Edited July 30Jul 30 by Liberty City

Fasten your seatbelts.

Gotta say, news is spreading pretty slowly… Twitter would usually jump on something like this.

I’m interested in what Jamey and Dan pitched. We need an interview.

Edited July 30Jul 30 by Faulkner

Well @Khan , he is younger and Black!

My reaction: OMG WTF? lol

Giddens and O'Connor!

This should be interesting...

I hope Jamey is a better headwriter than he was a scriptwriter.

At least it's someone different, I guess.

O'Connor was the better of the headwriting team he was in at GH, wasn't he? (whatever that's worth)

I knew it would either be Ron C or Giddens... didn't expect him to be paired with anyone. Not sure about Mr O'Connor and his abilities. Time will tell.

2 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

O'Connor was the better of the headwriting team he was in at GH, wasn't he? (whatever that's worth)

I definitely thought so.

To be quite honest, I am both mortified and oddly happy for Jamey and the show at the same time.

IIRC Jamey is devoted to Y&R and I believe he has been since he was very young. I heard him complain about its systemic issues for many years and I often agreed with him back in the day. And I do think a major storyline reset Is badly needed.

The problem is a taste issue. I believe both Jamey and O'Connor learned at the feet of Ron Carlivati. I have no great love for DOC. And I think both Jamey and Dan too often took the wrong lessons and tonal approach or love of camp from Ron. They've both embarrassed themselves either onscreen or in public many times, Jamey especially. I do think he has matured as a person In the last 5-10 years. And it's possible Jamey has modulated his writing in the last few years since he became a pro and at BTG. His understanding of Y&R also pre-dates his love for Ron Carlivati's camp.

At the same time it is undeniable that this is what, somewhere between the second and fifth Black HW in American daytime history? It is historic. Y&R undeniably needs a Black writer for its very loyal Black audience it has tried to shy away from for 20+ years. It is new blood. I also wonder if he has maintained his once-close relationship with Victoria Rowell, who he long insisted was essential (and he was right).

I have very little faith, but I do have some hope. If that makes sense. For many years Jamey Giddens made his name in the daytime industry by calling out the problems with what may be his favorite soap, expounding on its history and declaring what it needed to be well. Now I will give him the chance to prove it. I'll be watching.

Edited July 30Jul 30 by Vee

I feel like this is another Jean and Shelley situation - easy for Sony and CBS to fire after a year if they don’t get the results they want.

I have made it clear that I am not a fan of Jamey or Dan for that matter. I have no hopes for this and very low expectations, but at least it’s something … different?

6 minutes ago, Vee said:

IIRC Jamey is devoted to Y&R and I believe he has been since he was very young.

I hope that devotion doesn't mean more Victor.

I wonder if Jamey might try to get Dru back on the show, especially with Steve Kent gone. The fact that VR was even considered for a role on BTG shows that things have thawed since the lawsuit against Sony and CBS.

The issue is that he writes like someone who knows life through soap operas alone. Very fan fiction.

I know very little about either of these two but I and somewhat familiar with Jamey Giddens. He is a gay man right? I just know that a gay man who is passionate about soaps (specifically Y&R) is exactly what we need. You know he probably grew up loving characters like Dru, Ashley, Nikki. The show was always focused more on the women and their rivalries which we have SADLY lost in the last several years. I am excited to see what he brings to the table. Dan O’Connor is someone I have to research and learn more about. I never watched ABC soaps, but I’m keeping an open mind.

2 minutes ago, BetterForgotten said:

I feel like this is another Jean and Shelley situation - easy for Sony and CBS to fire after a year if they don’t get the results they want.

It's hard for any other writing team to be as cooked as Jean and Shelly were by the time they got to GH. O'Connor is just tired hash AFAIC but Jamey knows Y&R.

Just now, Faulkner said:

The issue is that he writes like someone who knows life through soap operas alone. Very fan fiction.

That's also my concern. Whenever he would whip up hypothetical story as a blogger it would be the most OTT camp stuff out of '80s Spelling. And it's not like classic Bill Bell did not have a certain tone and house style. Then when he got into the business where did he go work? DAYS. It's not usually good camp if you're aiming directly for camp. The aging Ryan Murphy content mill proves that.

Anyway, we'll see. I am hopeful re: his relationship with VR and his years of proselytizing about Dru and the Black audience. I can't remember if he and Rowell ended up having beef.

I mean, it's fine. If they aren't given a budget then nothing much will change. The bad habits in that show are really, really ingrained. I expect they will propose to do actual storylines that happen onscreen, and then have to work around not being able to do it, and having to use actors only twice a month. Not that JG wasn't a hack, obviously, but I'm not sure anyone can write around these limitations. The show needs a leader with a vision who will advocate and I don't think they have enough pull for that, but wish them the best of luck.