Josh Griffith interview for the 50th.

[lucaslesann23]

From the magazine;

 

Digest: how did you feel about how to play the 50th anniversary?

Griffith: I was excited, like I haven't been in a long time. Just to be able to craft story for the 50th is just a dream come true and all the stories just coming towards a huge turning point and all of them seeing to come to that at the same time, we just said "this is perfect. We were able to create an An event that would allow us to celebrate in story and bring back people that fans would want to see that they haven't seen in a while and would want to see that can fit into stories ramping up and those stories can all come to a head at this event. It was a perfect storm of story, celebration and event.

Digest: when did you start outlining and shaping what you wanted to see on screen for this milestone?

Griffith: i would say about three months ago I started thinking about it. Because the great thing is, I was locked into a date. So that focused me because I got this date. Up until this point we've been treating the 50th as the whole season with little teases of people coming back from the past, but here was a specific date that we could celebrate and so I knew "Okay, I've got three months out so I got to finese all these stories so their culmination times happen over the course of this two week gala period."

Digest: how did you track all this? Did you have a storyboard?

Griffith: I keep it all in my head, (he laughs) I actually have a whiteboard in my office where I keep it all down. We've created three areas of storytelling on the show, Newman's, Abbotts, Chancellor-Winters. Everything falls within those three. Some cross over but all within those three. So it was easy to have three columns of story and time it out so this would happen and that would happen.

Digest: what we're the staff meetings like with your writing team? We're ideas tossed around or did you already have a singular vision?

Griffith: it was pretty clear what I wanted. I mean, I worked closely with Mandy Beall who is my co Head Writer. I said here's what we have to do and she sort of filled in holes and tossed in her own ideas. Between the two of us we kept things tight and focused.

Digest: does having the title executive producer add to the preasure?

Griffith: it sort of sounds strange but, it makes things easier because their's no longer separation between production and story now. Now we talk to directly in a seamless way.

Digest: the last time Amanda was in GC, she was pretty wounded by Devons indefinitely, I imagine their will be good scenes between the characters. 

Griffith: with the Devon/Lily conflict and this huge battle that's been brewing, bringing Amanda felt natural and right. So we got Mishael returning and let's just say, Amanda's back with a vengeance.

 

Digest: Mamie is the much beloved Abbott house keeper that fans are excited to see again, how will Jack,Ashley and, Traci React?

Griffith: with all that's going on with the Abbotts, bringing Mamie back just made sense. She was a mother to them because she raised them. So rhe connection is profound and it'll be heart warming to see their reunion. 

Digest: leanna Love was always a wild card, please tease how she'll fit in. 

Griffith: how can we have these events take place, swirling in mystery and mischief and not have Leanna picking her nose in everyone's business?

Digest: will we be treated to Nina and Chance reunion scenes?

Griffith: with all the fallout from the Devon/Abby/Chance situation, of course. 

Digest: not too long ago Nina loved Abby. What will happen with them?

Griffith: Nina may love Abby but she'll still give her a piece of her mind.

Digest: why did you decide on the gcac? A set we haven't seen in years.

Griffith: well, we talked about alot of different possibilities. But none of them had the weight. Because if you're gonna do the bicentennial, the athletic club just seemed like the perfect place and it allowed us to introduce a new set that would have huge ramifications after the gala.

Digest: did anyone suggest the colonnade room?

Griffith: it did come up. But at the end of the day it's just a room and the fcac gives us more range. 

Digest: what else can we look forward too?

Griffith: romantically, we're revving up Tucker and Ashley and Daniel and Lily. Jack and Diane's heads will be turned upside down by Phyllis and Stark.

Digest: what are your feelings on how YR is positioned in 2023?

Griffith: I feel excited and energized, I got all the pieces in place for an explosion of story going into the fall. I think we're in a strong place with the cast and story dynamics and having solidified the areas I mentioned earlier.

Digest: how do you feel your YR reflects on William J Bells vision?

Griffith: I think it completely embraces his vision of these core families and character driven story of family and business. The show is clash of the titans.

[BetterForgotten]

Even this guy's answers are boring as f.uck. 

[Faulkner]

“Your writing team.” Just funny how they phrased the question given the recent news.

I wish soap magazines had the ability to speak to audience dissatisfaction in these interviews, but they can’t bite the hand that feeds them. We just get obsequiousness and no accountability.

Edited March 17, 2023 by Faulkner

[BoldRestless]

Sooo... he doesn't plan storylines typically.

 

Those aren't storylines, lol. 

[titan1978]

It’s like he read those Bill Bell quotes where he said he didn’t plan long term story or do bibles on Y&R after those first few years, and decided that’s how it’s supposed to be done.  Except he is not capable at all of pulling that off.

[YRfan23]

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[Soapsuds]

The guy is totally clueless!!

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Josh is a hot mess. 

He's joking right?

There are no stories. Nothing onscreen embraces WJB vision.

[Paul Raven]

Which is why Sharon is stuck at CL and serving coffee and advice.

[Aback]

Let me just say I find it problematic - on so many levels - that Mamie is coming back mainly to comfort the Abbots. 

[Faulkner]

Yeah, especially when her own relatives are at war with each other.

[LondonScribe]

Good Lord, that was painful to read.

[Broderick]

I want to find something positive in all that pontificating.  But I can't.  

[Liberty City]

Could have done the Colonnade Room, and still returned the GCAC.

[Taoboi]

Same. 

 

If ANYONE had to choose, it would have been the CR.