Jill Farren Phelps, whose name has been synonymous with a multitude of daytime soap operas since 1984, including “Santa Barbara,” Guiding Light,” “Another World,” “One Life to Live” and “General Hospital,” among others, has returned to the genre as a producer at “The Young and the Restless,” Soap Opera Network can confirm.

Back at the show’s studio for several months, sources initially indicated that Phelps had returned in a non-producing capacity after previously serving as the show’s executive producer from 2012-2016. However, following the news of Elizabeth Hendrickson directing at the drama series, with the actress announcing in an Instagram post that included a list of names she thanked for helping her throughout the process, including current executive producer and head writer Josh Griffith, who she said, “greenlit my goals from the start,” Hendrickson also included Phelps’ name among those thank yous. Sources subsequently confirmed Phelps’ return to the soap as a producer.

Receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in directing from Carnegie Mellon University, Phelps began her career in daytime television in 1974 as a production assistant at CBS’ “Guiding Light.” After three years in New York, she took her chance in Hollywood in 1977 to become a music director/supervisor at “General Hospital,” a position she held until 1984, when a similar opportunity arose at “Santa Barbara.” During her time at the NBC drama series, she held various positions, including producer, supervising producer, and eventually executive producer. 

Taking her experience at the two Los Angeles-based soap operas, Phelps returned to New York to become executive producer of “Guiding Light,” the daytime soap that began her career in television. She would go on to executive produce sister soap “Another World,” before ultimately landing back at ABC, this time as executive producer of “One Life to Live.” Successfully increasing the show’s ratings, particularly in the key Women 18-49 sales demographic where it consistently rivaled the network’s flagship soap “General Hospital,” Phelps was soon promoted at the network to become executive producer of said flagship.

During her time in Port Charles, Phelps helped successfully launch spinoff series “General Hospital: Night Shift” for SOAPnet, the now defunct cable network dedicated to same day episodes of current daytime dramas at night.

Following her exit from “General Hospital” in 2012, Phelps executive produced “Hollywood Heights,” a primetime drama for Teen Nick centering on a group of teens and young adults. 

Several familiar names starred in the series including Melissa Ordway (“The Young and the Restless”), Brittany Underwood (“One Life to Live”), the late Cody Longo (“Days of our Lives”), Robert Adamson (“The Young and the Restless”), Hunter King (“The Young and the Restless”), Grayson McCouch (“As The World Turns”) and Tina Huang (“Days of our Lives”), among others.

Josh Griffith, who currently serves as executive producer and head writer of “The Young and the Restless,” worked alongside Phelps at “Hollywood Heights” as the show’s head writer. The series was produced by Sony Pictures Television, which announced in July 2012 that the duo would continue in those roles, but this time at the long-running daytime drama series, replacing Maria Arena Bell.

Throughout her career, Phelps received 14 Daytime Emmy Award nominations, including 11 wins. Five wins came from her work at “General Hospital,” with three others from “The Young and the Restless.”

Note: The post Jill Farren Phelps Returns To ‘The Young And The Restless’ appeared first on the Soap Opera Network website.

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I wonder why they chose to keep this quiet and how long she’s actually been at the show as a producer? I really haven’t noticed anything different in the way the show looks and feels. 

This is a positive sign; of course, we all know Griffith is not going anywhere.

Welcome back! She’s a daytime icon. She’s a Producer so she is not involved in story. As long as Josh is there……

This is what happens when you either ignore burgeoning talent or fail to cultivate them.  You end up giving hack producers yet another crack at destroying your favorite shows.

Any port in a storm as long as it's no one new, because they don't have faith in or time to train anyone up. I shall again tap the sign.

Edited August 4Aug 4 by Vee

They've obviously kept this under wraps this long because if they'd announced her return in ANY capacity when it first happened, there'd be a mass meltdown in the online fandom, and I'm sure they don't want to hear mean things about their bestie, even if she has proven to be consistently bad at her job for decades.

At least she isn't infecting Days or BTG so that's the silver lining.

7 hours ago, Khan said:

This is what happens when you either ignore burgeoning talent or fail to cultivate them.  You end up giving hack producers yet another crack at destroying your favorite shows.

Amen. And letting the current hack kill off legacy characters left and right. 

The Dobsons grabbing the Emmy before she could get to it lives rent free in my mind.

8 hours ago, Khan said:

This is what happens when you either ignore burgeoning talent or fail to cultivate them.  You end up giving hack producers yet another crack at destroying your favorite shows.

And in Y&R's case, they have also desperately worked to run most of them off. It's very sad.

7 hours ago, Vee said:

Any port in a storm as long as it's no one new, because they don't have faith in or time to train anyone up. I shall again tap the sign.

Maybe there's another Bell relative looking for work.

Was Ed J Scott unavailable?? JFP reduced this once-vibrant show to a brown, boring heap the last time, so now she's back to plunge the final dagger into the back of a soap she never really cared to understand.

Perhaps Josh Griffith could no longer handle the insane HW/EP workload and that's why she's back. Best believe she won't stay 'just a producer, she'll have no input into storyline.'

17 minutes ago, Cat said:

Was Ed J Scott unavailable?? JFP reduced this once-vibrant show to a brown, boring heap the last time, so now she's back to plunge the final dagger into the back of a soap she never really cared to understand.

Perhaps Josh Griffith could no longer handle the insane HW/EP workload and that's why she's back. Best believe she won't stay 'just a producer, she'll have no input into storyline.'

Scott retired.

17 minutes ago, Cat said:

Was Ed J Scott unavailable??

He "retired" out of the soap.

26 minutes ago, Cat said:

Was Ed J Scott unavailable?? JFP reduced this once-vibrant show to a brown, boring heap the last time, so now she's back to plunge the final dagger into the back of a soap she never really cared to understand.

Perhaps Josh Griffith could no longer handle the insane HW/EP workload and that's why she's back. Best believe she won't stay 'just a producer, she'll have no input into storyline.'

Ed Scott retired. The key question is why did they add a non soap veteran as supervising producer, Kevin Hamburger, as of the September script photo posted in another thread. Waiting for the reporting on that.  Hamburger has tons of execution production experience. He gets separate billing on the script page above Phelps and the other producers.

His linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinhamburger/

Edited August 5Aug 5 by VelekaCarruthers