I would be wild if Jamey did become HW though. It seems to be polarizing as well.

15 minutes ago, Vee said:

I have gotten the vibe for a long time that whatever RC may be up to is an original project. As in possibly a new soap. That said, would it shock me if Sony/CBS, unwilling to invest in new blood, just went after him for Y&R instead? No.

My worst fear (and one I highly doubt will happen at present) is ABC somehow gives him the keys to reviving AMC/OLTL again, which would cement Ron as the state executor and torchbearer for all things Llanview/PV for decades to come. I appreciate a lot of what Ron and Frank did at OLTL but that is the last thing either of them need, let alone the shows which have their own identities outside these men. It's time to move on.

Rumor has it that Ron is writing the Lifetime All My Children movies, though nothing has been confirmed. I believe Susan Lucci has said in an interview that she hasn't met with the writer yet, which, to me, indicates that one is already in place. Could it, in fact, be Ron? We'll soon find out.

1 minute ago, Errol said:

Rumor has it that Ron is writing the Lifetime All My Children movies, though nothing has been confirmed. I believe Susan Lucci has said in an interview that she hasn't met with the writer yet, which, to me, indicates that one is already in place. Could it, in fact, be Ron? We'll soon find out.

I mean, I wouldn't hate that vs. an ongoing serial. A TV movie is another animal and Lifetime isn't going to let him write crazy DID/rape stories.

But let's see how @Khan @DRW50 @EricMontreal22 and @Darn feel!

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by Vee

13 minutes ago, Errol said:

Rumor has it that Ron is writing the Lifetime All My Children movies, though nothing has been confirmed. I believe Susan Lucci has said in an interview that she hasn't met with the writer yet, which, to me, indicates that one is already in place. Could it, in fact, be Ron? We'll soon find out.

Oooo nice.

On 6/27/2026 at 9:25 AM, Chris B said:

I'm happy Josh Griffith is gone finally but won't get too excited until I know who is replacing him. I feel like the writing was on the wall for a while between Steve Kent overseeing the show and then JG losing his EP credit, not to mention JF consulting. Clearly something was going on and someone wasn't happy.

Now since I see comments about past regimes I'm going to give my defense of Sally Sussman. When she took over with no notice and no story bible or plans, it was obviously slow. With that said, the way the characters were written was like night and day. It was like a snap of the fingers and everybody was suddenly written in character again. I do think with time she developed a strong show but it was just too soon to fire her. She didn't even get a full year if I remember correctly.

I feel like if Mal Young had worked with her instead of firing her, they could've been a dream team. His punchier story ideas mixed with her knowledge of the characters and tone of the show would've been magic. I just think it's a shame they didn't give her a full two years.

Agree. I actually liked her approach. The slower style of writing is what I prefer actually and it’s how you actually tell a real story in soaps. Just because the pacing is slower doesn’t mean it’s boring.

I’d welcome her back in a heartbeat but I doubt they’d bring her back unfortunately. They just don’t believe in that kind of storytelling anymore and it’s all about the shock factor (which, if you really want that shock factor how about tell a good slow 6 months to a year storyline with a good pay off at the end?).

41 minutes ago, Vee said:

I mean, I wouldn't hate that vs. an ongoing serial. A TV movie is another animal and Lifetime isn't going to let him write crazy DID/rape stories.

But let's see how @Khan @DRW50 @EricMontreal22 and @Darn feel!

I’m numb!

I guess you could do worse, like Griffith for instance, but I honestly can’t even envision what an AMC TV movie looks like.

1 hour ago, Errol said:

Rumor has it that Ron is writing the Lifetime All My Children movies, though nothing has been confirmed. I believe Susan Lucci has said in an interview that she hasn't met with the writer yet, which, to me, indicates that one is already in place. Could it, in fact, be Ron? We'll soon find out.

Why do they continue giving this hack more things to f up?

He has no history with the show.

Oh wait, he grew up watching soaps, so has all of the SON community.

So, I obviously agree with what most have said in this thread about changes that need to be made. One of the most obvious things is “NO MORE KIDNAPPINGS”. Yes yes yes to that. I do not care if I never see another kidnapping on this show ever again.

But there are some other things I’d like to add to this conversation, particularly with the casting in this show (cause it can use some improvement).

Get rid of Claire, she and Holden are boring so they can both go. Bring back Faith and give her Claire’s place as the young female lead.

Get rid of Sally for the love of god. Nothing against the actress really, I just don’t care about her. Send her back to B&B. I would keep Billy for obvious reasons, he’s an important character.. but bring back Mackenzie or something for his next big story, it could Involve her.

Obviously reunite Shick and put them into that supporting role for their children Noah and Faith. I still expect them to have heavy involvement in their children’s stories but we don’t need them front and centre leading story. Nikki and Victor - same thing. We don’t need them front and centre either.

Victoria is a character I never know what to do with because I just don’t care about this actress. I liked when Cole came back though so maybe undo his death too? LOL.

I hated the idea of recasting Cane with an actor that doesn’t even remotely resemble who Cane was but since that’s already done we might as well go with it. I’m liking this version of Lane anyways (as someone who never cared for them). So reunite them and bring their kids into the fold to have them on screen so we have some young black leads alongside the Newman and Abbott kids.

Make Audra the troublemaker we all know she can be. Why are there no young female vixens? Is Phyllis supposed to always be the only female on this show who stirs the pot and creates drama?

Get rid of Sienna as well. Her character is pointless. I like this actress but this character does not work for Noah. Have him be in a triangle with Audra and another woman (preferably in their same age range).

Keep Jack and Diane together because they seem to be working. I know some people have hated Pattys return but I kind of enjoy the drama it’s brought for Jack and Diane. I obviously don’t expect her to stick around forever though.

Bring Jill back.. she should be just as relevant on this show as Jack, Nikki and Victor. If JW won’t return I’d honestly be okay with a recast.

I could go on and on but these are things I’d like to see happen immediately!

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Ryanc2

1 hour ago, Vee said:

Lifetime isn't going to let him write crazy DID/rape stories.

Have you watched Lifetime lately, lol?

But seriously. I've always thought the TV movies were a dumb idea, so I don't have any opinions about Ron Carlivati writing them. He's getting paid to do what he loves, which is more than the majority of Americans could say these days, so more power to him. Either way, I won't be watching.

2 hours ago, janea4old said:

I didn't want to put that out there in the universe, but since you just posted, yeah that was my first thought when the news broke that it might be Jamey, since Jamey always wanted to write for Y&R.

Nothing about Jamey Giddens' work thus far inspires confidence in me (to say the least, lol), but if that ends up being the direction CBS/Sony takes...? Well, all I can say is, I hope Jamey doesn't screw it up.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Khan

18 minutes ago, Ryanc2 said:

So, I obviously agree with what most have said in this thread about changes that need to be made. One of the most obvious things is “NO MORE KIDNAPPINGS”. Yes yes yes to that. I do not care if I never see another kidnapping on this show ever again.

But there are some other things I’d like to add to this conversation, particularly with the casting in this show (cause it can use some improvement).

Get rid of Claire, she and Holden are boring so they can both go. Bring back Faith and give her Claire’s place as the young female lead.

Get rid of Sally for the love of god. Nothing against the actress really, I just don’t care about her. Send her back to B&B. I would keep Billy for obvious reasons, he’s an important character.. but bring back Mackenzie or something for his next big story, it could Involve her.

Obviously reunite Shick and put them into that supporting role for their children Noah and Faith. I still expect them to have heavy involvement in their children’s stories but we don’t need them front and centre leading story. Nikki and Victor - same thing. We don’t need them front and centre either.

Victoria is a character I never know what to do with because I just don’t care about this actress. I liked when Cole came back though so maybe undo his death too? LOL.

I hated the idea of recasting Cane with an actor that doesn’t even remotely resemble who Cane was but since that’s already done we might as well go with it. I’m liking this version of Lane anyways (as someone who never cared for them). So reunite them and bring their kids into the fold to have them on screen so we have some young black leads alongside the Newman and Abbott kids.

Make Audra the troublemaker we all know she can be. Why are there no young female vixens? Is Phyllis supposed to always be the only female on this show who stirs the pot and creates drama?

Get rid of Sienna as well. Her character is pointless. I like this actress but this character does not work for Noah. Have him be in a triangle with Audra and another woman (preferably in their same age range).

Keep Jack and Diane together because they seem to be working. I know some people have hated Pattys return but I kind of enjoy the drama it’s brought for Jack and Diane. I obviously don’t expect her to stick around forever though.

Bring Jill back.. she should be just as relevant on this show as Jack, Nikki and Victor. If JW won’t return I’d honestly be okay with a recast.

I could go on and on but these are things I’d like to see happen immediately!

Almost forgot about Adam and Chelsea.. probably because they’re so irrelevant at this point. Those two can ride off into the sunset as well. A return down the road one day could always still be left open but they’re not needed right now. If we need to make some room in the budget for some new young faces then I wouldn’t mind sacrificing them.

EB spoke out in 2019 and 2022 complaining that Mal Young had tried to reduce or remove Victor's (and Nikki's) presence on the show.
Now it's 2026 and EB is several years older, so I don't know how he'd react if any new HW tried to reduce Victor's airtime.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

January 31, 2019. Eric Braeden did an "ask me anything" facebook live. He spoke out about Mal Young (without saying Mal's name).

https://www.facebook.com/officialericbraeden/posts/670448483370736

* * * The fb live video is not attached to the facebook post, but there is a copy of the relevant clip
To watch the video clip, go here

Transcript of the video clip:
Question: "A lot of people asking what happened to Victor's office?"
EB replied, "Well, let me be very honest with you. There was an attempt by the former executive producer / headwriter to diminish the role of Victor Newman. I'll say it very clearly and very succinctly, he attempted to diminish him, to bring the character down. Never forgive him for that. But he's gone. Bye bye!"
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

March 23, 2022, in an SOD interview about the Ashland Locke storyline (link)

EB spoke about Mal Young without saying his name:
Braeden: Well, of course! Look, let's be very honest. The last regime introduced things that no one gave a damn about, okay? Let's call a spade a spade. No one gave a damn about some of those storylines, no one, because they were not part of the history of that show! I hate to say it, but obviously, the Newman empire is one of the main cornerstones of the show. What the last regime really wanted, to be frank with you, was to get rid of me and get rid of Melody, if you want to know the truth.

Digest: I want to know the truth, but that is so crazy to me!

Braeden: Of course, it's crazy! You must remember that people who come onto the show as new executive producers have their own egos, and they think they can rewrite it, they can redo it all. What they don't understand is that Bill Bell was a brilliant man who laid a very sound foundation, and if you want to veer away from that foundation, it will begin to flounder. That’s all I'm going to say.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Edited 23 minutes ago23 min by janea4old

Of course, what EB says about Bill Bell laying a "very solid foundation" with the Newman family makes sense, but what he doesn't see (or doesn't WANT to see) is that the Newmans have been exhausted creatively for quite some time. Not even the introduction of Claire, Cole and Victoria's previously stillborn daughter, has rejuvenated the family. Watching the Newmans and Abbotts at this point is like watching two very tired hamsters run on two very creaky wheels. They. Are. BORING.

Edited 24 minutes ago24 min by Khan

3 hours ago, Chris B said:

Not too long ago, Jamey went back to Daytime Confidential for an extensive catch up podcast. He mentioned two things that made me feel as if he wouldn't be at BTG long term. Not because they don't want him but in case another, bigger opportunity came forward. He mentioned during BTG breaks that they allowed him to go back and write breakdowns for Days and the other thing he mentioned is that he was working on a project with Ron Calivati.

Could the project they were working on be a story bible for Y&R? It's clear something has been going on for a while so it wouldn't surprise me if they have been meeting with people in anticipation of this.

Carlivati also mention on the Soapy interview with Greg and Rebecca that he had something in the works. Honestly, I assumed it was a whole new soap because of BTG launch and relative success. Though I can see him as Y&R's HW if that project doesn't come to fruition, but I wouldn't be surprised if Carlivati wants his own thing. GH could use a companion on ABC and the motivation to do better than GH would be there with Carlivati because of his ego/bitterness.

If we're listing what changes we'd like to see, then I'll chime in. Most are what has already been said.

Get rid of Patty, Matt, Sienna, Claire, Sally (so she can return to B&B now that Wyatt is back). Write off Chelsea/Adam for a few months and have Adam return alone, now single. Drop Abby, Devon, Daniel, Mariah, Tessa to recurring.

Less Victor, Phyllis, and Billy, but keep them.

Put Traci on contract and try (desperately) to get Eileen to be more recurring as Ashley. If Jess can't/doesn't want to do more episodes of Jill, then recast. Lauren would be great if she's pulled from DAYS.

Recast Summer. Let her be between Kyle and Holden (instead of Claire).

Go there with Nate and Victoria as a full couple. Nate returns to being a doctor. Move away from Society and have a hospital set for Nate, Stephanie, and a new male doctor that attracts Sharon's eye, making Nick protective of her. (I agree with the idea Nick should help Sharon focus on the coffee shop again...so he can keep better tabs on her after she sells her non-profit company...which she's never working at.)

Let Lauren slowly start to have feelings for Jack again leaving Michael and Diane on the outs trying to keep them apart, only to maybe get together themselves.

Slowly reunite Cane and Lily only for a woman from Cane's past while he was Aristotle shows up that he never mentioned to Lily. She accuses him of lying all over again.

Show Cane and Billy's rivalry for Jill's affections while she insists she's out of the corporate game.

Make Audra the vixen of the show in the vein of a younger Jill. Let them have a bit of a rivalry because Jill sees right through her. Maybe Audra sets her sights on Billy to piss off Jill.

8 minutes ago, Khan said:

Of course, what EB says about Bill Bell laying a "very solid foundation" with the Newman family makes sense, but what he doesn't see (or doesn't WANT to see) is that the Newmans have been exhausted creatively for quite some time. Not even the introduction of Claire, Cole and Victoria's previously stillborn daughter, has rejuvenated the family. Watching the Newmans and Abbotts at this point is like watching two very tired hamsters run on two very creaky wheels. They. Are. BORING.

You are never going to (and should never) get rid of Victor. As you have noted many times his impact on the general audience, particularly one cross-section of the audience cannot be overstated. But agreed, most of the present Newmans are played out. Reed, maybe Noah, some of the many other Newman kids I can't remember and we rarely see, Fen, maybe Mariah, Allie, the twins, etc. That's where I'd look next. The older generations are washed. And Claire is a joke.

It was malpractice letting Loren Lott get away too. If I had my way and the sky was the limit she would be leading OLTL 3.0 as crusading journalist, Viki Lord protege and single mom Destiny Evans (soon to be Buchanan, but oh is there trouble on the horizon?) next week!