On 1/16/2026 at 2:09 PM, Liberty City said:

Beyond the Gates:

Natalie Minardi (now Natalie Minardi Slater) is a breakdown writer. She previously held numerous positions at The Young and the Restless from 1991 to 2023.

Glad to see her writing again. I still can't believe Y&R got rid of their longest tenured writers in her and Janice Ferri Esser - the two people on the writing staff that knows the show inside-out.

22 minutes ago, Toups said:

I still can't believe Y&R got rid of their longest tenured writers in her and Janice Ferri Esser - the two people on the writing staff that knows the show inside-out.

To TPTB, that was part of the problem: they wanted (and still want) to distance Y&R from the Bill Bell legacy as much as possible. Because, even though Mr. Bell kept his show at the top of the ratings through different trends, and at a time when many, long-running shows had faded or were beginning to fade, CBS or Sony reasoned his vision and style were just too old-fashioned for the demographic they were now chasing after (not to mention, too expensive to maintain).

Beyond the Gates:

Per today's end credits (via Paramount+), the following changes have occurred:

• Anthony Lucente is listed as both a breakdown and scriptwriter. His previous credits include All My Children (script consultant; 2013), and is also a Continuity Researcher (joined in June 2025)

• Skyy Sandifer is now a scriptwriter; she joined as a script editor (first credit as credit editor was June 27, 2025; Michele Val Jean confirmed this in her recent Soapy interview)

• Ron Carlivati has been removed from the list of breakdown writers; his final script aired on January 14, 2026.

• Lynn Martin has been removed as scriptwriter; her final script aired on January 14, 2026.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Liberty City

2 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

• Ron Carlivati has been removed from the list of breakdown writers; his final script aired on January 14, 2026.

Be afraid, Y&R fans. Be very afraid.

1 minute ago, Khan said:

Be afraid, Y&R fans. Be very afraid.

Don't be; it's not going to happen.

26 minutes ago, Khan said:

To TPTB, that was part of the problem: they wanted (and still want) to distance Y&R from the Bill Bell legacy as much as possible. Because, even though Mr. Bell kept his show at the top of the ratings through different trends, and at a time when many, long-running shows had faded or were beginning to fade, CBS or Sony reasoned his vision and style were just too old-fashioned for the demographic they were now chasing after (not to mention, too expensive to maintain).

Exactly. There is a real resentment from some at that show toward the past and those building blocks.

3 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

Don't be; it's not going to happen.

Several things have happened at Y&R that I thought wouldn't, so you never know, lol.

Just now, Khan said:

Several things have happened at Y&R that I thought wouldn't, so you never know, lol.

Trust me. It's not going to happen.

5 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Exactly. There is a real resentment from some at that show toward the past and those building blocks.

And now the show is at a point where simply returning even to some semblance of its' past won't work, because too much of it is hard, if not impossible, to bring back. I've a feeling that Y&R is on the verge of becoming DAYS circa JER.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Khan

1 hour ago, Khan said:

To TPTB, that was part of the problem: they wanted (and still want) to distance Y&R from the Bill Bell legacy as much as possible. Because, even though Mr. Bell kept his show at the top of the ratings through different trends, and at a time when many, long-running shows had faded or were beginning to fade, CBS or Sony reasoned his vision and style were just too old-fashioned for the demographic they were now chasing after (not to mention, too expensive to maintain).

THIS.

1 hour ago, Khan said:

Be afraid, Y&R fans. Be very afraid.

And...*shivers*