The Young and the Restless spoilers fully documented the welcomed hire of Sally Sussman as Y&R’s new head writer. The former show scribe, who honed her craft under legendary co-creator Bill Bell, has led with an initial batch of scripts that have direct messages for the fans. Sussman’s pre-Christmas gifts include a return to form for favored personalities and purposeful flashbacks that allow characters to reference the past for meaningful reasons that relate to the future.
Yes, there is a segment of fans who have been intentionally disparaging anything and anything Y&R since Jill Farren Phelps was hired, or Michael Michael was fired. That contingent’s one- or two-note tune grew tiresome shortly after all digital shrieks were heard. While those cuts aren’t helpful, they’re also recognized as part of a limited opposition campaign.
However, there is a sizable segment of serious hardcore fans who consistently offer reasoned critique. Those daily, or regular viewers are detectable by the balanced points they make about the show they love. In that regard, this group’s deep concern about the direction Phelps took Y&R pushed worthwhile dissent into the public square.
Phelps’ termination seemed long-coming. The decision to replace Pratt with Sussman may have been triggered by Pratt’s new prime time writing gig. Pratt may have also read Y&R’s tea leaves and pushed to get himself hired elsewhere before he was let go as well. In either circumstance, or whatever caused this job-change, Sussman’s return to the show and her belief in making Y&R fan friendly offer a double shot of hope.
Syncing scripts to the Newman and Abbott families is smart. The legacy characters that exist within each clan offer Sussman the right base to build from indefinitely. The manner in which she’s been weaving flashback scenes into her first few week’s episodes tells fans what general directions she’s heading to, while also refreshing their memories and providing newer viewers with needed history lessons.
Outlandish storylines, even when targeted, are rarely needed to drive good drama. Making Y&R buzzworthy in today’s social media age won’t happen by stunt-casting, or inventing science fiction-like storylines. Instead, viewers want to see new tales that involve the characters they know and love.
Yes, it’s okay to introduce some fresh faces. But those characters should be secondary to the main players. And the prime personalities need to stay within their character lines. Pushing them beyond those boundaries means that well-known fictional personalities are being intentionally changed, which doesn’t honor Bell’s time-tested vision or give daytime’s still-leading audience what it wants.
And, like all good art, the fans don’t need to be told what greatness is. They’ll respond with passion, applause and helpful social-media promotion when they see it. CDL is a leading source for everything linked to The Young and the Restless. Check back regularly for Y&R spoilers and news! Come and join in the LIVE discussion on our Facebook Page!
