We have learned one major fact about CBS in the last 6 months and that is that they don’t listen to their fans. Instead of holding onto coveted actors, the network has been all for allowing show runner Jill Farren Phelps to fire a galaxy of fan favorites including but not limited to Michael Muhney, Billy Miller, and Michelle Staffird in favor of hiring her closest friends. While CBS seems to be backing up Phelps in spite of watching the ratings tank, another network is listening and hearing what the fans are saying loud and clear. ABC’s General Hospital is apparently smarter than the competition and is purposely swooping in to scoop up and hire pivotal soap actors.
According to the July 7th print edition of GLOBE Magazine, it’s absolutely no coincidence that Michelle Stafford hopped over to GH, and it’ll be even less of one when Billy Miller pops up on screen later this summer as Jason Morgan reincarnated. ABC is on a clear-cut mission to unseat Y&R in the ratings war — and already both shows are neck and neck in the ages 18-49 key demographic. That is the group that advertisers covet and, ultimately, GH wants to steal advertising away from Y&R because it equals big money in everyone’s pocket.
Ironically, the most diehard former fans of Y&R were saying 6 months ago that they would follow their favorites anywhere, and many were hoping that they would turn up in Port Charles. It looks like ABC is all about pleasing the fans and it’s working. Perhaps Michael Muhney will be the next actor to migrate over to GH. There have been unsubstantiated rumors saying that Michael has been cast as a back-from-the-dead AJ Quartermaine but this is exceedingly unlikely. If ABC is really gunning for The Young and the Restless fans, then that’s a huge audience that they must be dying to reel in, right? Are you glad to see that GH is making room for Y&R’s ridiculous cast offs?