Josh Griffith will no longer be head writer. No replacement has been announced.

This is good news but I hope the replacement is much, much better and not just a slight improvement.

I'm back from my hiatus from the show and caught up on almost a year and was very disappointed. Hopefully the new HW will shake things up. The show is pretty boring.

And to think I was just starting to think how boring soap news had been lately with nothing happening/changing. We finally get the news we’ve all been waiting for. Should be an interesting summer of speculating on what’s to come. Kind of reminds me of the summer MAB’s firing was announced in 2012. (I was on here reading everything back then under a different account I’ve since been locked out of 😪)

I do wonder what Y&R will look like this fall/winter when the new material starts to air. I do feel like it will look like a very different show eventually just because of how LONG JG has been writing on this damn show. Is this the longest a head writer has been at Y&R in recent history? Sure feels like it. Glad I missed most of his run though cause I only started watching more regularly again in 2025. I tuned back in to watch the Sharon/Phyllis kidnapping storyline and have been consistently disappointed in everything that has happened since.

Frankly, I'm shocked CBS/Sony did anything, since JG's storylines didn't appear to affect the ratings very much. I do wonder what, if anything, was the straw that broke that camel's back.

2 minutes ago, Khan said:

Frankly, I'm shocked CBS/Sony did anything, since JG's storylines didn't appear to affect the ratings very much. I do wonder what, if anything, was the straw that broke that camel's back.

I am surprised too. I thought the crossover bump might've helped his security, though I suspected when he left the EP perch (and I believe Steve Kent departed) that he was not long for the show. I wonder if it's just been coming awhile, and I would not be shocked if the Matt Clark stuff had a hand in it at this point. ABC has come down hard on rape, etc. stories in recent years which did cost Roger Howarth both Franco and Todd.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by Vee

Flirting with the idea of a Matt/Phyllis hook up was certainly a new low for him. I wonder if that’s what finally got him pushed out. Considering soaps try so hard these days to be PC I find it ridiculous and appalling that something like this would fly but at the same time they’re too afraid to push the envelope and tell stories that are actually relevant to things going on in the world today. We’re too scared to really go there with a real gay storyline to the point we’re gonna actually UNgay Mariah and Tessa, but HEY let’s hook up Phyllis with Sharon’s rapist.

This show used to tell stories about STDS, illnesses and socially relevant things which they no longer do. I am scared to know how far JG actually goes with this Phyllis and Matt thing before he’s gone.

11 minutes ago, Vee said:

ABC has come down hard on rape, etc. stories in recent years which did cost Roger Howarth both Franco and Todd.

And for his and his children's sake, I'm sorry it did. On the other hand, if all you can land in the way of acting gigs these days is "irritating rapist," maybe it's time to consider another line of work? (I mean, there's always Avon!)

10 minutes ago, Ryanc2 said:

I am scared to know how far JG actually goes with this Phyllis and Matt thing before he’s gone.

All I can say is, I'll be sure to be near a wastebasket or a toilet when it happens!

4 minutes ago, Khan said:

And for his and his children's sake, I'm sorry it did.

Roger seems like a solid, kind guy but I'm not. Todd has had his day and Franco was repulsive. Matt is just as bad.

FV and Carlivati could've potentially cemented Roger if they'd cast him as Stephen Lars/Steve Webber or Tom Hardy at the hospital in 2013. They opted against it for the edgy factor. Here we are.

5 minutes ago, Vee said:

Roger seems like a solid, kind guy but I'm not. Todd has had his day and Franco was repulsive. Matt is just as bad.

I agree. But my point is that Roger Howarth, IMO, isn't capable of playing anyone who isn't a sexual predator. When he tries - like when he played Paul Ryan - he just falls back on "insufferable, tick-laden jerk." So, again, Avon, lol.

8 minutes ago, Vee said:

Roger seems like a solid, kind guy but I'm not. Todd has had his day and Franco was repulsive. Matt is just as bad.

FV and Carlivati could've potentially cemented Roger if they'd cast him as Stephen Lars/Steve Webber or Tom Hardy at the hospital in 2013.

Ugh. I'm kinda glad they didn't go there, lol.

When he was on OLTL, Roger did interviews indicating his stance about not glamorizing rape storylines.
But since he got hired on Y&R, he's done interviews saying how fun it is to play Matt Clark and gushing about Josh Griffith's storyline for him.
Completely different tone from his OLTL time.
So, no sympathy from me.

3 hours ago, Khan said:

Frankly, I'm shocked CBS/Sony did anything, since JG's storylines didn't appear to affect the ratings very much. I do wonder what, if anything, was the straw that broke that camel's back.

Yeah, I would love to have that tea.