler, rarified world of show biz, and he’s looking great. And I’ve talked to [portrayer Bryton James] about bringing in his own taste to Devon, and the same with Hilary [Mishael Morgan], now that she’s embarking on this new adventure.

* Devon went more casual but the clothes appeared very generic, not high end labels. Just black T shirts and hoodies. Hilary usually looked good but a lot of her stuff seemed similar to what Phyllis and Victoria would wear.

And GC Buzz should have been quickly dropped.

As far as the sets, was the restoration of the Chancellor mansion any response to fan outcry or was
that something you wanted to do?
Young: It’s a funny one, that. We’re working so far ahead of what the fans are seeing. We do obviously listen, and I particularly do to the fans all the time— I want to know what their responses are — but it’s usually to what you’ve already done, not what you’re just about to do. With this particular change in the
Chancellor mansion, we decided we wanted to bring Jill back, and Jess [Walton] was available and it worked out great. I adore her and the fans do, and she’s so good and so inventive. She comes into a
scene with all this energy, which is just infectious. And, as with all the best stories, they’re the ones written by the character, because we all sat in a meeting and went, “Jill would hate this house!” And we were picturing, “Well, there’s the story. She makes him change it. It will be hilarious but it will be real.” And it coincided  with the fan outcry, because by that point they were seeing it on the air. But we just allowed the fictional character of Jill to make that decision for us, funnily enough.

*some spin there from Mal. Wasn't it thatJFP remade that set and them Angelica McDaniel saw it and demanded it be changed back?

[Khan]

I'm not sure that it was Angelica McDaniel who demanded the reversal, but someone at the network did.  Of course, it wasn't a complete reversal.  Some of the mansion's original decor returned, but some of it didn't.

Edited May 31, 2023 by Khan

[Paul Raven]

You're probably right. 

Speaker of the Chancellor mansion, the first change occurred when the aspect changed from the '4th wall' now facing the entrance doors to the living room, rather than the fireplace. Don't know why that change was made but I'm fairly sure it was around the time that Billy and Chloe were married.

Then when Billy redecorated in blue, the entire set was rebuilt and shrunk as well as some structural changes. Then came the restoration of the yellow paintwork and a similar wallpaper on the stairway, but otherwise everything else was new. I believe a couple of original pieces were placed in the bookcases.

ATM the Chancellor living room has not been seen for months. Bit like the GCAC it could return.