Staying faithful to The Young and the Restless hasn’t been an easy task over the past year or so. Underwhelming business-focused plots, endless kidnappings and recycled villains have left even the most devoted, longtime fans exhausted. When it was announced that headwriter Josh Griffith would soon be stepping down, viewers were both excited and cautious. Who, they wondered, would take his place and what would their version of Genoa City look like?
Now comes news that Griffith will be replaced by the headwriting team of Dan O’Connor and Jamey Giddens… and for those of us who’ve long loved this genre, it’s the most thrilling news to come down the pike since CBS greenlit Beyond the Gates.
In some respects, O’Connor and Giddens are a real-life embodiment of the phrase “something old, something new.” O’Connor has been writing soaps, in one capacity or another, since 2013, including a co-headwriting stint at General Hospital. While Giddens is newer to the scene, he is perhaps more familiar to many soap fans. Thanks to Daytime Confidental, a site he co-created and co-owns, he became known as one of the genre’s most vocal fans — and when necessary, critics.
For many of us, watching him climb through the ranks to create the axed-too-soon primetime soap Ambitions before joining the writing staffs of both Days of Our Lives and Beyond the Gates has felt like cheering one of our own on from the sidelines.
What will this dynamic duo bring to Genoa City? Well, back in 2015, Giddens opined on Daytime Confidential about what soap fans wanted but weren’t getting, despite the fact there were eight soaps airing at the time! And what did he believe they were searching for? “Good, properly-paced, character-driven, organic drama, romance, love, lust and betrayal, featuring the veteran characters/stars we know and love, along with next generation characters tied firmly to the previous ones.”
It is, in a nutshell, both as simple and as complex as that. After talking the talk for years, Giddens will, with O’Connor by his side, have the opportunity to walk the walk.
As for O’Connor, during his time as co-headwriter at General Hospital, he told us that “there’s something fascinating about a never-ending story that allows you to explore the past, present and future of characters simultaneously. You’re creating today what will be the history fans remember tomorrow. And fans definitely remember!”
What promises to be fascinating is how this team tackles the challenge that is Young & Restless. While the old saying suggests one shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken, fan sentiment has indicated for quite some time now that repairs are necessary.
According to TVInsider, the pair are set to step into their new roles beginning next week, meaning their material should begin reaching the airwaves later this summer.
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