Y&R: Old Articles

[BoldRestless]

Why did Epperson leave?

[soapfan770]

Epperson had an extended maternity leave in 1995 which caused the whole storyline to come to an halt, start again, and sputter out. I’m guessing more time with family and perhaps just being over it as the show was devoting more time to the next generation of female characters.  TEB had just moved over to B&B as well. 

From an article 11/11/95:

After seven years on The Young and the Restless, Brenda Epperson-Doumani is leaving the role of Ashley Abbott. Her contract expires this fall. A show rep wouldn't comment on whether the part will be recast, but there is speculation that it will be. "I'd been contemplating leaving for a while," Epperson-Doumani says. "I haven't worked that much at all this year."

The character of Ashley has been on the back burner ever since she married Blade. Senior executive producer Bill Bell released a statement saying: "We were unable to complete an agreement. Brenda will be missed very much by all of us." There are no details on how Ashley will be written out, but according to a spokesperson for the actress, Doumani "will be on at least through the end of the year." Doumani took over the role of Ashley from Eileen Davidson (now Kristen on Days of Our Lives) in September 1988.

[YRfan23]

Thanks for that article! I never saw that. Seems like Brenda just knew the story wasn't working and figured leaving when she could was the best option. It's a shame because we obviously could have had her for at least 3 more years and been sparred Ms. Shattuck, aka Mrs. Ex Ronn Moss

Please register in order to view this content

 

[kalbir]

Agree.

Brenda Epperson left December 1995. Shari Shattuck arrived March 1996.

That's why Bill Bell didn't give us a Victor/Nikki/Brad/Ashley quad and instead put Christine in the Ashley role. Could you imagine Nikki confronting Shari Shattuck Ashley in the hospital when Victor got shot?

[soapfan770]

 You’re quite welcome! It’s a shame we lost Brenda, although I can’t see her doing either the Kurt or Cole stories, although she would’ve saved them on her end. 
 

As I’ve mentioned before the changing demos hurt Ashley a bit there. When Brenda took over Ashley was the #2 leading lady behind Nikki. When Brenda left, Ashley had been pushed down the ladder by Victoria, Nina, Dru, Olivia but still relatively important. By the time Shattuck left, Ashley was probably the least important female character, to the point we cared more about Esther, Lynne, Connie the secretary etc.

That Y&R’s worst acting moment I mentioned would’ve come sooner in June 1996 than in October 1997

[kalbir]

I say when ED left in 1988, Ashley was the #3 female, behind Cricket and Nikki. Remember too that ED departure and MTS pregnancy leave overlapped. 1989 was the wonky year with the females, with Bill Bell's new pet Cassandra becoming the #2 female after Cricket, BE Ashley floundering until the Brad/Traci/Ashley triangle, and Nikki floundering from MTS return until the storyline with PB Jack began. 

Hahaha. Dead.

[BoldRestless]

Thanks. Such a shame, but I love how she was classy as ever, with zero drama. They should have picked her up at B&B.

[Broderick]

Don Diamont was having a "mild" degree of success in nighttime and movies around that time; his biggest "success" was The Incredible Adventures of Marco Polo in which he played -- guess who! -- Marco Polo!  lol.  After that fizzled out, he came back to Y&R.  

Sharri Shattuck shoulda never happened.  Brenda Epperson's exit was the ideal time for Bell to completely shelve the Ashley character and rethink her purpose.  Ashley had already changed so drastically from Miss Davidson to Miss Epperson -- from an assertive fireball to more of a traditional heroine -- Bell should've taken the Unfortunate Shattuck Era to ask himself what he really wanted Ashley to be.  

[kalbir]

@Broderick I think Bill Bell began losing interest in the Abbotts around 1987. First Traci role was reduced, then the Ashley and Jack recasts threw off the balance in the family. For whatever reason Bill Bell kept the Abbotts instead of replacing them with a new family.

[Paul Raven]

I guess Bill didn't want to drop the family after only 5 years and face the prospect of having the audience accept another family. He'd already risked that when the Fosters and Brooks went by the wayside.

And the Williams family has also been devalued with Paul the only main character.

Jabot was as much apart of things as the Abbotts themselves so it would have been a lot to shift focus.

That being said, he dropped Dina, split up John and Jill, had to recast Jack and Ashley and lost interest in Traci. So the Abbotts were also devalued.

[DRW50]

Please register in order to view this content

 

[asafi]

Kudos to Beth Maitland, the only Abbott family member not to be recast.

[Forever8]

Please register in order to view this content

 

[soapfan770]

Yeah I see that especially since it was 88-89 when we got an insta family with the Grainger’s lol. Thankfully the next new family, the Barber expansion was far more successful. 

I think Victor’s takeover of Jabot did help re-energize the Abbott dynamic although I’m sorry that Ashley/Brad/Traci was dropped as it would’ve given Traci a whole lot more to do. By 1991 Traci’s role had pretty much been replaced by Nina. 

[kalbir]

I didn't like Bill Bell having BE Ashley and Traci as romantic rivals. When the Abbott daughters were introduced, it was shown that Ashley looked out for Traci and was protective of her. Bill Bell kept ED original recipe Ashley and Traci in separate orbits as far as their romances and romantic rivalries went (Ashley/Victor/Nikki, Traci/Danny/Lauren, Traci/Brad/Lauren).

Keeping it real here, Bill Bell probably realized that Don Diamont was no match acting-wise for ED so that's why he had Brad original storyline pursue Traci and not Ashley.

With the way Bill Bell wrote BE Ashley plus Traci role being reduced, BE Ashley seemed like she was both Abbott daughters as one character.